Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jiménez will make their first appearances of the year on The European Tour International Schedule this week when they line up alongside their Ryder Cup colleague, Paul McGinley of Ireland, in the 2005 Carlsberg Malaysian Open.
The event, which returns to Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur for the fourth time, features a prize fund of $1,210,000, and last year created history when Thongchai Jaidee became the first golfer from Thailand to win a European Tour event.
Harrington, the highest ranked player in the field at World Number Eight, is no stranger to success in Asia, having won the 2003 BMW Asian Open and the 2004 Omega Hong Kong Open.
World Number 14 Jiménez was European golf’s most prolific winner in 2004 with five successes during the calendar year including the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand, the BMW Asian Open on The 2004 International Schedule and the Omega Hong Kong Open, the second event of The 2005 European Tour International Schedule.
McGinley has now played on two successive winning Ryder Cup Teams, holing the winning putt at The De Vere Belfry in 2002 and recording two and a half points out of three at Oakland Hills and will be looking build on that success and secure his first title in Asia.
Last week’s winner Niclas Fasth of Sweden, who made his Ryder Cup debut in Europe’s winning 2002 Team, further enhances the line-up, his confidence high following his play-off victory in the Holden New Zealand Open.
Michael Campbell is another player to make the journey from New Zealand to Malaysia looking for a seventh European Tour title.
Welshman Stephen Dodd launched The 2005 European Tour International Schedule with a victory in the Volvo China Open will be hoping to add to that maiden success while Dane Thomas Björn has been showing signs of the form which brought him seven European Tour titles this year with a second and two fourth place finishes in the three earlier events of The 2005 season in the Far East.
Twelve months ago Jaidee etched his name in the history books with his maiden European Tour victory, pulling clear of the pack with a stunning hole-in-one on the 16th as he closed with a final round of 68, four under par, for a 14 under par total winning total of 274, two clear of Australian Brad Kennedy.
All competitors will have to test their game on one of the top rated golf courses in the country. The Palm Course, or ‘The Cobra’ as it is colloquially known, is both testing and challenging as it winds it way through hilly terrain, lined all the way by tall, imposing palms.
