Daeng uses home ground advantage to pip Kemarol

Heroes of the day: Daeng Abdul Rahman (left) and Geraldine Wong posing with their trophies after winning the Camry Cup at the Forest City Golf Course in Johor Baru.

PETALING JAYA: Local boy Daeng Abdul Rahman used his familiarity at the Forest City Golf Course in Johor Baru to card a final round two-under 70 to pip overnight leader Kemarol Baharin by a stroke to win the Camry Cup yesterday.

Daeng, 23, who used to play at the course designed by legendary Jack Nicklaus, since his teenage days, used his knowledge to outplay Kemarol with a three-day total of 213.

Kemarol, who had a one-stroke lead going into the final round, had exchanged lead with Daeng but the youngster went one up when he birdied the 16th hole and never looked back after that.

Both players birdied the 17th hole and parred the 18th where Kemarol finished with a par 72 score for a 214 total.

Daeng, whose last victory was in the Professional Golf Malaysia (PGM) PGM Perlis in 2019, pocketed RM31,500 for his effort.

“It was a great tournament, everything was perfect,” said Daeng, who hails from Iskandar Puteri.

“The course was in great shape and greens were fast. I thank everyone for putting up a great show.

“It’s fantastic to win again as my last victory was in 2019.”

The Camry Cup is one of the tournaments in Toyota Tour organised by PGM where this is also the first time the professional event is being held at the Forest City.

Meanwhile, Geraldine Wong registered her first win as a professional when she birdied the last hole to finish with a 76 and a three-day aggregate of 220, edging Audrey Tan by a stroke. The Kuala Lumpur-born player, who turned professional in June, earned RM10,000 for her victory.

A birdie in the 18th hole handed Geraldine the title.

“I wasn’t sure where Audrey’s ball landed, and I just focused on making a decent putt,” said the 23-year-old Geraldine. Leading final round scores

Men

213: Daeng Abdul Rahman 72-71-70; 214: Kemarol Baharin 72-70-72; 216: Kim Leun Kwang 73-72-71; 218: Faisal Sabudin 73-71-74; 220: Maveen Kumar 75-76-69; 221: Khor Kheng Hwai 73-75-73.

Women

220: Geraldine Wong 73-71-76; 221: Audrey Tan 75-73-73; 224: Aretha Pan 78-72-74; Dianne Luke 73-75-76; 225: Ng Jing Xuen (am) 73-74-78; 226: Durriyah Damian 76-76-74; 231: Pang Hee Jie (am) 75-74-82.