KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — Four Malaysian youth golfers are hopeful of pitting their skills against some of Asia’s finest after they were selected to be four of the 40 Malaysian challengers at the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020 next week.
It may be their debut in the event, but Nateshvar A. Ganesh, Rizq Adam Rohizam, Nor Harith Nor Hadi and Hariz Hezri are ready to make an impression at the showdown formerly known as the Malaysian Open, at the Kota Permai Golf & Country Club (KPGCC) from March 5 to 8.
The young lads are no pushovers as a couple of them have already shown that they will be in fine form come next week.
One of those is Melaka-born Nateshvar, 15, who just won the Zurich PGAM Junior Invitational held at KPGCC yesterday, finishing with an open round score of six-under-par (66).
“I didn’t expect to qualify for the Bandar Malaysia Open. It feels great to have the chance to play at our National Open,” said Nathesvar in a press release.
He added that having played and won on the course, he was hoping to use that extra experience to help his game.
“I will keep training hard these few days. Especially on my short game to prepare for the championships. Hopefully, I will make the weekend cut,” said Nathesvar.
Just like Nateshvar, his fellow youth golfing talent Rizq Adam Rohizam is also eager to do well, as he too is fresh off winning the Faldo Series at the Impian Golf & Country Club last week.
Tiger Woods-fanatic Rizq also knows a thing or two about the course at KPGCC, being a member of the golf club for the past four years, although he did not feel that it gave him any sort of advantage.
“I haven’t played here often but I’m kind of familiar with the course,” said the 15-year-old.
“It’s quite long and I don’t hit very far but I think it should be okay because my putting suits these slick greens.”
Alongside them are 15-year-old Hariz from Kedah and 17-year-old Harith from Johor who are also grateful to be included in the tournament and hope to make the final weekend cut.
The Bandar Malaysia Open 2020 will be a four-day tournament, with players from Asian Tour, Japanese Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) and 40 Malaysians competing for a US$1 million (RM4.22 million) prize.
The list of players will be cut after the first two days (March 5 & 6), with the top-scoring players carrying on to compete on the weekend (March 7 & 8).
Malay Mail is an official media partner for the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020.
Pleased to have such young local talents competing, the event promoter, Winning Matters’ chief executive officer Arep Kulal said that he hoped this tournament would be a stepping stone for their blossoming careers.
“We are delighted to be able to offer playing opportunities to these talented juniors,” said Arep.
“They are the future of the game in our country, with long and fruitful golfing careers ahead.
“We believe, the experience that they gain from being on the field, teeing up against top players from Asian Tour and JGTO will put them in good stead for their future career development."
Tickets for the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020 are now available for purchase via Whatsapp (+6011-20856500) and the TicketApps.
Tickets are priced at RM40 for one day, RM60 for two days and RM100 for all four days.
For more information about the tournament or ticket purchasing surf over to the official website.
