Zubair sets his sights on AmBank SportExcel title defence

SHAH ALAM: Teenager Zubair Firdaus (pic) will be back to defend his title at the AmBank SportExcel International Junior

Golf Championships next month, with his sights firmly set on securing an extension to his oneyear scholarship at the Hills Golf Academy in Australia.

The scholarship ends next month.

The overall champion of the international junior golf meet, to be held at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club here from Dec 4-7, will earn the lucrative one-year scholarship, worth A$45,000 (RM143,000), to study and play at the renowned Queensland-based school – famous for producing players like Major champions Jason Day of Australia and Tseng Ya-ni of Taiwan.

Last year, Zubair upstaged his older rivals in the weather-shortened championships by carding the tournament’s lowest total of twoover 146 in the boys’ 13-14 category to claim the scholarship.

“I hope to extend my stay at the academy. I have become a better golfer since coming over earlier this year. I hope to complete my schooling here,” said the 15-year-old Zubair.

“So, my goal is to become the overall champion again to earn myself another year at the school.”

Zubair has improved tremendously this year – winning five titles so far, including the China Junior Classic in Hainan last month and the Hills Junior Classic in Queensland in September.

His other titles came at the Ciputra World Junior Golf Championships in Jakarta in June; the Southport Junior Classic (Queensland) in May; and the Al Ain Junior Open (United Arab Emirates) in January.

Zubair can expect a stiff challenge from top national juniors like Muhd Afif Fathi, K. Rhaasrikanesh, Adam Arif Madzri, Ashley Lau, Winnie Ng Yu Xuan and Natasha Andrea Oon.

Ashley, who won the team bronze at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, was the overall champion in 2015 and studied at the Queensland-based school for two years.

The SportExcel tournament will feature 110 golfers, including 50 from Thailand, India, Australia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines.

“We are very pleased to come on board as the main sponsor again for the 12th consecutive year,” AmBank Group head of corporate communications and marketing Syed Anuar Syed Ali at the event’s launch yesterday.

“With this year’s sponsorship worth RM90,000, the AmBank Group has contributed close to RM615,000 towards the development of junior golf through SportExcel over the years and it has benefited a total of 1,188 players.”