The countdown to the Maybank Malaysian Open 2012 is well underway with the confirmation that five coveted spots will be up for grabs during the two-day Maybank Malaysian Open National Qualifier set for March 5-6 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
The pre-qualifying tournament gives the opportunity to some of Malaysia's brightest prospects to battle it out for a chance to tee-off alongside some of the golfing world's biggest stars as well as the best players from both the European and Asian Tours at the 51st edition of the Maybank Malaysian Open from April 12-15.
Title sponsor Maybank's commitment to the development of Malaysian golf champions has once again come through with a large allocation of 22 invites to top local professionals and amateurs to participate in the tournament - including the top five finishers at the national qualifier.
The local challenge is once again expected to be spearheaded by Danny Chia, who is the sole Malaysian to qualify automatically by virtue of being placed in the top-65 of the Asian Tour's Order of Merit.
The 39-year-old Maybank ambassador has consistently finished as the best local performer in the last few editions of the Open.
In addition, Maybank today also extended invites to Nicholas Fung and Maybank ambassador Shaaban Hussin. A two-time winner on the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour in 2011, Fung's attacking style of play has already seen him lift a title on the regional ASEAN circuit and the stocky Sabahan will be determined to cement his status as one of country's most exciting talents with a good showing.
The long-hitting Shaaban, on the other hand, can once again rely on strong crowd support and the former top-ranked amateur will definitely look to bring his A-game to the tournament and go one step better this year.
Maybank chairman, Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor, said: "Malaysian like heroes dream that one day a local golfer will stand tall as the winner of the Maybank Malaysian Open. This year in pursuit of that goal, Maybank has extended our invites to two capable local stars in Fung and Shaaban.
"Both players are known to have the fighting spirit and I am confident that they will put on a good show in front of the home galleries. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that there is a strong local representation in the tournament to reflect its stature as the respected national Open and we encourage our Malaysian fans to support them, in a big way during the tournament.”
Last year's PGM Tour Order of Merit winner R Nachimuthu heads the list of GlobalOne invites which includes Md Rashid Ismail, M Sasidaran, S Murthy and Airil Rizman. They will be joined by Sukree Othman, S Sivachandhran and Ben Leong through invites by the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA). The confirmation of the six amateur invites will be announced in due course.
A star-studded field is expected at this year’s Maybank Malaysian Open, with the Malaysian professionals competing with some of the world’s best players for the championship title. With a $2.5 million prize purse up on offer, spectators can expect an exciting tournament this April.
For more information on the Maybank Malaysian Open 2012, log on towww.maybankmalaysianopen.com.
