PGM working on RM1.5 million Olympics preparation programme

KUALA LUMPUR: The Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) is preparing a special programme to guide Malaysian golfers en route to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

PGM Chairman, Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the twoyear programme costing about RM1.5 million, would help in terms of mentoring and giving incentives to selected golfers to gain world ranking points to confirm their berth to the Olympics.

“We want to make sure Malaysia utilises the maximum allocation of two man and two lady golfers for Tokyo (for countries without golfers ranked top 15). Only top 300 golfers from the Official World Golf Ranking by end of June 2020 will qualify. So we have started to host 50 percent (12 of 24) Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year, so our golfers can gain more points.

“Secondly, we have a list of potential candidates to be mentored and given incentives because they also need to go out to play in ADT and Asian Tour events in other countries, so that we will gain more points. Thirdly we need to identify a master coach to accompany them to all the tournaments they participate as a mentor and identify their mistakes.

“There is also need for a programme on psychological and motivational training once every three months, like what we did before the 2016 Rio Olympics,” he told Bernama after launching the PGM Tour Yearbook 2017 here, yesterday.

Ahmad Sarji said based on the current scenario, 2017 Asian Tour’s Order of Merit winner, Gavin Kyle Green has a very bright chance to qualify to the Olympics with the current ranking of 171.

“Next on the list is Nicholas Fung, followed by Ben Leong and Arie Irawan who are all playing in Asian Tours. It means, when they play in tournaments, they need to win it because competing only is not enough.

Meanwhile, the seventh edition of the PGM Tour Yearbook, priced at RM79, would be sold in MPH Bookstores nationwide. - Bernama