We’ve all been there. At some point in our lives we would have met a golfer. Golfers are hard to ignore for the reason that most of us are very passionate about it. So passionate that when two strangers meet and they find out they both play golf, they instantly become chatty best of friends.
Or if you’re having a drink with a group of golfers, hours can go by with conversations about their different golfing adventures. How this friend started off badly but ended up with a birdie, or another with a sandy par. If you’re not a golfer, all these terms and all this excitement about a seemingly dull game confuses you.
Then comes two times in a year where all golfers in the country, especially Klang Valley start paying even more attention to golf. One of them being the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. This entry isn’t meant for golfers necessarily. It’s meant for the newbies who don’t know any more about golf than they do about how to build a rocket. It’s a cheat sheet on what’s going on so the next time you overhear golfer friends talk about golf or the LPGA, you can smartly chip in like a boss.
Official ambassadors for this year’s tournament, Patricia K (left) and Daphne Iking posing at the greens
1) What LPGA Means
LPGA stands for the Ladies Professional Golf Association: an American organization for professional female golfers. The LPGA Tour though is an ongoing series of weekly golf tournaments for the best female golfers in the world. In other words it’s kinda like the World Cup for female golf… except that it happens every year instead of every 4 years.
2) The total prize money at the Sime Darby LPGA is USD2 million
Or RM6.4 million if you look at currency in ringgit terms. This is sometimes called a “purse”, not to be mistaken by what the ladies carry. A purse is basically the pool of money that can be won by people in the tournament.
3) The Current Top Female Golf Player in the world is coming
Her name is Stacy Lewis. She’s the current number 1 ranked female golfer in the world.
4) 6 of the Top 20 Women’s Golf players will be competing at the LPGA
Stacy Lewis (World No. 1)
Suzann Pettersen (World No. 4)
Ryu So-yeon (World No.5)
Anna Nordqvist (World No. 10)
Christie Kerr (World No. 11)
Jessica Kora (World No. 19)
5) The Sime Darby LPGA has raised RM2 million for charity so far
Every year the Sime Darby LPGA through its charity gala dinner and some contribution from food sales at the event raises money for CARIF (Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation).
6) It’s not just a golf tournament
For this year’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), the whole club will be transformed into a festival complete with live music, street art, a showcase of Malaysian and international cuisine, health and beauty treatments and other activities.
Performances
At the pool area of KLGCC, there will be a good mix of live music between 3-6pm each day from a variety of leading local artists and DJs such as Patricia Knudsen (Patricia K), Atilia, Bihzhu and others.
Food
If you’re more into food, there will also be a variety of hawker stalls catering to golfers and their families. All international cuisines restaurants at KLGCC; Golfers Terrace, China Treasures, Niji, Qureshi, R&R Café and Connoisseur’s Lounge and the Sunken Bar will open its doors to the public.
7) Fashion, art and craft market.
Curated by ten of Malaysia’s female entrepreneurs, the market will showcase their success in the worlds of fashion, art and craft and will include talks and workshops. If you’re looking to be inspired by some of Malaysia’s great female entrepreneurs, here’s a good place for it.
8) Games for the family
There will be loads of games for the family by the pool area. Everything from a chipping contest to a photo-booth and chill-out zone.
9) Tickets to the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2014
If you’re a member of KLGCC you might be able to get some complimentary tickets.
Tickets to the festival though are free for the ticket holders of the tournament but cost as low as RM24 per day for the public.
You can get tickets from www.ticketpro.com.my or call the Ticketpro hotline at +603 7880 7999.
If you’d like to know more you can check out the Sime Darby LPGA website here ) or their Facebook page
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space