Afif Fathi, who recently earned his Toyota Tour card in September’s qualifying school, shot a strong five-under 66 to lead Toyota Tour's Yaris Cup after round one at the Mines Resort Golf Club.
The 23-year-old recorded seven birdies and two bogeys, putting him one stroke ahead of Daeng Rahman. Another stroke behind in a tie for third are Danny Millis and Tan Yih Heng.
In the Ladies Championship, amateur Ng Jing Xuen leads by two shots over Winnie Ng after an impressive 66.
Afif admitted surprise at his score, given he was playing with a fever. “Yesterday evening I had a bad sore throat, and the fever started last night,” he said.
“I forced myself to play despite feeling feverish throughout my round. I’m happy with my game in general, and hopefully, after seeing the doctor, I’ll be in better shape tomorrow.”
At two-under in a tie for fifth are several players, including Hilux champion Nasrullah Zulkifli, Fortuna Cup winner Ben Leong, Danny Chia, Syahiran Syakir, Kenneth De Silva, and leading amateur Anson Yeo.
This marks the second consecutive year that the Mines Resort Golf Club has hosted a Toyota Tour event, organized by Professional Golf Malaysia and delivered by MST Golf.
Ng Jing Xuen, or “JX” as she's known, began her round on the 10th hole and fired birdies on the 11th, 13th, 14th, and 15th holes to reach four-under quickly. Building on that momentum, she birdied the 1st and 2nd holes to go six-under before bogeying the par-3 seventh.
“I overhit my tee shot and couldn’t get up and down,” she explained.
“But I’m very happy with my game, striking the ball well with my irons, and hopefully, I can stay focused and continue with my form," added Jing Xuen.
Having won the EFG China Ladies PGA Q event in Singapore last month, Jing Xuen is eyeing a pro turn in the first half of next year.
“Many acquaintances are telling me I should turn pro now, but I feel I’m still not quite ready. I want to improve my techniques first, and competing on the Toyota Tour will show me where I stand," said Jing Xuen, who plans to attend the China Ladies PGA qualifying school.
Winnie Ng, who also started on the 10th, had a mixed front nine with just one par, tallying three bogeys and five birdies for a two-under 33. She rebounded to four-under with birdies on the 4th and 6th holes before a double bogey on the par-3 seventh.
“I putted last on the previous green and then rushed my tee shot, sending the ball into the water,” Winnie explained.
She recovered with a birdie on the next par-5 hole. “I feel I’m playing well and can only learn from today’s outing.”
Now a professional, Winnie plans to compete in Taiwan, followed by the China Ladies PGA qualifying school, and then return to Taiwan for her final event of the year.
Geraldine Wong sits in third at even par, with Zulaikah Nasser and Amalia Shahzan close behind at one-over 72.
Leading Round One Scores
Mens'
66 (-5) Afif Fathi
67 (-4) Daeng Rahman
68 (-3) Danny Millis, Tan Yih Heng
69 (-2)Azry Asraf, Nasrullah Zulkifli, Nor Heikal Hadi, Danny Chia, Anson Yeo (a), Ben Leong, Syahiran Syakir, Kenneth De Silva, Yusoff Affandy
70 Danial Faidz, Amir Nazrin, Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Zia Izzuddeen, U-Minn Woon, Malcolm Ting, R Nachimuthu, Syakir Adli
Ladies'
66 (-5) Ng Jing Xyen (am)
68 (-3) Winnie Ng
71 (Even) Geraldine Wong
72 (+1) Zulaikah Nasser, Amalia Shahzan
