which is also co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia, is the first official PGA Tour FedExCup event in Asia and the first full-fledged PGA Tour event to be held outside of the Americas. Entering its fourth year, the annual golf tournament has become a marquee event on the
international sports calendar and will present the strongest field to contend in Asean yet. The tournament will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) from 24 to 27 October.
American Bubba Watson, South African Ernie Els and Spain’s Sergio Garcia are latest additions to join Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama as well as defending champion, Nick Watney to compete for the US$7.0 million purse, Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Ryder Cup points and official FedExCup points. The winner of the 2013 CIMB Classic also receives a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in the 2014 Masters at Augusta National.
The complete field for the CIMB Classic will comprise 60 players from the PGA TOUR, the top 10 available players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit and eight sponsor’s exemptions.
“This is a stellar field and the strongest ASEAN has ever seen - 20 of the Top 50 players in the world and 15 major championship victories and 170 PGA Tour wins collectively. With so many great players taking to the course, we are bound to see some fantastic golf,” said Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, Group Chief Executive of CIMB Group.
“With its ascension to a full-fledged US PGA Tour event, the CIMB Classic is now Malaysia’s biggest international sporting event and will showcase golf in our
country to at least 700 million viewers worldwide,” added Nazir.
Four-time PGA Tour winner and 2012 Masters Champion, Bubba Watson will play in the CIMB Classic for the first time. Among the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, Watson has ranked in the top five in driving distance every year since he first started on the PGA Tour in 2006. He led the Tour in driving distance in 2006 to 2008 and 2012. Watson won the 2012 Masters Tournament after defeating Louis Oosthuizen on the second sudden death playoff hole with a 90-degree shot out of the trees that will forever be remembered as one of the greatest shots in tournament history.
Former world number one, Ernie Els will compete in the CIMB Classic for the second time. Els finished T5 in 2010. His professional career spans over 20
years and includes 66 victories (19 PGA Tour and 47 international wins), among which are four major championships — the US Open in 1994 and 1997, and The Open Championship in 2002 and 2012. Els birdied the 18th hole at Royal Lytham & St Annes to capture his second Claret Jug in 2012 by one stroke. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010 on first time ballot, and was inducted in May 2011.
Also confirmed for the CIMB Classic is eight-time PGA Tour winner Sergio Garcia. Garcia’s 2013 season includes a T3 finish at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, T7 finish at the Tampa Bay Championship, T8 finish at the Masters Tournament where he held the first-round co-lead with an opening 66 at Augusta National, a T8 with six others at The Players Championship, and a T4 at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Garcia is a six-time member and one of the leaders of recent European Ryder Cup teams.
Other notables in the field include 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas, 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson, and 2010 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink. — Bernama
