The MGA and Sabah committee members ahead of the tournament at Sabah Golf and Country Club.
THE 120th Malaysian Amateur Open is set to take place at Sabah Golf & Country Club in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from Dec 12 to 15, according to the national association.
In a statement issued in the second half of this week, the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) said they would be jointly organising the event with the Sabah Golf Association.
The national association, which has conceded in public that they are financially stricken, hastened to mention in the statement that 18 countries and territories, including the host nation, will have representation in the field.
This was, one feels, supposed to show how big and fantastic the tournament will be.
Indeed, the statement called the tournament a “blue-ribbon event” that will feature “top male and female amateur golfers from 18 countries, competing for the prestigious Challenge Trophy”.
The MGA added that “this year’s tournament will be a ranking event for the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), further cementing its importance on the global amateur golf stage”.
But what should be made clear here is that many tournaments these days carry world amateur rankings.
A case in point is the SportExcel series, a local developmental circuit created to further junior golf and help nurture the next generation of golfers.
And to be clear, after a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) Committee meeting, the Royal & Ancient (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA), the two world governing bodies, this week announced “changes to criteria that will go into effect Jan 1, 2025”.
That communiqué detailed that the “changes are designed to refine the ranking system to accurately reflect player performance and promote the growth of the game globally”.
It added: “With the increase in events worldwide, there has been a noticeable rise in smaller tournaments with weaker fields.
“Many of these events have minimum field sizes but feature few, if any, ranked players.
“As a result, a large portion of participants are unable to post scores that meet an elite standard, with a significant number of players not completing the competition.”
Essentially, what this means is that folks won’t be able to go around saying that their tournaments carry world ranking points without players of substance in them.
What should be noted here is that of the 18 countries and territories mentioned by the national association, a few of them are not necessarily powerhouses when it comes to the world of golf.
And as such, they may not feature players who will immediately heighten the Power of Scoring used in the world amateur ranking system.
This is not to say that the likes of Mongolia, Guam, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar are washouts.
On the contrary, they each have golf communities that are in the process of development.
It is just that they don’t feature high up in the global rankings, or with more than a handful of players up there – a similar situation that Malaysia finds itself in.
It will be interesting to see who comes from Australia, China, South Korea, Thailand and the United States, and where they are ranked in the world standings.
With players higher up the rankings the more it adds to the strength of the field, which in turn adds to the Power of Scoring of the event.
At the time of writing, the national association did not indicate which players from which countries and territories would be at the tournament, including those Malaysians that they themselves will take to Sabah.
At big international amateur tournaments, the organisers would, more than a month or so before hand, share information on who would be coming and include details such as bios of the leading players – the countries and territories they represent, ages, national rankings, past tournament experiences and WAGR rankings.
Needless to say that none of this has been made available yet by the MGA, apart from the fact that the event is “offering participants the opportunity to test their skills against a world-class field” and that this is “a signature event in the region’s golfing calendar”.
The statement added that the tournament will be held at “the esteemed Sabah Golf and Country Club, known for its lush, challenging layout and scenic views, providing both a thrilling and demanding test for competitors”.
If all this holds true, then the tournament should turn out to be an amazing success story – one that would put the 2024 IRS Prima Malaysian Open to shame.
It would also do justice to Sabah Golf and Country Club, which the statement said “has gained a reputation as one of Malaysia’s finest courses and is lauded for its meticulous upkeep, dramatic bunkers and strategically placed hazards”.
This, of course, would be in stark contrast to the reported cancellation of the 36th Johor Amateur Open at Palm Resort.
A social media message the other day read: “We regret to inform you that the Johor Amateur Open (that falls under the auspices of MGA) has been cancelled due to a lack of participation.
“We understand the anticipation surrounding this event and appreciate your interest and support.
“If you have already registered, our team will be in contact with you regarding the refunds.”
Attempts to get comment from the MGA on the matter proved fruitless.
One hopes that the Malaysian Amateur Open, which the national association said will take place next month, does not meet with the same fate.
