Watch your back, Westwood

Andy Sullivan is just one stroke behind leader Lee Westwood of England after the third round of the Maybank Malaysian Open.

KUALA LUMPUR: It will be an exciting final round at the Maybank Malaysian Open after former world No. 1 Lee Westwood of England saw his lead whittled down to just one stroke by compatriot Andy Sullivan at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Westwood, seventh at the US Masters in Augusta a week ago, started the day four shots ahead of the chasing pack and, at one stage, he even stretched it to five before a closing bogey saw him sign for a third round of one-under 71 on Saturday. The world No. 36 sits at 14-under 202 with Sullivan one back following an impressive six-under 66 on Saturday.

Frenchman Julien Quesne is third on 10-under 206 after carding a three-under 69 while Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts is a shot further behind in fourth.

Westwood knew it wouldn’t be plain sailing as he targets a second Malaysian Open title the moment he bogeyed the 18th after finding a fairway bunker with his second shot. “It was tricky out there. I didn’t play as well as I did the first two days, but there were some difficult flags and it was really hot. That’s as hot as I’ve been on a golf course for quite some time,” he said.

Westwood, who won the Malaysian Open back in 1997, said the heat affected his focus on Saturday. “It was a real grind. I was leaking out there a little bit. You can get glazed up and lose your concentration quite easily. But I’m leading going into the last round ... so, I’m quite happy with that.

“It will be hot again, so I just have to try to keep control of my swing, the ball and my emotions. “It’s easy to get wound up when it’s as hot and humid as this.”

Fellow Englishman Sullivan will be waiting to pounce should Westwood slip up on Sunday. The 27-year-old Sullivan, who has yet to win on the European Tour, moved into second place on 13-under after firing seven birdies en route to a 66.

Sullivan reduced the gap to three with a birdie of his own from the 12th. He further trimmed Westwood’s lead with a curling birdie putt on the 16th before parring the final two holes.

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard until I finished. I’ll just do the same on the last day and see where it takes me,” said Sullivan, who also admitted that it was difficult to focus under the intense heat. “It was all quite satisfying. I just played good again and tried to limit my mistakes. I only made one mistake but I got it back straight away. I just played really good and am delighted with my finish.

“I felt myself getting a bit tired coming up on the 15th and 16th. I had a couple of sloppy swings in there but I did not drop any shots. I holed a good putt on 16 to keep the momentum going. It was tough out there to keep your concentration but I’m glad my adrenaline kept me going. “Hopefully I can play good golf and catch the leader.”

-thestar online.

Westwood maintains lead at KLGCC

Lee Westwood carded a 66 on the second day of the Maybank Malaysian Open, for a two-day total of 131. – AFP Photo

KUALA LUMPUR: Englishman Lee Westwood continued his control at the Maybank Malaysian Open with a dazzling six-under 66 to add to his opening 65 to open a four-stroke lead at the half-way stage at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Westwood signed for a 13-under halfway total of 131 and now has his sights on ending a two-year title drought by bagging his second Malaysian Open title. Ryder Cup team-mate Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium and Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines are lying second on nine-under 135.

There were no dark clouds hanging over the venue on Friday and it was Westwood who was on cruise control from the start as he maintained his good form following a seventh place finish at the US Masters in Augusta last week.

Westwood made a series of superb iron shots en route to eight birdies with the only blemish being a double bogey on the par-three 11th where his tee shot was short of the green, finding the water instead.

“I played well. On the front nine I shot a five-under (for the second day running) and I think the longest putt I holed was from four feet on the first. It was solid stuff. “I got a little unlucky at 11. It was one of the best shots I hit all day and the wind just gusted on me and it came up short in the water. But I rallied after that and ended up shooting a 66,” said the pleased former world number one, who feels the work done with new coach Mike Walker is paying off.

“I started with Walker six or seven weeks ago and saw an immediate improvement on the range but at first it was difficult to take it onto the golf course. “I have always played well in Asia, my strike rate is really good. It must be the heat or rice or something, I can’t put my finger on it,” he added.

Colsaerts, a two-time European Tour champion, turned in 32 but struggled to keep pace when he dropped one bogey on his way home to trail Westwood by four shots.

“I thought I actually played a lot better today. I made a fantastic start and was quickly under par, but I got a bit sloppy at one stage. “I gave myself great birdie looks from nine to 14 but didn’t make any of them. I could’ve kept it going and gone really low, but I ran out of a steam on the back nine,” said Colsaerts.

