Johor Bahru, Malaysia: More than 300 youngsters from all corners of the globe converged on Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort for the seventh edition of the Kids Golf World Championship Malaysia.
Competitors aged between five and 18 took part in the event which is the international version of the US Kids Golf and forms part of The R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking and the Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS).
In total, 26 countries and territories had representatives in the southernmost Malaysian State – Australia, Botswana, Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia.
Players competed in 15 categories – eight for boys and seven for girls – vying for the chance to win places at next year’s European Championships in Scotland and US Championship at North Carolina’s Pinehurst Golf Club.
Among the age group winners were Masaichi Otake of the Philippines (Boys’ 15-18), Singapore’s Rachel Maswi (Girls’ 15-18), Indian Arjun Bhati (Boys’ 13-14) and Filipina Burberry Zhang (Girls’ 13-14).
In the younger categories, Thailand underlined its golfing strength in depth by taking the top five spots in both the Boys Under-7 and Girls’ Under-8 segments.
Kids Golf World Championship Malaysia is presented by US Kids Golf Foundation, managed by Concept Collaboration Sdn Bhd and sanctioned by the Malaysian Golf Association.
The championship is supported by Johor Golf Tourism Association and Malaysian Indian Golfers Association.