SERI KEMBANGAN – Gavin Green and V. Khavish Varman gave themselves a good chance at being the first local golfers to win US$1 million (RM4.7 million) at the Malaysian Open after ending the first round with a score of 7-under par, shooting 64 to tie for fourth place at the Mines Resort and Golf Club today.
Gavin teed off from the 10th hole, where his round included five birdies on the second, third, sixth, 13th, and 15th holes. He also added an eagle on the 17th just for good measure at the season-opening tournament of the 2024 season.
“This is a solid start – there were not many big mistakes. I gave myself a lot of chances.
“I started the round with simple pars and nothing crazy, but then a couple of birdies and an eagle on the 17th hole kickstarted the round.
“It was also a bogey-free round on the scores, but it got tricky when the wind picked up. However, we managed ourselves very well,” said the 30-year-old to reporters after his round was completed.
Gavin is on the hunt for a top-three finish at this championship to qualify for the British Open in July.
He added that it would mean a lot to be the first Malaysian to win this tournament.
“Since no local player have ever won…I would like to be the first one, but there is still a long way to go and the scores are super tight.
“I need to keep my head down, manage my way around this course, and make more putts.
“The main thing that I’m looking for is consistency, and I’ve been working on that with my coach,” said the two-time Olympian.
Khavish Varman started off his round with a bogey but recovered well by dropping eight birdies on the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth, 11th, 12th, and 17th holes despite recording a second bogey on the 14th for a score of 7-under par 64.
“I bogeyed the first today, but it’s better to bogey the first on the first day than the last on the last day.
“The first day you must always put yourself into position, but I am normally not that good on the first days, and I am always catching up in the last couple of days.
“The goal is to keep myself in position, and that’s what I did,” said the 23-year-old. – February 15, 2024