Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Professional tournament debuts await Korean teenagers Kang Geon and Sarah Cho Ser-yeong following their victories in the overall male and female categories respectively at the inaugural SportExcel-KLGCC International Junior Championship.
Held over the West Course at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), the tournament was jointly organised by the Foundation for Malaysian Sporting Excellence (SportExcel) and the host venue. More than 100 players from 10 countries took part in six categories with ages ranging from 13 to 23.
Kang triumphed with a 54-hole aggregate of one-over-par 217 (70, 74, 73), three shots clear of Malaysian Justin Chan (72, 76, 72) and Indonesian Teuku Husein M. Danindra (73, 72, 75). The 16-year-old Korean earned a spot in the Asian Development Tour’s ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in the Philippines from October 16-19, along with starts at the Next Gen World Finals in Australia (November 24-25) and the Bridgestone ASEAN Amateur Open Grand Final in Malaysia (October 31).
Based in Malaysia, Kang made his Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship debut in Japan last year, where he missed the cut by two shots.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Cho emerged a runaway winner among the women with rounds of 72, 71 and 69 for a four-under-par 212 total, eight shots ahead of Malaysia’s Maisarah Hezri (73, 75, 72). For her win, Cho received starts in the China LPGA’s Singapore Masters at Laguna National Golf Resort Club in November and the Next Gen World Finals.
The field included 11 representatives from the Rowville Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia. Among them was Malaysian Benjamin Kang, who first mooted the idea of the championship and was supported by his father, Dato’ Philip Kang, in helping bring it to fruition.
SportExcel Executive Director C. Sivanandan expressed his gratitude to the Kang family and KLGCC for their support.
“Your commitment to nurture young talent has created a platform where young dreams take flight. This championship would not have been possible without your generous support. This tournament is more than just a competition – it serves as a launching pad for aspiring golfers, providing direct entry pathways into prestigious international circuits,” said Sivanandan.
Established in 1991, SportExcel is a non-profit body that sponsors and supports elite development in numerous sports while running its own junior golf circuit. Sivanandan noted that they are exploring collaborations with Rowville in other sports as well.
“We will now be exploring opportunities in Australia. This is just a first step forward. Hopefully it will materialise and turn into something which will be great for juniors in terms of progress, in terms of development,” he said.
