The first brand new event on The 2016 European Tour International Schedule has attracted a stellar field to Royal Selangor Golf Club, where Major Champions Martin Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen headline the inaugural edition of the Maybank Championship Malaysia.
The duo will be joined in Kuala Lumpur by Danny Willett, who climbed to third place in The Race to Dubai after winning the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and Darren Clarke, who recently led Europe to EURASIA CUP glory in the Malaysian capital.
Oosthuizen has previously tasted success on Malaysian soil, as the South African banished the disappointment of missing out on the 2012 Masters title to Bubba Watson by winning the Maybank Malaysian Open the following week.
Fast forward four years, and the World Number 20 is looking to bounce back from a missed cut in Dubai, but previous finishes of tied seventh in Qatar – where he opened with a round of 65 – and joint 11th in the Nedbank Golf Challenge bode well for Oosthuizen’s quest to secure an eighth European Tour title.
Like Oosthuizen, Kaymer is also looking to put a below-par performance in Dubai behind him, but after taking a week off to recharge his batteries and work on his game, the German is raring to go again.
The two-time Major Champion said: “I’m excited about playing the Maybank Championship Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, which is a great city.
I had some good results in the Malaysian Open in 2011 and 2012, so I’m looking forward to coming back and playing this new tournament.
Martin Kaymer
Five members of Clarke’s triumphant European team are back in Kuala Lumpur for the first time since their exploits in the EURASIA CUP, as Willett renews acquaintances with Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, Dane Søren Kjeldsen and the English duo of Matt Fitzpatrick and Chris Wood.
That quality quintet all played their parts in Europe’s victory, but local heroes Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung also acquitted themselves well in defeat, forming a formidable partnership in the foursomes and fourballs.
The Malaysian duo are likely to prove popular at Royal Selangor, which boasts a rich history having also been the venue for the inaugural Maybank Malaysian Open in 1962.
Other notable names in the line-up include Italian Matteo Manassero and the Thai duo of Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee, all previous winners of the Maybank Malaysian Open, plus Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup-winning Captain Paul McGinley.
The Maybank Championship Malaysia, which is being co-sanctioned by The European and Asian Tours, will offer a prize fund of US$3 million.
