64 golfers to tee off at the 3rd Etiqa Asean Cup Golf Championship

About 64 players are expected to participate in the third edition of the Etiqa Asean Cup Golf Championship,

scheduled at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) from Nov 26 to 30.

Malaysia Golf Association Vice President Datuk Mohamed Zain Yusuf told reporters here today: "Thus far, six countries have already confirmed their participation. Each country will be sending four players, of which two of them are nominated and fully sponsored by the governing body of their respective countries.

For Malaysia, 40 amateur players will be participating in the championship and will have an opportunity to compete amongst the best in the region, he said.

The other participating countries are Singapore, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia.

Mohamed Zain said the format for the competition had been changed to provide budding golfers a new challenge.

"The players will be playing in a different formats, namely stroke play and match play. With the change of format, we expect the tournament to serve as a good platform to test their physical and mental strength," said Mohamed Zain, who is also the Asean Golf Federation secretary-general.

This year's competition will be played over 36 holes stroke play after which the field will be cut to the top 32 scores.

Thereafter, five rounds of match play will determine the winner.

Previously, the competition was based on a 72-hole stroke play team event used in the World Cup format, with the first and third days played on a four-ball (best ball) format while the second and final days using the foursome (alternate shots) format.