PETALING JAYA: Professional golf in Malaysia will reach new heights when the 2023 Toyota Tour tees off from early March with a nationwide trek across some of the country’s leading golf courses.
This year’s much-awaited season starts with the PGM Tun Ahmad Sarji Trophy at Saujana Golf & Country Club on March 8-11, followed by eight more closed tournaments including stops in Sarawak and Sabah.
The 2023 Toyota Tour will culminate with the Toyota Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) on November 14-17, which will be a co-sanctioned event with the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
The Toyota Tour is the result of a tri-party agreement between the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, UMW Toyota Motor as the Naming Partner, and MST Golf as the Delivery Agency.
The PGM Tour was formed in 2010 by the late Tun Ahmad Sarji and has been a vital cog in the wheel of Malaysian golf since then.
The PGM Tun Ahmad Sarji Trophy will offer RM230,000 in total prizemoney, with RM200,000 allocated for the men’s event and RM30,000 for the ladies. The eight other closed tournaments will each offer total prizemoney of 210,000 with RM180,000 allocated for the men’s event and RM30,000 for the ladies’ championship.
The field for each closed tournament will consist of Malaysian professionals who hold PGM Tour cards, along with dedicated slots for the country’s leading amateurs as well sponsor’s invitations. Apart from the Tun Ahmad Sarji Trophy, each tournament will be named after a Toyota vehicle model. The Toyota Championship meanwhile will boast a whopping RM350,000 prize pot with a mixed field comprising players from the Toyota Tour and some of the region’s leading golfers from the ADT, along with sponsor’s invitations. In addition to the main events, there will be two Toyota Tour Qualifying Tournaments for players who do not hold tour cards.
The first Qualifying Tournament is set for February 21-23 at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam and the second will be held at Palm Resort Golf & Country Club on September 12-14.
“The 2023 Toyota Tour certainly sets the stage for an exciting year for golf in Malaysia. I am sure our professional golfers will make full use of this opportunity to elevate their games and we look forward to crowning the inaugural Toyota Tour Order of Merit winner at the end of the season,” said PGM Tour Acting Chairman Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman during the Toyota Tour Calendar Launch at KLGCC on Feb 7.
“The partnership with the ADT for the season-ending Toyota Championship will also provide an avenue for our professionals to progress to the regional circuits and beyond,” he added.
UMW Toyota Motor President Datuk Ravindran K. stressed that the Toyota Tour reflects the company’s relentless drive for perfection.
“As a mobility company we support initiatives that encourage us to push our limits. The Toyota Tour is a welcome addition as we see a lot of synergy between golf and Toyota. At Toyota, we are driven by passion and continuous improvement, for instance fine tuning small details to get the best performance. This drive for perfection is also present in golf and is something we want to support,” he said.
Meanwhile, MST Golf Chief Executive Officer Ng Yap lauded UMW Toyota Motor for investing in golf and the professional game.
“We are very pleased that the Toyota Tour is coming to fruition to continue the legacy of the late Tun Ahmad Sarji. We thank and applaud UMW Toyota Motor for investing in the golf industry and having the foresight to use golf as part of Toyota’s brand communications platform,” he said.
“As part of MST Golf’s role as the Delivery Agency, we are elevating the tournament standard and experience in line with Toyota’s objectives. We will also create greater synergy with amateur golfers and the amateur game through our strong industry position and extensive reach to golf consumers via our retail chain stores and ilovegolf membership. Our overall aim is to create a stronger and more sustainable golf industry,” he said.
The calendar launch was followed by a pro-am game at KLGCC’s East Course which saw some of Malaysia’s leading professionals team up with invited guests in a Modified Scramble format.
The professionals included two-time Asian Tour winner Danny Chia, Amir Nazrin who just last week became the first Malaysian to win on the All Thailand Golf Tour, and rising star Ervin Chang, along with lady professionals Ainil Bakar, Michelle Koh and Nur Durriyah Damian. The pro-am gave participants a preview of the excitement of a Toyota Tour event, including an outdoor hospitality area where golfers enjoyed food, refreshments, shoulder massages and music.
