Masters Tournament Champion Danny Willett will tee off at Saujana Golf & Country Club next year in a tournament that promises an experience of ‘Golf Like Never Before’.
The Yorkshireman is the first high profile announcement in a field that will compete for a US$3million prize purse from 9-12 February.
Willett will be looking to replicate his winning start in February 2016, when he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Two months later he picked up his biggest career win to date at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, finishing the season in second place in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex after another four top-ten finishes.
He was part of the victorious Team Europe at the EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in January this year before making his debut at The Ryder Cup in October, and represented Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Willett said, "I am delighted to confirm my participation in Maybank Championship 2017. It's always great to be back in Malaysia and I have some great memories of my past appearances here in Kuala Lumpur."
I’ve played pretty nicely here in the past so I will definitely be coming to Saujana with confidence and aiming to put in a strong performance across the four days.
"Being here this week has given me a chance to see how the course is playing and it was fun being out there this morning with some guests from Maybank and Saujana. I am really looking forward to coming back to compete next year."
Maybank has also reaffirmed its commitment to support the continued pursuit of more ASEAN golf champions with the announcement of an all new ASEAN category in next year’s Maybank Championship to be held from 9-12 February.
The category will see the region’s rising tour professionals, as well as top ten Malaysians from the PGM Tour, tee-off alongside some of the world’s best golfers from both the European and Asian Tours.
This specific allocation builds on the inaugural event this year where four ASEAN players were given tournament invites. This year, the top player from Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam will be selected by their home Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) order of Merit based on their local tour Order of Merit and their Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour and World Rankings. By cementing this commitment in the makeup of the player field, regional players can aim for selection and the PGA in each market can include this as a key focus for growth of the game locally.
There is also a spot for the top Malaysian amateur which will be based on the R&A World Rankings as of mid-December 2016 and a second amateur invite has been extended to Curtis Luck of Australia who won the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in September this year. The winner of the season ending PGM Maybank Players’ Championship in December this year will also be included in the line-up.
Maybank Chairman Tan Sri Dato' Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor said, “After seeing the rising standards of golf professional excellence in the regional countries we operate in, I am very happy to share the news of our new ASEAN category for the Maybank Championship 2017. Talents mature faster with opportunities to compete alongside the best, and in this case, more regional golfers will be up against some of the world’s elite. Our joint Asian/European Tour tournament has a proven track record in revealing future world beaters and I expect next year’s version to continue to provide new surprises”.
Tan Sri Dato' Megat Zaharuddin added, “With Danny confirming that he will be taking part in the Maybank Championship 2017, I will be naming other stars in the coming couple of months in the run-up to next February. The Saujana Palm (“Cobra”) course has provided tough challenges to many world class golfers before, and with it now revamped, I am sure our golfing fans can look forward to much drama and excitement during the event. We plan other associated happenings during the week, to make for an experience of ‘Golf Like Never Before’ for those involved, as players and as spectators”.
Joint Tournament Director David Garland of the European Tour said, “We are delighted with the introduction of the new ASEAN category for Maybank Championship 2017. This is a bold statement from the organisers to show their commitment to developing golfing talent in the region and it is certainly something that we at the European Tour actively support and encourage”.
