Brandon Lau plays his shot during the first round of the PGM Orna Closed Championship in Melaka.
KUCHING: Young Brandon Lau continued with his good form to take the first round lead of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour’s RM180,000 PGM Orna Closed Championship in Melaka yesterday.
The 22-year-old, who won the 10th leg of the PGM’s Development Circuit – Qualifying School at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club last week, fired an impressive six-under 66 at Orna Golf and Country Club to lead by a stroke from Lam Yu Shuen.
What some might view as puzzling, Lau said he felt much more comfortable yesterday than he did in the Tour’s feeder circuit event last week.
“I hit the ball solidly today and made a few good putts, so overall I’m happy with where I am,” he said.
Lau, starting on the 10th tee, strung together six birdies in a row over his last six holes to give clear indication that if he keeps up this sort of form, he will be a force to reckon with.
“It was an up-and-down round for me until the six holes,” he added.
“I was two-under over my first nine holes and then had two bogeys immediately before the six birdies.”
That finish was among the best on Tour, in terms of consecutive birdies and it was good reward for the lad who hails from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Lam’s effort was almost as impressive. He had seven birdies in his five-under-par round, countered by two bogeys – one on each nine.
Akhmal Tarmizee, Nicholas Fung and Wilson Choo were tied for third another shot back on 68, while Kenneth Tobuse, S Siva Chandhran and amateur player Low Khai Jei, who had a top-three finish at the PGM Northport Glenmarie Championship, where he picked world points, were joint sixth on 69.