The 61st edition of the South East Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship officially kicked off with over 100 elite amateur golfers from 10 countries attending the opening ceremony at Seletar Country Club before the tournament officially starts on Tuesday.
The championship will be contested across four tournaments — Putra Cup, Santi Cup, Lion City Cup and Kartini Cup — over four intense days of action at the award-winning Seletar Country Club, voted the Best Renovated Golf Course in Asia Pacific in 2022.
Putra Cup, initiated by Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1961 to foster closer ties among South East Asian nations and elevate the regional standard of golf, will see defending champions Indonesia, traditional powerhouses Thailand, hosts Singapore and other contenders such as Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines battle to etch their country’s names on the coveted trophy.
Thailand, featuring the trio of Thitikarn Thapasit, Pimpisa Rubrong and Achiraya Sriwong, will defend the Santi Cup which features the region’s top women’s amateurs. They will also seek to put up a stout defence both the Lion City and Kartini Cups where the top boys and girls Under-16 amateurs compete respectively.
The event, by invitation only, extends to all members of the ASEAN Golf Federation. This year’s tournament will feature countries from Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
Tan Chong Huat, President of Singapore Golf Association and ASEAN Golf Federation said: “The South East Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship offers our national athletes the opportunity to compete against the best in South East Asia. It also enhances Singapore’s reputation as a key centre for important regional and international golf events.
With the South East Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship, the community in Singapore can enjoy a golf event that is organised at the highest level. This event foreshadows the World Amateur Team Championship and we want it to be known for three aspects- digital, sustainability and security.”
