Major winners and young champions on the big stage will battle it out for the honours at Saujana next week
KUALA LUMPUR – 15 March 2019 – A formidable field has been announced for the Maybank Championship at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Shah Alam, Selangor happening from 21 to 24 March and includes a strong mix of experienced and young professional players.
Led by Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington, who between them have seven Major titles, a good number of world-class players will find a new breed of up-and-coming champions in their path for the honours at the US$3 million tournament, co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.
Also amongst the seasoned campaigners will be the evergreen Miguel Ángel Jiménez, a popular figure with 21 European Tour titles under his belt, and Thomas Bjørn, European Ryder Cup captain of their 2018 triumph.
The new blood will have American Kurt Kitayama at the fore front as they bid to topple the long-established pros. He is a two-time winner on the European Tour this season with victories at the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open in December and the Oman Open earlier this month.
Kitayama is a two-time winner on the European Tour this season with victories at the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open in December and the Oman Open earlier this month. His win at the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour’s Darulaman Championship in January 2018 kick-started what turned out to be a brilliant year for the now 26-year-old.
Also looking to build on what has been a good campaign so far in 2019 will be David Law, David Lipsky and Aaron Rai – all of whom have been in the winner’s circle this season.
David Law will fancy his chances following his win at the ISPS Handa Vic Open in early February where his 18-under-par 270 was a performance of note – a similar showing at Saujana would take some beating.
Lipsky is another proven champion and the 2014 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner. His Alfred Dunhill Championship victory in South Africa in December is testament to his game and character, as was his runner-up finish in the 2017 Maybank Championship.
Rai, the 24-year-old from Wolverhampton, England, won the Honma Hong Kong Open in November for his first European Tour crown and will be just as keen to make the Maybank Championship his second.
Next week’s field at Saujana will also include Belgium’s World Cup champions Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry. They won the coveted team event in Melbourne, Australia last November and adds spice to a line-up that will also feature several Asian Tour winners hoping to make their mark on the global stage.
For further details, please log on to: www.maybankchampionship.com.my