KUALA LUMPUR: Former Sea Games gold medallist Marcus Lim made an impressive professional debut, finishing joint third in the Asian Development Tour's PKNS Selangor Masters on Saturday.
Despite a dismal start, Marcus recovered admirably, closing with a one-under 69 for a six-under 274 total, just two shots behind winner Rahil Gangjee of India.
Rahil's five-shot overnight lead proved crucial as he weathered a final round meltdown, carding a 73 to win by one shot over Australian Deyen Lawson, who posted a 69 for solo second.
Starting the final round six shots off the pace at Seri Selangor Golf Club, Marcus struggled early with bogeys on the first and fourth holes.
However, he rebounded impressively, gaining four strokes on holes five, six, eight, and 13 to finish under-par for the day.
Marcus could have ended the day higher, but a third bogey on the final hole cost him a higher position on the leaderboard.
Nonetheless, it was still a day to remember for the Malaysian as he netted a share of US$11,025 (RM52,600) from the US$175,000 tournament. Marcus also received an additional RM10,000 for being the top Malaysian finisher.
"I have a lot of respect for all the other Malaysian pros. I think they're all great players. I think I just got lucky this week," said Marcus.
"A lot of them have given me good advice since turning pro, so I'm just happy to be the top Malaysian."
Marcus previously tasted victory in a professional event as an amateur, winning the Supra Cup on the Toyota Tour after defeating Ervin Chang, with whom he won team gold at the 2022 Vietnam Sea Games, in a playoff.
Competing as a professional felt different this time, knowing he was playing for money.
"I was pretty nervous. But I think the feeling is a little different because this week I'm actually playing for money," said Marcus.
"But I tried to keep that thought away. The nerves were there."
Marcus intends to carry this momentum into the remainder of 2024, where he expects to see action on the Toyota Tour.
The next leg is the Fortuner Cup in Sibu, Sarawak, from June 25-27.
"I definitely learned a lot about myself and how to carry myself on the golf course. It was a great week because I played with a lot of experienced players. It gives me a lot of confidence, especially going into the rest of 2024," said Marcus.
Leading final round scores:
272: Rahil Gangjee (Ind) 66-66-67-73;
273: Deyen Lawson (Aus) 69-71-64-69;
274: Marcus Lim (Mas) 68-66-71-69, Runchanapong Youprayong Tha) 67-72-66-69;
278: Poosit Supupramai 70-71-71-66, Sarut Vongchaisit (Tha) 70-68-68-71;
279: Paul San (Mas) 70-71-68-70, Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha) 70-66-72-71;
280: Danthai Boonma (Tha) 69-73-74-64, Siddikur Rahman (Ban) 71-70-70-69, Shahriffuddin Ariffin (Mas) 69-70-71-70.