KUCHING: For the third consecutive year, MNRB Group has extended its support to PGM by sponsoring RM350,000 to host the PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship to be held at Kelab Golf Sarawak from Sept 10-13.
Din (right) hands over the mock cheque to Mior Abdul Rahman while Sarji looks on during the sponsorship presentation ceremony.
In line with its continuous efforts to nurture the development of golf and golfing talents in the country, this year’s sponsorship brings their commitment towards the PGM Tour to RM785,000.
The PGM MNRB Sarawak Masters is the 18th leg of the PGM Tour and the ninth offering Official World Golf Ranking points to the top six contenders.
Tournaments offering OWGR points are highly sought after as golfers look to boost their rankings to earn entry into the Olympics in Rio in 2016.
At the cheque presentation ceremony held at Menara PNB on Tuesday, MNRB Holdings Berhad president and Group chief executive officer Mohd Din Merican handed over a mock cheque to PGM Tour general manager Mior Abdul Rahman. Witnessing the occasion was PGM Tour chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid.
Sarji said PGM was grateful for MNRB’s commitment to the Tour and added that it would go a long way towards consolidating the local circuit’s standing.
He added that MNRB’s continued investment in the Tour exemplifies the Group’s support and commitment in promoting golf through top-class tournaments, which also generates greater public awareness and inspires local players to pursue the sport at a professional level.
Sarji also took the occasion to thank all the sponsors who have thrown their support behind the Tour as it showed that corporate companies are gaining confidence in the Tour.
He gave a special mention to Vascory Group who sponsored the Templer Park leg where local amateur star Gavin Green emerged champion, saying: “without the support from PGM, the ADT and generous corporate sponsors there would not be these kind of competitive opportunities for Malaysian golfers.”
“MNRB’s investment in the future of golf is to be admired and hopefully emulated for continued growth. PGM has been blessed to be supported by both the government and the private sector and when the 2015 schedule of events is unveiled our commitment towards the development of the sport will be seen as we will be increasing the number of qualifying legs to 12, thereby increasing the number of professional golfers in the country, as well as increasing the prize money for motivation,” said Sarji.
“We are honoured to be involved in supporting PGM to improve the standards of both professional golfers as well as the young up-and-coming players,” said Din.
“This tournament, being part of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) circuit, would provide opportunities for local players to compete with other players from the region. We hope to see more of our local players making headway in the international competitions in the near future,” he added.
The PGM Tour has applied for membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours and Tun Ahmad Sarji recently undertook a trip to England for the purpose of presenting a paper.
International Federation of PGA Tours has a positive impression of Malaysia, acknowledging events such as the Maybank Malaysian Open and the CIMB Classic.