South African Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion and 2012 Malaysian Open winner, carded a four-under 68 to head into the weekend on four-under 140, Defending champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand also hung on to join the weekend field after a second consecutive 71.

-thestar online.

KLIA2 Obtains Certificate Of Completion, Compliance

KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (Bernama) -- KLIA2, the world's largest purpose-built terminal for low-cost carriers, has obtained the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) from UEMC-Bina Puri JV, the main terminal building contractors.

The issuance of the CCC not only certifies the safety of the project but is also a go-ahead for all relevant authorities to occupy the terminal building including airlines that can start operating from the new hybrid airport.

"We obtained the CCC yesterday, April 17," Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) Senior General Manager (Operations Services) Datuk Azmi Murad told BERNAMA. The CCC must comply with the Fire and Rescue Department, Sepang Municipal Council and Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) specifications.

MAHB conducted a mock run of the Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT), which is a trial to stimulate functionality and operational aspects, since early February. The final ORAT will take place on April 30.

Flight operations at KLIA2 will begin on May 2 while the current low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) is scheduled to close on May 9.

Malindo Air, Cebu Pacific Air, Tiger Airways Singapore, Lion Air, Indonesia's Mandala Airlines have announced that they will begin operations at KLIA2 by May 2. On April 15, AirAsia confirmed it would join the bandwagon and operate out of KLIA2 by May 9.
-bernama.

Raikan Hari Ibu Bersama Dato' Jamal Abdillah ( 11 Mei 2014 )

Celebrate beloved mother in conjunction of Mother's Day in an exclusive dinner. Savour delicious dishes by N'dah Mahligai and be entertained by Dato 'Jamal Abdillah with his evergreen hits such as 'Kekasih Awal dan Akhir', 'Azura' and many more. In addition, you will also be entertained by guest artist Nas Adila and Jihan (Raja Lawak) will be the emcee for the night. This exclusive event is open for 400 guests only. Also, one lucky guest will walk away with wedding package worth RM 35,000.

Get your tickets from:

1. Online at www.AirAsiaRedtix.com
2. Rock Corner outlets:	The Gardens, Mid Valley (TEL: 03 - 2201 4893)
	Mid Valley (TEL: 03 - 2201 1423)
	KLCC (TEL: 03 - 2181 5560)
	Subang Parade (TEL: 03 - 5613 1139)
	The Curve (TEL: 03 - 7733 1139)
3. Victoria Music outlets:	Sg Wang(TEL: 03 - 2148 7208)
	Amcorp (TEL: 03 - 7956 0592)
	Tropicana (TEL: 03 - 7722 2955)
	BSC (TEL: 03 - 2093 1093)
4. Penang outlets:	Artist Gallery, Gurney Plaza
	Artist Gallery, Queensbay Mall
5. KL Live @ Life Centre	TEL: 03 - 2162 2570
6. Tune Store	Low Yat Plaza

For enquiry only: Please call AirAsiaRedtix Ticketing Hotline at +603 - 8775 4666. Hotline is operational from 9am-6pm on weekdays.
-AirAsia RedTix.

Westwood grabs early lead in Malaysian Open

Lee Westwood lines up a putt during his opening round at the Maybank Malaysian Open. He has the lead in the opening round with a seven-under 65. – S.S. Kanesan / THE STAR

KUALA LUMPUR: Former world number one Lee Westwood of England showed no effects of jet lag as he fired a seven-under 65 to take the opening round clubhouse lead at the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Westwood, who flew here straight after an impressive seventh placing at the US Masters in Augusta last Sunday, leads by one over 2012 Ryder Cup team-mate Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium.

Michael Hoey of Italy and Ricardo Santos of Portugal were a further two shots back in third place at the US$2.75mil (RM8.9mil) event jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Westwood sent out a reminder of why he could be the Asian specialist as he birdied the last three holes before play was suspended for 78 minutes due to the threat of lightning. A total of 42 players in the field of 155 will return at 7.40am on Friday to complete the first round after play was halted for the day due to darkness.

Westwood, who has won 12 out of his 40 titles in Asia including the 1997 Malaysian Open, had an early scare when he opened with a bogey on the par-five 10th hole. But he recovered with a late flourish when he birdied from eight feet and holed a huge 25-footer on eight. He completed a hat-trick of birdies with a 15-foot curling shot on the last hole.

