The 28-year-old from Kulim was in his element around the greens, with three birdies and a chip-in eagle on the Par-5 10th. Fakhrul was cruising at eight-under until his tee shot on the last hole found trouble among the trees.
“I had no choice but to declare an unplayable,” Fakhrul said. After punching the ball out, he still had 220 yards left to the green.
“I missed the green with my fourth shot, and the rough is tough here. I couldn’t chip close enough to save bogey," he added.
Despite the hiccup, Fakhrul, currently ranked 18th on the Toyota Tour Order of Merit, was upbeat.
“This is my best score on tour so far, and it’s my first time leading on the Toyota Tour, so no complaints," said Fakhrul who holds a one-shot lead over Kim Leun Kwang.
Kim, who came close to victory at last month’s Supra Cup in Johor Bahru, maintained his solid form with six birdies and just one bogey. He was pleased with his game and the course conditions.
One shot back, Wafiyuddin Manaf had an eventful round that included an eagle, six birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey. Tied for fourth at three-under are Ben Leong, Daeng Rahman, Brandon Lai, Irfan Syahmi, and Zia Izzuddeen.
Local pros Ruhanraj Vinayagam and Edvin Ying found the going tough, finishing at even par and tied for 17th, six strokes behind the leader. This is the seventh leg of the Toyota Tour, organized by Professional Golf Malaysia and delivered by MST Golf.
In the Ladies Championship, Toyota Tour Elite Junior Wang Xin Yao shot a one-over 73 to share the lead with Geraldine Wong and Zulaikah Nasser.
First Round Scores
66 (-6) Fakhrul Akmal
67 (-5) Kim Leun Kwang
68 (-4) Wafiyuddin Manaf
69 (-3) Ben Leong, Daeng Rahman, Irfan Syahmi, Zia Izzuddeen, Brandon Lai
70 (-2) Maveen Kumar, Lee Chong Li, R. Nachimuthu, Zurie Harun
Ladies
73 (+1) Geraldine Wong, Zulaikah Nasser, Wang Xin Yao (am)
75 (+3) Michelle Koh
76 (+4) Amalia Shahzan
79 (+7) Lana Aswadi
