Kuala Lumpur - February 14 2012
National Qualifier event to offer five valuable starts at Maybank Malaysian Open 2012
Maybank ambassador Danny Chia to spearhead 22-strong local challenge at 51st edition of the National Open
Kuala Lumpur, 13 February - 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 to 6 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & 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 USD 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 to www.maybankmalaysianopen.com.
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About Maybank
The Maybank Group is Malaysia’s regional financial services leader with an international network of over 2,200 offices in 17 countries namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and the United States of America.
The Group offers an extensive range of products and services, which includes commercial banking, investment banking, Islamic banking, stock broking, insurance and takaful and asset management. It has over 45,000 employees serving more than 22 million customers worldwide.
About the Malaysian Golf Association
Founded in 1929, the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) as the sole governing body of golf in Malaysia has been entrusted to promote the game while preserving its traditions and integrity.
It’s a non-government organization that runs by volunteers who are passionate about the game with the help of a team of management staff.
The Association’s portfolios have increased over the years ranging from conducting 14 state amateur opens, national amateur open, national amateur close, Malaysian Open to processing handicaps through its National Handicap System to promoting grassroot programs and training of the athletes to represent Malaysia in the international events.
We take our responsibilities seriously in promoting the game in Malaysia while simultaneously upholding the Rules of Golf as prescribed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A;).
About GlobalOne
GlobalOne is an executive lifestyle sports marketing consultancy. We serve an expanding stable of prestigious Asia-Pacific clients through a network offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Indonesia. We have in the past created partnerships in golf, motor racing, sailing, tennis, rugby, skiing, athletics, basketball, cycling and skiing. Today, GlobalOne’s primary focus and area of sports rights ownership is professional golf.
GlobalOne currently stages two highly successful tournaments in Asia – the Maybank Malaysian Open ,which is co-sanctioned by the European tour and the Asian Tour and the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open. Over the past six years, GlobalOne has promoted a total of 21 events, all co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours, with total prize money in excess of US$20 million. GlobalOne has also staged the first World Cup of Golf in Asia, at China’s Mission Hills in 1995, and a second World Cup of Golf event in Kuala Lumpur in 1999.
For more information, log onto www.maybankmalaysianopen.com
For further information, please contact the official Communications Partner for the Maybank Malaysian Open 2012 – Arcis Communications Malaysia:
Liew I-Mae Shaan Hyder
Arcis Communications Arcis Communications
Tel : +6 03 7805 7133 Tel : +6 03 7805 7133
Mobile : +6 012 383 5688 Mobile : +6 010 220 4413
Email : imae @arciscommunications.com Email : [email protected]
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