PRIME MINISTER COMMENDS THE RETURN OF THE CIMB ASIA PACIFIC CLASSIC, MALAYSIA
Putrajaya, Malaysia, Tuesday, 6 September 2011 - Prime Minister YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak today welcomed the second edition of CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia to be held from the 27 – 30 October 2011 at the MINES Resort & Golf Club, as a world-class event which continued to position the country's standing in the international sporting arena during its debut last year.
Speaking at an event held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya today, Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, Group Chief Executive, CIMB Group announced that the tournament, already the largest and richest of its kind in ASEAN will make the following modifications.
- An increase in the winner’s purse from USD1 million to USD1.3 million; making this the largest winner’s purse for an officially sanctioned event in Asia Pacific;
- An increase in field size from 40 to 48 players. The 48 players who will be eligible to compete are the Top 30 from the FedEx Cup final rankings, the Top 10 from the Asian Tour Order of Merit and 8 sponsors exemptions; and
- Increase number of Malaysian golfers from 1 to 2.
“We expect this year’s tournament to be bigger and better. The enhancements we have made to the player field and purse sets the stage for an exciting week at the end of October,” said Nazir.
“After taking into account feedback from various stakeholders, we are also happy to announce that we will be using two of our sponsor’s exemptions to increase the number of Malaysians in the field from 1 to 2,” he added.
The 2011 edition of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic will see the top 30 PGA TOUR players who qualify through the FedEx Cup standings battle it out with the Top 10 Asian Tour players and 8 sponsor’s exemptions. All 48 players will play 4 rounds. Similar to last year, there will be no halfway cut.
Nazir also made an announcement to the early confirmations the tournament has received. “I am pleased to tell you that major champions Stewart Cink and Angel Cabrera have accepted our invitation and confirmed their participation. Our defending champion Ben Crane will also be back to defend his title,” said Nazir. “We are also seeing strong interest from many players (from the PGA Tour and Asian Tour) and will be announcing the player field as and when the FedEx Cup rankings become final,” he added.
Co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR, Asian Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia, the total prize purse for the tournament this year will be increased to USD6.1 million.
The tournament last year witnessed one of the strongest professional fields to have competed in ASEAN, and hosted the likes of Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Luke Donald, Robert Allenby, Retief Goosen, Ricky Fowler, and last year’s eventual winner, Ben Crane.
“The 2010 tournament exceeded our expectations in many ways. The players were impressed by the course and have only good things to say about the event,” commented Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR, EVP of Communications and International Affairs. “The PGA TOUR recognises Malaysia is a key footprint for building its brand in Asia, and we recognise the importance of developing golf at the National level,” added Votaw.
“The CIMB Asia Pacific Classic remains a significant milestone for Malaysia and for ASEAN. We are encouraged by the support we have received thus far and look forward to delivering another world class experience to the sporting public,” Nazir concluded.
Last year, the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic received over 1,457 hours of broadcast in 29 languages to a global audience in over 500 million households worldwide and hosted over 20,000 spectators on course. This year, together with the PGA TOUR, it plans to expand the broadcast distribution to reach more golf fans across the globe.
For more information on the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia 2011, log on to our website at www.cimbasiapacificclassic.com, or join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CIMBAsiaPacificClassicMalaysia.
About CIMB Group
The title sponsor of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia is CIMB Group. CIMB Group is one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is now present in 8 out of 10 ASEAN nations. CIMB Group offers a full suite of financial services and related products; has a market capitalisation of approximately US$22 billion as at 30 June 2011 and over 39,000 employees located in 14 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 and Nationwide Tour. 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.
In 2010, the three Tours collectively have tournaments in 34 states and in 12 countries outside of the U.S. PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 600 million households in 225 countries and territories and in 30 languages.
Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2009, tournaments on the three Tours generated $108 million for local charitable organizations. The TOUR’s all-time total of charitable contributions is approaching $1.5 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
About 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 J.Lindeberg (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Royal Selangor (Official Trophy Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Pan Pacific (Official Hotel) and Srixon (Official Ball).
About Professional Golf Association of Malaysia
The PGA of Malaysia is the governing body of professional golf in Malaysia with a membership of 280 touring and vocational pros.
About Mines Resort & Golf Club
The Mines Resort & Golf Club is a proprietary Club beneficially owned and operated by the Mines Excellence Golf Resort Berhad.
Established in 1993 through the vision of its founder, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, and the expertise of legendary architect, Robert Trent Jones Jr., it was transformed from the world’s largest open cast tin mine into an international championship standard 18 Hole golf course in 1993. The green was left to mature for a year with maintenance of the highest standards.
The award-winning 246 acre, Par 71 course has hosted numerous international championships such as the World Cup Golf in 1999, the Women’s World Cup Golf in 2000 and soon, the upcoming CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s first PGA TOUR sanctioned event, from 28 - 31 October 2010.
With a by invitation only policy, its membership profile consists of Royalties, Cabinet Ministers, Captains of Industries and principally, the nation’s elite. The Mines Resort & Golf Club provides world-class facilities together with uncompromised personalised services thus possessing the singular distinction of being the most celebrated golf destination in Malaysia for the elite, the exclusive and the eminent.