India's Rai takes charge at Impian Classic
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India's Himmat Rai sank nine birdies en route to an impressive eight-under-par 64 for the first round lead at the PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Rai, rated as one of his country's emerging talents, was near flawless as he peppered the pins at the Impian Golf and Country Club in the RM200,000 (approximately US$67,000) Asian Development Tour event.
Filipino Artemio Murakami, preparing for his title defence of the ICTSI Philippine Open next week, led the chasing pack with a seven-birdie round of 65, followed by Chinese Taipei's Chang Tse-peng and Malaysian M. Sasidaran, second and third respectively at the Clearwater Masters last week, a further stroke back with matching 66s.
Another Malaysian, C.M. Chong emerged as the surprise package with a 67 while local stars Ben Leong, Iain Steel and Danny Chia all carded 69s.
Rai was delighted to set the pace in his debut on the Asian Development Tour, which was launched last season as a platform for emerging players to cut their professional teeth.
"I played great and did everything right. I'm really happy. The way I saw it, I pulled the shots off and I read the lines well. I stuck to the basics and it was a day when it all fell into place," said Rai, who dropped only one bogey on the card.
After losing his full Asian Tour card by finishing in 72nd place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit last season, the methodical Indian regained his playing rights through Qualifying School in January.
Rai did not feature in the co-sanctioned Ballantine's Championship in Korea last week which prompted him to fly out to the Impian Classic to keep his game sharp, especially when he had finished seventh in the Panasonic Open (India) last month.
"I've been playing well since Qualifying School. I was in contention at the Panasonic and I've been happy with how I'm playing. The goal is to play as many tournaments as I can and it's refreshing to be here. There are still a lot of good players and it's good to compete on the Development Tour," said Rai.
The bubbly Murakami was rock solid as he warmed up for his Philippine Open defence in impressive style. "I've been hitting it solid from tee to green and I made a few putts. Since the start of this season, I've been playing good. I just want to keep it up until the end of next week," said 27-year-old, who won the Iskandar Johor Open on the Asian Tour in 2008.
"I didn't want to take a break this week and wanted to keep the feel of playing in a tournament. I had seven birdies and didn't get into much trouble all day. I'm really happy with my round."
After last week's exploits, Sasidaran was back in the title hunt and credited local knowledge for his fast start. "I hit the ball well and putted nicely. It's a golf course where you can score well. It's not a long course and we're familiar with it. Last week I finished third and it was good. I'm in form and I feel like I'm swinging well with my new irons," he said.
Story of the day belonged to the 38-year-old Chong, who still has the competitive fire burning inside of him despite focusing on his businesses which include a golf shop and academy. "I still have a great interest in playing the game, otherwise I won't be here. It's always fun to pull off a good round in a tournament. It's still in me and I like to play," said Chong.
"I changed my putter last week and it seems to be working well. I made a few putts from 15 feet and obviously, I hit the ball quite well and I am happy. I didn't have any major hiccups," he said.
The Impian Classic is organised by the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour.
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