SERI KEMBANGAN – Malaysian Ervin Chang shot a stellar second-round score of nine-under par 62 with six birdies and two eagles today to position himself for a shot to win the US$1 million Malaysian Open at the Mines Resort and Golf Club.
Despite a bogey on the 7th hole, his total of 10 under par 132 puts him in seventh place with Kim Yeong-su (South Korea), Richard T. Lee (Canada), and yesterday’s joint leader Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand).
“Overall, I am really happy with the round. I felt really, really good.
“Yesterday my ball striking wasn’t the best, so I spent some time on the range practicing and also spoke to my coach.
“One of the main focuses for me today was to hit a lot of the greens and give myself a lot of birdie opportunities. I did that today and made the most of them as well.
“Tomorrow my goal will be to maintain my momentum and continue to give myself more opportunities,” said the 25-year-old.
The top three at this tournament will qualify for the British Open at the Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland in July, but Ervin is laser-focused on creating history at the home open.
“Right now I’m just trying to win the tournament; that is the goal. It would be a good start to the year for me.”
“Today’s round sets a good pace for me, and hopefully I can continue the momentum.
“No Malaysian has won this tournament before, and I would really be happy to win our national open and create history,” he said.
Joint leader V. Khavis Varman and Kim Leun Kwang, who shot a two-under-par 69 today, are the only other Malaysians who made the cut at the halfway point of the tournament.
That means only three Malaysians are left in the field from the 30 that started the tournament. – February 16, 2024