KUALA LUMPUR: With just a year and a half left, Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) are confident that the top national golfers will succeed in booking their slots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
"I have faith in our top 20 best golfers. There are a few national golfers who can earn points through the Asia Tour, while the rest of them can collect ranking points through the Asia Development Tour (ADT), said PGM chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid during the launch of the 2019 PGM Tour calendar at PGM’s headquarters here earlier today (Friday).
National golfers have the chance to challenge for two slots to the Tokyo Olympics by virtue of being in the World's top 300. At present, Gavin Kyle Green is the only one, ranked World No 214, followed by Ben Leong (407) and Shahriffuddin Ariffin (554).
"The KPI (Key Performance Index) for our association next year is to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. This is our main target,” stressed Ahmad Sarji.
With regards to PGM’s calendar for next year, two championships – the Labuan PGM Championships and the Miri PGM Championships – will not be contested because of a lack of sponsors, therefore reducing the number of ADT Championships to just nine.
Meanwhile in related developments, Shahriffuddin said the reduction in the number of championships that will be held will not deter him in any way, as he is determined to remain focused and take his game to a higher level by playing to the very best of his abilities in each and every championship that he will take part in.
"I must perform in other championships as well which include the Asia Tour or the ADT to collect precious points, which means I will have to place in the top five of each and every championship that I take part in,” he said.
The 19-year-old said that for a start, he will be busy preparing for the SMBC Singapore Open which takes place between January 17-20, and the Maybank Championships in Kuala Lumpur from March 21-24 next year.
"I will be focusing on the Singapore Open and the Maybank Championships because my target is to improve on my ranking because these two championships have the most points on offer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics,” stressed Shahriffuddin.
