Bandar Malaysia Open: Ben Leong breaks his Malaysian Open jinx but remains uncertain about future due to Covid-19
KOTA KEMUNING, March 8 — Despite their excellent performances at the Bandar Malaysia Open, several local professionals including Ben Leong will be in limbo after this week.
Leong made the cut for the first time at the tournament, playing this year at the Kota Permai Golf Club, but with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) causing cancellations of several tournaments, many professionals are looking for a silver lining in their continued quest to become professional golfers.
Leong finished with a 4-Under after carding rounds of 70, 70 and 72. When met after his round he said he has no clue how local and international golfing will respond to Covid-19.
He has played in the Malaysian Open since 2005 and said he has never made the cut before so this week was a big step in the right direction.
“Someone told me I never made the cut here so it’s good to break the jinx,” Leong told reporters after his round.
“It’s tough to get in the groove of things when there’s so much uncertainty with the current situation. This is only my third tournament this year and I am struggling with the pace of the greens.
“I’ll slowly build on what I did here this week and it’s a long year ahead and we don’t know what to expect with the virus so I’ll take the positives and negatives and learn from it,” added the 34-year-old.
Leong has a two-year-old son and admits fatherhood has changed his outlook on life. Being away for weeks on end isn’t ideal with a young son.
“When I’m leaving to the airport it’s difficult and when you go away for three to four weeks it’s worse. But hey, someone has to pay the bills,” Leong said.
Leong will have a week off before flying to India for his next tournament. In the meantime, he hopes to fix his short game which he said has been his Achilles’ heel this year.
Leong finished in 47th place with five others. He will pocket US$4,600 (RM19,191) for his troubles.
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