PETALING JAYA: Unheralded A. Sasar surprisingly grabbed the first-round lead after carding a six-under 65 in the PGM Tour’s Kinrara Closed Championship at the Kinrara Golf Club in Puchong on Monday.
The 39-year-old, who works as a caddie at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) and has been a pro for five years, is two shots in front of Shaaban Hussin in the RM160,000 tournament.
Md Rashid Ismail, who featured in the US PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic at the KLGCC last October, posted a 69 for third spot.
M. Sasidaran, Akhmal Tarmizee, R. Nachimuthu and Anis Helmi Hassan all carded identicals 69s for joint fourth.
“I am very happy with how I played today. I was hitting the ball very well and my putting was also very good. Actually, I had 25 putts in my round – 10 on the front nine and 15 on the back,” said Sasar.
The Kedah-born golfer had one bogey and seven birdies – three on the outward nine and four on the back nine.
He said he was not surprised with his performance, adding that he would not get carried away.
“That is all that I can do. I will just try to play my own game and do my best tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.