JOHOR BAHRU, 11 March 2013: The first round of the annual World Amateur Inter-Team Golf Championship (WAITGC) 2013 organised by Tourism Malaysia kicked off today at Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club and Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort, two well-known golf venues in Johor.
The 4-day qualifying round of the 20th edition of WAITGC is participated by seven teams from Australia, six teams from Brunei, four teams from Singapore, two teams from Japan, one team from Indonesia and two teams from Malaysia. The participants are vying for five spots in the Grand Final – two in the gross category, one in the nett category and two in the newly-introduced senior category.
The participants will first play at the 6,857-yard, par-72 Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club. The RM30 million, Ross Watson designed layout is not your average new-kid-on-the-block as it has already won numerous awards and even hosted the prestigious Iskandar Johor Open golf championship last year. Watson puts his mark on another superb design with his famed risk-and-reward philosophy obvious on most holes. Many of the holes feature dramatic changes in elevation from tee to green. The natural landscape is enhanced by preserving the natural terrains as well as the many waterways.
The tournament will then continue at Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort which provides three extremely well-maintained layouts in the midst of natural mangroves and forests. The Plantation Course was designed by the internationally acclaimed golf course designer Max Wexler. The 6,454-metre, par-72 layout will be a formidable challenge to the participants. Johor is the fifth largest state by land area in Malaysia.
Hence, it is no surprise that it has the highest number of golf courses which makes it the most popular golfing destination especially among Singaporeans who are just a Causeway crossing away.
After Johor, the tournament will continue at Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club and the Sabah Golf & Country Club in Sabah for the second qualifying round from 22 to 25 April. The subsequent four qualifying rounds will take place at eight different golf courses in Penang, Selangor, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya.
WAITGC is Tourism Malaysia’s initiative to promote the country as a top-of-mind golf destination in the region. It is played in Strokeplay gross for the gross category and Stableford for the nett and senior category. The event has emerged as a well-regarded tournament and one of the highly anticipated golfing events on golfer’s calendar.
Since it made its debut in 1994, WAITGC has attracted more than 500 participants every year. Besides testing the skills of the participants, this homegrown golf tournament also helps promote Malaysia’s tourism attractions as it encourages the participants and their families to explore the many interesting sights and sounds in the country.
As WAITGC is also open to members of the media, it consequently boosts the stature of the event and promotes Malaysia internationally as a desirable golf destination. The World Amateur Inter-Team Golf Championship is managed by the Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia (GCMAM) and sanctioned by the Malaysian Golf Association. For more information, please contact the WAITGC Secretariat at 03-5633 2079/5634 2078 or log on to www.waitgc.com.
-Tourism Malaysia.
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