Alex Tiong gains pro card

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Alex Tiong receiving his prize.

KUCHING: Sibu Golf Club member Alex Tiong Wei Zen has taken a giant step towards becoming a professional golfer.

The 26-year old amateur, who recently completed his degree in Business Administration in the US, is the third golfer from Sibu in two years to earn a playing card in the Professional  Golf  of  Malaysia (PGM) Tour after Lau Chin Leong and Lee Kah Ming in 2014.

Tiong returned a three-day total score of 222 to finish second in the 3rd Leg PGM Development Circuit – Qualifying School event at the Johor Golf and Country Club on Wednesday.

His one-under 71 score on the third and final day was the joint low round as Muhd Zafran Abdullah, who was third on 10-over 226, also shot a last day 71.

When interviewed via telephone from Johor yesterday, a happy Tiong said he was pretty satisfied with his game during the three-day qualifying event.

“This is the first time I am playing in a qualifying event and I am glad that I made it. I didn’t play too well or badly,” he said.

However, he was quick to admit that there was still much room for improvement in his game as he readies himself for the next PGM Qualifying School event at Danau Golf Club in Bangi, Selangor from April 27-29.

After this competition, Tiong is considering in playing in the next PGM Tour event.

His fellow clubmate Wong Tung Ann finished in joint sixth at the Johor Golf and Country Club on Wednesday, carding a 235 to share honours with another amateur Chai Cheng Teck.

Meanwhile, Alvin Hiew won the event by two strokes after shooting a closing one-over 73 to finish with a four-over 220 total in the RM15,000 tournament.

The top six finishers all earned PGM Tour playing cards and only one of them – Md Zamri Parian -was a professional.

Zamri was joint fourth with Irfan Syahmi Norshah on 228, while Lee Chong Li was another three strokes back on 231.

Alvin, who won two junior tournaments in the United States last July, said he was “very happy” to have claimed the title, which he accomplished with a wire-to-wire performance.

“This is very nice,” he said of victory, before adding that he had no intentions of playing “too much golf” this season as it is his last year in high school.

“I will be focusing on my studies mostly,” he pointed out.

“But eventually, it is my dream to turn professional – after college,” he said.