Malaysian amateur Kelly Tan showed that she has game by grabbing one

Malaysian amateur Kelly Tan showed that she has game by grabbing one of the two prized spots at stake from the regional qualifiers for the US$1.8mil Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club yesterday.

It was a dream come true for 16 year old Kelly to get into the company of the world’s best female golfers come Oct 22-24 after returning a 75 to finish with a six-over 148 total for second place, one stroke behind Thailand’s Tiranan Yoopan.

Kelly had raised hopes of becoming the third Malaysian to feature in the country’s first-ever LPGA event after finishing one stroke off the leader, another Thai, Tanaporn Kongkiakrai, in the first round.

“I just wanted to play my best over these two days and I am very happy to have made it,” said Kelly.

“I kind of believed I had a good chance to grab a place after yesterday but nothing is sure until today.

“It’s going to be the first tournament for me to play with the stars of the game and I am looking forward to it. I hope to be paired with the top two players in the world during the tournament.”

Kelly won consecutive titles at the Malacca Sukma (Malaysia Games), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Golf Challenge and Asean Schools Games before missing out on a fourth, losing to Diana Tham in the playoff for the Malaysian Ladies Open Championship title.

She added that she planned to take part in the Malaysian Junior Open Championships in Karambunai in Sabah next month and then prepare for the big event.