Airil carries local hopes at Maybank Malaysian

Airil Rizman Zahari, Malaysia's newest golf star, has revealed the secret to his recent success and hopes it will lead him to glory at the US$1.29 million Maybank Malaysian Open starting on Thursday.

Malaysia has not produced a winner in its home Open since its inception in 1962 but Airil's recent breakthrough triumph at the Pakistan Open has raised local hopes at Saujana Golf and Country Club.

Airil said his good fortunes on the Asian Tour have been due to a new practice regime, based on a 20-year-old training programme which is used by Australia's leading stars Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby.

"A friend got me a programme from the Victorian Institute of Sports where the main thing is to put pressure on yourself when you're in practice. It seems to have worked for me," said Airil today.

"For example, when you practice normally for the short putts, you just want to hit the ball and get it to the hole. But in this programme, it puts pressure on you. If you don't make a putt, you can't move on to the next objective. It's a continuous process that takes about an hour to two to complete.

"You keep doing this and sooner or later, you're forced to make putts when you're playing (in a tournament). The programme involves chipping as well but I concentrate more on putting as I've had problems with my putting over the years."

Airil's credentials will be put to a test when he faces a strong field in the Maybank Malaysian Open, jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour. Thai star Thongchai Jaidee, a two-time winner at Saujana, will be among the top contenders along with 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand, Europe's Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke and last year's Asian Tour number one, Jeev Milkha Singh of India.

With his new found confidence, Airil hopes to unlock the intricacies at Saujana's Palm course, known as "The Cobra". He has not made the cut in the Maybank Malaysian Open since turning professional in 2002.

"I've missed the cut every time I've played here. I came close twice, missing the cut by one when I was an amateur and once as a pro. I shot a 67 (in 2004) here but choked in the second round for a 79. I've put everything behind me and I'm looking forward to this week," he said.

"It (Winning) has somehow made me a lot calmer. I'm more relaxed as I know that I can play in all the big events on the Asian Tour for the next three years. It brings the nerves down, so I'm a lot calmer. I look at tournaments differently. I won't put pressure on myself and I just want to go out there and play my best."

Airil was Malaysia's leading amateur for many years but life in the play-for-pay rank was a struggle for many years, even that he contemplating giving up his golfing career.

"At my lowest point, I thought about quitting. That was during my first year as a pro. I couldn't get into many events, not on the Asian Tour or the local tour. I was looking for a part-time job but in Malaysia, you can't get part-time jobs here," said Airil, who is presently ranked third on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit.

"I used to call up the Asian Tour office all the time asking for a spot to play and see which are the tournaments that I can get into. Now, I can get into everything."

February 6, 2007

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