The NATIONGATE 48th Men & 43rd Ladies Penang Amateur Open Golf Championship
Tournament Rules & Conditions
1. MANAGEMENT
The NATIONGATE 48th Men & 43rd Ladies Penang Amateur Open Golf Championship (hereinafter refer to as “The Championship”) shall be managed by an Organizing Committee appointed by Bukit Jawi Golf Resort and Penang Golf Association (hereinafter referred as “The Committee”) and Malaysian Golf Association. The decision of this Committee will, in all matters, be final. All play shall be in accordance with the current Rules of Golf, approved by the R & A Golf Club of St. Andrews and the Local Rules approved by the Committee.
2. VENUE & DATES
The Tournament shall be played at Bukit Jawi Golf Resort (Hill Course & Lake Course) from Tuesday 29th, October 2013 till Thursday, 31st October 2013.
3. SCHEDULE OF PLAY
The schedule of play shall be as follows:
a. Sunday - Monday (27th– 28th October) Registration & Official Practice Round
b. Tuesday (29th October) First Round
c. Wednesday (30th October) Second Round
Cut-off to 40 leading Gross scores & ties and 30 leading Nett scores and ties (For Men)
Cut-off after 36 holes will be decided by the Committee after the closing date (For Ladies)
d. Thursday (31st October) Final Round & Prize Presentation Luncheon
4. FORMAT OF PLAY
Men
4.1 The Tournament shall be decided by stroke play over three (3) rounds of 18 holes each, subject to the Committee’s right, in the event of circumstances which make the playing of 54 holes impracticable, to cancel any round or rounds at its discretion.
4.2 There shall be cut-off after 36 holes of play. The top 70 or more (40 Gross & ties + 30 Nett & ties) leading players shall advance to the final round.
Ladies
4.3 The Tournament shall be decided by stroke play over three (3) rounds of 18 holes each, subject to the Committee’s right in the event of circumstances which make the playing of 54 holes impracticable, to cancel any round or rounds at its discretion.
4.4 Cut off after 36 holes of play for the Ladies Open will be decided by the Committee after the closing date.
5. ELIGIBILITY
5.1 The tournament is open to male & female players who are amateur golfers in accordance with the Rules of Amateur Status issued by the R & A Golf Club of St Andrews.
Men (Hill Course – S.R. 137)
a. Having a maximum USGA Handicap Index of 15.2 (BJGR Course Handicap 18) which must be current at the time of entry.
Ladies (Lake Course – S.R. 130)
b. Having a maximum USGA Handicap Index of 26.5 (BJGR Course Handicap 30) which must be current at the time of entry.
5.2 The Committee reserves the right to reject any entry without giving any reason. Participants without a USGA handicap Index issued by the MGA/NHS are not eligible to participate. Participants from non NHS Clubs may enter subject to the Committee’s sole discretion but would be eligible to win prizes in the Gross categoryonly.
6. ENTRIES AND CLOSING DATE
6.1 Men - The Entry Fee for each competitor is RM 350.00 (non Bukit Jawi Member), RM 300.000 (Member of PGA affiliated Clubs) and RM 260.00 (Bukit Jawi Member). The fee is inclusive of 3 days breakfast, 3 days green fee & buggy fees & the Prize Presentation Lunch.
6.2 Ladies - The Entry Fee for each competitor is RM 350.00 (non Bukit Jawi Member), RM 300.00 (Member of PGA affiliated Clubs) and RM 260.00 (Bukit Jawi Member). The fee is inclusive of 3 days breakfast, 3 days green fee & buggy fees & the Prize Presentation Lunch. An additional fee of RM 30.00 from each player participating in the team event.
6.3 All entries are to be made on the Official Entry Form and must reach the Tournament Secretariat Office by Monday, 14th October 2013 at the address below:
Tournament Committee
48th Men & 43rd Ladies Penang Amateur Open Golf Championship,
Bukit Jawi Golf Resort Berhad,
Lot 414, MK 6,
Jalan Paya Kemian Sempayi,
14200 Sungai Jawi,
Seberang Perai Selatan,
Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
6.4 Entries must be accompanied with the full Entry Fee payable by cash, cheque or money order made out to the “Bukit Jawi Golf Resort Bhd.” Late entries may be accepted at the discretion of the Committee. Entry forms without payment will NOT be accepted
6.5 The field may be limited to 120 competitors only. In the event that entries fall short or far exceeded the above
number, the Committee reserves the right to make amendments on the entry requirements without giving any
reason whatsoever.
7. WITHDRAWAL
The Entry Fee will not be refunded if any competitor withdraws from the tournament and the withdrawal is made after Monday, 21st October 2013.
8. REGISTRATION
All competitors are required to register in person or by telephone by 6.00 p.m. on Monday, 28th October 2013. Failure to do so may result in the competitor being withdrawn from the Championship with no refund of any fees paid.
9. RULES OF PLAY
All play shall be in accordance with the current Rules of Golf as approved by the R & A Rules Ltd and the Local Rules of Bukit Jawi Golf Resort as approved by the Committee.
