Published July 17, 2008 on July 2, 2018

Blissful Arie Ready for Sarawak Championship

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Malaysia’s Arie Irawan hopes marital bliss will translate into better results on the golf course when he contends at the inaugural Sarawak Championship which starts on Wednesday.

Arie said, “It is good to have the opportunity for Malaysians to play a new event on the Asian Tour. We have Maybank Championship and CIMB Classic but it is a good opportunity for us to play in a full field Asian Tour event.

“Sarawak is where I was born (in Miri). This is a little bit like home and it is always nice for the international golfers to see a different part of Malaysia. Most of our events are in Kuala Lumpur. Good for players to see what East Malaysia has to offer. I was born in Sarawak because my father worked in oil and gas previously.”

The 27-year-old Arie married Marina Malek in May, and his wife will be on his bag this week at the US$300,000 Asian Tour tournament staged at the scenic Damai Golf and Country Club.

“I’m a bit more relaxed (since getting married in May). She doesn’t know much about golf, but if I make a bad score she will say ‘it is okay, it is okay’. She keeps me calm, relaxed and happy so I just go out there and play golf. That helps me a lot. She has always been there for me through the bad and good times,” said Arie

He added, “I played in an event in China and finished tied fourth last month. I had my wife (Marina Malek) on the bag and she is my caddie this week as well. Hopefully, the momentum and trend continue this week. I played here last year and finished top-10 on the Asian Development Tour (ADT). The course suits my eye and I know how it sets up and what to expect.

Arie, an Asian Development Tour (ADT) regular where he has won two titles, hopes to repeat the chemistry he shares with his wife this week after they linked perfectly on the PGA Tour China Series last month which resulted in a tied fourth finish.

“I don’t have any goals this week. I want to play the best I can. I know what this golf course offers and hopefully I do the best I can, he concluded.

He will be among the strong Malaysian challengers this week which includes Nicholas Fung, Ben Leong, and Airil Rizman, who are all Asian Tour champions.

Asian Tour rookie Viraj Madappa is determined to turn the corner at the Sarawak Championship in hopes of retaining his Asian Tour card for 2019. The 20-year-old Indian earned his Tour card through Qualifying School earlier this year but has yet to hit top form where his best result is a tied 43rd place finish at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open.

Indonesia’s Rory Hie is feeling good vibes ahead of the Sarawak Championship as he believes the Damai course layout suits his aim and is planning an all-out assault for the title.