March 24, 2013
Maybank Malaysian Open Golf Championship 2013
I am off to watch the final round of the Maybank Malaysian Open. This year’s championship will be decided in 54 holes. Due to bad weather yesterday, Round 3 was suspended and will resume at 9.45 am today at the Kuala Lumpur Golf Country Club. Once again I congratulate Maybank Group and other sponsors, Globe One (the championship organisers), the Asian Tour and the European Tour for staging this outstanding tournament.
I shall be at the KLGCC and will resume blogging later this evening. In the meantime, here the NST report on Round 2. –Din Merican
March 23, 2013
WELL ARMED: Schwartzel, Ashun lead but Kiradech continues surge
SOUTH AFRICAN Charl Schwartzel and China’s Wu Ashun claimed the clubhouse lead on nine-under 135 in a chaotic rain-interrupted Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club yesterday.
Play was again suspended for almost three hours in the afternoon when a thunderstorm lashed KLGCC but when it resumed, overnight clubhouse leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat (pic above) of Thailand showed tremendous grit to go 10-under but his charge was stopped on the front nine. He added three more birdies on the third, fourth and ninth, before failing light stopped play.
The Thai sensation will continue nine more second round holes today, before playing in the third round in the afternoon.Schwartzel and Wu Ashun had identical 67-68s for a two-round total of 135.
The South African was four-under par after 11 holes of his first round on Thursday when a thunderstorm forced play to be abandoned. He was among 78 players who resumed play yesterday morning and completed an opening 67 in style, chipping in for a birdie on the 18th.
That left the 2011 Masters Tournament champion two shots off the clubhouse lead held by Kiradech, but it was just a matter of a few holes before he closed in on the lead.
Starting his second round from the tenth, Schwartzel birdied his first two and picked up two more shots on the 17th and 18th to be out in 32, and more birdies followed on the third and fifth but his game was marred when he dropped two shots in a row, on the sixth and seventh, and had to settle for a 68.
“I can’t be too hard on myself because it’s extraordinarily hot out there,” said Schwartzel.
“I lost a bit of concentration towards the end and made bad decisions on the sixth and seventh — poor club selections. I was in the middle of the fairway both times and made bogey. I hit a very poor shot on the seventh.It’s been a very long day but through it all, I thought I played pretty well. At least I’ve given myself a chance; I’m playing consistently and if I had been a bit sharper today (yesterday), I maybe could have separated myself from the field, but I know I’m playing well and I’m feeling good.”
Wu drew level with Schwartzel when he rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the ninth.”I’m very happy and my putting is good. I read the lines very well and that made me relax out there.I think it’s important to play with a strategy in mind this week and selection of the right clubs will matter as well.
“I’ve been in a good form and I hope to maintain that.It’s great that I have the opportunity to play in this co-sanctioned event this week. It’s going to be very competitive because we’ve got all the top players from the Asian Tour and European Tour in the field.”
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 