Kuala Lumpur: World number five Lexi Thompson has confirmed her title defence at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia when the fifth edition of the tournament returns to the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club from October 9-12.
The long-hitting American star will headline an expanded 75-player field, which is once again expected to draw a healthy mix of established world-class players as well as up-and-coming names, who will do battle over 72 holes at the challenging East Course for a share of the US$2 million prize purse.
In recognising the need to play a catalytic role to lift the standard of women’s golf in the country, title sponsor Sime Darby also announced that six Malaysian touring professionals – collectively known as the Malaysian Angels – will be handed starts in the tournament, namely Kelly Tan (LPGA), Jean Chua (Symetra), Michelle Low (Symetra), Ainil Johani Bakar (Ladies European Tour), Michelle Koh & Aretha Pan (China LPGA).
Speaking during the official tournament launch, Sime Darby Berhad group chief operating officer Dato Seri Abdul Wahab Maskan explained that a series of new developments have been put in place for the fifth staging of the tournament.
“2014 marks an important milestone for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia as we celebrate five years of bringing the world’s best golfers to Malaysia, an ongoing investment in the development of the women’s game in Malaysia and creating a truly world-class sporting spectacle for everybody to enjoy,” said Abdul Wahab.
“We wanted to mark this special occasion by making the 2014 edition of the tournament a celebration in every way. We have a number of exciting plans in the pipeline for this year’s tournament, which will coincide with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014,” he noted, adding that the event’s new slogan “Women with Drive” pays homage to the courage, passion and commitment displayed by women from all walks of life.
In a pre-recorded message, Thompson voiced her excitement at trying to emulate her performance last year, which marked a crucial turning point for 19-year-old as she went on to win two more times on the LPGA, including a maiden Major victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to Malaysia and defending my title at this year’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. Last year was such a fantastic tournament for me. I managed to keep in touch with the lead for the first two days and then, everything came good on the last two rounds and thereafter. I’ve got great memories of the golf course and will be doing my best to go out there, enjoy the atmosphere and hopefully, pick up from where I left off last year,” said Thompson.
In addition to a bigger field make-up, the tournament will also feature a new look Asian qualifying tournament, which will be staged from September 15-17, awarding one invite to the winner. As per tradition, the tournament will once again draw attention to fight against breast cancer with all proceeds from the four-day spectacle going to the Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation
