The opening round of the PGM Kinrara Championship has been rescheduled to Thursday due to persistent haze situation in the local area, tournament officials announced on Wednesday.
The first round of the RM200,000 (approximately US$50,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event could not get underway at 7.30am (local time) as the high Air Pollution Index (API) was in the unhealthy range.
Officials decided to call off the day at 1.10pm, with the opening round of the PGM Kinrara Championship now set to commence at 8.00am local time on Thursday morning.
It will be a shotgun start for all players at the Kinrara Golf Club.
“Due to the persistent haze situation in the area, we were unable to start the round today and have decided to reschedule the opening round to Thursday morning where it will be a shotgun start for all players.
“The Air Pollution Index (API) in this area is expected to be high over the next few days but we will ensure that the conditions are acceptable before we allow the players out on the course. We hope to be able to complete at least 36 holes this week,” explained Adnan Othman, the Tournament Director for PGM Kinrara Championship.
The PGM Kinrara Championship is the 23rd leg of the ADT schedule this season. The winner of the PGM Kinrara Championship will take home a prize purse of US$8,164 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points. The top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.
With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.
The ADT is celebrating its sixth season where it has grown immensely from five events in the first year in 2010 to a record 27 tournaments in 2015.
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com
