Tournament host Danny Chia is elated at the success of the inaugural Zurich PGAM Junior Invitational, which concluded yesterday and featured professionals playing alongside juniors at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.
The Malaysian golf legend and Zurich golf ambassador noted that he hoped the event would spur other corporate companies to come forward and support golf development in Malaysia.
“I’ve always liked to do stuff for juniors, so I just thought if I get some of our PGAM (Professional Golf Association of Malaysia) professionals to play with the kids, it might create some awareness to pull in sponsors. It helps our professionals and is also a good experience for the kids, so this format benefits both.
“The junior golfers were enthusiastic about playing with the professionals and they had the opportunity to ask questions and learn directly from the professionals,” said the 47-year-old Chia, who is the only Malaysian to have won twice on the Asian Tour.
In 2010, Chia made history when he became the first Malaysian to play all four rounds of a Major in the Open Championship at St Andrews. He finished T55 on two-over-par.
The Zurich PGAM Junior Invitational saw 37 of the country’s top professionals and one leading amateur teaming up with 38 juniors of both genders aged from 12 to 18.
Jeremiah Kim, Grace Chin and Nateeshvar Ganesh
Jeremiah Kim Leun-kwang triumphed in the professional division with rounds of 73 and 69 for a two-under-par 142 total, two shots ahead of Ben Leong (73-71). Sukree Othman came in third with a total of 145 (73-72).
The junior division saw Nateeshvar Anatha Ganesh (66-78) and Grace Chin Jun-li (76-73) topping the boys’ and girls’ division respectively. Meanwhile, the pro-junior team contest based on the second day scores saw Leong (71) and Anson Yeo (72) combining for a 143 total to lift the title.
Kota Permai is also the venue for next week’s US$1 million Bandar Malaysia Open 2020, which marks the return of the country’s national Open after a four-year hiatus.
