Port Dickson, Malaysia: Malaysia’s Gavin Green will have another shot at strengthening his Olympic bid when he steps up to the tee at the PGM Port Dickson Championship which starts on Wednesday.
Green, the only player to have won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this season, sits in 60th and final position on the current Olympic rankings. He needs a good showing at the Port Dickson Golf and Country Club to boost his chances of making it to Rio de Janeiro this August.
Placed third on the ADT Order of Merit, Green will spearhead the local charge alongside 2013 Merit champion Nicholas Fung and one-time Asian Tour winner Ben Leong at the RM200,000 (approx. US$46,600) event.
Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat, Suradit Yongcharoenchai and American John Michael O’Toole, ranked second, sixth and eighth respectively, will also lead a truly cosmopolitan field of players from over 15 countries to the beach and holiday destination of Port Dickson.
With only three events remaining before the qualifying cut-off for the Olympic Games on July 11, Green has everything to play for when he tees off for the PGM Port Dickson Championship tomorrow.
“It is big. Not everybody gets to be an Olympian. It will be a big stepping stone for me especially at such a young age,” said the 22-year-old Green, who became the first amateur to win on the ADT when he won his first title in 2014.
“Getting into the Olympics is like a milestone achieved in my career. It’s definitely up there like all my victories on the ADT. It will be like playing in a Major,” added Green.
Green could join local ace Danny Chia, placed 47th on the current rankings, in Rio de Janeiro from August 11 to 14 where golf is returning to the Olympic Games after a lapse of over 100 years.
Apart from strengthening his bid for an Olympic berth, a victory at the PGM Port Dickson Championship will also allow Green to gain playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the rest of the 2016 season.
Other notable players in the field include George Gandranata of Indonesia, American Blake Snyder, James Byrne of Scotland, Thai trio Panuwat Muenlek, Nirun Sae-ueng and Chanat Sakulpolphaisan.
Sweden’s Oskar Zetterwall, American Josh Salah, Singaporean Johnson Poh and Jay Bayron of the Philippines will also feature in the PGM Port Dickson Championship, which is the 15th leg of the ADT schedule this season.
The ADT, which was inaugurated in 2010 as the gateway to the premier Asian Tour, will reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2017.
Like all other ADT events, the PGM Port Dickson Championship offers Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, which will be key for players vying to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this August.
The winner will receive six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.
