Rai races ahead at Iskandar Johor Open
Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 23 October 2009 – After a challenging round on the course due to bad weather on day 1 of The Iskandar Johor Open and halted play, the first round results are finally in. Himmat Rai of India superbly took charge with an eight-under-par 64 for the outright lead after the first round was completed at Iskandar Johor Open this morning.
Rai, who did not finish the first round yesterday due to suspension of play, resumed his title charge early this morning at the US$1 million full field Asian Tour tournament at the Royal Johor Country Club.
Rai, who teed off from the back nine, started off brightly with a birdie on his first followed by a magical eagle on the following hole where his seven iron approach shot flew to about 188 yards and landed 10 feet from the pin.
"Resuming play this morning did not perturb me because as a professional, I have to prepare myself mentally for rounds such as this. Everything went my way today, I hit my shots well and took full advantage of that. This is my best performance so far this season," said the 22-year-old Indian.
Chinese Taipei’s Chang Tse-peng and his compatriots Chen Yuan-chi and Chan Yih-shin are a further stroke back on 65. South Africans Hendrik Buhrmann and Des Terblanche alongside Japanese Kodai Ichihara lie in tied fifth place on 66.
Chang, also teeing off from the back nine welcomed a return to form with a blemish free scorecard. The 39-year-old burst into life when he carded four consecutive birdies on his opening four holes.
Chang will be determined to keep his momentum going and overcome a recent dip in form as he only made one cut in his last nine games.
For more information on the tournament please visit www.iskandarjohoropen.com.
About Iskandar Johor Open
The first edition of the Iskandar Johor Open (IJO) was held in 2007 when it was played from Aug 23 - 26 at the Royal Johor Country Club (RJCC) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Carrying a purse prize of US$300,000, the inaugural tournament saw a total of 156 players from 25 countries. The tournament was won by Artemio Murakami of the Philippines. Murakami came from two off the lead with a near-flawless closing 68 to take the title by one stroke from compatriot Tony Lascuna and the seasoned Scot, Simon Yates for his maiden win on the Asian Tour.
South African Retief Goosen went on to clinch the coveted trophy in the US$ 500,000 Iskandar Johor Open 2008. 144 golf professionals from the Asian Tour battled it out at the Royal Johor Country Club from 30 October – 2 November 2008. The 2nd edition of Iskandar Johor Open was fully sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Malaysian Golf Association and Johor Golf Association and boasted some of the world’s top players – Retief Goosen, Niclas Fasth, Thongchai Jaidee amongst others.
2009 will mark a milestone in the history of Iskandar Johor Open, with a 100% increase in prize money to US$ 1,000,000. The main sponsor of the Iskandar Johor Open is the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). It is also supported by platinum sponsor - UEM Land Berhad, the master developer of Nusajaya which is a key driver of Iskandar Malaysia. Other co-sponsors include Iskandar Waterfront Development and UM Land. Official partners are TaylorMade Adidas Golf, 100 Plus, Srixon, Winston Wine, Dewars, Ricoh and the Puteri Pacific Hotel.
IJO 2009 will once again be broadcast live over ESPN STAR Sports, reaching out to over 120 million homes around the world.
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