SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR, 19 NOV 2024 – Malaysia’s top golfer Gavin Green heads a strong local challenge against leading Asian Development Tour stars when the Toyota Tour Championship tees off at the award-winning Kota Permai Golf & Country Club here tomorrow.
Green has had six Top 15 finishes on the DP World Tour which has enabled him to retain his Tour card for 2025 after finishing 73rd in the final Order of Merit. Irishman Rory McIlroy sealed the DP World Tour title after winning the season-finale in Dubai on Sunday.
“The season has been consistent, but I’d obviously would have liked to have made it to Dubai,” said Green. “Just not enough high finishes unfortunately but the game has been consistent and I’m just waiting patiently for it to click. I’ve done lots of work on the swing and game. Hopefully it’ll pay off soon.”
Green who turns 31 next month, is looking forward to competing in the Toyota Tour Championship with much anticipation. “Like always, I don’t get many chances back home. So, this will be great! I enjoy the course, it’s not easy but it’s at home. I get to be with the family and stay in my own bed. That’s a huge plus, as well as playing in front of home crowd!
It’s been a long time since I’ve played an event here. The course is in great shape as always and the field will be strong.”
Green’s supporting cast include Toyota Tour Order of Merit leader Ervin Chang who was the 2023 OOM winner, second-ranked Paul San and Green’s younger brother Galven ranked third. At stake is the RM400,000 prize purse but more importantly for the field which includes 67 international players is the opportunity to strengthen their position on the ADT rankings.
The ADT Top 10 ranked players after the season-ending Aramco Invitational in Saudi Arabia next week will gain playing rights on the more lucrative Asian Tour in 2025. Galven is currently ranked 20th on the OOM followed by Marcus Lim in 22nd place. An outright win this week for either Galven or Lim will elevate them into the top 10 temporarily.
This season’s Toyota Tour has unearthed a host of talents including Nasrullah Zulkifli, Fakhrul Akhmal, Afif Fathi, Edven Ying, Daeng Rahman, Casper Loh, Syahiran Syakir and Zia Izzuddeen who will be going all out to make their presence felt. Veteran Danny Chia, who won the penultimate Toyota Tour event the Yaris Cup at The Mines two weeks ago, will also be looking to perform well at a venue he is quite familiar with.
The international challenge is led by ADT OOM leader Rahil Ganjee who has won twice this year including at the Selangor Masters, second ranked Ahmad Baig of Pakistan and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool. All three will be looking to consolidate their positions with a high finish at Kota Permai.
Meanwhile, 35 children attended an enjoyable Toyota Tour junior clinic that was held at the Kota Permai GCC driving range on Sunday. The kids enjoyed a 90-minute session that was moderated by MST Golf Chief Instructor Chris Marrs and assisted by professionals Nasrullah Zulkifli, Afif Fathi, Casper Loh and Zia Izzuddeen.
