A total of 90 kids aged 5 to 18 years took part in the inaugural Yayasan Kecemerlangan Sukan Malaysia (SportExcel) successfully completed the 3 rd and 4 th one-day tournaments of the U.S. Kids Golf Malaysia Local Tour 2023 presented by Mazda, played at the Penang Golf Resort, Bertam recently.
They teed off in the 3 rd tournament while 77 players played in the 4 th
The tournament was full of energy and competitiveness, resulting in three sudden death playoffs at Hole 18, Par 4. In the Boys 10 age group, Aoran Zhang (China) and Arrihan Rudra Anilarasu (Malaysia) both tied first at a score of 74; Aoran Zhang won with a Birdie.
The Boys 9, had three tied first at a score of 86, namely Che Faidh Amsyar Faizul (Malaysia), Mandos Ng Min Cu (Malaysia) and Adam Ilman Mohd Syazwani (Malaysia). Che Faidh won with a Par. In the Girls 8 & Under, Glory-Lily Hong (Germany) and Milly Sunouchi (Japan) both played 37 (+1), with Glory-Lily Hong winning with a Birdie.
The youngest player, at 6 years old, in both tournaments was Eiman Luth Asytar bin Mohd Ridwan, from Alor Setar, Kedah. We have Malaysian players who came from different corners to play in Penang, from as far as Kuching, Sarawak, and Johor Bahru, Johor. And we have a cute little girl, Rio Tokitomo, 9 years of age, who flew all the way from Seoul, Korea, to participate in all 6 of our tournaments.
Such was the passion that these junior golfers who travelled from afar to compete and aspired to reach the World Championships in Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA.
In fact, they had two players who have achieved Priority Status Level 14, which guarantees an invitation to Pinehurst, while the rest at the lower levels of 13 to 11 are invited subject to the availability at each age group.
1. Logan He (Texas, USA) Boys 13-14 @ Priority Status Level 14
2. Glory-Lily Hong (Germany) Girls 8 & Under @ Priority Status Level 14
3. M Dzun Nun Noor Azmi (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Boys 10 @ Priority Status Level 12
4. Sebastian Zane Fong (Kuching, Malaysia) Boys 11 @ Priority Status Level 11
5. Vikasni Laakshithaa (Selangor, Malaysia) Girls 13-14 @ Priority Status Level 11
This local tour is made possible with the generous sponsorship from Bermaz Motor Trading Sdn. Bhd., the distributor and retailer of new and pre-owned Mazda marque vehicles and provision of after-sales services and spare parts in Malaysia. As the presenter of this Local Tour, Mazda has contributed RM100,000 cash to the tournament, thus enabling SportExcel to incorporate a cash rebates programme for Malaysians to help reduce the cost of participation.