PGM to stick with 11 ADT events next year

KUALA LUMPUR: The Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) do not plan to expand the number of events co-sanctioned with the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Malaysia hosted 11 tournaments in the 18-tournament ADT calendar this season compared to 13 last year and 15 in 2015.

PGM chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid feels that 11 co-sanctioned tournaments would be enough to help local players in their quest to qualify for the world’s biggest sporting event in three years’ time.

“We’re looking to retain the same number of home ADT tournaments, definitely not more,” said Ahmad Sarji after receiving a RM318,000 sponsorship from MNRB Holdings Berhad yesterday to organise the PGM MNRB Championship at the Damai Golf and Country Club in Kuching, Sarawak, from Oct 4-7.

“PGM also have another 10-12 ‘closed’ tournaments.

“Besides, some of the golfers also travel for tournaments abroad. So, there’s no point in us holding 15 ADT events like in 2015.”

Since 2013, the ADT tournaments have been made Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) events, with a minimum of six points awarded to the winner.

The top-six finishers plus ties will also receive points.

The home ADT events played a key role in Malaysia having a maximum representation of two men golfers in the 60-player field of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last year.

The two – Danny Chia and Gavin Kyle Green – amassed a significant amount of OWGR points from their ADT outings between 2013 and mid-2016.