Danny Chia qualifies for the CIMB Classic, following a victory at the Sapura National Qualifier
The highest ranked Malaysian player in the Official World Golf Rankings, Danny Chia, fired a five-under par 66 in the final round of the Sapura National Qualifier, to record a victory, at the Mines Resort & Golf Club.
The win also booked his place in the CIMB Classic, a co-sanctioned event by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour, for the second time in his career.
He played brilliantly in the final round, especially on the back nine of the course, where he posted birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th and the 17th hole.
He now relishes the opportunity of playing with some of the best players in the world next month.
Last year, he was grouped with the former world number one Vijay Singh in the third round. Moreover, he finished tied for the 13th position on the leaderboard.
He now wishes to be partnered with the 14-time major champion Tiger Woods, who will be among the star appearances this year.
“I’ve booked my tee times now,” he smiled. “That’s a good thing for me. It is always great to play with guys like Vijay (Singh). Hopefully I can play good enough and be paired with Tiger. That will be a good incentive”.
In the meantime, the overnight leader Shaaban Hussin faltered in the final round for a two-over par 73 and slipped down to the third place.
However, he still has the chance to qualify for the CIMB Classic, as he is currently the second highest ranked player in Malaysia.
On October 1, the tournament officials will finalize the field and the top-two players from Malaysia will get the opportunity to contend in the US$6.1 million event.
The tournament will feature a total of 48 players from all over the world, including 30 professionals from the PGA Tour, 10 from the Asian Tour and 8 players will be added to the field through sponsor exemptions.
“I knew from the beginning that if Danny won, I would be the next to qualify regardless of my result here. That kind of eased the pressure a bit and it shows how important the world rankings are,” said Shaaban.
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