The culmination of a tough five-plus-one season was celebrated in Johor when the final leg of the Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour took place at Forest City Golf Resort, Johor, from October 24-26th. The young stars-in-making had the opportunity to play on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Legacy Course.
Enjoying the ‘Elite Experience’ provided at every Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour event came with some challenges in Johor. Playing in windy conditions and humid weather challenged the field to the max.
Despite the weather, Tommy Chin, Head Coach of the Dwi Emas Golf Academy managed to conduct his final Masterclass which included a short game clinic on bunker play, utilising the perfect chipping and putting conditions at hand. There was no shortage of eager participants, as players and parents gathered to soak up the knowledge he imparted.
This season, unlike the inaugural one in 2023, there was no nail-biting playoff to decide the Order of Merit winners. Order of Merit points were awarded for the four events held in Peninsular Malaysia, while a special stand-alone leg was hosted at Miri Golf Club, specifically to give East Malaysians a chance to experience a professional-level amateur tournament and develop the talent in that region.
Nathan Wong Tsen Jac took the honours in the Boys A Category (16-18) with 364 points. His road to victory included the series’ first hole-in-one at Hole 3, Sultan Nine at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Golf & Country Club. He garnered 65 points at the first leg at Templer Park Country Club with a fifth place finish, was third at SAASGCC (75), fifth at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club (65) and emerged victorious at Forest City Golf Resort (159). Cayden Kong Ze Wen was runner-up with 295 points. He was 17th at Templer Park, runner-up at SAASGCC and finished the season with two third place finishes.
Nathan earned a coveted spot to compete in the PKNS Selangor Masters ‘23, a co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and Toyota Tour, with a prize fund of US$175,000.
Yan Yinuo topped the Girl’s A Order of Merit with 383 points. She received her prize from Takuya Ono, Managing Director Dunlop Srixon Asia Sdn. Bhd.
Yan Yinuo topped the Girl’s A Category (16-18) with 383 points. Her impressive record included one victory, two runner-up finishes and a third place finish in Johor. Her victory was at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Golf & Country Club where she garnered 100 points. Her runner-up finishes were at Templer Park and Kota Permai where she collected 85 for each event, and her third place finish at the last event of the season earned her an additional 113 points. Close behind her was Kwak Minji on 350 points. Minji only competed in three of the four tournaments, but she walked away a winner in all three, earning 100 points apiece at Temper Park and Kota Permai, with an additional 150 at Forest City.
Kang Geon (John) Boy’s B Order of Merit winner and Raj Kumar, Deputy Senior Sales Manager, Dunlop Srixon Asia Sdn. Bhd.
A tight battle emerged in the Boy’s B Category (13-15), between eventual winner Kang Geon (John) and 2023 OOM winner Andrew Yap Young Cheng. John finished with 405 points following three runner-up finishes in the first three events on the roster and a victory at season finale at Forest City. Andrew accumulated 300 points from three victories, however he was unable to compete in Forest City to defend his title.
Girl’s B Order of Merit winner, Nur Batrisyia Balqis Abdul Ghani.
Winner of the Girl’s B Category, Nur Batrisyia Balqis Abdul Ghani overtook Wang Enxi to claim top spot based on the outcome at Forest City. Nur Batrisyia had earned 185 points from her victory at the first leg and runner-up place at the second leg, while Enxi had 210 points from a third place at Templer Park, fifth at SAASGCC and fourth place at Kota Permai. However, Nur Batrisyia won at Forest City to collect 150 points that left her with a 335 total, as Enxi finished fourth, earning 105 points to leave her on 315.
Boy’s C Order of Merit winner, Bae Jinhyuk, with Dato’ Merina Gan, MGA Vice President and Chairman of the Women In Golf Charter.
Bae Jinhyuk finished Order of Merit winner in the Boy’s C Category (10-12), on 435 points. He opened his season with a runner-up finish and never looked back, following that up with three consecutive wins. Uwais Alqarni Shahmira was second on 304 points after a fifth place at Templer Park, seventh at SAASGCC, fourth at Kota Permai and, his highest finish, third at Forest City.
Jane Sim, Girl’s C Order of Merit winner.
Jane Sim, the 2022 Order of Merit winner, was the run-away winner once again in the Girl’s C Category with a maximum 450 points. From the onset, Jane won convincingly at each venue, collecting 100 points for each with an additional 50 points at the grand finale. Her closest rival was Lee Jiyeon, who accumulated 314 points from a fourth place at Templer Park, third at SAASGCC, runner-up at Kota Permai and seventh place at Forest City.
