Matteo will be back

Defending champ Manassero confirms participation in Malaysian Open

PETALING JAYA: The 51st edition of the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club next month received a further boost as Matteo Manassero has confirmed that he will defend the crown which he won so impressively last year.

The 18-year-old Italian was a revelation during the prestigious European and Asian Tour co-sanctioned championship last year, where he displayed impressive accuracy to claim the title by one stroke ahead of a world-class field.

The victory at last year’s Malaysian Open was the rising Italian star’s second on the European Tour.

His maiden triumph, in the Castello Masters Costa Azahar in Spain in October 2010, made him the youngest winner in European Tour history and he won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of The Year award for his feat.

With two top-10 finishes to date this year, including a strong runner-up finish at the Andalucia Open Costa De Sol last week, Manassero is coming into form at the right time.

Manassero joins a stellar cast led by former world No. 1 Martin Kaymer, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Alvaro Quiros for the Open from April 12-15.

“It has been a time-honoured tradition of the Malaysian Open that the reigning champion returns to defend his title and we are pleased to have Manassero in the line-up for the 2012 edition of the National Open,” said Mohamed Adam Wee, chief marketing officer of Maybank.

“We believe strongly in celebrating champions and look forward to yet another inspiring display of skill from Manassero.”

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Golf Association said that the final two amateur slots will be filled by Johorean duo Abel Tam Kwang Yuan and George Wee Yoke Boon.

The 19-year-old Abel is a member of the national team while George earned his start after emerging as the champion of the just-concluded 1Malaysia Golf Challenge.