Golfers tee-off and raise RM1.1mil for charity

For a good cause: Euro Asia Chinese Golf Association Malaysia organising committee pose for a group shot with Chua (in batik)

Some 160 golfers from around the region gathered in Kuala Lumpur recently to raise funds for charity while having fun on the greens.

Euro Asia Chinese Golf Association (EACM) members from countries like China, Hong Kong and host country Malaysia gathered at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club for the two-day Invitational Friendship and Charity golf competition.

Euro Asia Chinese Golf Association director-general To Man Chung said that they organised these tournaments several times a year for their members around the world.

We have to concentrate on smaller regions at a time because we can only have limited numbers of golfers on a course, he said.

Besides doing charity while playing golf, To said that these events were also an avenue for their members, who consisted mostly of businessmen, to expand their network of contacts.

Its all in good fun, because all of us enjoy a round of golf, he said.

An auction was held on the first night of the tournament at the Jaya Palace restaurant in Petaling Jaya, which saw a RM40,000 bid for an autographed badminton racquet owned by national player Datuk Lee Chong Wei, bought by To. A bidder from Hong Kong also contributed RM60,000 for a 1978 pack of tea leaves packed by Poh Lan (M) Sdn Bhd.

The highest bid for the night was RM100,000 for an art piece donated by EACM president Datuk Vincent Lee.

This 2011 Competition is part of our efforts to make membership of EACM enjoyable, enduring and meaningful as well as to do our part in supporting the charitable works of the community. We also hope that this Competition will foster camaraderie and frien! dship am ongst the members of EAC, Lee said.

Beats of joy: Young drummers entertaining guests at the Euro Asia Chinese Golf Association Invitational Friendship and Charity Golf Competition 2011 dinner at the Jaya Palace

At the gala dinner at the same venue the following night, the competitions organising chairman Sunny Chin said the event showcased Malaysian Golf at its best while raising funds for deserving charitable causes.

It was indeed a pleasure for the organising committee and myself to be entrusted with the challenging task of organising the event. We were extremely fortunate to have the support of our President, EAC, members, sponsors and friends to make the competition a success. I wish to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for their generous contributions. For the foreign participants of the competition, I hope you will all have good golfing and sweet memories of Malaysia to bring home, he added.

MCA president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek was guest-of-honour at the gala dinner. About RM400,000 was raised from the auction night, but at the gala dinner it was announced that generous contributors had pushed the total raised to a whopping RM1.1mil.

Organising committee member Danny Leong Chee Wah said that their charity efforts were concentrated mostly on education.

We focus on primary and secondary school students because we believe that every child deserve to have access to basic education, said Leong.

Among some of the recipients of the EACM charity fund were Tsu Jin Chinese School, SRJK Man Hwa in Ipoh, SRJK Poi Nam in Ipoh, Ti-ratana Welfare Home and Hospis Malaysia.

- The Star -