Amateur Golfers Compete In WAITGC 2016 GRAND FINAL In Selangor

SELANGOR, 10 January 2017 – After five challenging qualifying rounds, the champion of this year’s World Amateur Inter-Team Golf Championship (WAITGC) will be determined at the Sungai Long Golf & Country Club.

A total of 100 players in 25 teams from Australia (12 teams), Brunei (11 teams) and Malaysia (2 teams) are competing in the 3-day Grand Final, beginning today.

The 18-hole Sungai Long Golf & Country Club was designed by famous golf master Jack Nicklaus. Dubbed as the “Garden of Eden”, it features a unique, modern yet classy layout that offers a fair challenge for golfers of all levels.

The 23^rd WAITGC attracted a total of 464 players in 116 teams from Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. They participated in five qualifying rounds, which were held in Johor, Sabah, Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur, and Sarawak, from March to October 2016.

WAITGC is Tourism Malaysia’s initiative to promote the country as a top-of-mind golf destination in the region, attracting more than 500 international amateur golfers and spouses annually. Since its debut in 1994, WAITGC has emerged as a well-regarded tournament, and it is one of the most highly anticipated golfing events in the region. WAITGC is managed by the Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia (GCMAM) and sanctioned by the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA).

To golfers, WAITGC is more than just a platform for them to compete against golfers from other countries; it is also a perfect holiday package, where they get to visit some of the country’s best tourist destinations.

Golf tourism has been identified as one of the key sectors to increase the nation’s tourism contribution to the economy, and has been outlined as part of the country’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). Golf tourism receipts amounted to RM312 million in 2015, making it a strong contributor to the nation’s economy. 
-Tourism Malaysia.