KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — The line-up of young players selected to carry the country’s challenge at the 2022 World Amateur Golf Championship (WAGC) will need to come up with a ‘magical’ performance if they want to be included in the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games.
Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) president Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said the five selected players had never represented the country at any international tournament, and they should try to get enough merit points to be placed in the national team.
They are Mohd Firdaus Ahmad, Ryan Loh, Mohammed Faisal Hussain, T. Magenthiran and Syahril Hirman Azmee.
“Those contesting in the WAGC are not in the national team, instead they won the 2022 National Amateur Golf Championship last Saturday (Oct 15). I think the tournament was successful because it unearthed the talents of new amateur players.
“For the upcoming SEA Games, we will look at their performance based on the merit points in the World Amateur Golfer Rankings and also the merit points set by the MGA. So if they have a high WAGR and can perform better than the existing national players, they can go to the SEA Games,” he said.
Mohd Anwar was speaking after the launch of the WAGC, which will see about 500 participations from 40 countries from November 12 to November 19.
The tournament will be held at four golf clubs, namely Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC), Glenmarie Golf and Country Club, Kota Permai Golf and Country Club and Rahman Putra Malaysia Club.
He said currently, there are 30 national players studying at colleges and universities in the United States who still consistently have a good WAGR ranking.
At the last SEA Games in May, 24-year-old Ervin Chang created a sensation when he emerged as the first Malaysian athlete to win the SEA Games gold medal for the individual event at the Heron Lake Golf Course and Resort in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam.
Together with Marcus Lim Pang Chuen, K. Rhaasrikanesh and A. Nateeshvar, he then helped Malaysia regain the gold medal last won two decades ago by defeating Thailand 2 – 1 in the final of the team event.
— Bernama
