Over 240 amateur golfers to vie for Sarawak Senior Championship

KUCHING (Sept 10): Wong Tung Ann of Sibu Golf Club is set to defend his title at 28th Sarawak Senior Amateur Open Golf Championship which will be held at Kelab Golf Sarawak (KGS) Matang/Santubong and Siol/Demak courses from Sept 11-12.

The biggest senior golf competition in the country has attracted 244 golfers vying for the Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam Challenge Trophy.

“We are happy with the response from local and overseas senior golfers who have exceeded the maximum number of 240 golfers.

“The participants from outside Sarawak comprise 60 per cent of the total and we have representatives from Brunei, Sabah, Singapore, Indonesia, West Malaysia as well as all over Sarawak,” event organising chairman and SGSS captain Anthony Tan Hong Chiang told The Borneo Post yesterday.

According to Tan, among the challengers to Wong are last year’s first runner-up and second runner-up John Ling Cheng Ong of Kelab Golf Bintulu and Magit Semong of KGS. The oldest participant is 90-year-old Wong Siew Kuong from Bintulu Golf Club.

“A hole-in-one that carries the cash prize of RM20,000 is sponsored by our president,” Tan added.

On behalf of SGSS, he took the opportunity to thank the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and KGS for their support for this event.

Meanwhile, Tung An, playing with Handicap 2, has been drawn in the first flight with Suhaimi lbrahim (Handicap -1) and Johari from Pantai Mentiri Golf Club, and Stewart Lee Beck of Senior Golfers Society of Malaysia who are both playing with Handicap 1.

The two-day competition jointly organised by Senior Golfers’ Society of Sarawak (SGSS) and KGS is divided into gross and nett for the Main category, Age 55-65 years nett, Age 66-75 years nett as well Age 76 & Above nett.

Renowned sape player Matthew Ngau will be performing during the prize-giving lunch when SGSS president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam, Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Sebastian Ting, deputy president Dato Ding Lian Cheon and SGSS patron Tan Sri Leonard Linggi will  be attending.