Sunday May 12, 2013

Nicholas tops the awards

Some of the winners at the ParGolf awards ceremony.

NICHOLAS Fung topped the 2012 ParGolf Awards when he clinched the Malaysian Professional Golfer of the Year category, beating off the challenges of top-ranked Danny Chia and Mohd Sukree Othman.

Fung, who turns 23 on May 18, won two titles on the PGM Tour last year, en route to securing the Order of Merit crown with RM159, 635. He also won the Asean PGA Tour’s Palembang Musi Championship.

The Asian Tour’s Player of the Year, Thaworn Wiratchant, was the winner of the Asian Golfer of the Year – Male award, beating countryman Thongchai Jaidee and India’s Jeev Milkha Singh.

Thaworn won three times on the Asian Tour last season to top the Order of Merit for the second time and becoming the oldest player to do so at age 45 years and 354 days. His victory in the Hero Indian Open event gave him a record 15th Asian Tour title.

Women’s world number one and 2012 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia champion Park Inbee won the Asian Golfer of the Year – Female award, ahead of compatriot Na Yeon Choi and Taiwan’s Yani Tseng.

Park won twice on the LPGA Tour last year and had 10 top-three finishes to take the Money List title with more than US$2.28mil.

Nineteen-year old Gavin Kyle Green was chosen the Malaysian Amateur Golfer of the Year – Male, ahead of last year’s winner Low Khai Jei, Abel Tam and Muhammad Arie Fauzi.

Based in the United States where he plays collegiate golf for the University of New Mexico, Green became the first Malaysian in 15 years to win the Malaysian Amateur Open last season.

He also won the MPI Saujana Amateur Championship a third time and finished the best Malaysian in the Asian Tour’s season-ending Iskandar Johor Open.

Aretha Pan Herng, meanwhile, took the Golfer of the Year – Female award from two-time winner Kelly Tan, Nur Durriyah Damian and Iman Ahmad Nordin.

Aretha won a number of tournaments in 2012, including the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia national qualifiers to seal a spot in the event, where she finished as best Malaysian.

She also won both the individual and team gold medals at the SUKMA games.

The Malaysian Junior Golfer of the Year awards, presented to players aged 15 years and below who performed exceptionally in 2012, went to 12-year-old Bryan Teoh and 15-year-old Kelie Kan.

Teoh edged Ervin Chang, winner of the 201o and 2011 award, as well as Johor’s Daeng Abdul Rahman and Galven Kendall Green.

Meanwhile, Kan’s outstanding 2012 season earned her the award for the second successive on-the-trot ahead of Natasha Andrea Oon, Winnie Ng and Ashley Lau.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, for individuals who have played pivotal roles in the development of golf in Malaysia, went to former Chief of Secretary to the Government, Tun Ahmad Sarji.

Chairman of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, Tun Sarji has been credited with initiating the circuit in 2010. The 2013 PGM Tour boasts 33 events with total prize money of more than RM4.1 million.

The Merit Award for Services to Golf for individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of the game in Malaysia was presented posthumously to the late Edmund Yong.

The Young Gun Award, a special award created to recognise the future of Malaysian golf, went to five recipients –eight-year-old Jeneath Wong, nine-year-olds Sarah Mazri and Muhammad Luqman, as well as 10-year-olds Feirish Nor and Foo Tee Jui.

Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) meanwhile cemented its status as the premier golf club in the country when it was named the Golf Club of the Year – Malaysia for the third successive year.

The other nominees in this category were Kota Permai Golf & Country Club and Horizon Hills Golf & Country.

Also for the third year in a row, Kota Permai won the Best Maintained Golf Course award. The other nominees were Horizon Hills, KLGCC, Royal Selangor Golf Club and the Mines Resort & Golf Club.

Sports

Sunday May 12, 2013

Nicholas tops the awards