AmBank returns as main sponsor of SportExcel finals

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DEFENDING girls’ Under-20 champion Nur Durriyah Damian of Kundang Lakes will be aiming to repeat her notable winning performances at the SportExcel junior open golf grand finals and international junior championships at the Rahman Putra Golf Club in Sungai Buloh from Dec 13 to 15.

Last season, the 16-year-old SMK Taman Tun Dr Ismail student was the sole Malaysian entry to bag a double at the back-to-back tournaments.

Following a convincing lead to capture the grand finals decided over two rounds of 18-hole, she did enough to protect her top position and completed her third and final day stint on a perfect note with another victory in the international contest.

Ready for action: The Malaysian junior golfers joining Syed Anuar (back row, third from right) and Sivanandan (back row, fourth from right) at the sponsorship presentation ceremony for the SportExcel junior open golf grand finals and international junior championships.

SportExcel executive director C. Sivanandan said about 40 junior competitors from Thailand would be turning up again to offer stiffer challenges to the Malaysian youngsters.

“Besides the Thais, the budding golfers from Indonesia have also confirmed their entries. The local hopefuls are on par with their peers in the region at junior level. We are expecting them to match the visitors in the tussle for supremacy,” he added.

In their previous outing, the Thais featuring under the Thailand Junior and South Thailand banners took home four of the eight titles at stake from the international competitions.

They stamped their mark with victorious in the boys’ Under-Nine, girls’ Under-Nine, boys’ Under-12 and girls Under-12.

Besides Durriyah’s win, Malaysia won through Paul San (boys’ Under-15), Genevieve Ling I-Rynn (girls’ Under-15) and Kenneth De Silva (boys’ Under-20).

About 130 boys and girls will be vying for honours in four age-groups — Under-Nine, Under-12, Under-15 and Under-20 — in the year-end school holiday programme under the SportExcel competition calendar.

The Malaysian qualifiers earned their places for the grand finals based on their achievements throughout the season in the nine junior open legs held earlier.

Recently, SportExcel received a boost from AmBank Group as the main sponsor for the sixth occasion as well as Crest Link as their partner of the upcoming three-day meet.

The AmBank Group public affairs director Syed Anuar Syed Ali said they were chipping in RM26,860 for the year bringing their contribution in supporting the event to a total of RM134,300 over recent years.

“We have been seeing positive results from the development programme at the grassroots. It has been great to share the joy with promising golfers coming through the ranks.

“We realised that it is a long journey for the young talents to fulfil the potential in becoming accomplished golfers. We are planning to continue to be part of this meaningful initiative,” Syed Anuar added.