“I did not make the best of starts, bogeying the par-five 10th, the first hole of the day, but fortunately that did not set the tone for the day. “I hit it really well and hit it close a lot. I had to be patient because I was hitting good putts and they weren’t going in,” said Westwood.

The Englishman, currently ranked world No. 37, was delighted to continue his momentum from the year’s opening Major. ”I played well last week and I am happy to carry that on today. ”Obviously this is a slightly harder golf course than Augusta but if you are shooting low scores at Augusta, you should expect to come here and shoot low scores, which I did.

”It was a good round of golf in tricky conditions. It’s obviously very hot and you have to keep hydrated. ”The course is soft so it’s playing its longest, and the greens are firm – it’s testament to how good the construction of the greens are when you consider the rain we’ve had over the past couple of days,” he said.

-thestar online.

2014: An Awesome Year In The Making ( 2014 Petronas FIM Asia Road Racing Championship )

The 2014 season of the PETRONAS FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is shaping up to be one of the best seasons to date. The 19th season of the Asian series will once again run a 6-round championship, featuring 53 of the best riders from 10 participating Asian countries.

The season begins with the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia from April 18 to 20, 2014. The second round will be held at the Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia from June 13 to 15. Japan will then host two consecutive legs, with rounds three and four to be held at the Autopolis International Race Course from August 15 to 17 and followed by the Suzuka Circuit from September 5 to 7. A new host venue makes its appearance in 2014 - the Buriram International Circuit will mark Thailand's return to the championship calendar after an absence of more than a decade. Buriram will be the stage for Round 5 from November 7 to 9. The season will end under the desert skies at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar from December 11 to 13, 2014.

Round 1	Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia	18 – 20 Apr
Round 2	Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia	13 – 15 Jun
Round 3	Autopolis International Race Course, Japan	15 – 17 Aug
Round 4	Suzuka Circuit, Japan	5 – 7 Sept
Round 5	Buriram International Circuit, Thailand	7 – 9 Nov
Round 6	Losail International Circuit, Qatar	11 – 13 Dec

At the time of writing a total of 22 riders have already been confirmed for the SuperSports 600cc premiere class. Despite rumours of his retirement, former MotoGP and WSBK rider Makoto Tamada will be back for his second season in the Asian championship. With the departure of Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman to the MotoGP, for the second year in a row, the SuperSports 600cc class will be without its title defender. Kawasaki's Katsuaki Fujiwara will be racing with an eye on the title, having won it in 2011 and lost it in 2012 and 2013 to rivals Ryuichi Kiyonari and Azlan Shah.

Another WSBK rider adds his presence to the SuperSports 600cc class - Australian Mark Aitchison will be taking to the track in Akeno Speed Racing's trademark yellow and blue livery. Malaysia's top SuperSports 600cc rider Mohd Zamri Baba will be racing astride a Honda this season, after a career spent in the Yamaha marquee. Ahmad Fuad Baharudin also trades bikes, returning to the PETRONAS Hong Leong Yamaha camp after spending a number of years in Kawasaki. Fuad will be teaming up with Japanese rider Yuki Ito.

Look out for young upcoming riders of the class, especially Indonesia's HA Yudhistira who grew wings in the final leg of the 2013 season, much to the amazement of the entire paddock. Another young gun to watch out for is Zaqhwan Zaidi who is rapidly coming into his own in the SuperSports 600cc class. Other young debutants of the class include Malaysia's Ahmad Afif Amran and Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali. Neither riders are strangers to the championship. Afif previously raced in the Underbone class whilst Fitri had won several Asia Dream Cup races.

In the Underbone 130cc class, Hadi Wijaya is back in the hunt for his fourth consecutive title. Hadi will be teaming up with countryman Rio Dewara in team Faito Factory Racing whilst Gupita Kresna Wardhana stays on at team Manual Tech. The Underbone class will have its first Japanese team to date with the entry from Team RSC that will be fielding the dynamic and hugely popular Kazuki Masaki.

Meanwhile, out of the 18 riders in the Asia Dream Cup, only six are repeat riders. They are Japan's Reitoku Kurogi, Malaysia's Khairul Idham Pawi, Chinese-Taipei's Chung An-Yu, and India's Sarath Kumar as well as Arunagiri Prabhu. The remaining twelve are first time ADC participants hoping to impress with their skill and talent.

