The second edition of the Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour is set to begin in May with a total of five stops across the Peninsular and East Malaysian region and will culminate with the grand finale at Forest City Golf Resort.
Among those who attended the launching of the second edition were Takuya Ono, Managing Director of Dunlop Srixon Sports Asia Sdn Bhd; Andrew Ng, General Manager of Golf (Malaysia) Publications Sdn Bhd; Dato' Merina Gan, Vice President of Malaysian Golf Association; Dato' Zulkifli Ismail, Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Golf Association; Ken Kudo, Director of the Asian Tour; Harbans Singh, Tournament Director of the Professional Golf of Malaysia; and Desmond Tan, Event Director of the TrustGolf Singapore Junior World Masters 2023.
Designed to provide junior golfers with an engaging and elite golf experience, four professional-standard events were held in Malaysia last year. The events were well-received within the region and acted as additional competitive platforms for these juniors to develop and improve their skills.
In 2022 the tour placed its best efforts in assisting juniors reach higher heights beyond the tour.
The male and female winners of the Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour Order of Merit received full access to play in every tournament in 2023 on the PGM Tour, which is now known as the Toyota Tour. In addition, three young men from the tour competed in the Asian Development Tour's PKNS Selangor Masters, while two boys and two girls ranked on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
This year the team behind the tour will seek out new opportunities to expand its reach and deliver a top-quality tournament series in hopes of paving the way for future successful professional golfers to take to the world stage.
The first of such collaborations for the 2023 season was the MOU between the Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour and the TrustGolf Singapore Junior World Masters.
L to R: Andrew Ng (General Manager of Golf Malaysia Publications), Desmond Tan (Event Director of the TrustGolf Singapore Junior World Masters 2023), Takuya Ono (Managing Director of Dunlop Srixon Sports Asia Sdn Bhd), Dato' Merina Gan (Vice President of Malaysian Golf Association)
The tour will continue to be organised around existing junior programmes, so junior golfers will be able to reap maximum benefits.
There will be four tour venues in Peninsular Malaysia, with the final leg in Johor. The one major addition to the 2023 schedule will be a stand-alone leg held in Miri Golf Club, Sarawak, specifically for juniors from East Malaysia. This was created to address the financial constraints faced by East Malaysians which makes it difficult for them to fully participate in the other four legs that will take place in the Peninsular.
The Masterclass Series will be held once again in conjunction with each leg of the tournament series and will be conducted by Dwi Emas International School. Every topic welcomes full participation by both parents and junior golfers.
2023 SMJDT SCHEDULE
16-18 May: Templer Park Country Club
13-15 June: Miri Golf Club (Stand-Alone Event)
4-6 July: Kelab Golf Negara Subang
19-21 September: Kota Permai Golf & Country Club
GRAND FINAL
24-26 October: Forest City Golf Resort
All Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour tournaments will be in Stroke Play format, with a Gross and Nett Category. There will be three rounds of 18-holes for Category A and B, and two for Category C. Groups A & B will qualify for WAGR points and all players can submit their scores to Junior Golf Scoreboard.
AGE GROUP CATEGORIES
Group A - Boys 16-18, Girls 16-18
Group B - Boys 13-15, Girls 13-15
Group C - Boys 10-12, Girls 10-12
The Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour will use an Order of Merit points system over the four events in Peninsular Malaysia to decide the winners at the end of the series. In the case of ties after the four events, the winner will be decided based on a countback of the final rounds score.
Q&A panel during the launch. L to R: Dato' Zulkifli Ismail (Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Golf Association), Andrew Ng (General Manager of Golf Malaysia Publications), Takuya Ono (Managing Director Dunlop Srixon Sports Asia Sdn Bhd), Anne Tham (Founder and Group CEO of ACE EdVenture Group)
Gross winners in all age groups during each leg will receive prizes from first to fifth place, while nett winners in every category will receive prizes from first to third place. Winners at Miri Golf Club will receive the same prizes as Peninsular Malaysia, however Order of Merit points will not be awarded.
Order of Merit prizes will be awarded to participants in Groups A and B, from first to third placing at the final in October.
Junior golfers can register on a first-come-first-served basis via the Tournament Online Registration Form available at Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour.
Categories A and B players who sign up for all four legs in the Peninsular will be charged an entry fee of RM1,520, while Category C will be charged RM1,320. Each will receive a goodie bag worth RM1,387 consisting of a personalised Srixon SMU Stand Bag (RM790), Srixon Tour Umbrella (RM329), one dozen of Srixon SoftFeel golf balls (RM139) and a Srixon Cap/Visor (RM129).
Single entry to any tournament is charged at RM480 per leg, with no goodie bag included.
The entry fee for the leg in Miri will be RM330 for Categories A and B, while Category C will be RM280.
All entry fee payments made with Affin Bank Credit Cards will receive a 20% discount.
The main co-sponsors of the 2023 Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour are Affin Bank, Dwi Emas International School and Kia.
The inaugural Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour has received enormous support and positive feedback from golfers' parents, and the team behind the tour is certain that working together in 2023 will bring more success to all involved.
