Kuala Lumpur: Teenage sensation and world number Lydia Ko will feature in the new 75-player field when the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia returns to the magnificent Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club for its fifth staging from October 9 – 12.

The 17-year-old LPGA Tour rookie confirms her participation on the back of her fourth Tour victory at the Marathon Classic, during which she shot a final-round 6-under 65 to beat Korea’s So Yeon Ryu by a single shot.

The victory saw Ko become the youngest player in LPGA Tour history- at 17 years, 2 months and 26 day – to cross the $1 million mark in career earnings, helped by her eight top-ten finishes and two victories on tour so far this year.

Speaking of her participation in Malaysia’s leading women’s golf tournament, the Korean-born New Zealander said: “I have heard so much about the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia from the other LPGA players and am quite excited to be playing it this year for my first time.  Overall, I am really enjoying my rookie year on Tour as a professional, and look forward to my remaining events, especially when the Tour travels to Kuala Lumpur and other regions throughout Asia in a couple of months’ time.”

Ko will line up alongside defending champion Lexi Thompson and six Malaysian Angels in a new-look field, designed to ensure that the tournament continues to provide fans with a first-class spectacle featuring the world’s top golfers, while also offering professional Malaysian golfers the opportunity to test themselves against the world’s best.