TOP CONTENDER: Lee will be bidding to win his third Sarawak Masters title at the Sarawak Club Golf Resort in Samarahan this weekend.
KUCHING: Sarawak’s top golfer Lee Ka Tung will be gunning for another win at the Sarawak Masters Amateur Open Championship at the Sarawak Club Golf Resort (SCGR) in Samarahan that tees-off today at 7am.
He is eager to redeem himself after failing to defend the title he won at the Sarawak Golf Club (KGS) in 2010 and finishing fourth at the same venue last year.
Lee, who also won in 2009, is also looking to seal a hat-trick of wins in the competition which is formerly known as the PRS Classic under the patronage of Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing.
With the absence of defending champion Kalana Ibrahim who has turned professional, the road is paved for Lee’s return to the podium in the fifth edition of the championship that will be played over three days.
However, it would be no easy task for the ace golfer from the Sibu Golf Club who has already won the Sarawak Classic in July this year.
Lurking in the greens and fairways of the SCGR are strong and serious contenders like club mates Lau Ching Leong (last year’s runner-up) and Wong Tung Ann, Herman Bulang from Prisons Golf Club, Kho Hua Sin and Jacque Chian from KGS and young guns like Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman, Paul Shanon and Aaron Lau.
Also in the 103-player field vying for the Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing Challenge Trophy are Lee’s siblings Kah Ming from Sibu Golf Club, Ka Tiong from the Bintulu Golf Club.
Lee will commence his challenge at 7.45am today in flight No. 6 where he is drawn with Abdul Rahim, James Wong Kee Ting and Shukhri Morshidi.
The championship sponsored by Blessed Builders Holdings Sdn Bhd offers a total prize money and three hole-in-one prizes worth over RM100,000.
Hole-in-one prizes are a Rolex watch worth RM26,410, a TAGHeuer watch worth RM12,700 and a Maurice Lacroix watch worth RM14,000. Apart from that, the overall cash prizes worth RM19,500 will be awarded to the top 10 placing in the gross category and RM7,600 for the top seven finishers in the nett contest.
For the 36 qualifiers, they will get a rain coat worth RM250 each while the daily gross and nett winners will get RM200 each.
Competition for the invited guests category will be played on Oct 14.