KL Open a trial run for World Cup

07/10/1998

THE Kuala Lumpur Open golf championship at the Mines Resort City on Oct
15-18 will be a stern test for the course, which will host the World Cup
of Golf next year.
The US$200,000 KL Open, which is part of the Asian PGA's Omega Tour, is
the first professional tournament to be held on the highly-rated Robert
Trent Jones Jr-designed course. It would be an ideal trial run for the
World Cup.
"Entries have been received from over 20 nations and the response was so
good that the organisers had to shortlist 144 of Asia's finest golfers,"
said Asian PGA executive director Ramlan Datuk Harun.
On the list are no less than seven Omega Tour winners led by defending
champion Charlie Wi of South Korea, who is currently 28th on the Omega
Tour Order of Merit.
Firoz Ali, winner of the Classic Indian Open; Chawalit Plaphol, champion
of the Orient Masters, and Japan's Satoshi Oide, who held of Vijay Singh
to win the inaugural Macau event, are some of the prominent names for the
KL Open.
"The KL Open is the third Asian PGA's Omega Tour to be staged in
Malaysia following the Sabah Masters and the Volvo Masters. This
achievement has further promoted Malaysia as a golfing destination. In
fact, the Ministry is now seriously looking into this `new product' to
sell Malaysia to the world," said Tourism Minister Datuk Sabbaruddin Chik.
Tournament director Valen Tan played a round at the course and declared
it as the most challenging course he has ever played on.
"There is not a single easy hole on the course. Every hole is tough to
play, and the golfer who tames the course for the KL Open title and the
World Cup next year would have the satisfaction of having played on a
challenging course."
The resort is built on land which used to be the Hong Fatt Mine, which
was recognised as the world's largest open cast tin mine but which ceased
operations in 1982. It was filled with water and turned into the largest
man-made lake in existence.
The KL Open was inaugurated in 1996 at the Staffield Golf Resort, and
was won by South Korea's Kang Woo-soon.
Last year, another Korean name was engraved on the trophy when Wi
overcame the haze and challenging Saujana Golf and Country Club course for
the title.
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