Sabah, Malaysia: The Sabah Masters will bring the ASEAN PGA Tour season to another thrilling conclusion next week and will boast a new title sponsor in Warisan Harta Sabah.
To be played at Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club from January 6-9 the tournament will boast a purse of US$100,000.
In another exciting move, the tournament will be sanctioned with the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf Association of Malaysia (PGAM) for the first time.
The tournament also welcomes back Sabah Tourism Board as a tournament owner.
“Title sponsoring the Sabah Masters is a great fit as our agenda is focused on developing Sabah and increasing its appeal as a business and investment destination,” said Datuk Hj Abu Bakar Wahab Bin Hj Abas, Chief Executive Officer of Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd.
Warisan Harta Sabah is the investment arm of the Sabah State Government and was set up to support the State Government’s vision of transforming Sabah into a progressive and developed state.
“We brought the Sabah Masters back onto the schedule in 2011 and it is with great delight we now look forward to its fifth edition with an outstanding title sponsor in Warisan Harta Sabah,” said AC Wong, Chairman, ASEAN PGA Tour.
“This year we are equally excited to be working with the Asian Development Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia.”
The Warisan Harta Sabah Masters will determine the final ASEAN PGA Tour Order of Merit places which will be of further significance next year as the top three players will get into the SMBC Singapore Open at the end of January.
While the tournament will bring the ASEAN PGA Tour season to a close it will be the opening event on the ADT’s new season.
“The Asian Development Tour is delighted to sanction the Warisan Harta Sabah Masters for the first time in 2016. Through the ADT’s involvement, the tournament will receive Official World Golf Ranking status which will be a boost for the region’s rising stars,” said Irfan Hamid, Associate Director, Asian Tour.
“The Sabah Masters has long been one of Malaysia’s most popular and high profile events and it is a key component of the PGAM Tour,” said Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Abdul Ghani bin Othman, President of the PGAM.
The 2015/2016 ASEAN PGA Tour season sees four events staged in Malaysia, with three of those, in Impian, Penang and Port Dickson, jointly sanctioned with the PGM (Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour).
Singapore’s Mardan Mamat claimed his first Sabah Masters title and fourth ASEAN PGA Tour victory last year while Thai Wisut Artjanawat triumphed in 2011 and 2014 and Filipino Antonio Lascuna won in 2013.
The tournament has a storied history with some great names having claimed the title including Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant in 1996.
“Mardan Mamat’s brilliant victory last year in the Sabah Masters is a fine example of the stature and calibre of the tournament and the reason why we at the Sabah Tourism Board feel it is so important to associate ourselves with the event,” said YB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board.