The future is looking bright for Malaysia’s junior golfers as the UUM International School Melaka (UUMISM) has signed a landmark agreement worth RM100,000 annually to be the title sponsor for the SportExcel Malaysian Junior Golf Tour 2020.
Held on February 24 at Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Club’s Langkawi Room, the agreement was signed by SportExcel’s executive director Sivanandan Chindurai and UUMISM’s president and founder David Jeong Soo Yong.
Jeong’s credentials in regard to golf and the development of junior golfers are extensive, having been on the Asian Tour in 2006 and 2007 for his native country of Korea. Prior to founding the UUMISM (which is registered with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, with an affiliation with Universiti Utara Malaysia) in 2018, he had also founded the David Jeong Golf Academy, worked as the head coach of the Melaka Junior State Team and had been appointed head coach of the Malaysia National Golf Academy.
Along with a specialised golf programme, UUMISM also offers a secondary Cambridge education with golf as a co-curricular activity, allowing students to pursue academic education in addition to golf training.
SportExcel chairman Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Jaafar, who was also present in welcoming UUMISM aboard as sponsor, reiterated in his speech SportExcel’s goal of further unearthing young golfing talent, making reference to the 17 junior players who had been with SportExcel from the age of five to seven, and were offered scholarships from the United States the previous year.
Tunku Imran also noted that Malaysian No 1 Gavin Green started playing competitively as a junior on the SportExcel circuit, adding that he hoped the achievements of Green would inspire juniors and illustrate just what they are capable of with enough effort and perseverance.
In addition to the cash sponsorship, UUMISM will also be providing free golf clinics three times a year for interested participants of SportExcel tournaments and awarding a one-month all-expenses-paid full scholarship golf camp for the overall champions of the junior tour.
