Teenage golfer Micah Shin of the US snatched the opening round lead with a bogey-free seven-under-par 64 at the PGM Terengganu Championship here Thursday.
The 17-year-old, who is based in the Philippines, fired seven birdies to lead by one over Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand, a one-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner, at the RM200,000 (approximately $60,000) event.
Poosit Supupramai, also from Thailand, stayed a further shot back in third place on 66 while four other players including Pavit's younger brother Annop and local hope Shaaban Hussin shared fourth place on matching 68s at the Resorts World Kijal.
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Playing in his first attempt at the Resorts World Kijal, Shin credited his hot putter and lady luck for an impressive round which also marked his best round on the ADT this season.
"I had quite a few lucky putts today. My putting was really good and I didn't make any mistakes. The course is in a good condition but it's challenging. I am very happy with how I played and I'm really looking forward to the next few rounds," said the lanky Shin.
Pavit, who has notched a total of four top-five finishes this season, is delighted with an encouraging start as he looks to add a second win on the ADT, which was launched in 2010 as a gateway to the premier Asian Tour.
"My tee-shots were good today. I gave myself a lot of chances out there. This is a tough course. You have to keep your ball on fairways to play well here. My putting is good too which contributed to my good round today," said the 25-year-old Thai, who returned with a flawless round highlighted by six birdies.
The winner of the PGM Terengganu Championship, 12th leg on the ADT schedule this season, will take home a prize purse of $10,500 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points. The top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.