KUALA LUMPUR - After two days of gruelling and competitive play, five local players have earned themselves a spot in the upcoming Maybank Malaysian Open 2010, with Anis Helmi Hassan emerging top on the leader board.
They will form part of the 156-strong playing field that will tee off when the prestigious National Open commences on 4 March 2010.

The tournament is slated to take place on the West Course, at the newly-renovated Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Anis Helmi Hassan shot a 72 on Day One to tie for the lead, and continued with another 72 on Day Two for a total score of 144.

Of his stellar performance, he said, “I am very pleased with my performance on the whole and can’t wait to play at the Maybank Malaysian Open and. Hopefully, I can familiarise myself with the course by training here and continue my fitness regime and get more guidance from my coach.

“I would really like a chance to play with someone like Louis Oosthuisen and it would be great if I can finish in the top 20.”

R Nachimutu won the Qualifying Tournament last year and led after Day One this year but it was not meant to be as he shot a 6-over 78 and crashed out of the top 5.

Instead it was P Gunasegaran, M Sasidaran, Akhmal Tarmizie and Shukree Othman that managed to keep their poise and finish inside the top 5 to take their spots at the prestigious Maybank Malaysian Open. All four tied with an overall score of 149.

Well played

Malaysian Golf Association’s (MGA) President Robin Loh, expressed his enthusiasm for the progress of the local players, saying, “The Maybank Malaysian Open is a vital platform for the local players as it grants them a chance to hone their skills through an international playing field, and improve their game. Congratulations to the top five, and well done to the rest for a game well played.”

A star-studded field is expected at the 49th edition of the Maybank Malaysian Open, with the local players competing with some of the world’s best players for the championship title. With a US$2 million (RM6.7 million) prize purse up on offer, spectators can expect an exciting tournament this March.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of Maybank, Salleh Harun said, "This year, the players have outdone themselves yet again, turning out a good showing on the course despite the tough competition. We would like to applaud everyone for a well-played competition and we are delighted to witness the passion and enthusiasm shown by each participant. This can only mean that our Malaysian players are ready to compete alongside some of the world’s best at the Maybank Malaysian Open here in March."

Sharing Maybank’s views, M A Halim Ahmad, Director of GlobalOne said, “It’s an honour to be a part of the sport’s development in Malaysia, and we are pleased that Maybank, a longstanding partner of the Open, has agreed to come onboard in support of our plans to increase interest and the take-up of golf amongst Malaysians. We’re also very excited about the tournament this year as the level of play is very high amongst the locals and I am sure they will do us proud.”


The five selected professionals from the National Qualifiers will be joined by three invited players from the MGA, and four Malaysians who qualified to take part through their Asian Tour Rankings.

The four Asian Tour golfers are Danny Chia, Iain Steel, Shaaban Hussein, Ben Leong.

Organisers of the Maybank Malaysian Open 2010 also announced that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will be the Patron of the Maybank Malaysian Open.

Hopeful for VVIP participation

Organisers hope that with Najib’s involvement, they will be able to highlight the sport to the public and encourage more people to take up golf either competitively or socially, especially in view of the sports inclusion in the Olympics.

The four day co-sanctioned event runs from 4 to 7 March 2010. Additional information on the line up will be announced closer to the event.

Sponsor Maybank was incorporated on 31 May 1960 and commenced operations on 12 September 1960. On 17 February 1962, Maybank was listed on the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (today Bursa Malaysia).

The Maybank Group is the country’s leading financial services group with an international network of over 1,700 branches and offices in 14 countries namely, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea,  People’s Republic of China, Bahrain, Uzbekistan,  Pakistan, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The Group offers a comprehensive range of financial services and products ranging from commercial banking, investment banking, Islamic banking, credit cards, offshore banking, leasing and hire purchase, insurance, factoring, trustee services, asset management, stock broking, nominee services, venture capital and Internet banking.


In December 2005, Maybank signed on as the Title Sponsor of the country's premier golf tournament, the Malaysian Open from 2006 until 2010. (www.maybank2u.com)

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.


Passion for game

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).

The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the Senior Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour.

Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. The European Tour is the primary golf tour in Europe.

The European Tour was established by the British-based Professional Golfers' Association, and responsibility was transferred to an independent PGA European Tour organisation in 1984.

Most events on the PGA European Tour's three tours are held in Europe, but in recent years an increasing number have been held in other parts of the world outside of North America.

The PGA European Tour is a golfer-controlled organisation whose primary purpose is to maximise the income of tournament golfers.

It is a company limited by guarantee and is run by a professional staff but controlled by its playing members via a board of directors composed of 12 elected past and present tour players and a Tournament Committee of 14 current players.


Stages Ryder Cup also

As of 2007, the Chairman of the Board is Neil Coles and the Chairman of the Tournament Committee is Thomas Bjørn.

The European-based events on the European Tour are nearly all played in Western Europe and the most lucrative of them take place in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain.

The PGA European Tour also stages The Ryder Cup in cooperation with the PGA of America.

As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game.

The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia.  

This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include ESPN Star Sports (Official Regional TV Broadcaster), Pin High (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider) and Srixon (Official Ball).

Sentosa, Singapore’s premier island resort getaway is the Home of the Asian Tour.

GlobalOne is an executive lifestyle sports marketing consultancy founded in 1987 and works with sports governing bodies, broadcasters, commercial sponsors and other partners to create effective sports properties and events that deliver on the bottom-line.

Its extensive experience blankets executive lifestyle sports marketing as well as media marketing which spans across all sports, cultures and geographies.

GlobalOne serves an expanding stable of prestigious Asia-Pacific clients through a network offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Indonesia.

It has 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 and the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open – all of which enjoy European Tour and Asian Tour co-sanctioning.

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