Kuala Lumpur: The Sabah Masters was officially unveiled as the Tour Championship of the ASEAN PGA Tour on Tuesday, reinforcing the stature of the popular Malaysian tournament.
The growing success of the showpiece event – buoyed by a new, three-year sponsorship deal with premier sponsor Sabah Tourism Board (STB) – has inspired a year-long countdown for players eligible to play in the tournament based on Order of Merit.
The ASEAN PGA Tour will boast at least 11 tournaments in 2014, offering nearly US$1 million in overall prize money, thanks to one of its strongest schedules in recent years.
Speaking during the launch of Road to Sabah Masters campaign, STB chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai shared the board’s enthusiasm for the event’s new status.
“We are thrilled that many of South East Asia’s best professional golfers have come to play in this event since its revival and I would like to announce that we have signed a new three-year deal with ASEAN PGA Tour for the continuation of this event through 2017.
“Sabah is among the best golfing destinations in the world and based on the success of the past three editions, we believe that the Road to Sabah Masters will allow us to further capitalise on our involvement with this event and grow the awareness among the ASEAN golfing community on what Sabah has to offer as a leading golfing destination with a unique diversity of cultures and traditions.”
Joniston added that all efforts are being made to ensure that the prize purse will see an increase from its current US$75,o00. “We are able to commit that the prize purse will remain the same for 2015 but we are positive that with the support of corporate backers, we may well cross the threshold of US$100,000,” he noted.
“The Road to the Sabah Masters will create a buzz factor on the ASEAN PGA Tour as players compete throughout the season to make it into the field for the final event. We thank the Sabah Tourism Board for supporting this positive development,” said ASEAN PGA executive chairman AC Wong.
This year Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat claimed his second Sabah Masters title and fifth ASEAN PGA Tour victory at Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club. He pulled away from a packed leader board by firing a closing three-under-par 68 to beat compatriot Sattaya Supupramai and Vietnam’s Michael Tran by two shots.
He also claimed the event in 2011 while Antonio Lascuna from the Philippines triumphed in 2013.
