KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia's leading integrated communications company, Maxis Berhad ("Maxis"), launched the 10th edition of the Maxis Team Golf Tour, Malaysia's longest-running amateur team event.

The 12 qualifying rounds tee-off at premier venues throughout the country beginning at the Kota Permai Golf and Country Club in Shah Alam on 7 April.

Other leading venues include Sabah's Karambunai, Malacca's Tiara Melaka and the challenging Bukit Jawi in mainland Penang.

"Our customers are the core of our business and the Maxis Team Golf Tour was conceptualised to provide them with an enriching experience in an activity they are passionate about. We are proud that it has grown into one of the more important tournaments on the local golfing calendar. In celebrating our 10th anniversary, we are pleased to give even bigger rewards to our loyal customers," said Maxis Chief Operating Officer Jean Pascal van Overbeke (left) at the media launch in Tropicana GCC today.

"Not only do we have a great experience planned for the Gold Coast finals, we also have giveaways and fantastic prizes for the more than dozen qualifying rounds taking place on the best Malaysian courses. In a first for Malaysian amateur golf tournaments, we will be presenting not just one, but two, BMW 3-Series for those who score a hole-in-one on the designated holes at any of the rounds.

Prizes galore

In addition, the remaining Par 3s are sure-win holes with Nearest-the-Pin (NTP) novelty rules.

It's a given that NTP winners will take home LCD television sets while customers may also win by lucky draw LCD television sets, 3G handphones and BlackBerry smartphones, adding up to over a million ringgit worth of guaranteed rewards," added Jean-Pascal.

"In line with the Malaysian Golf Association's bid to streamline the national handicapping system, we have decided to switch to the strokeplay format and do away with stableford points. This is Maxis' way of making the competition fairer to all our customers," he said.

The ultimate challenge for Maxis Team Golf Tour finalists will be the opportunity to tame two "Great White Sharks", specifically, the Glades and Brookwater golf courses in Australia's famed Gold Coast.

The two acclaimed courses were designed by the "Great White Shark" himself, Greg Norman, a former two-time British Open champion who has also carved out golf gems such as Nirwana in Bali and the championship layout in Mission Hills, China.

Twist in the tale

Maxis will leverage on the premier tourist destination to present customers with a unique golf experience, as the latest in a continuing line of aspirational grand final venues, from Perth to Shanghai and Hanoi.

The three-man team format continues to be very popular as well as locally unique, since it was introduced in conjunction with Maxis 3G in 2005.

However, it returns with a twist - the mode of play will now be combined nett with a cap of no lower than three-under per player. What's more, in response to feedback of recent years, not only the individual gross champion but also the winning team from each round will make it to the Gold Coast, as previous participants have shown a liking for team play.

The Maxis Team Golf Tour is open to all Maxis postpaid and registered customers with handicaps of up to 24 for men and 36 for women. All golfers must own a valid MGA handicap and National Handicapping System number.

Entry fee is RM248 per person per event which includes an attractive goodie bag worth RM350, tournament fees, breakfast, lunch, daily insurance, green fee and buggy.

At the launch event today, Jean-Pascal also welcomed back ASTRO, Huawei, Ericsson, ZTE, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia-Siemens Networks, IBM, Patimas and Openwave as sponsors. Ingress Auto is providing the 2 BMWs as hole-in-one wins.

Maxis customers can view the tournament rules and conditions or download the entry form from the website www.maxis.com.my/moc or call 03-78036226 for more information.

The Maxis Team Golf Tour 2010 Schedule:
Rd 1 - Kota Permai GCC, Selangor 7 April Rd 7 - Tasik Puteri GCC, Selangor 3 July
Rd 2 - Meru Valley GCC, Perak 17 April Rd 8 - Bukit Jawi GCC, Penang 17 July
Rd 3 - Templer Park CC, Selangor 6 May Rd 9 - Karambunai GR, Sabah 31 July

Rd 4 - Kelab Golf Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (KGSAAS), Selangor 20 May Rd 10 - Tiara GCC, Melaka 7 August
Rd 5 - Kajang Hills, Selangor 3 June Rd 11 - Kota Permai GCC, Selangor 21 September
Rd 6 - Horizon Hills, Johor Bahru 26 June Rd 12 - Templer Park CC, Selangor 25 September

* East Coast and Kuching rounds have yet to have their dates confirmed