India will be among the contenders for the three places in the world golf championships when the Asian Tour hosts the World Cup qualifier at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club in Malaysia from October 6 to 9.India last qualified for the World Cup in 2003 when Gaurav Ghei and Digvijay Singh finished second in Asia and represented India at Kiawah Island, Hawaii.The Asian Tour is staging the four-day qualifier on behalf of international federation of PGA Tours, the organisers of all the world golf championships events.The qualifier in Malaysia is open to Asian, European and African nations. Two-man teams will converge at Kota Permai to chase the opportunity to take on some of the world’s best players in the World Cup and also challenge for a slice of the $4 million prize money on offer in Portugal.The par-72 course, designed by Australian architect Ross Watson, is located in Shah Alam on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and is 40 minutes by road from the international airport.Last year in 2004, Korea, Myanmar and Chinese Taipei played at the World Cup in Seville, Spain after finishing as the top three teams in the Asian qualifier.The leading 18 players from different countries on the official world golf ranking, published on September 19, 2005 will gain automatic entries into the World Cup.
