KLGCC

24.10.2010.

The last time I stepped on to the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club must have been in 1994, a full 16 years ago. Unsurprisingly, when I visited again this morning for the third & last day of The Inaugral Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2010 ladies' golf competition, I couldn't place anything back from memory. It's been too long, and changes have been too great, for anything to come back into recognition. And with added  decorative structures and cosmetic touches  for the big event, everything  looked unfamiliar  to me.

I'd come because Tiong Meng had an extra ticket and knows that I'm a fan of Michelle Wie. So to day I not only followed her for 16 of the full 18 holes, but also met and spoke to her father, and later had a close look at her mother at the 16th hole.Now I know why Michelle is 6-foot tall. Both parents are large by Asian standard. 

I only watched a few other flights after Michelle had completed her round. On the 18th. par 4, she obviously laid up because of the water hazard. The second shot was from a free drop from the cart path and it was not a particularly good one because of the grass and the slope and a small tree close to the right of the target line, and there was the large pond protecting the front of the green. It was a brave effort but the ball went straight into the water.It was the next shot that probably best describes her game. Facing the water hazard again, and the high likelihood of a double-bogey 6, she hit a high ball that dropped softly about a foot from the hole and spun back about another foot away. She made the put for what was under the circumstances a great bogey 5. 

We watched five of the last seven flights that teed off from the back nine, all at the par 4 ninth, their last hole. This hole, too, has a pond on the right protecting it. Everybody we saw made the green on the second shot except for a few who laid up and went on for their three-on. Excepting again the famous Englishwoman, Laura Davies. She did not get a particularly good drive - it must have been an iron because she's a prodigous hitter. Her ball was on the left slope and it was a half-club short, and it hit the concrete embankment on the slope of the green, and the ball ricochetted about 90 degrees into the middle of the water. The general comments on KLGCC by the sportswriters, and I agree, is that this is not a particularly long course, but it's a tricky one. Number one, there are plenty of water hazards. Number two, the fairways are narrow. And thirdly, all the greens are undulating, and at stimpmeter 10, and with the grass used slow and grainy by professional standards. And the misses I saw Michelle made I think were because of these. But those who scored on this last day were those who read their putts well. In fact these professionals cannot win if they cannot putt. And watching the remarkable shotmaking of Michelle Wie - the drive, the mid-irons , the pitching and chipping, and especially her the sandwedge - I think it's her putting that is preventing her from becoming a truly great golfer. 

One thing that one gets from watching these sportswomen (or men) up close is the difference between reality and what one gets from the tv. All these people are less "bulky" in person. Laura Davies looks big and heavy on tv. In person she looked lighter. Michelle is downright thin in person, though taller than I expected. The Korean girl, Hee Young Park, who was in her group, is downright small, maybe 5-foot, but could she belt the ball ! On the short driveable par 4 on the back 9, using her driver while her two much bigger playing partners did not, she reached the green in one and narrowly missed her eagle putt. 

I must remark on the very Malaysian crowd control. We hear about the crowd control in China, where golf is supposed to be new and the spectators haven't learned the proper etiquette. Well, the Malaysian crowd today probably can easily be similiarly rated. Despite the repeated calls by the large number of marshalls to not use the mobile phone, not use the camera, not move, and not talk while the players take their swings, many continued to do so.  More than once the players had to regroup themselves. There was even one occassion when two or three spectators blithely walked across the fairway in front when a golfer was about to tee-off. 

I think the tournament was a success. I think these well-run international sporting events are newsworthy and give the country a big impact. Sports surely cross multinational borders while extolling the physical prowess of well-trained athletes that speak of national pride more than mere individual achievement. The country could do with a better overall sports development, as shown by the large and very successful Korean contingent to day. Just don't let the politicians run them. 

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