Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Malaysian Marcus Lim has had an eventful first two weeks as a professional golfer, following up an impressive top-three finish at the Asian Development Tour’s PKNS Selangor Masters with a top-10 at the Fortuner Cup on the domestic Toyota Tour.
The three-time Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) participant outshone a host of seasoned professionals to claim best Malaysian honours at the PKNS Selangor Masters with a six-under-par 274 total, just two shots behind champion Rahil Gangjee of India. Lim carded rounds 68, 66, 71 and 69 at Seri Selangor Golf Club to tie for third with Thailand's Runchanapong Youprayong, who is also an AAC alumnus.
After playing in the Pro-Am on Sunday, Lim flew to the East Malaysian state of Sarawak for the Fortuner Cup at Sibu Golf Club where he mustered a tied ninth finish on six-under-par.
“The last two weeks have taught me a lot, not just about my game but my body. I’m happy with how things went at Seri Selangor, but am a little disappointed with the Sibu event as I felt like I threw away too many shots. I did a lot of homework and prepared really well for the Selangor Masters, but flew to Sibu with little rest and felt like I didn’t prep well enough. But it’s all part of the learning curve,” said the long-hitting 22-year-old.
Lim was joint seventh at last year’s AAC at Royal Melbourne, matching the best Malaysian performance in the event’s 14-year history, following missed cuts in the two previous editions.
“Events like the AAC are crucial in preparing players for professional golf. They provide high-level competition, giving us a chance to compete at top tier courses with talent from around the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
“The AAC Academy that I attended in Japan this year also helped prepare me for the transition. It gave me a better understanding of course management, physical and mental conditioning, working with world-class coaches at world-class facilities,” added Lim, who recently graduated from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, USA.
In his final season on the US collegiate circuit, Lim was named the Northeast Conference Golfer of the Year for a third time after claiming medallist honours at the NEC Championship in late April.
The US$11,025 cheque Lim picked up from the PKNS Selangor Masters sees him in 12th place on the ADT Order of Merit, well-placed to be among the top-10 players at the end of this season who will earn Asian Tour cards for 2025.
“I am planning to play the remaining Toyota Tour events and hopefully get into all of the ADT events for the rest of 2024,” said Lim, who won one title on last year’s Toyota Tour as an amateur.
