ID :
175215
Wed, 04/13/2011 - 17:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/175215
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIA VS THE BEST OF THE WORLD AT 2011 MALAYSIAN OPEN
KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Bernama) -- The 50th edition of the Malaysian Open
golf championship is set to be celebrated in style with the players in action
being the strongest yet in the history of the competition.
Under the golden jubilee celebration held at the Kuala Lumpur Gold & Country
Club in Bukit Kiara, the competition's organiser, Malaysian Golf Association
(MGA), promised that it would put on a show that would be remembered for some
time to come, if not for the next 50 years.
With the prize purse of US$2.5 million (RM8 million), the competition has
attracted top golfers from around the globe.
Among them is South African Charl Schwartzel, who just won the US Masters at
the Augusta National Golf Club last Sunday.
He said that he is "just a happy person right now," although he did not yet
have the chance to celebrate his win.
"Obviously, last week was such a big week. It is still so difficult to take
it all in. I have been so busy with the media afterwards, and then straight from
there, I slept a few hours and got on the flight here.
"So, I have not really taken it all in yet. Maybe next week when I am at
home, I might sit down and watch the highlights and reflect on last week. I am
quite a happy guy right now," Schwartzel said at the "Meet the Players" session
on Wednesday.
For the first time, Malaysian golf enthusiasts will have the chance of
watching the world No.1, Martin Kaymer of Germany, in action.
Kaymer said that he did not think about missing the cut at the Masters
anymore.
"At the moment, I'm not thinking about Augusta. I'm thinking about the
Malaysian Open. That's important to me. You cannot take away the tournament
here. Augusta does not change, and I will focus on that two or three weeks
before the event," said Kaymer, who won the USPGA in 2010.
Arriving in the same flight as Kaymer was Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who had a
four-stroke lead going into Sunday’s final round of the Masters. However, the
21-year-old melted under pressure to return with a score of 80.
He said that the Malaysian Open would definitely be another great challenge
for him.
"Everything is a challenge. The conditions will be a lot different. Also,
the humidity will be another challenge. The greens will be different than what
I've putted on the last few weeks. They'll be grainy and a lot slower. The
opposition this week is tough.
"I've got to get over the jetlag too, so there is a lot to deal with. I am
excited to get out there though. Hopefully, that will take over. I have the
enthusiasm for getting out there and that will be enough," McIlroy said.
Other players who have confirmed their participation this year include
reigning British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, Matteo Manassero, John Parry,
Andrew Dodt, Soren Kjeldsen, Pablo Martin, Rhys Davies, Thongchai Jaidee, Noh
Seung-yul and Marcus Fraser.
For many golfing fans in Malaysia, the Malaysian Open championship is just
an annual event as the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) has been hosting it for
the past 50 years. However, no Malaysian has lifted the prestigious Seagram
Trophy so far.
The most memorable moment for Malaysian golfing fans came in 1994, when P.
Gunasegaran came within a whisker of winning the trophy at the championship held
at the Royal Selangor Golf Club. However, he lost to Sweden's Joakim Haeggmann
in a play-off.
Now, the country is looking at the 50th Maybank Malaysian Open, where the
nation hopes for a strong challenge from local players.
Malaysia will be banking on 16 local professionals and six amateurs who will
join a star-studded cast looking for an elusive break in the Maybank Malaysian
Open that tees-off on Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
The professional golfers in the Malaysian stable are Danny Chia, Iain Steel,
Ben Leong, Mohd Shaaban Hussin, Rashid Ismail, R. Nachimuthu, A. Sasar, Mohamad
Hanafiah Mohd Jamil, Akmal Tarmizee Nazari, M. Sasidaran, S. Sivachandran, Airil
Rizman Zahari, Khor Kheng Hwai, Sukree Othman, Nicholas Fung and Shaifubari
Muda.
