Teenage golfer Galven wants to keep Green legacy going

PETALING JAYA: Having a big brother can be a boon… or a bane, depending on how you look at it.

For the Green golf siblings, the successes of the elder Gavin Kyle have given the younger Galven Kendall someone to look up to.

And the 15-year-old Galven, who is six years younger, is following in the footsteps of his older brother quite nicely.

Galven emerged triumphant in the back-to-back Tan Sri Muhyiddin (TSM) Challenge and Malaysian Amateur Closed last December.

The week before the TSM Challenge, he also lifted the King Hamad Trophy Golf Championship in Bahrain.

But him big bro is still slightly ahead in the title count.

Gavin has won the TSM Challenge twice – in 2009 and 2010. He also won the Malaysian Amateur Closed three years in a row from 2009.

And the friendly rivalry has now shifted to the SEA Games, where the event takes place at the Sentosa Golf Club from June 9-12.

At the last Games in Myanmar, Gavin settled for silver after losing narrowly to Danthai Boonma of Thailand via sudden-death playoff and his individual effort also led to the team finishing third.

Inspired, Galven wants to ensure the Green’s presence is felt at the biennial Games in Singapore.

He also reckons that the young Malaysian squad, also comprising Daeng Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz, Amir Nazrin Jailani and Bryan Teoh Wiyang, will be no pushovers.

“I’m aiming for nothing less than a top-three finish ... in both events,” said Galven.

“We may be young but we head to Singapore believing that the gold is within our reach.

“I spoke to Gavin recently about the SEA Games. He told me to always stay calm, give my best on the course and never be afraid to aim high.

“I’ve not been playing much recently due to studies and struggled a bit, but it will be a matter of time before I regain my best form.”