Top ranking players head to Maybank Malaysian Open after the Masters
The 50th edition of Maybank Malaysian Open, starting next week at the impressive Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, will feature some of the top ranking golfers in the world. The Asian Tour members who have won the championship
nine times since its inception will be crouching to leap to the top to clinch yet another glory for Asian golfers.
The $2.5 million event has been a happy hunting ground to Asians for a decade now and last year’s champion, South Korean Noh Seung-Yul, saw his career soar to new heights after his victory in Maybank Malaysian Open. Noh’s dramatic
victory in the final round proved to be the launching pad for the young golfer who forged ahead to become the youngest Asian Tour Order of Merit winner at 19.
“Malaysia is always good to me. Every time I come, it’s a good experience. Also, every time I come, the field seems to be getting stronger. From a personal perspective, Malaysia has been monumental, experience wise,” said Noh.
Noh’s precision play will be put to a test as the World Number One, Martin Kaymer will also be participating in the event. The current British Open Champion, South African Louis Oosthuizen along with Irish celebrity golfer, Rory Mcllroy,
the top ten players in the world, will be making the headlines in the event.
Other Asians who have won the Seagram Trophy (the trophy of the Maybank Malaysian open) include Chinese Taipei’s Yeh Wei-tze won the title in 2000 and Charlie Wi of Korea in 2006. Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee has won the championship
twice in 2004 and again in 2005 on the likes of Arjun Atwal who lifted the cup in 2003 and 2008.
Two-time Asian Tour number one, Jeev Milkha Singh will also be among the stellar cast of the tournament. Singh has been battling injuries for quite some time now and will be participating for the first time since 2008, and with his
decorated career on the Asian Tour having won six times, he has the ability to romp to a big win.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand who won the Sail Open last week in India, will also be bidding for the title, along with Japanese Tetsuji Hiratsuka, the three-time winner of the last season, Rookie of the year for 2010, Sweden’s
Rikard Karlberg and Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei.
Thongchai will pose a serious threat to the World Number One, Kaymer, besides other difficulties the Europeans face on an Asian Tour. He has won an amazing 13 Asian Tour Titles and loves to play in Malaysia. “Malaysia is like my second
home. I have a lot of fans and a lot of people know me. I like coming to Malaysia,” said Thongchai.
Maybank Malaysian Open, first co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour in 1999, will be played from April 14-17. The official sponsor of the championship, The Maybank Group, is one of the leading financial institutions
of Malaysia. Established in 1960, the group has an international network of 1,750 branches in some 14 countries in Asia.
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