WILSON Choo won the seventh Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour event of the season when he captured the UMW Championship 2022 crown at Kota Seriemas Golf and Country Club, while Aretha Pan took the ladies’ honours.
For Choo this was a week that called for extra cheer as he celebrated his 33rd birthday just a day before securing his fourth PGM Tour title.
It was a tournament in which he had a share of the lead after the first two rounds, before surrendering it with a one-over second round. But he put in another consistent showing to win by a single stroke on the third and final day.
Choo signed for a two-under-par 214 tournament total, while Fakhrul Akmal shot a 54-hole 215 for the runner’s-up prize – and was the only other player under-par at the end of it at Kota Seriemas.
Nor Heikal Hadi and Muhazim Bakhtiar, who led the tournament after the second day, were tied for third on even-par 216.
M. Sasidaran and Rizal Amin, both winners on the Tour, had to settle for a share of fith place in alow-scoring event that saw play halted for no less than three hours on the final day.
There was a five-way tie for seevnth place, where Sazanur Salenin, Shaifubari Muda, Hui Yong Sherng, Iszaimi Ismail and Kenneth De Silva all finsihed on three-over 219.
Delighted with his victory, Choo said he would indeed enjoy this win as it coincide with his birthday, and came four years after his last triumph on the Tour – in Sarawak in 2018.
“You could say that it was a long time coming, but it is not easy to win on this Tour.
“There are a lot of good players in the field every time we tee it up. And even the scores don’t look so good here, that because this course played tough and on top of that, the rain did not help – but make things even more difficult,” said Choo, who collected the winner’s RM21,000 cheque.
The young man who also teaches golf at Saujana Golf and Country Club, said some of the credit for his win must go to Tour journeyman Danny Chia.
“Danny has helped me with a lot of advise and I’m pleaed that it paid off here at Kota Seriemas. A lot of credit for this victory must be shared with him.”
In a tournament that was missing several of the country’s top players – away on international duty – Aretha Pan took home the ladies’ top prize.
With a one-under 71 final round, the Sabah resident carded a two-over 218 total. She was rewarded with a cheque of RM7,000 .
