The Professional Golf Association of Malaysia (PGAM) has announced a new partnership with Zurich Malaysia to help grow the game of golf in Malaysia, resulting in a unique new tournament known as the Zurich PGAM Junior Invitational hosted by Malaysian legend Danny Chia who is a Zurich golf ambassador.
The inaugural event will see a strong field of Malaysian professionals team up with up-and-coming young talents from MYFutures Junior Golf at the award-winning Kota Permai Golf and Country Club on February 26 and 27, 2020. The junior golfers are a mix of boys and girls aged between 12 and 18 years. Kota Permai is also the venue for the Malaysian Open, now known as the Bandar Malaysia Open, which takes -lace on March 5-8.
The professionals will compete for a prize purse of RM70,000 while the winners in the junior division stand to walk away with exciting Callaway golf merchandise. A pro-junior team category will be contested on the final day.
Chia, who is also the vice president of the PGAM, has been a strong advocate of junior golf in Malaysia over the years and has wanted to do more to give back and support the sport’s grassroots development.
“I am proud to be part of an inaugural initiative where young boys and girls are given the opportunity to team up with some of Malaysia’s top PGAM professionals in a competitive setting. This invitational will provide a great opportunity for professional golfers to impart their knowledge and experience to the next generation of emerging golfers,” noted Chia.
Often regarded as a history-maker, some of Chia’s credentials include being the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Tour and representing Malaysia in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In 2010, he became the first Malaysian to play in all four rounds in a Major in The Open at St Andrews.
“To think that I’m an inspiration to these Malaysian juniors that are rising up the ranks is something that is truly an honour. I know I have set the benchmark, but I don’t want them to follow in my footsteps; I want them to be better than Danny Chia,” he added.
Zurich Malaysia’s country head Stephen Clark noted that the tournament is an encouraging platform for aspiring young golfers in Malaysia to showcase their skills as well as help open doors for them to take their games to the next level.
“We are excited for this opportunity to support and promote youth sports development in addition to nurturing the nation’s future athletes. This partnership bodes well with our corporate responsibility commitment to foster healthy lifestyles and good sportsmanship among the young. We look forward to watching the players, both professional and junior, team up to put their best stroke in motion in a great two days of competition,” said Clark.
