PETALING JAYA: With the Lunar New Year just two weeks away, golf fans can expect some early fireworks when the fifth Selangor International Junior Golf Championship tees off on Thursday (Feb 5) at Seri Selangor Golf Club.
The prestigious World Amateur Golf Ranking event will feature a strong 115-player field, comprising young talents aged 12 to 19 from 11 countries – Bangladesh, China (Hainan), Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, and Malaysia. 67 boys and 48 girls will battle over 54 holes in separate gender divisions, each featuring individual and team competitions.
Reflecting the championship’s commitment to providing pathways for aspiring young players, the boys’ individual winner will once again be rewarded with a start at next week’s PKNS Selangor Masters. If the winner is an international player, an additional slot will be given to the top Malaysian finisher.
The US$175,000 PKNS Selangor Masters is the season-opening event of the 2026 Asian Development Tour and will feature the region’s rising professionals, established stars, and Malaysia’s top players.
One player to watch out for this week is Malaysia-based Japanese talent Daichi Hayashi, representing Team PKNS A with Ethan Chan Jun Han, Wong Khaizen and Raja Muhammad Syakir. Daichi will be making his fifth successive start in the championship.
Although Daichi has already earned his place in the PKNS Selangor Masters by winning the boys’ title at last October’s inaugural Selangor Junior Masters, the 15-year-old is pumped up to do well having finished 10 th in the 2025 edition despite a closing 77.
“I had a frustrating tournament last year when I was in the running for a podium finish, but I couldn’t play how I wanted to in the final round. This year, I hope to be at the top of the leaderboard at my home club,” said Daichi, who trains with the PKNS Golf Academy at Seri Selangor.
Daichi has been in great form recently, reflected in his Selangor Junior Masters win at Seri Selangor when he finished with an impressive total of six-under-par 210 (73, 67, 70).
“I’m pretty confident right now. My distance keeps increasing year by year, and I feel all parts of my game are solid. I had a good week here last October at the Selangor Junior Masters, and hopefully I can repeat that performance,” he noted.
The 2025 tournament saw a strong Japanese contingent sweep to victory in both the boys’ and girls’ team events, while Korean Jung Jiwon and Thailand’s Sarisa Pojanalai won the boys’ and girls’ individual titles respectively.
This year, Japan will be represented by Kouta Inoue, Koshin Nagasaki and Sakutoshi Yamazaki in the boys’ event, while Yui Sakihama, Shina Maruo, Meguri Irikura and Ayaka Nishina will fly the Rising Sun flag in the girls’ category. All are newcomers except Sakutoshi, who was part of the victorious boys’ team last year. Ryota Hayashida had to withdraw from the boys’ team due to illness.
The highly-rated Jiwon is back to defend the individual boys’ title, aiming to earn another start at the PKNS Selangor Masters, where he did well to finish joint 19th on one under-par last year.
Another past champion in the field is 2024 boys’ team and individual winner Shijun Jing of China (Hainan), who will return with 2024 team-mates Guolin Zeng and Ziyao Lyu, along with newcomer Zhuoxi Lu, aiming to repeat their emphatic win two years ago.
Filipino Shinichi Suzuki will be hoping for a much-awaited individual victory in his fourth championship start, having finished tied third last year, runner-up in 2024, and fourth in the second edition in 2023 to help his team win the boys’ team title. He will be part of this year’s Philippines boys’ team with Emilio Gabriel Hernandez, Ralph Rian Batican, and David Charles Serdenia.
Reigning Thailand Ladies Amateur Open champion Tanjira Issaraphon will spearhead a strong Thai challenge in the girls’ event with Pattraporn Wantawee, Palinee Vimoonchart, and Chanidapa Sripa. The boys’ team from the Land of Smiles is made up of Nithidpong Srichatphirun, Wiss Jittathorn, Pranai Reankrai, and Siradech Chanha.
The local challenge in the boys’ event will be led by the Malaysian national team of Andrew Yap, Aiden Tai John Roberts, Anthony Lim and Ezekiel Riz Hafi Suzearitz. Also carrying the local challenge this week are teams from the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) National Junior Development Program (two boys’ teams and one girls’ team), Selangor State (one boys’ team and one girls’ team), UUM International School Melaka (one boys’ team and one girls’ team), and PKNS Golf Academy (two boys’ teams and one girls’ team).
Organized by UUM International School Melaka (UUMISM) in collaboration with the MGA, the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship is a full-hospitality event sponsored by the Selangor State Government with PKNS Golf Management Services acting as event promoter.
