By KINIBIZ
Mohd Isa Abu Kasim (left), Effendy Shahul Hamid (centre), Mohd Mazlan Md Yusof (right)
The CIMB Classic 2015 tournament is teaming up with the Akademi Golf Felda (AGF) to offer two pro-am spots at this year’s tournament to two of the academy’s elite golfers.
Twenty four of the academy’s top golfers will vie for the two spots during the CIMB Classic-AGF Youth Golf Challenge will take place on Oct 21, 2015, at the A’Formosa Golf and Country Club. The winning duo will be awarded spots at the CIMB Classic Pro-Am Tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club at the end of October.
The CIMB Classic which is sponsored by CIMB Group Bhd will cover all costs of the CIMB Classic-AGF Youth Golf Challenge and all the travel expenses incurred by the winners.
In November 2014, the AGF begin its search for potential golfing talents among youth aged 17 to 20 years old in 10 Felda settlements nationwide. It selected 60 participants to undergo a vigourous training camp run by three golf coaches and a fitness instructor.
The strict programme included compulsory early morning 5km daily runs, hours of daily practice on the driving range or the golf course, and thrice weekly gym sessions.
From the initial batch, 20 male and four female golfers were selected for the Felda Golfers Elite Squad. Since then the programme has produced four professional golfers and four golfers with single handicaps.
CIMB Group chief executive officer of group asset management and investments Effendy Shahul Hamid said: “This is a unique partnership and one that the CIMB Classic is thrilled to announce. The spirit of giving back is important to us and as such, we look forward to hosting two elite Felda youth golfers at the CIMB Classic Pro-Am in a couple weeks… I want to applaud Felda and indeed AGF for the success and more importantly sustainability of this initiative.”
AGF chairman Mohd Isa Abu Kasim expressed his gratitude to CIMB Classic and said: “It is the AGFs aim to develop the potential in these youths. They are extremely excited at the prospect of playing with top golfing names and are working very hard to claim the two playing spots in the CIMB Classic Pro-Am Tournament.”
In its sixth year, the CIMB Classic has established itself as the only official PGA Tour FedExCup event in Southeast Asia. It features a limited 78-player field, with a prize purse of US$7 million (RM29.2 million) and no cut, which makes is one of the richest professional golf tournaments in the region.
Professional golfers who have confirmed their participation in the CIMB Classic 2015 include Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson.
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