Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The Malaysian Open, one of Southeast Asia’s eldest national Opens, will make a welcome return to the Asian Tour schedule in 2024 following a four-year hiatus.

The Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) has secured a three-year title sponsorship agreement with IRS Prima Holding Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian-based property development company, as the event’s title sponsor.

Offering a prize purse of US$1 million, the IRS Prima Malaysian Open will be staged at The Mines Resort & Golf Club from February 15-18. It will be the opening leg of next year’s Asian Tour campaign.

Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO, said: “The Asian Tour has a decades-long relationship with the Malaysian Open and so we are overjoyed to see it return to our schedule.

“Importantly, it fills the prime position as our first event of the season, something truly deserving for one of the region’s most prestigious national Opens.

“We are grateful to IRS Prima Holding Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian Golf Association and The Mines Resort & Golf Club for making this possible.”

MGA President Admiral Tan Sri Dato’ Setia Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said: “We had been discussing the possibility of collaborating with IRS Prima Holding for the past few months. The MGA is now thrilled to announce IRS Prima Holding Sdn Bhd will be the title sponsor of our most celebrated tournament. We are delighted the story of the Malaysian Open will live on.”

Tan Sri Anwar added that Malaysian golfers, professionals and amateurs, will be provided playing slots. “Our golfers will benefit extensively from this opportunity and experience of competing against the best on the Asian Tour. We hope to see our players rise and deliver their best performances and even challenge for the top spots.”

Dato’ Yusuf bin Abdul Rahman, Group CEO of IRS Prima Holding Sdn Bhd, said: “We are honoured to have been given the chance to support this event. Everyone in our organisation is eager and looking forward to the IRS Prima Malaysian Open next year.

“We will provide all the support and assistance to ensure the tournament is an enormous success. We hope to see the fans come out in full force to cheer the players.”

Inaugurated more than 60 years ago, the Malaysian Open was last held at The Mines in 2003, when Indian Arjun Atwal triumphed.

American Trevor Simsby won the most recent Malaysian Open, raising the trophy in March, 2020 – the last tournament played on the Asian Tour for nearly two years as the Covid-19 pandemic struck.