Raminai calls for golf programmes

By JACK AMI
Sports Vice-Minister Wesley Raminai has challenged the PNG Golf Association to design programmes that would benefit players in the country.
Raminai made the comment during the launching of the 2018 SP PNG Golf Open at the Brewkettle in Port Moresby on Tuesday.
The launching was attended by Queensland PGA tournament coordinator Justin Maker, PNG Golf Association president Peter Del Monte and SP Brewery managing director Stan Joyce and his staff.
“I would like to become a bit more ambitious and challenge ourselves as a country to initiate and design development programmes that will provide more serious and effective pathways for our young men and women to improve their skills and capacity in golf,” Raminai said.
“This is so that we can increase the number of Papua New Guineans who can advance from their amateur status to being quality professional golfers’ so that one day we can produce a young man from our country who has what it takes to win the PNG Open.
“That is something we can work on for the future.”
Raminai said the government was placing great emphasis on sports as a significant tool for nation building.
“This is quite evident with the level of investment that the state continues to direct towards sports from building new infrastructure to supporting numerous programmes in a variety of sports.”
Raminai said the high attendance of the pro-golfers from the Asia Pacific region at the PNG Open proved that the tournament had etched its place on the PGA calendar.
“It proves that administratively PNGGA is doing things right and continues to demonstrate our capacity in hosting successive successful PGA tournaments.”
Raminai praised SP Brewery for again leading the way by sponsoring the 2018 PNG Open, an event that was growing in stature annually.