THE Malaysian quartet of Nicholas Fung, Gavin Kyle Green, Mohamad Iszaimi Ismail and Abel Tam are well prepared for their campaign in the Nomura Cup inter-team golf competition starting at the Namseoul Country Club in Seoul today.
According to coach V. Gunalen, the foursome were impressive throughout the year as well as during a week-long training session at the Cameron Highlands Golf and Country Club recently.
»The players are eager to make an impact in the competition« V. GUNALEN “The four are now the best amateurs in the country and were picked to represent Malaysia based on their results in local and international competitions,” he said.
Except for Mohamad Iszaimi, who is playing in his second Nomura Cup championship, it is a debut for the team.
The players also excelled in the recent Putra Cup and Lion City Cup competitions held in Thailand. Mohamad Iszaimi was the best Malaysian in the Putra Cup, finishing sixth, while Green was seventh and Fung, ninth. Meanwhile, Tam, in fifth place, was the best Malaysian in the Lion City Cup.
Gunalen said the training stint in the Cameron Highlands was an opportunity to build team spirit apart from working on the players’ shortcomings.
The players had to go through a systematic training schedule. Besides going on the golf course, they went for morning runs, gym training, course management and motivation talks.
Tam: In fifth place, was the best Malaysian in the recent Lion City Cup. “There was a lot of positive relationship among the players. The emphasis was on teamwork, which would be very crucial in the Nomura Cup,” Gunalen said.
The training session also included a four-round golf competition, and the players showed a lot of progress in their game.
What is Gunalen’s target for the players in the Nomura Cup?
“We had a discussion and the players are eager to make an impact in the competition. About 28 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will be in action. The players agreed to give their best and I would be happy if the team finishes among the top 10.
“The players also shared my vision and understand that they would be monitored and evaluated for the SEA Games later this year,” said Gunalen, who did not accompany the team to Seoul. Malaysia Golf Association (MGA) vice-president Mohd Yaacob Mohd Kassim is the only official in the Malaysian team.
Mohamed Iszami: He is making his second appearance in the Nomura Cup championship. Although Gunalen is not part of the team, he has briefed the players on what to expect in Seoul.
No comments:
Post a Comment