KUCHING: The PGM Tour was given a shot in the arm on Wednesday when UMW presented its contribution of RM1 million to cover its sponsorship of the last but one leg of the Tour for the next three years, beginning this year.
Wafi (right) hands over the mock cheque to Mior Abdul Rahman while Sarji looks on during the sponsorship presentation ceremony.
PGM chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid was there to witness the handing over of this year’s cheque of RM333,333.333 by UMW Corporation executive director Dr Wafi Nazrin Abdul Hamid to PGM general manager Mior Abdul Rahman, for the PGM-UMW Championship, an ADT event, at Kelab Golf Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah in Shah Alam from November 5-8.
PGM received an identical contribution from UMW for the 2011-2013 calendar during the first phase.
Wednesday’s contribution marks the beginning of the second phase of UMW’s contributions over the next three years.
In praising the corporate entity for its steadfastness in continuing to support the Tour, Sarji said: “UMW has been in the forefront of ensuring the success of the Tour. The investment has a high yield and is paying dividends, to use PNB’s language of payment to Amanah Saham subscribers.”
It was contributions like these which helped sustain the Tour. Sustainability was one of the yardsticks of success and thanks largely to GLCs (government linked companies) sustainability was not an issue.
He listed other indicators such as the level of competitiveness of Malaysian professional golfers had risen considerably; cut-off levels (after two-days’ play) had come down with players shooting below-par scores as never before. Scores of below 65 were getting to be common and even 61 had been registered. Five or six years ago such scores would have been unimaginable; player temperament and course management were at new highs; more and more players, not just a few, were now contending for the title.
“In golf what matters most is the score. One may have a swing that is poetry in motion but in the end it is the score that matters.”
Players were now enjoying the benefit of a practice round before a tournament and yardage books that came out of sponsorship money.
Without the PGM Tour the sanctioning of ADT events (which required more prize money that attracted foreign players aspiring to go on the Asian Tour) would have been unthinkable.
“We have brought the PGM to another level,” said Sarji.
“Those who are not in the Top-60 of the Asian Tour get to play in ADT events. And the best part is Malaysians have won such events (Danny Chia, S Sivachandhran, Nicholas Fung and Kenneth De Silva to name a few).”
As a result, too, the door to World Ranking Points had been opened, which would determine whether Malaysians get to play in the 2016 Olympics. Golf is returning to the Games after a hiatus of over 100 years.
The qualifying ranking was below 300 and at the end of 2013 it was Nicholas Fung who was 235th but he had since slipped out of contention at 341.
“But we have still one-an-a-half years (before the Olympics).”
If it was any consolation 16 Malaysians had World Ranking Points as of now. “This means we cannot saunter between now and then but we will have to sprint.”
All the gains had come from the PGM Tour which is being run in accordance with the R&A rules, golf’s top governing body and even gained recognition from the European Tour.
Sponsorship money was also going into the Satellite Tour, the feeder tour of the PGM Tour, that even features youngsters aged 15 and below shooting scores of 73 and 75. If they were able to shoot 15-under-par they would gain entry into the PGM Tour.
Sarji hoped that such statistics would impress upon sponsors that their money was an investment with returns rather than a mere grant. PGM accounts were open for inspection as they were well audited.
“PGM’s scorecard shows that (sponsorship) money is well spent.”