Fans of Asian motorcycle racing can now catch the action live on their TV screens with a newly-inked broadcast deal between the championship and Fox Sports. Details are as follows:

-www.asiaroadracing.com

Langkah Ceria @ Putrajaya ( 20 April 2014 )

Perbadanan Putrajaya dengan kerjasama Nestle Sdn. Bhd. akan menganjurkan PROGRAM LANGKAH CERIA @ PUTRAJAYA bersama MALAYSIA BREAKFAST DAY 2014 di Dataran Putrajaya, Presint 3,  Putrajaya pada 20 April 2014 (Ahad).

Dimaklumkan bahawa penutupan jalan akan dilakukan oleh pihak PPj secara berperingkat mulai 16 April 2014 (Rabu) bermula jam 3.00 petang sehingga 20 April 2014 (Ahad) jam 12.00 tengah hari bagi laluan persimpangan masuk ke Dataran Putrajaya, Presint 3. Penutupan jalan ini adalah untuk memberi laluan kepada kerja-kerja logistik acara tersebut.  Adalah dinasihatkan agar dapat mematuhi arahan lalu lintas di kawasan tersebut atau menggunakan laluan alternatif untuk mengelakkan sebarang kesulitan.

Sila hubungi Encik Mohamad Sujairi bin Mohd Ishak di talian 03-88877547 untuk sebarang pertanyaan/maklumat lanjut.

Maklumat lanjut mengenai acara ini sila layari www.ppj.gov.my/www.putrajaya.gov.my atau www.facebook.com/putrajaya.

-Perbadanan Putrajaya.

KLIA2 to start operations in two weeks with five airlines

A photo of the newly built KLIA2 which will open on May 2.

After several delays, KL International Airport 2, the controversial new low-cost carrier terminal is ready to start operations on May 2.

Contractors and Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) are working round the clock to ensure the RM4bil airport opens on schedule. Contractors and workers were seen busy putting the finishing touches at the main terminal building.

A sea of luggage greeted us at the main terminal hall of the spanking new airport and Datuk Azmi Murad explained that 900,000 suitcases were provided by the contractor to test the system and to ensure the integrity of the system was intact. “These bags are packed with bricks and wood,’’ said Azmi, who is Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) senior general manager for operation.

Azmi, who heads the Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) struggled to lift one of the bag to prove his point. “We have been carrying out tests and trial runs since February and have gone through three levels of ORAT, he said, adding that last Sunday, they had 4,500 “passengers” to test the system.

“In terms of readiness, KLIA2 is 99% ready. We are ready to start and on May 2, we will move, with five airlines – Malindo Air, Cebu Pacific Air, Tiger Airways Singapore, Lion Air and Indonesia’s Mandala Airlines. “They have lower flight frequency, so we can test the systems further with real airport operations.

By May 9, everyone else will join us including the Air Asia family,’’ explained Azmi. He said that minor touch-up works would, however, continue long after the airport commenced operations, similar to when KLIA started its operations.

He added that the final stages of ORAT also involved familiarisation processes for airlines, ground staff, security, Customs, Immigration and even the public; to help them get acquainted with the terminal building, the new technologically advanced system, facilities and processes for smooth and seamless transition of all stakeholders from the old terminal to the new one.

Azmi, who has vast experience preparing airports for operation, had been involved in the KLIA project since 1998. He explained that one of the biggest challenges with KLIA and its migration from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang was that it was very IT based. “It was not easy integrating the baggage, ticketing and check-in counters with new technology, but we did it.

So with KLIA2, we are prepared for anything, if at all there is any glitch in the system, the airport operations will carry on,’’ he said. “We are organising an open day on April 27, from 9am onwards to educate the public on KLIA2, and to introduce its facilities. The public will get to take bus rides along the runway and tarmac,’’ he said.

He said that suggestion boxes would be placed at strategic locations to encourage people to provide feedback and suggestions.

“KLIA2 comes with special features and facilities such as its check-in counters which enables all airlines to process passenger information at any counters, unlike LCCT where each airline had its own designated counter,’’ he said.

The project that went up for tender in 2009 had an initial cost of RM1.9bil. However, its delivery date was postponed several times due to various changes, causing some analysts to estimate the final cost to possibily hit RM4.5bil.

-thestar online.