Asian Tour commits to Bruneijunior development

About 40 junior golfers from the Junior Golf Association of Brunei Darussalam had the opportunity to learn the finer points of playing golf in a fun way with Asian Tour player Jerome Delariarte of the Philippines today.

Held at the sidelines on the final day of competition at the Brunei Open, the junior golf clinic, sponsored by Brunei Shell Petroleum, allowed the juniors to learn the correct techniques of playing golf in a fun and interactive way with Delariarte, who is a former two-time Philippine Amateur Open champion.

“Growing up as a junior, I pretty much remembered having fun when I started playing the game,” said Delariarte who picked up golf when he was eight. “I want to make golf clinics as much fun as I can with these kids so that it will be something memorable and it will encourage them to do it over and over again.

“I want to teach them key things about the basics, impart a few tips and basically make it easy for them to learn. Kids usually have fun when they see their ball get airborne.

“Golf is a game that you don’t learn in a year or two. It usually takes longer and starting golf at a young age is probably the best way to do it. It is not easy to start when you are 15 or 16 so it is always good to start young,” explained Delariarte.

Shafiq Shazali, 11, hopes to be a professional golfer some day and he was happy to be given the chance to learn from an Asian Tour professional. “My chipping is quite bad so I hope to improve on it with guidance from the pro here.”

The Asian Tour has committed to assist in junior golf clinics since the Brunei Open was inaugurated at the Empire Hotel and Country Club in 2005. Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said that junior golf development was an important aspect for the growth of the game.

“The Asian Tour has placed a high importance to assist in the development of junior golf in the countries that we visit. Our players share in this value and have taken time off from their busy playing schedules to host clinics for kids.

“We believe that such clinics can shape the games of Brunei junior golfers and someday, we will welcome a first Bruneian champion on the Asian Tour,” said Han.

Alex Lee, a committee member of the Junior Golf Association of Brunei Darussalam, said that the standard of the game in Brunei will improve through the staging of golf clinics.

“Golf is a popular sport here and we would like to see as many kids as possible picking up the game. Junior golf clinics which are conducted by professional golfers will definitely set us in the right direction,” said Lee.

September 2, 2007

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