Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel to feature in Maybank Malaysian Open in April
Organisers of the Maybank Malaysian Open were overwhelmed on Tuesday when two of the major-winners, Charl Schwartzel and Martin Kaymer, announced their participation in the latest episode of the event scheduled in Malaysia, in April this year.
Charl Schwartzel, the Masters champion and Martin Kaymer of Germany, the 2010 PGA champion, will be flying down to the revered Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club to participate in the event co-sanctioned, both, by the Asian Tour as well as the European Tour.
Maybank Chairman Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohamad Nor made the announcement on Tuesday, lauding the interest of both the players in the event and admitted that their presence will spice up the proceedings of the four-day event.
Nor said, "We are thrilled to welcome back Martin Kaymer to the Maybank Malaysian Open. He was definitely a gallery favourite last year and is a proven winner. I believe that the spectators will be delighted once again to witness the German's stellar long game and nifty touches around the greens".
The chairman also commended Schwartzel for his decision to place the event on his busy schedule and credited the player for having “such a technically solid golf swing that it makes him a great player to watch".
Schwartzel is featured in the top-ten on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and is currently the highest ranked South African at the moment.
The 27-year-old Schwartzel, not only won the coveted Masters in 2011, but also won the Joburg Open in South Africa, also co-sanctioned by the European Tour.
Besides several strong finishes in the year, Schwartzel posted a joint ninth in the Open Championship at the stiffened Royal St. George’s, outsmarting the tough Links Golf layout.
Meanwhile, Kaymer is the highest ranked German and will also be the highest ranked player at the field in this year’s episode of the Maybank Malaysian Open.
The 27-year-old German won twice in the 2011 year, bagging the season-opener Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the WGC-HSBC Champions in November.
He has won 18 professional titles in his short career and is poised at number four on the OWGR.
The Chairman declined to mention the existence of any appearance money involved in persuading both high profile players to feature in the event.
The controversial appearance money has been churning out debates of whether players should accept the hefty sums of money just to appear at the event, regardless of whether they make the halfway cut or not.
In most cases the appearance money surpasses the actual winner’s prize cheque, rendering a severe blow to the credibility of the event.
The Asian Tour, in particular, has been offering lucrative under-the-table offers to high profile players in order to draw the attention of big wigs to its events.
Several of the top-ranking players who find it difficult to land a title on comparatively tougher European and PGA Tours, normally, try to meet their expenses through the appearance money on the Asian Tour.
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