In the tournament proper, Nathan Won Tsen Jac (2) won the Boy’s A Gross with rounds of 73-76-70 with a 218 total, for his first victory of the season. Wan Muhammad Danial Hafiz Wan Zain (2) was second on 228 (76-74-78), third went to Cayden Kong Ze Wen (1) on 233 (79-75-79), fourth was claimed by Kenta Izawa (3) on 237 (82-78-77) and fifth was Ammer Aiman Mohd Fauzi (1), also on 237 (74-83-80).
Kwak Minji (0) topped the leaderboard in the Girl’s A Gross with a 217 total from rounds of 72-71-74. This was her second successive win and third of the season. Sohniya Chandra Mohan (2) was second on 229 (77-77-75), third went to Yan Yinuo (0) on 231 (78-78-75), fourth to Aarthi Ganesan (4) on 239 (77-79-83) and fifth to Jeon Kyuri (5) on 241 (77-84-80).
Kang Geon (John) won the Boy’s B with a 224 total after rounds of 73-6-75 to finally break through and enjoy the win. He had three successive runner-up finishes for the season. Muhammad Adif Haikal Md. Hazan (1) was second on 233 (75-83-75), third went to Muhammad Adlan Mohamad Nizam (4) on 235 (81-78-76), fourth to Aiden Tai John Roberts (1) on 236 (79-80-77) and fifth to Ezekiel Riz Hafi Suzeartiz (2) also on 236 (79-78-79).
Girl’s B was won by Nur Batrisyia Balqis Abdul Ghani (9) on 226 (76-74-76) for her second tournament win of the season. Siti Nur Husna Aina (1), on 232, was second after rounds of 80-79-73, Nur Diana Syafiqah Abdullah (4) was third, also on 232 (77-78-77), fourth was picked up by Wang Enxi (6) on 245 (83-84-78) and Nur Alisya Qistina Mohd Zainurin (4) finished fifth on 245 (84-80-81).
Bae Jinhyuk (3) stamped his ownership of the Boy’s C category when he won for the third consecutive time, having finished runner-up in the first event of the series. He had a 150 total after rounds of 74-76. Liew Zun Xin (4) was second on 156 (79-77), Uwais Alqarni Shahmira (5) was third, also on 156, Chung King Loong (10) took fourth on 157 (74-83) and Tan Yu Ter (12) was fifth on 165 (87-78).
Jane Sim (8) continued her unbroken run of victories when she topped the leaderboard in the Girl’s C with a 157 total from rounds of 80-77. She won all the events in the series. Mavis Chua (18) took second on 169 (84-85), Bernice Hwang Ee Xuan (12) was third on 175 (89-86), Park Siyeon (0) finished fourth on 177 (96-81) and Deepikaa Ganesan (15) was fifth on 178 (93-85).
The Top-3 finishers in the Nett category were also acknowledged and Lee Sihyeon (8) was declared Nett Champion in the Boy’s A group with a 226 total (71-77-78). Liew Kuan Keat (12) finished second on 233 (78-78-77) from Felix Gan Yong Jun (5) in third, also on 233 (77-79-77).
Alya Batrisya Shaari (6) topped the Girl’s A with a 232 total (77-77-78), while Goh Ee-Hwei was second on 236 (79-78-79) and Siti Nurfarah Fasha Mohamad Hasan (3) was third on 237 (85-74-78).
Anthony Lim Jing Seng (20) led the Boy’s B with a 212 total (73-68-71) and two behind was Michael Chia Soon Yang (8) on 217 (74-73-70), while Ahn Seunghyun (6) was third on 219 (72-70-77).
Girl’s B was picked up by Nur Sakinah Ridzwan Woo (7) on 223 (70-77-77), Park Kyoungwon (5) placed second on 234 (78-80-76), over Iona Lyne Patterson (7), also on 234 (82-75-77).
Lucas Kelvin Long Jin Eian (18) took the honours in the Boy’s C on 144 (74-70), Darren Neoh Yee Jian (8) was second on 150 (72-78) and Arrjun Rudra Anilarasu (8), third, on 152 (76-76).
Rounding off the winners were Wong Jo Yi (19) in the Girl’s C with a 148 total (75-73), with Chong Yizel (29) second on 151 (73-78) and Ava Kanthata Yap (20), third, on 155 (80-75).
The Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour was generously supported by the Ministry of Youth & Sports, Malaysian Golf Association, Affin Bank, KIA, Dwi Emas International School, F&N and Eureka.
