MGA swing focus to SEA Games after Asiad miss

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) will turn their full attention to next year’s SEA Games after failing to qualify any golfers for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

MGA president Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Nor said none of the national players met the qualifying criteria, which required them to finish in the top four in the Asian ranking to earn a place at the Asian Games under Category A.

Instead, the association will focus on preparing a strong squad for the SEA Games in Sarawak next September.

“Our target is to send four men and three women to the SEA Games. We have just over a year to identify the final squad,” said Anwar after the launch of the Deemples Pass at Seri Selangor Golf Club yesterday.

He said the players in the long list will be assessed through two key tournaments next year – the Putra Cup in Hong Kong and the Nomura Cup in China.

“Those two tournaments will determine the merit points for selection. After that, we will hold a centralised training camp in Sarawak, where the players will train on the SEA Games course,” he said.

Anwar was speaking at the launch of the Deemples Pass, a fully digital golf membership designed to reward golfers for every round they play while helping them progress from social to competitive golf. Deemples founder and chief executive officer David Wong said the new feature also makes it easier for golfers to obtain a recognised World Handicap System (WHS) handicap.

“Deemples was built to solve a simple problem – helping golfers find playing partners. As golfers spend more time in the sport, they also want an experience that offers more than just a round of golf,” he said.