Oosthuizen, Kaymer confirm participation at Maybank Malaysia Championship 2016

KUALA LUMPUR: Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer were revealed as the first international golfing professionals to confirm their participation for the upcoming Maybank Championship from Feb 18-21 next year.

Oosthuizen the 2012 Maybank Malaysia Open champion is ranked world number 13 while Kaymer is currently ranked number 26, according to the official world golf ranking.

Maybank chairman Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor who said the inclusion of players like Oosthuizen and Kaymer alongside a field of play that is being curated to be among the best in Asia is sure to elevate the championship.

“The Maybank Championship marks our commitment to raising the bar for professional golf and we will be making several other similar player announcements and innovations in the coming months,” he told a press conference at the Royal Selangor Golf Club here yesterday.

In 2010, Oosthuizen of South Africa won his first European Tour event, the Open de Andalucia de Golf and won his first major championship, the 139th Open Championship at St Andrews. He won for a fourth time on the European Tour when he successfully defended his Africa Open title in 2012.

Oosthuizen continued his winning ways at the Volvo Golf Championship in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Kaymer of Germany played at the Maybank Malaysia Open in 2011 as world number one and holder of the US PGA Championship 2010. He has won the US Open 2014, his second major, and the Players Championship in 2014, which is the PGA Tour Flagship event.

Other wins include the HSBC World Golf Championship in 2010 and his place on Europe’s winning team at the Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2014. He last played in Malaysia at the Maybank Malaysia Open in 2012.

The inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia is cosanctioned by the European Tour, the Asian Tour, The Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour, The Professional Golfers Association of Malaysia (PGAM).

“This includes efforts to enable the participation of as many appropriately qualified professional golfers from as many countries in the region as possible.

“By doing so, we ensure that the entire field of play is of an order of quality that is entirely elevated as compared to focusing all of our attention, efforts and resources on handful of star players,” Megat Zaharuddin said.