JOHAN Tumba, the Swedish golfer banned for cheating by the European PGA Tour, will this morning make an 11th-hour bid to win his re-instatement for this week's US$300,000 Kent Hong Kong Open at Fanling.
Within hours of being barred from competing in Hong Kong's showpiece golfing event which tees-off at the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club tomorrow, Tumba last night requested a meeting with tournament officials to state his case.
Tumba has vehemently protested his innocence to the claims that he allegedly altered his scorecard in a European Tour School pre-qualifying tournament in 1991 which led to the ban.
At 9 am today he will meet with the Open's organising committee in the hope that they will reverse their decision and allow him to participate.
Tumba won his Asian Tour card in the Philippines earlier this month and was registered to take part in the Open. However, at the request of the Golf Association of Hong Kong, the tournament organisers, he was withdrawn early yesterday evening.
John Crawshaw, president of the association, said: ''We have to take at face value the fact that the player has been banned in Europe for cheating and we are supportive of the decision that he will not play in the Kent Open.'' John Benda, the Asian Tour co-ordinator, said each host country reserves the right to refuse entry to any individual.