CIMB Classic: Nick Watney confirms to make his debut in Malaysia
Nick Watney, who is scheduled to represent the US team in the Ryder Cup this week, has confirmed to make his debut in the co-sanctioned event by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour, the CIMB Classic.
Last month, Watney won the PGA Tour Playoffs’ curtain raiser, The Barclays, and surged to the top of the FedEx Cup standings.
It was the first time this season that the American made it to the top-10 in the standings. However, he failed to keep the momentum going into the rest of the three tournaments in the Playoffs.
At the Deutsche Bank Championship, he tied for the 20th position, and followed that by a tied 45th finish at the BMW Championship.
Last week, he competed in the 30-man field of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Once again, he let his fans down with a disappointing performance in the final leg of the one-month swing.
He tied for the 28th position after posting a lacklustre four-over par tournament score. John Huh and Lee Westwood were the only two players who were ranked below the American on the leaderboard.
Therefore, the 31-year-old desperately needs to return back to form, especially if he wants to make a strong debut in Malaysia.
"This will be my first visit to Kuala Lumpur and I'm really looking ahead to the CIMB Classic,” he said. “I've heard a lot of good things about the event and the area from players who went over last year".
He added, "It's a great opportunity for me personally to learn about a new culture and for the PGA TOUR to help widen interest in the game and our TOUR in a part of the world that has shown it embraces the sport”.
The $6.1million tournament will feature a total of 48 players collectively from the PGA Tour and the Asian Tour.
According to the tournament officials, 30 players from the PGA Tour will be allowed to participate in the event this year and 10 professionals will be called from the Asian Tour.
The remaining eight players will be competing in the event through sponsor exemptions.
Tags: