Kim Leun Kwang carded a five-under-par 67 at Palm Resort Golf & Country Club to be one shot clear of Edven Ying after round one of the Toyota Tour's Supra Cup.
Sitting in third on three-under-par is Sabahan Nicholas Fung, followed by four players in tied fourth position on two-under-par.
Kim signed in six birdies against one bogey on his scorecard, and was generally satisfied with his performance, though he admitted to getting lucky at times.
“I took advantage of the par fives, made three birdies, and got some breaks. It’s nice to be in this position after the first round,” said Kim.
Nearest contender Ying was at 6-under until a double bogey on the last hole. Despite hitting the fairway off the tee, Ying misjudged the wind, sending his approach shot into the greenside bunker. He then chipped past the pin and two-putted for a double bogey.
Fung struggled early, going three over after four holes but rallied with birdies on the 5th, 9th, 12th, and four consecutive birdies starting at the 14th hole.
The Supra Cup is the sixth event of the Toyota Tour, organized by Professional Golf Malaysia and delivered by MST Golf.
In the Ladies Championship, amateur Winnie Ng shot a five-under-par 67, giving her a seven-stroke lead over Michelle Koh and Aretha Pan. Ng, who recently won the Malaysian Amateur Open and the RSGC Amateur Open, recorded six birdies and one bogey.
“My goal was to stay patient and hit as many fairways and greens in regulation as possible,” said 23-year-old Ng.
“After my recent wins, I realized I shouldn’t focus on going as low as possible. The birdies will come if I manage my game.”
Despite her large lead, Ng remains focused. “There are 36 holes left, and I’m sticking to my game plan. Stay focused, stay patient.”
Leading Round One Scores
Men
67 (-5) Jeremiah Kim Leun Kwang
68 (-4) Edven Ying
69 (-3) Nicholas Fung
70 (-2) Paul San, Danial Faidz, Galven Green, Hui Yong Sherng
71 (-1) Ryan Fernandez, Maxwein Chew (am), Daeng Abdul Rahman, Syahiran Syakir, Kenneth De Silva
72 (E) Ikhmal Basry, Syakir Adli, Jonathan Wong
Ladies
67 (-5) Winnie Ng (am)
74 (+2) Michelle Koh, Aretha Pan
75 (+3) Qistina Balqis, Amalia Shahzan
76 (+4) Jocelyn Chee, Geraldine Wong
