KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's No 1 professional golfer Gavin Green will once again be the top draw as he attempts to win his first Toyota Tour event at the Corolla Cross Cup that tees off at the Palm Garden Golf Club on Tuesday.
Gavin's maiden appearance in the Toyota Tour was at the Supra Cup in Mines two weeks ago.
Despite being hampered by illness after returning from four consecutive weeks of competition in Europe, Gavin played on, finishing tied for eighth with a three-day aggregate of one-under 212.
The 29-year-old, ranked 199th in the World Golf Rankings, hopes to put up a better performance at Palm Garden.
The last time he set foot on that layout was before he turned professional in 2015.
"I've been working to get my body back into shape from illness," said Gavin.
The Cross Cup is the seventh leg of the Toyota Tour.
The men's purse is RM180,000 with the winner receiving RM31,500. The ladies' champion
will receive RM10,000 from a pool of RM30,000.
There are a host of players who will be giving Gavin a run for his money, including Ervin
Chang, who finished a commendable joint 19th at the Indonesian Open on Sunday.
Nicholas Fung was the only other Malaysian who
made the cut and he ended up tied for 54th.
Amateur Marcus Lim who won the Supra Cup two weeks ago, Shahriffuddin
Ariffin, Ben Leong, Nicholas and Khor Kheng Hwai are the other players who have enough
experience to make a mark in the 54-hole tournament.
Another player to look out for is Malcolm Ting who is our highest-ranked amateur.
He recently represented the Asia-Pacific team that defeated their European counterparts 17-
15 at the La Manga Club in Spain. The Ryder Cup-styled format saw the Asia-Pacific team
retain the Bonallack Trophy that ended on Saturday.
The ladies' championship is led by Aretha Pan followed by a host of talented players like
Geraldine Wong, Dianne Luke and Michelle Koh. Aretha has amassed
RM51,000 after five tour events.