10. PRACTICE ROUND
Practice round is on Sunday, 27th and Monday, 28th October 2013 from 7.30 a.m. onwards. Last tee-off will be at Monday, 28th October 2013, 1.00 p.m. Complimentary two practice rounds for competitors who had paid their entry fees. Buggy fee is charged at RM 95.40 Nett per buggy.
11. DRAWS AND STARTING TIMES
11.1 Play shall be in groups of four (4) competitors at 8 minutes interval.
11.2 Tournament Committee will decide the draw and starting time for the first two rounds. The draw for the final round will be arranged according to the 2 rounds scores; the lowest scores will tee off last from the first tee and the highest scores will tee off last from the tenth tee.
11.3 The draws and starting times shall be posted at the Tournament Notice Board. Such posting shall be considered sufficient enough notice for information and distribution.
11.4 The player shall start at the time laid down by the Tournament Committee. In the absence of circumstances which warrant waiving the penalty of disqualification as provided in Rule 33-7, if a player arrives at his starting point ready to play within five minutes after his starting time, the penalty for failure to start on time shall be two strokes at the first hole instead of disqualification. Penalty for lateness beyond five minutes is DISQUALIFICATION.
11.5 The Committee reserves the right to change the draws and vary the starting times without giving any reason thereof.
12. PACE OF PLAY
12.1 Time Allowed:
Each hole has been given a maximum completion time based upon the length and difficulty of the hole. The
maximum time allotted for the completion of 18 holes will be available prior to play.
Definition of Out of Position:
The first group and any group after a starter’s gap will be considered to be “out of position” if at any time during the round, the group’s cumulative time exceeds the time allowed for the number of holes played. Any following group will be considered ‘out of position’ if it is more than the starting time interval behind the group in front and has exceeded the time allowed for the number of holes played.
12.2 Procedure When Group is Out of Position
12.2.1 If the decision is taken to time the group, each player in the group will be subject to individual timing by a Rules Official. Each player in the group will be advised that they are “out of position” and are being timed.
12.2.2 The maximum time allocated per shot is 40 seconds. 10 extra seconds are allowed for the first player to play:
On the tee box;
On the subsequent shots; and
On the putting green.
The timing will start when a player has reached his ball, it is his turn to play and he is able to play without
interference or distraction.
On the putting green, timing will start when the player has had a reasonable amount of time to lift, clean
and replace his ball, repair ball marks and move loose impediments on his line of putt. Time spent looking
at the line from beyond the hole and/or behind the ball will count as time taken for the next stroke.
12.2.3 Timing ceases when a group is either back in position in relation to the preceding group or within the
allocated time for the holes played.
PENALTY OF BREACH OF CONDITION:
1 bad time Player will be warned by the Rules Official and told that if he has a further bad time he will be
penalized.
Stroke Play
2 bad times Penalty of one stroke
3 bad times Further penalty of two strokes
4 bad times Disqualification
12.3 Procedure When Again Out of Position During the Same Round If a group is “out of position” more than once during a round the above procedure will apply on each occasion. Bad times and the application of penalties in the same round will be carried forward until the round is completed. A player will not be penalized if he has a second bad time before being advised of his earlier bad time.
13. AUTHORIZED / UNAUTHORIZED TRANSPORTATION
Competitors are allowed to use buggies for the duration of play. Buggies are allowed on course unless wet condition rendered the course inaccessible to buggies. Caddies are not allowed for the duration of the Championship
14. APPROVED EQUIPMENTS
14.1 GOLF BALLS
Only balls named on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls issued by R & A Rules Ltd may be used.
14.2 CLUBHEADS
Appendix II, 5a of the Rules of Golf states that, "The material and construction of, or any treatment to, the face or the club head shall not have the effect at impact of a spring (test on file), or impart significantly more spin to the ball than a standard steel face, or have any other effect which would unduly influence the movement of the ball".
PENALTY: DISQUALIFICATION
15. SCORECARDS
15.1 All competitors must submit their respective scorecard duly signed and counter signed by his marker as soon as possible after the completion of each round and in any event it shall not be later than 10 minutes after the completion of each round.
15.2 A scorecard is deemed to be submitted the moment the competitor leaves the scoring area.
16. PRIZES
16.1 Men Category
16.1.1 The Champion
The competitor who returns the lowest aggregate gross scores over 54 holes shall be declared ‘The Champion’ and will be awarded the Championship Trophy.
16.1.2 Nett Champion
The winner shall be the competitor who returns the lowest aggregate Nett scores over 54 holes.
16.1.3 Prizes will be awarded as follows;
i. 10 placing Gross scores over 54 holes or less
ii. 10 placing Nett scores over 54 holes or less
iii. Daily medals – best daily Gross and 3 best Nett scores.(no medal division)
16.2 Ladies Category
16.2.1 The Champion
The competitor who returns the lowest aggregate gross scores over 54 holes shall be declared ‘The Champion’ and will be awarded the Championship Trophy.
