Bertam: Royal Pahang Golf Club and host Penang Golf Resort emerged as the biggest winners of the 19th AXA Affin General Insurance National Inter-Club Team Championship as a shortage of teams highlighted the need for organisers to return to the drawing board for future editions.

The two-day championship, which concluded today, only managed to attract 17 Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) affiliate clubs – down from close to 40 clubs which turned up at Staffield Golf & Country Resort last year – with 16 teams participating in the men’s division and only four clubs represented in the ladies’ category.

Nonetheless, a compelling contest on the golf course ensured that event did not go down as dower affair, with Royal Pahang pair of Faizul Hafiz Zulkefli (74-76) and Shah Irwan Rusli (74-80) needing a 15-foot par save on the last hole to see off a stern challenge by the Saujana Golf & Country Club’s Jeremy Chan (76-75) and Jean Baptist Chaumont (76-78).

The Kuantan duo totalled 304 to emerge victorious by one stroke  in the men’s team event with Faizul also picking up the individual prize. Kinta Golf Club represented by Tun Abdul Nasir (75-79) and Megat Sulaiman Megat Othman (77-80) were six shots further back in third.

In the ladies division, Penang Golf Resort’s Moon Lim (81-89) and Shirley Sim (82-84) made full use of home advantage to register an an overall score of 336, defeating the titleholders from Saujana Golf &  Country Club – Stella Chau (82-88) and (95 and 88) by a whopping 17 strokes. The Royal Selangor pair of Siti Zainab Abdullah (85-93) and Ainon Mohd Noor (92-87) completed the podium, totalling 357.