Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Group continued to deepen its commitment to the game of golf with the signing of a one-year sponsorship deal with Malaysia’s leading lady golfer Kelly Tan.

The region’s leading universal banking group unveiled Kelly as its new brand ambassador on Monday, calling her a “true winner”.

In welcoming Kelly under their wings, CIMB Group chief executive Tengku Dato’ Zafrul Abdul Aziz expressed his hopes that the 21-year-old Johorean will emulate squash sensation Nicol Ann David in rising to the pinnacle of her sport.

“We’re very pleased that Kelly Tan has agreed to become one of our ambassadors. She competes on the global stage and represents a lot of what the CIMB brand stands for. We believe in developing and nurturing young ASEAN sporting talents such as Kelly and to provide her with the support she requires to play on world’s richest and most competitive ladies tour was a no-brainer,” said Tengku Zafrul, who described Kelly as  an “aggressive player with a strong mindset.”

“Our expectations of Kelly are very realistic. She’s still young and it is only her second year on Tour, so we will give her the opportunity to grow as a player. We have inked a one-year deal at present but we are committed to see Kelly through her career, with the foresight that she is already in the running to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics,” he added.

Kelly, who finished a credible 89th in her rookie season last year, is thrilled to be carrying the CIMB logo, which will be emblazoned on her cap.

“The CIMB brand is a strong one, domestically and internationally, and is one that has become synonymous with golf. I look forward to a very successful partnership as I seek to realise my goal of being ranked in the top-60 of the LPGA this season,” said Kelly.

“It is great to be in the same stable as someone like Nicol, who is one of the world’s leading sporting icons and it is a good target for me to work towards,” she quipped.

Kelly is placed 81st on the LPGA’s official money list so far this year with a haul of US$13,890 from three events participated so far.