Local Stars set to light up Iskandar Johor Open
JOHOR BAHRU (Wednesday, 16th September 2009): Malaysia’s Airil Rizman, Danny Chia and Ben Leong will provide the local challenge when the third edition of the Iskandar Johor Open tees off from October 22 to 25, 2009.
The leading trio, who are Malaysia’s only three winners on the Asian Tour, will be up against the likes of two-time Major winner and title holder Retief Goosen of South Africa and Asian Tour honorary member K.J. Choi of Korea at the Royal Johor Country Club at the US$1 million event.
Since winning the Pakistan Open in 2007, Airil has endured a winless spell but the 31-year-old believes he can turn his fortunes around with a commanding display in Johor next month.
"It’ll be nice to be back home, playing in front of your home crowd again. There is always the extra motivation of making both yourself and your country proud," said Airil.
"When we compete at home, the crowd will cheer you on but there is also added pressure of doing well. I believe I’m able to handle the expectations but more importantly if I start swinging it well, I think I’ll have a good chance of winning," added the Malaysian.
Chia, the country’s first winner on the Asian Tour when he triumphed in the Taiwan Open in 2002, will also be seeking to end his title drought at the challenging Royal Johor Country Club.
"I’ve always played well at home and I hope this year in Johor will not be any different," said Chia.
"I’ll do my best and I hope to give the local crowds something to cheer about," added Chia, who was in contention at the Maybank Malaysian Open this year before settling for tied 11th place.
Talented youngster Leong will also be hoping to regain the winning form that led him to his maiden Asian Tour success at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in 2008.
The 23-year-old beat two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand in a thrilling head-to-head duel by one shot for his career breakthrough and will be one of the local favourites heading into the Iskandar Johor Open.
The Iskandar Johor Open, which is the second richest tournament in Malaysia after the Malaysian Open, is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Malaysian Golf Association and Johor Golf Association.
It is supported by the Johor Government and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and it is their vision to grow the Iskandar Johor Open into a ‘must-watch’ event every year.
The event will see a starting field of 156 players, of which up to 123 players will be from the Asian Tour, in addition to eight specially invited players, five Open qualifiers and 20 Malaysian professionals.
Nusajaya will be the platinum sponsor for the Iskandar Johor Open. Other sponsors include Iskandar Waterfront Development, UM Land, TaylorMade adidas Golf, 100plus, Srixon, Winston Wine, Dewars, Ricoh and the Puteri Pacific Hotel. The official media partners of the IJO are ParGolf, Golf Malaysia, Fairways and Lite FM.
News and updates on the tournament will be available on the official IJO website – www.iskandarjohoropen.com
About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include ESPN Star Sports (Official Regional TV Broadcaster), Pin High (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider) and Srixon (Official Ball). Sentosa, Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, is the Home of the Asian Tour.
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