Golf - Tunku Majid: Don’t waste money, use it to develop local talents

From Star Sport

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: World number one golfer Tiger Woods will not be playing in the Malaysian Open in the near future if Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar has his way.

Tunku Majid, who is contesting for the MGA president's post, is someone who believes in spending money wisely. He feels that it would be better to use the appearance money paid to Woods on development programmes for promising local talents.

“Instead of spending millions of dollars to get Tiger Woods to come here, it would be better to send our juniors on golf scholarships to train and be based in the United States.

“Our youths can go to school while they are over there. They can turn professional and at the same time get a degree, which is something they can use to find work,” he said yesterday.

Tunku Majid is contesting against incumbent vice-president Datuk Mohamed Zain Mohamed Yusof for the president's post in the MGA's annual general meeting at the Nexus Golf Club in Karambunai, Sabah, today.

Former Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Admiral (rtd) Anwar Mohd Nor is standing for one of the two vice-president's posts.

Anwar is the president for the Malaysian Hockey Federation while Tunku Majid is his deputy.

MGA president Datuk Thomas Lee and secretary A.S. Khamis are not seeking re-election this time. Thomas took over as president in 1988 from Tun Hamid Omar.

MGA have plans to bring Woods for the 2009 Malaysian Open. Woods' appearance fee is believed to be in the region of US$3mil.

This year's Malaysian Open at the Saujana Golf and Country Club in February offered US$1.29mil in prize money.

If elected, Tunku Majid also plans to allow clubs outside the Klang Valley to host the Malaysian Open in the future.

“We have a lot of clubs outside the Klang Valley. We also have good courses in Sabah and Sarawak. They should be given a chance to be the host considering that the government is now promoting golf tourism,” added Tunku Majid.

Tunku Majid said a lot of clubs asked him to stand for the president's post and put the association in order.

“The national team are not playing well and there is a need to focus on development. I would like to take the management of the sport to a higher level,” he said.