Brian Locke leads the PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Masters on day one
Brian Locke carded a four-under par 67 in the opening round of the PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Masters to take a one-stroke lead over Iain Steel, on Thursday, November 8, 2012.
The Asian Development Tour event is being played at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, offering a prize purse of approximately US$60,000 to the participants.
Locke is currently enjoying a decent form, having recorded a top-20 finish last week at the PGM Sarawak Masters.
This week, he kept the momentum going into the opening round of the PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Masters and recorded four birdies without conceding a single bogey.
Talking to the reporters after finishing his round, he expressed his wish of maintaining his form in the remaining rounds.
Steel, in the meantime, also displayed a brilliant game. He added four birdies to his scorecard while conceding only a single bogey.
Last year, the Sabahan-born player suffered a back injury and missed a number of events on the Asian Tour. As a result, he also had to lose his card for the Asian Tour.
Talking to the Asian Tour’s official website, he stated that it was really difficult for him to play while fighting through the pain for the last 18 months.
“I’ve been playing with a back injury and I haven’t been good. I’m trying to fight and play through the injury. The confidence gets a blow and it hasn’t been an easy road,” said the 42-year-old.
“It is a muscle and tissue problem. I rested for two months and that didn’t help. I don’t know how long it is going to take to recover but I want to keep playing as long as I can,” said Steel.
He now wishes a return to the Asian Tour with a strong show on the Asian Development Tour. However, he also admitted that still has to wait, due of lack of practice, to play a solid game.
“I have to listen to the experts now and try not to take my body for granted so my career can last a little bit longer,” he added.
The last year’s ADT Order of Merit runner-up Chiang Chen-Chih, in the meantime, also recorded a three-under par 68 and joined Steel on the leaderboard.
Tags: