KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian bowler Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam displayed promising form ahead of next month's World Cup with a third-place finish at the H.H. Emir Cup in Qatar on Saturday.
The 25-year-old nearly became the second Malaysian to clinch victory in the mixed-field tournament—after Shalin Zulkifli's 2005 triumph — before being eliminated by eventual runner-up Nathan Ruest-Lajoie of Canada 226-187 in a one-game semi-final.
Hakim had secured his place in the top-five title playoff as the third seed after an impressive showing in the 20-player roll-off.
He amassed 1,847 points over eight games, finishing behind Ireland's Christopher Sloan (1,883) and Ruest-Lajoie (1,859).
Home favourite Jassim Al Muraikhi (1,820) and England's Dominic Barrett (1,811) completed the finalist lineup.
In the quarter-finals, Hakim emerged victorious in a three-way contest against Al Muraikhi and Barrett, earning a semi-final matchup against Ruest-Lajoie, and he ultimately settled for third place.
Sloan claimed the US$25,000 (RM111,500) top prize after edging Ruest-Lajoie 204-202 in the final, while Hakim took home US$12,000 (RM53,400).
"The Doha experience was invaluable, with numerous Tour professionals participating. The path to the finals was challenging from the outset," Hakim said.
"I performed well in the preliminaries and secured a podium finish, which serves as excellent preparation for the upcoming World Cup."
Other Malaysian podium finishers in the Emir Cup's history include Alex Liew (third in 2005), Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman (third in 2017), and Timmy Tan (third) last year.
Timmy could only manage ninth place in this year's edition, while Sin Li Jane finished a creditable 14th despite receiving no handicap in the mixed-field competition. Ahmad Muaz Fishol and Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal concluded their campaign in 19th and 20th positions respectively.