IN its 30th edition, the champion of the MPI Generali Saujana Amateur Championship will be given an exemption spot in one of the Asian Development Tour events.
Saujana Golf and Country Club manager Ken Kudo announced this at the event’s press conference on Wednesday.
“We are always striving towards adding value and the Asian Tour was quick to raise their hand to give entry to one of their events here in Malaysia.
“I understand that we’re the first to have something like this at an amateur event,” said Kudo, adding that several amateurs have used the event to turn professional.
Among recent winners who have turned professional are Malaysia’s Gavin Green, Mithun Perera (Sri Lanka), Danthai Boonma (Thailand) and Daeng Abdul Rahman, who celebrated his rookie foray with a memorable victory in the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) event in Port Dickson, last month.
This year’s Saujana event, which will run from May 23 to 25, will see players from Australia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Guam, participating in the tournament for the first time.
Amateur golfers will get to test the Palm Course at the Saujana Golf and Country Club, the same course that hosted the Maybank Championship last February.