Maybank Championship 2017: Interview with ASEAN players  12:00, 10/02/2017

ASEAN Players (from left)-Ye Thet Aung, Michael Tran, Koh Deng Shan & George Gandranata/ Photo by GlobalOne

How does it feel to be part of the ASEAN category this year?

George Gandranata
Last year when I got an invite to play here I was surprised because I didn’t know they had an ASEAN category. It was my first co-sanctioned event with the European Tour and I made the cut so hopefully I can do that again.  I am very happy to be here again for the second time.

George Gandranata of Indonesia/ Image by GlobalOne

Koh Deng Shan
I think it is a very good initiative by Maybank. They have done a very good job supporting golf in the region. Hopefully it will help us and help some of the younger players.

Michael Tran
I would like to thank Maybank for this opportunity. This is my second time playing this co-sanctioned event and it’s definitely the best event I’ve ever played. Opportunities like this are why we work so hard so we can out our ASEAN flags up there and prove that we can compete with the best.

You’ve played a practice round so how is the course shaping up and how is your golf game shaping up for the week?

Ye Thet Aung
I played here six years ago in an amatuer tournament. This is my first European tournament. The golf course is in good shape and my game is good so I hope I can play well.

Ye Thet Aung of Myanmar/ Image by GlobalOne

How does the course compare now to when you played it as an amateur?

Ye Thet Aung
Last time I just played golf, I didn’t know anything about the grass or the conditions. Now I know a lot more so I hope I can play well.

Michael Tran
This is the first time I play this course. From tee to green it is very tough so I think this week will be a good test of golf and hopefully my ball striking will keep up for the next four days.

Michael Tran of Vietnam/ Image by GlobalOne

What do you think will be key for a good score here?

Michael Tran
I guess the key is the same for every other golf course, hit the fairway and hit it close to the pin.

Koh Deng Shan
The remodelled course is very nice since I played the course as an amateur. The greens are undulating so you definitely need to put well.

George Gandranata
I think this was the first course I played when I got back from the US in 2011. I was playing in the Putra Cup here. John Eu let me practice here before hand in preparation. The course is a bit different, a bit less severe but doesn’t make it any easier. It’s going to be a challenge to make putts here. I think that’s the key for this week. They will put the pin positions in some tough places because of the slopes of the greens. I always like to play a big event as my second or third tournament so hopefully I can make the cut and see what happens at the weekend.

How big a stepping stone is this tournament for your future career?

George Gandranata
A huge step. His is a co-sanctioned event. All of us are Asian Tour members so a good so a good start would really help us keep our card and finish in the top 60. Or maybe if one of us caught fire and could win it then we would get our European Tour card. So this week is about taking our chances, practising hard and hopefully we can execute well and have a good tournament.

Koh Deng Shan
It’s a very big opportunity for us. Wihtout a full card on the Asian Tour, competing in a co-sanctioned event is not possible unless in your home country so it’s a wonderful chance for us to do well.

Koh Deng Shan of Singapore/ Image by GlobalOne

Michael Tran
The guys said it all, a chance like this doesn’t come across often in our category. To be able to play in a big co-sanctioned event is a privilege so hopefully we will take advantage of this week.

Ye Thet Aung
This is a very good opportunity for us so if we are playing well we can try and get into the top 60.

Are you nervous playing alongside some of the big names this week?

Ye Thet Aung
I am just focusing on my game and hoping to play alongside some great players to see how they manage the golf course.

Michael Tran
I am playing with Deng Shan tomorrow – we know each other for a long time so it will be fun being out there to compete and hopefully get into the weekend and pair with some superstar.

You said you didn’t know about the grass before, how has it helped your game now that you can?

Ye Thet Aung
I can now read the grass and conditions so I hope it helps my game.

One of the big points of this championship is how to develop golf in the ASEAN Countries, what do you think needs to be done in Myanmar to make golf more popular?

Ye Thet Aung
We don’t have too many players so if me or any other plays well in big tournaments all the Myanmar people will know they can also play golf so I want to play well and show them what they can do.

What is your vision of golf in asia in five years?

George Gandranata
Each country has its own problem regarding the growth of the game. In Indonesia, making it more affordable or free for all the juniors would help. Thailand look up to people like Thongchai and some others so they all want to be like them. For us we don’t have anyone to look up to and aspire too. Our golf governing body are trying to grow the game through the grassroots, trying to teach and make the game more interesting for the young golfers. Keep them interested and then develop from there. They are doing the best they can so hopefully in five years we will have more juniors. We have some guys in the ADT so hopefully they will get better and better ad break the cycle.

Koh Deng Shan
Look at Thailand – the local domestic tour is strong and this is very important. It’s the same in Malaysia and this will really help aspiring profressionals so they have events to play in and keep themselves competitive.

Michael Tran
Golf in Vietnam is still very new. Not too many golfers yet and there are maybe just a handful of trainers. Golf courses are a little bit too far from the city and it costs too much for everyone to be able to play. Hopefully there can be more courses closer to the city, a junior programme and also lower the rate for juniors. In Vitenam it costs as much for a junior to play a round of golf as an adult so the rate has to go down for them to be able to give them a chance to play the game and love it.

Ye Thet Aung
In Myanmar we don’t have too many golf course. We have some good players who play on Asian Tour and they try to get better but we need more golf courses and more local tournaments so we can play. We need more junior tournaments too so they can get experience.