European Tour Legends And ASEAN Stars Set To Lock Horns At Maybank Championship

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- European Tour legends, Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez have confirmed their participation at this year's Maybank Championship, adding quality to the marquee field in Malaysia. The duo's entry also comes alongside Maybank's announcement of a five-strong ASEAN line-up joining the Asian and European Tour-sanctioned event at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Subang from March 21-24. "The inclusion of Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez is exciting news for golfing fans and will certainly add to the stiff competition expected this year. "So too is the ASEAN category, which we see as an extension of our commitment to support the growth of local talent in the region," said Maybank Group President and chief executive officer, Abdul Farid Alias in a statement Thursday. The ASEAN quintet are Myanmar's Ye Htet Aung, Danny Masrin (Indonesia), Johnson Poh (Singapore) and the Philippines' duo of Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan. These players are appropriately qualified, based on their overall ranking on the Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour and the Official World Golf Ranking. "We hope the opportunity provided to the five ASEAN players in particular will enable them to lift their game further, and inspire even more young talents in the region to aim to be among the world's best. We wish them and the rest of the field all the very best in the tournament," he added. According to the statement, the entries of Bjorn and Jimenez would add greater depth to an already formidable field that includes four-time Major Champion Ernie Els of South Africa and 2020 European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington of Ireland. Defending champion and reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Shubhankar Sharma of India, top-ranked Malaysian Gavin Kyle Green, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and Thailand's Poom Saksansin are among the other names who have confirmed their participation. Their appearance would heighten the competition and excitement to the international field in the fourth edition of the US$3 million (RM12.22 million) tournament. The Maybank Championship, with its tag line 'Where the Best Meet' is part of the European Tour's season-long “Race to Dubai” and will feature no fewer than 15 of the world’s top-150 players. -- BERNAMA