Petaling Jaya, Selangor: Local hope Nicholas Fung, American Jonathan Moore and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera are relishing the challenge to land their first Asian Tour title at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters next week.
The talented trio are tipped to break through at the RM1.2 million (approximately US$400,000) Asian Tour event at the demanding Seri Selangor Golf Club from June 20 to 23.
Malaysians Sukree Othman and Shaaban Hussin will also be in the hunt for a first victory on the region’s premier Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Thaworn Wiratchant will defend his title and will be joined by more than 30 other Tour champions including Scott Hend of Australia, Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei and Himmat Rai of India.
Former Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters champions Rick Kulacz (2009) and Angelo Que (2010) of the Philippines will also eager to rediscover their winning form at Seri Selangor.
Rookie Fung earned his Tour card at Qualifying School in Thailand earlier this year and has made two cuts from five starts. He is determined to turn the corner on home soil where his best result was tied 12th in 2012.
“Earning my Asian Tour card has really helped with my confidence. I was very happy when I finished inside the top-40 because I can play more on the Asian Tour and also hone my game on the Asian Development Tour (ADT),” said Fung.
Moore has enjoyed success in Malaysia previously where he won the 2011 PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic on the ADT en route to winning the Order of Merit and gaining playing rights on the Asian Tour.
The former Walker Cup star came close to winning his first Asian Tour title in Macau last year where he finished second and enjoyed a superb result at the season-ending Iskandar Johor Open when he shot a final round 61 to finish runner-up.
He hopes a more relaxed approach will lead him to a first Asian Tour win. “At times I tend to hold on a little bit too tight. It has been a tendency of mine over the years. Some days or some weeks I have some better stretches. It is more of the things in between my ears than my game,” he said.
“I’m just trying to let go more. A few things I’ve learned over the years that I can’t make the ball go to a particular spot. Just envision that all I’m going to do is to hit it into the ocean instead of a small fairway. Just make that free swing and hit it into a big wide ocean.”
Perera, the first Sri Lankan to hold a full Asian Tour card, notched a second place result at the season-opening Zaykabar Myanmar Open and is eager to grab a first win at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
The tight layout at Seri Selangor will certainly work in his favour as Perera is one of the straightest shooters on Tour.
“My win will come. I just need to stay patient. You also need a bit of luck when you want to win. Hopefully it will come soon,” said the 26-year-old Perera, who is the son to Nandasena, a famous name on the old Asian circuit during the 1980s and 1990s.
Worldwide Holdings, a 100 per cent subsidiary of PKNS – the development arm of the state of Selangor – will title sponsor the Selangor Masters for the sixth successive year. The state-linked company has an impressive portfolio of businesses which include property development and investment, environmental management services and investment holding in Selangor.
The weekend rounds of the tournament will be telecast live on the Asian Tour’s global platform which reaches over 200 countries and 650 million homes
