KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Group will grant two talented amateurs from Akademi Golf Felda (AGF) an opportunity of a lifetime to tee-off with some of the world’s top professional golfers during the pro-am golf tournament of the CIMB Classic later this month.

Twenty-four players from the Felda Golfers Elite Squad will compete in the inaugural CIMB Classic-AGF Youth Golf Challenge, which will take place on October 21 at the A’Famosa Golf Resort in Melaka.

The top two players will receive then receive a fully-paid trip to Kuala Lumpur to participate in the pro-am tournament and watch the sixth edition of the US$7 million PGA Tour tournament.

A brainchild of Felda chairman, Tan Sri Isa Samad, AGF was formed in November 2014 with the mission to provide children of Felda settlers with the opportunity to become high-calibre professional golfers.

The academy’s first intake saw sixty potential talents aged between 17 to 20 years old – including four female players – being selected to train under three coaches and a fitness instructor in A’Famosa Golf Resort.

AGF is also sponsoring four young professionals on the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, namely Irfan Yusoff, who claimed his maiden win a fortnight ago, Mohd Alwarith Damian, Mohd Azman Basharuddin and Izzat Safuan Amirrudin.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, CIMB Group Group Asset Management and Investments chief executive Effendy Shahul Hamid said:

“This is a unique partnership and one that the CIMB Classic is thrilled to announce. The spirit of giving back is important to us, and as such, we look forward to hosting two elite Felda youth golfers at the CIMB Classic Pro-Am in a couple weeks.”

AGF chairman Datuk Mohd Isa Abu Kasim is delighted at this partnership and expressed his gratitude to CIMB Classic.

“It is the AGFs aim to develop the potential in these youths. They are extremely excited at the prospect of playing with top golfing names and are working very hard to claim the two playing spots in the CIMB Classic pro-am tournament.”