Myanmar wins Asian club golfing title
CIMANGGIS, West Java (JP): Myanmar proved again the strength of its amateur game yesterday as it swept to its second victory in the Johnnie Walker International Club Championship at the Emeralda Golf and Country Club.
Lying in second place, by 0.6 points, after the first round on Sunday, the team represented by the Ayeyarwady Golf Club from the northern city of Pathein, showed its true mettle to score 444.8 points using the Double Peoria handicap system.
"I told them not to worry about the Indian team and to go out and play their own game" said Myanmar's Captain Thet Lwin, "which was exactly what they did."
The 1995 Johnnie Walker International Club Champion was represented this year by Aye Lwin in handicap Class A (0-9), Ye Lwin Aung in Class B (10-16) and Arkar Han in Class C (17-24).
The comparatively young men all played as if they were former caddies and had grown up on golf courses.
Myanmar won Asia's premier team event in 1995 in South Korea. The annual event is for amateurs playing for their respective clubs.
South Korea's Cheju Country Club made an impressive charge on the final day, to secure a close second place by only 0.8 points, having been in sixth after the first round. In third spot was Guam's Talafofo Golf Club, with a total of 445.8, just 0.2 points behind the Koreans.
The host team, T. Sugianto, Zainal Effendi and Anthony Matulesy playing under the banner of Bogor Golf Club, moved up one place on the final day to finish with a total of 458.4, in tenth place.
The defending champion India managed to finish as a team, despite the fact that Sudeep Chitlangia in Handicap A class suffered from severe heat stroke.
Double joy
There was double joy for Aye Lwin who also took the individual honors in Class A with a total gross score of 157 (79 78), while Korea's Kim Sung-Rok was successful in Class B with a gross finish of 165 (86 79). The Class C winner with a total of 172 (83 89) was Lew Ching Yoong of Singapore.
Also participating in the seventh Johnnie Walker International Club Championship were Thailand (Leam Chabang International Golf Club) in fourth place, followed by Vietnam (Song Be Golf Club), Singapore (Warren Golf and Country Club), the Philippines (Alta Vista Golf Club), Malaysia (Royal Perak Golf Club), Indonesia (Bogor Golf Club), Sri Lanka (Royal Colombo Golf Club), Nepal (Royal Nepal Golf Club) and Hong Kong (Shek O Golf Club).
The prize-giving was scheduled to be held at a gala evening last night at which the professional Johnnie Walker Super Tour players were expected to attend. (rsl)
Results: 444.8 - Myanmar 445.6 - South Korea 445.8 - Guam 446.8 - Thailand 447.7 - Vietnam 450.4 - Singapore 454.4 - Philippines 454.8 - India 455.4 - Malaysia 458.4 - Indonesia 462 - Sri Lanka 474.2 - Nepal 477 - Hong Kong