DID YOU KNOW – MAYBANK MALAYSIAN OPEN
• The Maybank Malaysian Open became part of The European Tour International Schedule in 1999 and was the first co-sanctioned event between The European and Asian Tours. It was played at the Saujana Golf and Country Club and won by American Gerry Norquist. This year will be the 17th occasion the two Tours have been involved in the event. This year also marks the 17th consecutive season that The European and Asian Tours have co-sanctioned events together.
• Lee Westwood will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Thongchai Jaidee (2004-2005) and make a successful defence of the title. Should he achieve this, the Englishman would follow Jaidee as the only players to win in back-to-back years since the event became part of The European Tour. (Westwood also won the title in 1997 before the event became co-sanctioned).
• Lee Westwood won in wire-to-wire fashion in 2014. He was one of seven winners last season to win this way. The 41 year old has won 14 of his 42 worldwide titles on Asian soil. Since 2011 seven of his last nine professional victories have been in Asia.
• The Maybank Malaysian Open is one of only two European Tour events to have witnessed two different teenage winners. In 20l0 Noh Seung-yul won aged 18 years and 213 days. Twelve months later, Matteo Manassero won aged 17 years and 363 days. The first event was the Dutch Open which saw Seve Ballesteros in 1976 and Paul Way in 1982, aged 19 years and 121 days and 19 years and 149 days respectively.
• Thongchai Jaidee will be trying to continue his wonderful form in the event. He was victorious in 2004 and 2005, was second in 2006 and tied seventh in 2001 and 2010. Since the event became part of The European Tour in 1999 he has played 15 times, only missing the first year in 1999.
• Since 1999, eight of the 16 previous years have been won by players claiming their maiden European Tour International Schedule victory. They are: Gerry Norquist (1999), Yeh Wei-tze (2000), Alastair Forsyth (2002), Thongchai Jaidee (2004), Charlie Wi (2006), Anthony Kang (2009), Noh Seung-yul (2010) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (2013).
• The Maybank Malaysian Open holds the record for most European Tour wins by Asian players with eight.
• The European Tour’s oldest winner, Miguel Angel Jiménez is competing in the Maybank Malaysian Open for the first time since 2006. He holds the record for most European Tour victories on Asian soil with seven.
