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ASIAN TOUR STARS PRIMED FOR BATTLE AGAINST PGA TOUR RIVALS AT CIMB CLASSIC
Thursday 11/10/2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- A power-packed line-up of Asian Tour stars, led by current number one on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Marcus Fraser of Australia and Thai ace Thaworn Wiratchant, will go head-to-head with PGA TOUR players at the CIMB Classic later this month.
The top-10 players from the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit following the CJ Invitational Hosted by KJ Choi on Sunday earned their coveted places in the lucrative US$6.1 million showpiece at the Mines Resort and Golf Club from October 25-28.
Fraser will spearhead the Asian Tour challenge where the top-10 Asian Tour players have a combined 27 career wins on the region’s elite circuit.
Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said: “There is a wonderful mix of experienced stars and upcoming talents who have qualified for the CIMB Classic from the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.
“The likes of Thaworn Wiratchant, Marcus Fraser and Scott Hend have years of experience while Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar, David Lipsky, Jbe Kruger, Prom Meesawat, Masanori Kobayashi and Siddikur are amongst our many emerging stars of the game. We are confident our players will compete well alongside our counterparts from the PGA TOUR,” he added.
Japan’s Masanori Kobayashi and Korean-American David Lipsky, both Qualifying School graduates and winners this season, will make their debuts in the CIMB Classic as with India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and Anirban Lahiri, Australian Scott Hend and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat.
The other players who will tee up against 14-time Major winner Tiger Woods and other PGA TOUR players include Thai veteran Thaworn Wiratchant, Bangladeshi Siddikur and Jbe Kruger of South Africa, who is presently second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Thaworn, 45, will be expected to challenge for the CIMB Classic title as he is the man in form. Last month, the Thai veteran collected a record 14th Asian Tour title with a commanding victory at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in Malaysia.
He has won two other tournaments in Malaysia “ the 1996 Sabah Masters and 2001 Volvo Masters of Malaysia “ but a triumph at the CIMB Classic later this month would be the best yet in his highly decorated career.
Big-hitting Bhullar won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taipei last month after holding off Thaworn in a thrilling duel for his third Asian Tour title while Kruger, who finished tied 28th in last year’s CIMB event, claimed a breakthrough victory on the Asian Tour at the Avantha Masters in India earlier this season.
Kobayashi was triumphant on home soil at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open while Lahiri (SAIL-SBI Open), Lipsky (HANDA FALDO Cambodian Classic) and Hend (ISPS Handa Singapore Classic) have also stepped onto the winner’s rostrum this year.
Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to win on the Asian Tour, will make his second appearance in the CIMB Classic. One of Asia’s most consistent performers, he stood out in the inaugural event in 2010 at the Mines Resort by finishing tied 11th.
Sanctioned by the PGA TOUR, Asian Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia, the CIMB Classic 2012 will see a top class international field of 48 players competing for a US$6.1 million prize purse, with US$1.3 million going to the winner.
The tournament will feature 30 players from the PGA TOUR and the top 10 available players from the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. Eight sponsor exemptions will make up the rest of the field, with two places for Malaysian professionals “ Danny Chia and Shaaban Hussin. There will be no halfway cut for the event and as such all players will play all four days of golf.
The Asian Tour Qualifiers: Marcus Fraser (Aus), Jbe Kruger (Rsa), Masanori Kobayashi (Jpn), Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha), David Lipsky (USA), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind), Prom Meesawat (Tha), Scott Hend (Aus), Siddikur (Ban), Anirban Lahiri (Ind).
Tickets are on sale for the CIMB Classic with details as follows:
Ticket Prices
Ticket Day / Type : General Admission
25 October 2012 “ Thursday : RM90
26 October 2012 “ Friday : RM90
27 October 2012 “ Saturday : RM140
28 October 2012 “ Sunday : RM140
Season Pass : RM260
CIMB Bank Credit Card Holders
- CIMB Bank credit card holders stand a chance to receive up to 25% discounts on tickets purchased with CIMB credit card only at outlets.
- For further details please refer to www.cimbclasssic.com
- Terms and conditions apply
Limited tickets will be on sale at the following avenues, so get yours today at:
Official Ticketing Agent : Ticketpro
Tickets are available at
- All Ticketpro outlets
- Via ticket hotline +603 7880 7999
- Via email at info@ticketpro.com.my or click on http://www.ticketpro.com.my/jnp/contact/index.html for more info
Golf Retailers : Tickets are also available at selected MST outlets
Call Center / Office Operating Hours are as below:
Mondays “ Fridays : 9.30am - 6.00pm
Saturdays : 9.30am - 1.00pm
Sundays and Public Holidays : Closed
For more information on the CIMB Classic, log on to our website at www.cimbclassic.com, or join us on Facebook at, http://www.facebook.com/CIMBClassic.
About CIMB Group
The title sponsor of the CIMB Classic is CIMB Group. CIMB Group is one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is now present in 9 out of 10 ASEAN nations. CIMB Group offers a full suite of financial services and related products; has a market capitalisation of approximately USD17.8 billion as at 30 June 2012 and over 43,000 employees located in 18 countries. Read more about CIMB Group at www.cimb.com.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to approximately 715 million households in 225 countries and territories in 29 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2011, tournaments on the three Tours generated more than $121 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.7 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts), Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), Cityneon (Official Event Overlay Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner) and Srixon (Official Ball). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
SOURCE: CIMB GROUP
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
NAME : Effendy Shahul Hamid
Head, Group Marketing & Communications
CIMB Group
TEL : +603 - 2087 3030
FAX : +603 - 2093 1008
EMAIL : effendy.hamid@cimb.com
NAME : Chris Reimer
PGA TOUR
TEL: +1 904 273 3286
EMAIL: chrisreimer@pgatourhq.com
NAME : Chuah Choo Chiang
Media Director
Asian Tour
TEL: +603 7880 3714
FAX: +603 7880 1141
EMAIL: chuah@asiantour.com
WEBSITE: www.asiantour.com
--BERNAMA
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