SCAL sponsors PNG amateur Golf Championship with K20,000 funding

Southern Cross Assurance Limited [SCAL] has gained naming rights to the prestigious PNG Amateur Golf Championship, following its sponsorship announcement.

SCAL funded K20,000 to this year's tournament, scheduled in Lae, Morobe over the Eastern weekend in April.

SCAL chairman Roxon Undi said the sponsorship will not only help in the successful hosting of the Lae event, but, also build the golf capacity in PNG.

"We've been stagnant for a long time, but I can see there's a lot of movement happening and changes happening in the organisation, and when we were asked to come on board," Undi said when handing over the money today.

"This is not our first time sponsoring golf. We've been in the game. I'm a player myself, and a lot of our friends and employees all play golf.

"But that aside, it's an event that we all need to support."

The Papua New Guinea Open Amateur Championship is a sanctioned PNG Golf Association event for the National Athletes Order of Merit, and all ranked first champion finishes out of the top eight of all categories.

Amateur male, female and junior male, female are given an opportunity for national selection at all international domestic rep duty.

"It includes the team Papua New Guinea participation at Pacific Mini Games, the Pacific Games and qualification for any invitationals to all international invites that we get, including the Youth Olympics, Women's Amateur Championships and the Men's Amateur Asia Championships," Vice President Rosalyn Taufa said.

"We're very privileged and grateful to Southern Cross Assurance Limited for coming on board, and I'm sure that every athlete that competes in Lae in the Easter weekend will be giving it their very best to be given the honor of outright championships in 2025.

"Most of our athletes that have qualified have actually become national champions and representatives that have gone and won gold medals, silver medals, and bronze medals at our Pacific events, including both South Pacific and the mini games.

Lae Golf Association will host the event from April 18-21 as PNG hopes to reveal a new champion for the men's and women's outfit.

Female champion Margaret Lavake is expected to show up as well following her recent stint in Asia.