The Maybank Championship Malaysia today announced the top 15 professional and amateur Malaysian golfers who will tee-off at the inaugural golf tournament from February 18 – 21, 2016 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC).
The tournament, co-sanctioned by The European Tour, The Asian Tour, The Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour (PGM Tour) and The Professional Golfers Association of Malaysia (PGAM) will also see world’s top golfers Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Danny Willett, Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat among the 156 field of play.
Tan Sri Dato’ Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor, Chairman of Maybank, said: “We are proud to say that the finest selection of Malaysian golfers will be representing the country on the East course of RSGC next month. As a co-sanctioned golfing event, the Maybank Championship Malaysia offers one of the most World Ranking Points for Malaysian golfers in the country. Making it to the list are top Malaysian golfers Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung who are ranked eighth and 35th respectively on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Malaysia’s rising star, 21-year-old Gavin Kyle Green who recently turned professional, and top Malaysian amateur golfer, Ervin Chang will also be joining this elite group at the upcoming tournament."
The announcement reinforces the championship’s aspirations of ensuring the best mix of international and regional golfing talents in a Malaysian tournament. Two spots were awarded to the top Malaysian professionals from Asia Tour; 12 spots to Malaysian players who qualified based on the Order of Merit from the Professional Golf Of Malaysia Tour (PGM); one spot to the top Malaysian Amateur from the World amateur ranking.
The involvement of the leading professional golfing bodies in Malaysia will be key to ensuring the quality of the home-grown players competing in the Championship. The two bodies alongside Maybank are instrumental in supporting the local development of golf in the country.
Tun Ahmad Sarji, Chairman of the PGM Tour, said: “Golf will be in the Olympics in Rio this August and with the Maybank Championship Malaysia our professionals will have more chances to gain valuable World Ranking Points that is essential to qualify for the Olympics. I’m pleased that R. Nachimuthu, the winner of the (PGM) Maybank Tour Players Championship will also be participating at the Maybank Championship Malaysia. With the stellar line-up of players from ASEAN, Asian Tour and European Tour, the Maybank Championship Malaysia will be a showcase tournament not to be missed."
In addition to the five international players confirmed, the top sixty-seven players (67) from both the European Tour and Asian Tour respectively will qualify to participate in the Maybank Championship Malaysia. Five (5) spots will be given to ASEAN Professionals that will be awarded based on the Asian Tour Order Of Merit, Asian Development Tour Order Of Merit and National Professional Golfers Association of ASEAN Countries (where available). One (1) spot will be accorded to the top player on
the Middle East North African Tour (MENA). Two (2) spots are reserved for other top players who are not members of European PGA Tour and the Asian Tour. The final one (1) spot will be given to the Asian Pacific Amateur Masters Champion.
Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Ghani bin Othman, President of PGAM, said: “We are very glad that all the Malaysian players qualified are also members of PGAM. The Maybank Championship Malaysia is a platform for the Malaysian golfers to perform and assess their game alongside some of the world’s best, and with the development of our players over the past years, we at PGAM are confident that Malaysia is well underway to producing some of Asia’s best golfers."
One of the richest European Tour and Asian Tour co-sanctioned tournaments in southeast Asia and a premier event contributing to both the Race to Dubai and the Asian Tour Order of Merit, the championship offers a prize purse of USD 3 million. The Maybank Championship Malaysia will be one of only six events at which the European Tour members will participate in the Asian region and one of only four tournaments that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour in 2016.
List of Malaysian Players
- Danny Chia
- Nicolas Fung
- R. Nachimuthu
- Sukree Othman
- Ben Leong
- Airil Rizman Zahari
- Kemarol Baharin
- Shaaban Hussin
- Arie Irawan
- Khor Kheng Hwai
- Kenneth De Silva
- Wilson Choo
- Gavin Green
- Iylia Jamil
- Ervin Chang
