15 October 2015 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: GlobalOne today announced that they had secured the approval of the Sports Commissioner of Malaysia under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, for the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia 2016.
“We are deeply grateful for the approval of the Sports Commissioner of Malaysia and the guidance of Dato’ Zaiton Binti Othman for the upcoming Maybank Championship Malaysia. This approval is key to any international sporting event that makes Malaysia its home. With this, the guidance of our partner sanctioning bodies and the support of our sponsors we anticipate a new era of growth for golf as a spectator and professionally played sport in Malaysia and across ASEAN,” said Tan Sri Mohd Razali Abdul Rahman, Chairman of GlobalOne.
The Sports Commissioner of Malaysia is - under Malaysia’s Sports Development Act 1997 - responsible for ensuring that all governing bodies of sports in Malaysia that aim to compete at an international level, conduct themselves in a proper, professional and appropriate manner.
“The Maybank Championship Malaysia marks a new milestone for Maybank’s involvement in golf. The approval by Malaysia's Sports Commissioner (for which we too are grateful) reaffirms our belief that Maybank's past ten-years efforts in advancing Malaysian golf to attain it's highest levels of professionalism, need new approaches. Golf will be in the Olympics in Rio next year in August, and our support of some of the PGM and PGAM tournaments coupled with having the Maybank Championship Malaysia next February should give our professionals more chances to gain the world ranking points essential for gaining qualification into the Olympics,” said Tan Sri Dato Megat Zaharuddin, Chairman of Maybank. "The Maybank Championship Malaysia is part of Maybank’s broader plans to continue supporting the pursuit of golf excellence in Malaysia and the ASEAN region. This will be integrated into the engagements that Maybank will have with its stakeholders to ensure the best collaborative measures to achieve that end and profile Maybank appropriately in its various communities worldwide", added to Tan Sri Megat.
GlobalOne, together with sanctioning partners Asian Tour and The European Tour, also announced that PGM Tour and the Professional Golfers Association of Malaysia (PGAM) would be joining the list of Sanctioning Partners to the Maybank Championship 2016. The involvement of the leading professional golfing bodies in Malaysia will be key to ensuring the quality of the talent at the Championship. The two bodies will also help Maybank and GlobalOne continue to support the local development of professional golf.
““The Maybank Championship Malaysia 2016 will indeed be a showcase pitting our finest professionals against some of the world’s finest players competing across a four day event in Malaysia filled with the drama, excitement and passion that is part and parcel of truly great golf! As I see the development of our players over the various PGM and co-sanctioned Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournaments in these past years, I am confident we are on our way to making Malaysia a regional golf sporting powerhouse and the Maybank Championship Malaysia provides a valuable platform for our players to assess which level they are at. “PGM is grateful that Maybank will provide a spot in the championship for the PGM Players’ Championship winner.” ” said Tun Ahmad Sarji, PGM Tour Chairman.
“We are very pleased to see the Maybank Championship Malaysia 2016 bringing together all the relevant parties who have a vested interest in seeing the development of golf in a professional and sustainable manner in Malaysia. The PGAM is tremendously optimistic of what this partnership will bring to Malaysian golfers and we are already developing programs to enhance Malaysian golf with the Championship that we will announce at a later date,” said Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Ghani bin Othman, President of PGAM.
The event will be staged at the prestigious Royal Selangor Golf Club from the 18th -21st February and will feature an attractive prize purse of USD 3 million. "The Royal Selangor Golf Club is getting primed and ready with preparations picking up speed for the much anticipated Maybank Championship Malaysia. The upgraded course will give golfers a new experience as they adapt to the unique challenges and we can expect a great deal of excitement and surprises on the course “ said Wong Lee Ming, Captain of RSGC.
Maybank’s inclusiveness in providing opportunities for pursuing golf excellence across ASEAN is part of its focus in enabling it to be its stakeholder’s choice ASEAN financial services provider whilst humanising financial services. Maybank envisages its inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia in 2016 is a key first major initiative in the sporting arena that will further its ambitions in the region as it will enhance its reach to stakeholders in various ways, including providing inspiration to youth from across the region to pursue their dreams yet bringing together all segments of society captivated by interest in the sport.