Danny leads local challengers at the Iskandar Johor Open
Johor Bahru, November 15, 2011 - Malaysia’s number one professional player, Danny Chia will spearhead the charge of the local brigade at the US$2 million Iskandar Johor Open starting this Thursday at the Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club.
Danny, 39, is one of the 12 Malaysian players in the field this week alongside Ben Leong, Iain Steel and Shaaban Hussin, who all qualified through their Asian Tour rankings. Eight others - M. Sasidaran, R. Nachimuthu, Wilson Choo, S. Murthy, S. Sivachandhran, Nicholas Fung, Haziq Hamizan and Mohd Sukree Othman – qualified through the national qualifier early this month.
Danny, who had a solid finish at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia two weeks ago, where he finished tied 13th, will be looking at another good performance this week on a golf course which he dubs as “my type of golf course”.
“Horizon Hills is a good layout. I love the golf course and the key this week will be putting. Generally, I’m hitting ok but my putting will need to be better to score on this layout,” said Danny.
In last year’s edition, Danny shot a final round 68 to end the week on 284 total for a share of 38th place and he knows the competition will be tougher this week with many top players from both the European and Asian Tours in the field.
“It’s good that the championship is now joint sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours. The competition will be huge as usual but this is good for the local boys as we get to compete against some of the world’s best players,” Danny added.
Ben Leong, 25, who finished as the best Malaysian in the championship last year on tied 28th hopes for better luck this week to brighten up his lackluster season.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit. I’ve been hitting it good but wasn’t getting the result. Everything wasn’t combining together. I feel it is just a matter of time before the results come. I need to keep believing in myself. I know I’m hitting, chipping and putting good enough. The results are just not showing but I know sooner or later my hard work will pay off,” said the 2008 Worldwide Selangor Masters champion.
“I was playing very well last week (at the Barclays Singapore Open) but was unlucky with the putts. If the ball could fly another one yard, I would have probably made par instead of a double bogey. There’s a little bit of luck involved. You don’t know when the day is going to come but I’ll keep grinding and trusting in myself,” he added.
The Iskandar Johor Open 2011 will boast a field of 156 players consisting of 67 players each from the Asian and European Tours, eight invites, eight national qualifiers and six international qualifiers, all vying for the top purse of US$317,000 (approximately RM954, 000).
About The Iskandar Johor Open
The Iskandar Johor Open is one of the fastest-growing tournaments on the Asian Tour, and has attracted some of the best golfers in the world. The event was successfully staged at the Royal Johor Country Club for the first three years, and at Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club in 2010.
It returns to Johor for the fifth time at Horizon Hills, where once again golf fans will be able to witness yet another exciting golf tournament which is staking its claim as one of the top events on the Asian Tour calendar. It reaches a new level on the international golf schedule with its elevation to a co-sanctioned tournament with the Asian and European Tours for 2011.
Iskandar Malaysia and Johor Golf Association are continuing with their support of this event, and have created the biggest international event in Johor. Since the inaugural event in 2007, the prize money for the tournament has increased by five-fold from US$300,000 in 2007 to US$1,250,000 in 2010. In 2011, the prize money will grow to a minimum of US$2,000,000.
Past winners include Artemio Murakami of the Philippines, who won the inaugural event in 2007, and South African Retief Goosen, who took home the prestigious prize in 2008. KJ Choi lifted the coveted trophy in 2009, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington ended a two-year winless run in 2010 with a very popular win.
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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 Rolex (Official Timekeeper), J.Lindeberg (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Royal Selangor (Official Trophy Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), BlackBerry (Official Mobile) and Srixon (Official Ball). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
About The European Tour
The PGA European Tour, a company limited by guarantee, operates a broad range of business initiatives essential to its primary mission of administering professional tournament golf. It is a unique business which generates profits for the benefit of its Members – the tournament players – who receive their dividends by way of competing and winning prize money.
The growth and development of The European Tour is well documented. In 2010, The European Tour International Schedule consisted of 48 tournaments in 27 destinations, with prize money of €132,204,838 compared to a total prize fund of €350,000 when the Tour was born in 1972.
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