The month of June will witness a festival of top-notch golfing action in Selangor with the staging of back-to-back international events in the state.

The golf extravaganza tees off with the third edition of the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship on June 13-15, followed on the subsequent week by the 11th staging of the PKNS Selangor Masters (June 19-22). Both tournaments will be played at Seri Selangor Golf Club, which is Malaysia's leading public golf course.

A World Amateur Golf Ranking event, the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship will feature young talents aged between 12 and 18 from across the region competing in individual and team events in separate boys' and girls' divisions. The championship is organized by UUM International School Melaka (UUMISM) in collaboration with the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA), with PKNS Golf Management Services acting as the tournament promoter.

The boys' individual winner will be invited to participate in the PKNS Selangor Masters, a professional event that is jointly sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the domestic Toyota Tour. The tournament is also promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) who return as title sponsor for the third year running. Renowned property developer Gamuda Land is one of the tournament's main sponsors.

The PKNS Selangor Masters will offer a prize fund of USD175,000 and will thus have a strong bearing on the ADT's Order of Merit, where the top 10 players at the end of the season will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for 2025.

Speaking during a press conference at Seri Selangor Golf Club on May 30, Selangor Chief Minister Dato' Seri Amirudin Bin Shari noted that the two events reflect the state government's commitment to grow the game at all levels.

"Through the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship, we provide a platform for our own young talents to test themselves against some of the best juniors from across the region. With numerous spots for Malaysians, the PKNS Selangor Masters is a pathway for our aspiring young professionals to enhance their playing careers. Hopefully, we will see a few Malaysians among the top 10 players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of this season, who will earn their Asian Tour cards for 2025," said Dato' Seri Amirudin.

In last year's PKNS Selangor Masters played in November, Ho Yu-cheng of Chinese Taipei gritted his way to a narrow victory in tough conditions with an even-par 280 total (68-70-66-76). Finishing just one shot ahead of Australia's Deyen Lawson and Thailand's Runchanapong Youprayong, Ho picked up the winner's cheque of USD30,625.

Malaysian professionals Ervin Chang (L), Galven Green (R) with the PKNS Selangor Masters trophy.

Rising Malaysian player Ervin Chang was the top local finisher in joint eighth position on four-over-par 284. In addition to USD4,287.50 from the regular prize pool, he pocketed RM10,000 as the leading Malaysian. This year's top Malaysian will also receive the bonus.

Ho finished third and Chang was 10th on the final 2023 ADT Order of Merit, thus earning their playing rights on this year's Asian Tour.

Only two Malaysians have won the Selangor Masters - Ben Leong at the second edition in 2008 and Shahriffuddin Ariffin in 2022, on both occasions at Seri Selangor.

Last year's 2nd Selangor International Junior Golf Championship saw Jacob Cajita of the Philippines and Korea's Jung Min Seo bag the boys' and girls' individual titles respectively.

They were also part of the triumphant sides in the team events.

Cajita finished with a 54-hole total of four-under-par 212 (75, 67, 70), edging India's Kartik Singh by one shot. Kartik was given the spot in the PKNS Selangor Masters as Cajita was unable to play, and the 13-year-old Indian talent unfortunately missed the cut despite making a valiant effort. Both Cajita and Kartik are slated to return for this year's edition.

Jung meanwhile claimed the ladies' individual title with a 54-hole total of even-par 216(70, 68, 78), two shots ahead of Malaysia's Wang Xin Yao.

This year's Selangor International Junior Golf Championship is expected to feature a strong field of more than a hundred players from across the region, including South Korea, China, India, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei and the United Arab Emirates. The Malaysian challenge will be shouldered by players from MGA's national junior development squad, the Selangor Sukan Malaysia team, UUMISM, SportExcel, and the PKNS Golf Academy.

"We are really pleased to see how the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship has grown in stature in such a short span of time. The championship is a key component of our efforts to promote and develop golf at the grassroots in the state. I hope that our nation's leading young players will benefit from competing against the cream of junior golf from the Asia-Pacific region," said Dato' Haji Haris Bin Kasim, the Secretary of the Selangor State Government.