PETALING JAYA: Legal eagle Mohd Firdaus Ahmad took flight with a tidy short game to win the main category of the National Final of the Amateur Golf Series (PNAGS) yesterday.
Staged at the challenging East Course of the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC), the National Final had 70 amateur golfers scrambling for the honour of representing the country at the World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC) Final from Nov 12-19.
Newly crowned Category A champion, Mohd Firdaus overcame the demanding East Course that requires right club selection and good shot accuracy to return a good scorecard.
He scored 32 and 36 for a Nett score of 68 and edged Lim Jen Jean (Hcp 7), who carded 34-36 for a Nett 70, into second place.
“The East Course of KLGCC is one of the trickiest courses in the Klang Valley especially around the green,” said Mohd Firdaus, who is a lawyer by profession. “My short game saved me a lot.”
The five-handicapper picked up the game in 2000 when he was 12 years old. His father, who is a one-handicapper, is his mentor in golf. He taught me a lot about the game, Mohd Firdaus said.
“This sport has always been a vehicle for my networking and it has helped my legal firm to grow fast. My routine is at least to play golf twice a week with my family and friends,” he added.
It is a dream-come-true for Mohd Firdaus to represent Malaysia at the WAGC Final, where finalists from 45 countries will compete for the title.
“It is an honour to be representing and captaining our country’s team. It is beyond words, and has always been a dream for me to do that,” he added.
Joining him in the Malaysian team are Ryan Loh from Category B (Hcp 6-10), Mohammed Faisal Hussain from Category C (Hcp 11-15), Magenthiran Thanimalai from Category D (Hcp 16-20) and Syahril Hirman Azmee from Category E (Hcp 21-25).
Meanwhile, Zaidi Zakaria (Hcp 1) led Negri Sembilan to the state title with a total Nett score of 287. In his winning team were Jason Siw Tong Larm (Hcp 6), Lt Col Mohd Rasidi Abdul Rashid (Hcp 9), Norfaizul Rizal Mat Nor (Hcp 14), Magenthiran (Hcp 18).
The much-anticipated WAGC Final will be played over top golf courses in the Klang Valley, namely KLGCC, Glenmarie Golf and Country Club, Kota Permai Golf and Country Club and Kelab Rahman Putra Malaysia.
Perodua is the title sponsor of PNAGS, while the co-sponsors are Panasonic, Srixon, Spectrum Outdoor and Paradox Hotel Group.
The other sponsors are Gatorade, Bleu, Wonda Coffee, M-150, Titoni, Jakes Charbroil, SweatSPA, Golf Pride by VinGolf Tumasek, Munchy’s, Les Copaque, Dr. Group Holdings, theSun and Clubhouse.
