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KUALA LUMPUR, 6 October 2011 – The Sime Darby Berhad Group and event organisers IMG, are delighted to announce the final field for this year’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Sime Darby has confirmed that nine of the world’s current top ten stars will be competing for an increased prize purse of US$1.9 million in this year’s event taking place from the 13 – 16 of October  at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC). Already in its second year, the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011 promises to offer an even greater showcase with the star-studded line-up competing in the four-day no-cut play event.

Yani Tseng (left), Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Ai Miyazato, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Na Yeon Choi, Brittany Lincicome and Stacy Lewis are amongst the leaders in the Rolex Rankings competing for the prestigious LPGA title (World rankings as of 21 September 2011.). The strength of the field is testament to the event organisers’ commitment towards bringing the best players to Malaysia and meeting its aim to elevate the ladies’ game in the region. 

The spotlight will be on the prospective champions whose performance exceeds on the challenging East Course over the four days. The unique combination of weather, humidity and the course all make for a very exciting competition, with the most skilled players really coming to the front.
 
Other top class players that will be playing for this year’s title include Karrie Webb (World No 12), Morgan Pressel (World No 14), Brittany Lang (World No 29), Se Ri Pak (World No 34) and Katherine Hull (World No 35). All of these players would love to claim the coveted trophy as well as their share of the record US$1.9 million prize purse for this year’s event.
 
Yani Tseng will look to add to her tally of five wins already this year on the LPGA Tour, including the prestigious LPGA Championship and Women’s British Open. Karrie Webb, Brittany Lincicome, and Suzann Pettersen have all had great runs, winning twice on the LPGA Tour so far in 2011. With so many great players playing in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011, this will definitely be a tournament to watch for some exciting golf.

If the last two years are anything to go by, this will be an exciting tournament to watch. The 2010 tournament was won in spectacular style by a fast-finishing Jimin Kang of South Korea, who made birdies on three of the final four holes to edge out the legendary Juli Inkster for the title. The South Korean contingent this year, comprising of Jiyai Shin, In-Kyung Kim, Na Yeon Choi, Se Ri Pak, Mi Hyun Kim, all hope to emulate their compatriot’s performance in this year’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Speaking ahead of next month’s tournament, Jimin Kang, the 2010 winner, said,

 “I am very much looking forward to playing in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia again this October. Last year’s tournament was a fantastic event, and obviously very overwhelming with the victory I secured.  This year’s field appears even stronger and so I look forward to taking on the challenge of a highly competitive field next month”.
The ten sponsor invites will also make for an interesting addition in this year’s event. Four Malaysian golfers gained four of the prized spots in the 2011 Championship. Rising star Kelly Tan who finished as the leading local player in a commendable 32nd place in last year’s inaugural tournament will be joining fellow Malaysian Jean Chua who recently played in the US Open 2011.This year’s winners of the Local Qualifying event in Aretha Pan and recently turned professional, Ainil Johani, will join Tan and Chua to fly the Malaysian flag throughout the tournament.

“I am very excited by the prospect of playing against such a strong field at this year’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and I hope to do well on such a challenging course. During this tail-end period of the LPGA Tour, it is going to be interesting to see how the competition will unfold in Malaysia. I am just going to do my best and hope I provide a special show for the fans on the course with us during the tournament”, said Malaysia’s very own star, Kelly Tan.

There has been no shortage of support ahead of this year’s tournament as the leading positions in the Rolex Women's Rankings have already shown their support of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011.

This year’s event features the top 62 LPGA members from the LPGA Tour Official Money List, along with 10 sponsors’ invites. The four-day stroke play event with no cut will ensure that players are in Kuala Lumpur for the tournament duration and the local and regional golf community can catch their favourite golfers in action the entire week.

Dato’ Abd Wahab Maskan, Sime Darby Berhad’s Group Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of Sime Darby Property said, “We are delighted to confirm another fantastic field for this year’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011. With nine of the top ten players competing in this year’s tournament the spectators can expect to see a rich display of talent over the four days. We are heavily committed to raising the ladies’ game in the region and with the best in the world competing at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club next month players and fans aside are in for some excitement”.

“I am pleased to announce to golf fans around the world that the world’s best women golfers will be in action here at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) next month. I hope golf fans in Malaysia and the region will not miss the opportunity to catch their favourite players live in this hugely exciting Sime Darby LPGA event right here in Malaysia”, said Robbie Henchman, Senior Vice President, Global Co-Managing Director, IMG Golf.

For more information on the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, please visit the event website - http://simedarbylpgamalaysia.com/index.php
 
About Sime Darby Berhad
Sime Darby is a Malaysia-based diversified multinational involved in key growth sectors, namely, plantations, property, motors, industrial equipment, energy and utilities and healthcare. With a workforce of over 100,000 employees in over 20 countries, Sime Darby is committed to building a sustainable future for all its stakeholders. For more information on Sime Darby Berhad, please log on to www.simedarby.com