Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
BRUNEI will be represented by six golfers for the upcoming Richard Milles Brunei Championships 2018.
The new US$60,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event is the first professional competition to be held in the sultanate in eight years and will be contested at the Empire Hotel & Country Club in Jerudong.
The duo of pros - Faiz Damit and Pg Wirahadikusuma Pg Hj Mohd Salleh - will spearhead Brunei for the March 7-10 event, which will be held in conjunction with the 34th Brunei National Day
They will be joined by the amateur quartet of Md Qawim Fakhri Hj Aslimon, Md Qazzri Fakhri Hj Aslimon, Ak Muhd Syakir Hj Ali and Lai Suan Loong - who all represented Brunei at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur last year.
Faiz had taken a hiatus from late 2016 before making his return at the Asian Tour Qualifying School First Stage in Bangkok from Jan 3-6.
Contested at the Windsor Park & Golf Club in Bangkok, Faiz missed the cut by only one shot after firing a two-day total of seven-over 149 in the field of 67 golfers.
The 31-year-old is delighted to be back on the greens and feels rejuvenated for the upcoming season.
“It feels good to be back to playing on tour again. I feel the game is better now and I played quite solid last week,” said Faiz in an interview with BruSports News yesterday
“I think in terms of fitness wise it is also better I will be playing least 10 events on the ADT this year and the Brunei event will either be my third or fourth event. Hopefully I’ll be able to do well,” he added.
When asked if the Brunei event will be on top of the priority list, Faiz replied: “It isn’t the priority but the pressure will definitely be higher since this is the home ground.
“My priority lies more on who I do for the whole year. I will take this as another event but this will definitely be the one that people will be looking forward to,” added Brunei’s second professional golfer.
On the other hand, Wira also last played in 2016 - a competition in Dubai.
He took a break after getting tying the knot and started working as a coach at the Panti Mentiri driving range.
He is pleased to get back to playing at a competitive level and is looking to get back some lost time.
“I’m not sure how many tournaments I will play (this year). The Brunei event is my plan for now,” said Wira.
“But if I get opportunities to play other events then I will. I miss playing especially with the vibes and feel of a tournament. I really miss it a lot,” concluded the 32-year-old.
The Richard Mille Brunei Championships 2018 will be the fourth competition out of the 16 confirmed events so far on the ADT calendar.
