Iskandar Johor Open vying for European Tour sanction
Johor wants tournament to grow in stature and prize money
JOHOR BAHRU (Friday, 24 Oct 2008): The US$500,000 Iskandar Johor Open Golf (IJO), which is the second richest golf tournament in the country after the Malaysian Open, is aiming to be sanctioned by the European Tour.
Johor Golf Association (JGA) secretary Majid Manjit Abdullah said the plan was to ensure the IJO is jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian Tour.
He said Johor Mentri Besar (Chief Minister) Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who is also IJO organizing committee chairman, wants the tournament to grow both in stature and prize money.
"He wants the tournament to grow and we’re already looking at increasing the prize money," he said, noting that a bigger purse would attract golfing stars from around the world and this would be a great boost for the IJO.
The prize money for the inaugural IJO last year was only US$300,000. This year, the purse was upped by another US$200,000 to US$500,000 (RM1.7 million).
A present the richest golf tournament in the country is the Malaysian Open which offers US$2 million in prize money.
The IJO, which will be played from Oct 22 to Nov 2 at the Royal Johor Country Club (RJCC), will see some 156 players from 25 countries vie for the prize money.
Leading the challenge will be two time US Open winner, Retief Goosen, who is touted as one of the best golfers of his generation, having captured six PGA Tour wins and 14 European Tour wins since he turned professional in 1990.
Big names from the Asian Tour will also vie for the purse, including defending champion Artemio Murakami of the Philippines and two former Asian Tour Order of Merit winners – Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wirachant of Thailand.
South Korean teen sensation, Noh Seung-Yul will also be among the top foreign players joining the fray.
Some 20 Malaysian pros will be among the starting field, namely Ben Leong, Danny Chia, Iain Steel and Airil Rizman Zahary.
Majid, who is also RJCC general manager, said the IJO had what it takes to join the ranks of the lucrative European Tour because of the unflinching support of the Johor Government.
"With the commitment of the state government and strong backing by corporate sponsors, it is possible that next year’s IJO will be able offer US$1 million in prize money," he said.
The IJO this year is presented by Nusajaya Malaysia, which is a title sponsor, together with the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA).
"Johor wants to attract some of the world’s best golfers from around the globe to come to Johor Bahru to compete in the IJO," added Manjit.
World No. 3, Vijay Singh, was earlier scheduled to take part in the tournament, but later pulled out because of a hand injury.
"Still, we have managed to get Goosen to come as a replacement and he is one of the best golfers in the world. We are sure he will pull in the crowd," said Manjit.
He said another reason to get the IJO jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours was to showcase Iskandar Malaysia to the world.
"Four days of live telecast of the tournament over ESPN is something we can be proud of. This fits in well with Johor’s vision to become a major sporting hub in this region," he said.
ESPN Star Sports will telecast the championship “live” from 1pm to 5pm daily on Oct 30-31,and from 12pm to 4pm on Nov 1-2.
The prestigious championship is now supported by 14 official suppliers and sponsors, including Kuok Brothers, Danga Bay, TaylorMade, Ricoh, Srixon, Carlsberg and Winston Wine.
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