KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 ― After a three-year hiatus, the 2023 Maybank Golf Championship, which is sanctioned by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), will tee off at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) in Bukit Kiara, here, from October 26-29.
Maybank Group president and chief executive officer Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli said the championship, offering total prize money of US$3 million (about RM13 million), is set to be contested by 78 professional women golfers, with 10 slots set aside for Malaysian and Southeast Asian golfers.
He said the championship this year, themed “Retake the Green”, reflects Maybank’s confidence in the women golfers to show their true potential by turning on the style on the greens.
“Women’s golf has a great following worldwide, especially in this region and, if we look at the LPGA, some of the most famous golfers are from Asia, including Malaysia’s Kelly Tan. That is why, if possible, I want all the top-ranked players to compete in this championship.
“We, however, are still retaining the championship name because we already have a collaboration with the LPGA, so surely everyone knows it is a women’s championship. The collaboration with the LPGA will be for at least three years,” he told reporters, here, today.
Also present at the launch of the championship were Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, Maybank Group chairman Tan Sri Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, LPGA’s Chief Business Officer Asia Sean Pyun and KLGCC president Tun Musa Hitam.
Meanwhile, Hannah, who launched the 2023 Maybank Golf Championship, is confident that the international-level tournament will provide a platform for national women golfers to showcase their talent and help boost the country’s economic development.
“I believe that the hosting of this international-level championship will surely help encourage tourism and give Malaysia a platform to showcase not just its athletes but its facilities as well,” she said. ― Bernama
