Bernhard Langer, twice a winner of the Masters tournament at Augusta National, will make his first competitive visit to Malaysia this week to play in the second co-sanctioned Benson and Hedges Malaysian Open, presented by Carlsberg, at Templer Park Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur.
Langer heads a strong cast at Templer Park, which includes Mercedes-Benz South African Open champion, Mathias Grönberg and his fellow Swede, Per-Ulrik Johansson. Adding to the international flavour are South Africa’s Retief Goosen, Thomas Björn of Denmark, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Scot Andrew Coltart.
Kyi Hla Han, who won last year's Volvo China Open and claimed the Asian Order of Merit title with record-earnings of US$204,210, is among 13 Asian PGA winners in the field.
One of the most dedicated and respected professionals in the game, Langer has accumulated 37 wins on the European Tour and has tasted success twice in Hong Kong.
His impressive resume, which is highlighted by the two glorious triumphs at Augusta in 1985 and 1993 for the Masters green jacket, will make Langer one of the strong favourites to win at Templer Park.
Langer also has nine Ryder Cup appearances under his belt, and was in Europe’s winning team on four occasions. In his trophy cabinet at his home in Germany is also a World Cup of Golf team trophy won in 1990, the International Trophy (1993) and two Sun City Million Dollar Challenge titles (1986 & 1991).
Last year, Langer came close to winning twice but eventually settled for second-place cheques at the Heineken Classic and Volvo Masters.
Langer said: “For the past few seasons, I've heard so much about this wonderful golf tournament in Malaysia. I’m really looking forward to my first visit and hope to put up a solid performance and get my year going.
“I’m also excited about the prospect of competing against some of the best players in Asia as I understand the Asian PGA circuit has now grown so much in stature and standard.”
The impressive list of winners includes defending champion Gerry Norquist of the United States, and the Indian trio of Wills Indian Open champion Arjun Atwal, Jyoti Randhawa, who won the Hero Honda Masters, and Jeev Milkha Singh, who triumphed in the Lexus International.
American Norquist, a long-time supporter of the Asian PGA Tour, defends the title which he won twelve months ago and enabled him to play full-time on the European Tour during 1999. Norquist, from Arizona, fired a closing 71 for an eight-under-par total of 280 to win the first co-sanctioned tournament in Malaysia at Saujana Golf and Country Club by three strokes from Cejka and Bob May of the United States.
The new champion, who had won the event six years earlier - and earned around $90,000 less - immediately signed the appropriate forms to become a member of the European Tour thanks to his impressive victory.
Until then, his only experience of the European scene was a less than memorable visit to the Qualifying School at Montpellier in 1991 when he was struck down by 'flu and failed to make the grade.
He admitted: “After Montpellier I vowed I would never play the European Tour, but here I am as a fully exempt member of that Tour and with tremendous opportunities. I feel very privileged to be part of the European Tour. If I am presented with an opportunity to play at a higher level I’d be foolish not to look it straight in the eye and meet the challenge.”
Scotland's Coltart, who featured in last year's Ryder Cup as a captain's pick, has also signed up and would be eager to improve on his performance last year when he finished tied fourth at Saujana Golf and Country Club.
The in-form Grönberg is certainly capable of performing well again. At the recent South African Open, he shot a pair of 67s over the weekend to seal his third European Tour title and the occasion was extra special as his American wife, Tara, was with him to celebrate his win.
Coltart is the brother-in-law of Westwood and has been a regular visitor to Malaysia. He enjoyed some measure of success at last year's tournament with solid rounds and went on to record six top 10 finishes on the European Tour which earned him Mark James' confidence for the Ryder Cup.
One of his biggest moments came in March 1998 when he sealed the Australasian Tour Order of Merit title on the same week that he tasted his first European Tour victory at the Qatar Masters.
The 33-year-old Johansson, who is easily identified with his reverse-style beret cap, is looking to get his year off to a good start following a quiet 1999 season where he recorded only three top 10 finishes. He is also the first Swede to play in two Ryder Cups which Europe won in 1995 and 1997.
Asian PGA executive director Ramlan Harun has welcomed the fact that the Benson & Hedges Malaysian Open, presented by Carlsberg, has attracted yet another world-class field.
“I'm absolutely delighted to see names like Langer, Goosen and Harrington in the start list as they will provide a true test for our Asian PGA members. However, we are confident that our players, led by last season’s Order of Merit winner Kyi Hla Han, will hold their own against some of the finest golfers in the world,” he said.
The Benson & Hedges Malaysian Open is the first event on the 2000 Asian PGA Tour and the sixth on the European Tour schedule. The course, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, was designed by Japanese star Jumbo Ozaki. Water features come into play at eleven holes and should prove a stiff test for all the players.
