Iain Steel off to a decent start at the Iskandar Johor Open
Iain Steel marked a decent start to his campaign at the Iskandar Johor Open, after carding a two-under par 70, to share the 27th position on the leaderboard.
Entering the second round at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club, the Malaysian star trails the leader David Lipsky by seven strokes. His first-round performance included a total of five birdies and three bogeys.
Last year, the 41-year-old failed to secure his card for the 2012 Asian Tour season. As a result, he piled his trade on the Asian Development Tour.
He had to rely on sponsor invitations to participate in limited Asian Tour events this season, and currently holds the 171st position in the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Therefore, he desperately needs to perform miraculously well, in order to finish among the top-five players to finish the tournament.
A top-five finish in the tournament will allow him to move into the top-60 in the money list, which will guarantee him full-time playing rights for the 2013 Asian Tour season.
Talking to the Asian Tour’s official website, he admitted that he will have to play really well, in a bid to earn his card for the upcoming season.
“Finishing top-five this week will secure my Asian Tour card but that’s a long shot. If I can put four rounds together, I’ll be very happy moving forward into next year,” he said.
He also expressed his disappointment in playing poorly off the tee. According to him, he was struggling with his driver.
Meanwhile, he was also pleased with his iron game and with his control over his putter. He said that he certainly has the potential to post impressive scores, if he manages to hit the fairways on regular basis.
“My round was scrappy. My iron game is pretty good but trying to get it on the fairways is the hard part for me. If I can get it in play on the fairways then I can get birdie opportunities. My putting has been pretty good the last month or so. Once I get on the putting green, I’m looking forward to it,” said Steel, whose father is Scottish and mother is Sabahan.
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