Inspired by Faldo

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YOUNGSTER Hisyam Abdul Majid had the privilege of sharing a lift with Sir Nick Faldo during the Asian Amateur golf championship in Singapore recently.

Then, Hisyam had missed the cut andwas dejected. But Faldo gave him an inspiring piece of advice.

“He was very encouraging and to listen to Faldo, a six-time Major champion, was motivating. And I was determined to excel in my subsequent competition,’’ said Hisyam.

Off to China: (From left) Nur Durriya, Aretha Pan, Hisyam, Ahmad Zahir and Muhammad Afif with their prizes and certificates.

Incidentally, the next competition was the Faldo Series Malaysia championships at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) in Kuala Lumpur.

Hisyam was in fine form in the boys’ Under-21 in the three-day competition. However, he was quite jittery on the first day and could only return with a two-over 74.

But Hisyam, a regular in the SportExcel junior circuit, came back strongly on the second day and fired an impressive four-under 68. Inspired, he carded a 69 on the final day for a three-round score of five-under 211 for a 10-stroke victory.

Kenneth de Silva, who will represent Malaysia in the Faldo Series grand final at the Mission Hills Golf Club in China in March 2012, was a distant second on 221 (75-70-76).

Ahmad Zahir Abdul Ghani was the winner in the boys’ Under-18. He had rounds of 77-75-75 for a three-day score of 227.

A countback decided the winner in the boys’ Under-16. Both Muhammad Afif Razif Malcolm Adam Tay returned with identical 223 strokes after the three round. But a countback favoured Muhammad Afif.

International Aretha Pan, a member of the national women’s team for the coming SEA Games in Indonesia, had a three-round score of 214 (71-76-67) and became the champion in the girls’ Under-21 category.

In the girls’ Under-16, the winner was Nur Durriyah Damian, also a member of the national team, on 224.

The winners — Hisyam, Ahmad Zahir, Muhammad Afif, Aretha and Nur Durriyah — have earned the right to play in the Asian grand final in China.

Faldo Series chief executive officer Tom Phillips said they were pleased with the overwhelming response for the championships.

“Malaysia will be allocated an additional slot for the grand final. So there will be six Malaysians taking part in the grand final,’’ said Phillips.

RESULTS

Overall champion: Hisyam Abdul Majid -211 (74-68-69)

BOYS

Under21

Champion: Hisyam Abdul Majid-211 (74-68-69)

Runner-up: Kenneth de Silva-221 (75-70-76)

Under 18

Champion: Ahamd Zahir Abdul Ghani-227 (77-75-75)

Runner-up: Nick Ang Xia Ee-236 (78-79-79)

Under-16

Champion: Muhammad Afif Razif-223 (76-73-74)

Runner-up: Malcolm Adam Tay- 223 (72-76-75)

GIRLS

Under-21

Champion: Aretha Pan-214 (71-76-67)

Runner-up: Diana Tham-217 (79-71-67)

Under-16

Champion: Nur Durriyah Damian-224 (75-79-70)

Runner-up: Genevieve Ling -227 (79-74-74)