Meanwhile, amateur golfers -- Mohd Azman Basharudin, Kenneth de Silva, Mohd
Hisyam Majid, Jeremiah Kim, Chan Tuck Soon, and Gavin Kyle Green -- will be
looking at nothing more than gaining some valuable experience.
golf championship is set to be celebrated in style with the players in action
being the strongest yet in the history of the competition.
Under the golden jubilee celebration held at the Kuala Lumpur Gold & Country
Club in Bukit Kiara, the competition's organiser, Malaysian Golf Association
(MGA), promised that it would put on a show that would be remembered for some
time to come, if not for the next 50 years.
With the prize purse of US$2.5 million (RM8 million), the competition has
attracted top golfers from around the globe.
Among them is South African Charl Schwartzel, who just won the US Masters at
the Augusta National Golf Club last Sunday.
He said that he is "just a happy person right now," although he did not yet
have the chance to celebrate his win.
"Obviously, last week was such a big week. It is still so difficult to take
it all in. I have been so busy with the media afterwards, and then straight from
there, I slept a few hours and got on the flight here.
"So, I have not really taken it all in yet. Maybe next week when I am at
home, I might sit down and watch the highlights and reflect on last week. I am
quite a happy guy right now," Schwartzel said at the "Meet the Players" session
on Wednesday.
For the first time, Malaysian golf enthusiasts will have the chance of
watching the world No.1, Martin Kaymer of Germany, in action.
Kaymer said that he did not think about missing the cut at the Masters
anymore.
"At the moment, I'm not thinking about Augusta. I'm thinking about the
Malaysian Open. That's important to me. You cannot take away the tournament
here. Augusta does not change, and I will focus on that two or three weeks
before the event," said Kaymer, who won the USPGA in 2010.
Arriving in the same flight as Kaymer was Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who had a
four-stroke lead going into Sunday’s final round of the Masters. However, the
21-year-old melted under pressure to return with a score of 80.
He said that the Malaysian Open would definitely be another great challenge
for him.
"Everything is a challenge. The conditions will be a lot different. Also,
the humidity will be another challenge. The greens will be different than what
I've putted on the last few weeks. They'll be grainy and a lot slower. The
opposition this week is tough.
"I've got to get over the jetlag too, so there is a lot to deal with. I am
excited to get out there though. Hopefully, that will take over. I have the
enthusiasm for getting out there and that will be enough," McIlroy said.
Other players who have confirmed their participation this year include
reigning British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, Matteo Manassero, John Parry,
Andrew Dodt, Soren Kjeldsen, Pablo Martin, Rhys Davies, Thongchai Jaidee, Noh
Seung-yul and Marcus Fraser.
For many golfing fans in Malaysia, the Malaysian Open championship is just
an annual event as the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) has been hosting it for
the past 50 years. However, no Malaysian has lifted the prestigious Seagram
Trophy so far.
The most memorable moment for Malaysian golfing fans came in 1994, when P.
Gunasegaran came within a whisker of winning the trophy at the championship held
at the Royal Selangor Golf Club. However, he lost to Sweden's Joakim Haeggmann
in a play-off.
Now, the country is looking at the 50th Maybank Malaysian Open, where the
nation hopes for a strong challenge from local players.
Malaysia will be banking on 16 local professionals and six amateurs who will
join a star-studded cast looking for an elusive break in the Maybank Malaysian
Open that tees-off on Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
The professional golfers in the Malaysian stable are Danny Chia, Iain Steel,
Ben Leong, Mohd Shaaban Hussin, Rashid Ismail, R. Nachimuthu, A. Sasar, Mohamad
Hanafiah Mohd Jamil, Akmal Tarmizee Nazari, M. Sasidaran, S. Sivachandran, Airil
Rizman Zahari, Khor Kheng Hwai, Sukree Othman, Nicholas Fung and Shaifubari
Muda.
Meanwhile, amateur golfers -- Mohd Azman Basharudin, Kenneth de Silva, Mohd
Hisyam Majid, Jeremiah Kim, Chan Tuck Soon, and Gavin Kyle Green -- will be
looking at nothing more than gaining some valuable experience.