16.2.2 Nett Champion
The winner shall be the competitor who returns the lowest aggregate Nett scores over 54 holes.16.2.3 Prizes will be awarded as follows;
i. 6 placing Gross scores over 54 holes or less
ii. 6 placing Nett scores over 54 holes or less
iii. Daily medals – best daily Gross and 3 best Nett scores.(no medal division)
16.2.4 PGA LADIES TEAM CHALLENGE TROPHY – TEAM EVENT
In addition to and in conjunction with the individual events there will be a team event.
Each team shall consist of three (3) players.
A player can be a member of only one team.
Two (2) lowest Nett scores in each team shall be the team score for each round.
The winning team will be the team with the lowest aggregate Nett score over three (3) rounds of the championship and shall be the holder of the PGA Ladies Team Challenge Trophy for the year. The trophy
will however remain under the custody of the tournament committee.
All deciding ties for this event shall be based on the MGA count back system.
The prizes for the team event shall be for the winner and runner-up team only.
NOTE: A competitor shall be entitled to win only one gross or Nett prize. The Gross event takes priority over the Nett event. A competitor may win only one daily gross or one daily nett medal prize throughout the Championship. Number of prizes may be changed depending on the entries.
17. COMPETITION CLOSED
The Championship shall be deemed to have closed when prizes has been awarded to the winners
18. TIES
18.1 In the event of a tie for 1st place, the winner shall be decided by a sudden death playoff in the following order starting from the 18th hole and 9th hole. If the winner still cannot be decided, the sudden death will continue back to the 18th hole and 9th hole until the winner is decided by elimination. The purpose of the play-off is to decide the WINNER for the Championship only.
18.2 In the event of a tie for any other place, the tie shall be decided by a count back in the following order:-
Last 18 holes
Last 9 holes
Last 6 holes
Last 3 holes
And finally the last hole;
For ties in the Nett event, the count back will be based on the Nett score. With the handicaps deducted in proportion
1/2 handicap for last 9 holes 1/6 handicap for last 3 holes
1/3 handicap for last 6 holes 1/18 handicap for last hole
If the tie is still undecided, it shall decided by lot.
19. AMATEUR STATUS
19.1 An amateur golfer must not accept a prize (other than a symbolic prize) or prize voucher of retail value in excess of £500 (RM3,500) or the equivalent, or such a lesser figure as may be decided by the Governing Body. This limit applies to the total prizes or prize vouchers received by an amateur golfer in any one competition or series of competitions, excluding any hole-in-one prize (see Rule 3-2b).
19.2 An amateur golfer may accept a prize in excess of the limit stated in 19.1 including a cash prize for a hole-in-one while playing a round of golf.
NOTE: The onus of receiving a prize or prizes that exceed the prescribed limits lies with the participant. The Committee and its sponsors shall not be liable for any action on players for any breach of Rules pertaining to Amateur Status.
20. DECISIONS
20.1 If a referee has been appointed by the Committee, his decision is final (Rule 34- 2).20.2 In the absence of a referee, any dispute or doubtful point on the Rules must be put forward to the Committee whose decision shall be final (Rule 34-3).
21. DISPUTES & APPEAL
21.1 Any dispute that arises during the Tournament must be put forward to the Appeal Committee as soon as practicable upon completion of a round and in any event it shall not be later than 15 minutes after completion of the said round.
21.2 A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional cases be waived, modified or imposed by the Appeal Committee.
22. ETIQUETTE
All players should practice good etiquette as detailed out in Section 1 of the Rules of Golf. The overriding principle is that consideration should be shown to others on the course at all times.
Serious Breach of Etiquette
The following may be considered “serious breaches of etiquette” for this competition:-
i. Usage of hand phone during a round to the annoyance and distractions of other players.
ii. Verbal abuse of fellow competitor / official / staff.
iii. Intentionally distracting or offending fellow competitor.
Note: Any other ‘breaches of etiquette’ not listed above will be dealt with by the Committee on individual basis. Penalty: Disqualification
23. DRUGS
Players must not make use of any drug to enhance performance. Should a player show evidence of use of a drug for non-therapeutic purposes, the Committee may require the player to undergo a drug test. Any player infringing this Condition may be disqualified. Players who are on medication and in doubt as to their clinical status should seek advice from The R&A via the Tournament Office.
24. INCLEMENT WEATHER AND SUSPENSION OF PLAY
The Tournament Committee will make every effort to complete an event in its entirety. However, The Tournament Committee reserves the right to suspend or abandon play as necessary if weather-related circumstances require such action. In the unlikely event the course is unplayable and abandons play or other conditions warranting such action, The Committee then will decide the tournament and all competitors will be informed accordingly.
25. INDEMNITY / LIABILITIES
Bukit Jawi Golf Resort, Penang Golf Association, the sponsors, the Committee, and their staffs will not be
responsible for any loss, damage or harm, or any form of injuries that the participants of the tournament may suffer as a result of their participation in this tournament.
26. ENQUIRIES
Should there be enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the Tournament Secretariat Office at:
Mr. Eric Khor,
Bukit Jawi Golf Resort,
Lot 414, MK 6, Jalan Paya Kemian Sempayi,
14200 Sungai Jawi, Seberang Perai Selatan,
Pulau Pinang.
Tel: 604 - 5820759
Fax: 604- 582261348
