Malaysian teenager Daeng Abdul Rahman aims to shine at the PGM UMW Championship which starts on Wednesday as he chases for an Asian Tour card for next season.
The 16-year-old, who is ranked 40th on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit will be playing in only his second ADT event at the TPC Kuala Lumpur since turning professional in early March.
Daeng will feature in the RM200,000 (approximately US$44,600) ADT event alongside current Order of Merit leader Brett Munson of the United States, Martin Dive of Australia, and countryman Ben Leong, who sit in second and third place on the Merit rankings respectively.
Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn and Panuwat Muenlek, who both enjoyed top-five results in the last ADT tournament will also feature this week.
After winning on the PGM Tour a fortnight ago, Daeng will now set his sights on claiming a first ADT victory. He enjoyed a first top-10 result at the PGM Northport Championship and hopes to continue his fine form this week.
He missed the chance to secure an Asian Tour card through Qualifying School in Thailand earlier this year but hopes to fight his way to a top-five finish on the final 2017 ADT Order of Merit. The leading five players at the end of the season earn an Asian Tour card for 2018.
“A total paradigm shift,” he said when asked how it feels to turn professional. “It has been good so far with a win. I am loving the new challenges put forward and looking for more good finishes. Now every shot is a money shot! Every day is a new day and I am learning something new all the time,” said Daeng.
“My goal for this year is to finish best I can on the ADT to secure an Asian Tour card for next year. I also aim to finish well on the local rankings,” he added.
Despite enjoying instant success on the local Tour, Daeng will not take his chances lightly when he contends on the ADT.
“I’ve been receiving advise, motivation and encouragement from everyone on PGM tour. I only have one goal this week which is to be focused and take one round at a time to execute my game plan,” he said.
The top-five finishers on the final Order of Merit will secure their Asian Tour cards for 2018.
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com
