RETURN TO SELANGOR
The PKNS Selangor Masters marks a return to the Malaysian state for the Asian Development Tour.
The PKNS Selangor Masters, which has been one of the highlights of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) for the past two years, will return to the schedule this year and will be played at its regular home Seri Selangor Golf Club from 19-22 June.
The popular event, which celebrates its 11th edition this season, will boast a total purse of US$175,000, and it will be the ADT’s fifth leg of the season. It will also mark the ADT’s first visit of the season to Malaysia, and it will be jointly sanctioned with the Toyota Tour – Malaysia’s domestic circuit, and a long-standing partner.
“I think it is fair to say the PKNS Selangor Masters is back by popular demand once again this year,” said Ken Kudo, General Manager, Asian Development Tour.
“Our season is already underway and so we truly welcome that announcement that confirms the PKNS Selangor Masters for 2024. It is one of the most lucrative events on the Asian Development Tour that has earned the respect of our membership since joining the fold in 2022.
Shariffuddin Ariffin of Malaysia won the 2022 installment, finishing the season in the top-10 of the ADT.
“We thank the organisers and sponsors of the event, Seri Selangor Golf Club and our friends at the Toyota Tour for their concentrated efforts in facilitating the 11th staging of this important tournament for Malaysia and the Asian Development Tour.”
Eighty players from the ADT will be eligible to play, while there will be 40 from the Toyota Tour. The total field size will be 144, with 24 invites.
Said Dato’ Setia Haji Haris bin Kasim, Selangor State Secretary & Chairman of the organising committee: “We are expecting a strong international field once again this year for a tournament that regularly attracts leading players from the region.
“The Selangor Masters is also an important and established platform for Malaysian golfers to benefit from and take advantage of the fact that the top-10 players from the final Asian Development Tour Order of Merit earn their Asian Tour cards for the following season. This happened in 2022 when Shahriffuddin Ariffin won the tournament and secured a top-10 finish on the Merit list, and the following year when Ervin Chang tied for eighth enroute to finishing in the top-10.”
Chinese Taipei’s Ho Yu Cheng won the event last year.
The ADT’s season got underway last month at the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam. Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig claimed the title at The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, for his first international victory.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert triumphed in the most recent event, the Singha Laguna Phuket Open at the end of May, for his eighth victory on the ADT – the most by any player. Chinese- Taipei’s Ho Yu-Cheng claimed the Selangor Masters in 2023. Malaysia’s Ben Leong was victorious in 2008.
The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 on the local circuit, before being elevated the following year onto the Asian Tour until 2014. It was revived two years ago on the ADT – the Asian Tour’s thriving secondary circuit that helps cultivate the region’s stars of tomorrow.
When the event was staged in 2022, it was actually the first international golf tournament to be held in Malaysia following a near two-year disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other winners of the Selangor Masters are Australian Rick Kulacz (2009), Angelo Que (2010) of the Philippines and Joonas Granberg (2011) of Finland.
They were followed by the Thai trio of Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), Pariya Junhasavasdikul (2013) and Chapchai Nirat (2014) – who emerged victorious in a play-off to end a five-year title drought for his fourth win on Asian Tour.
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