LPGA Tour adds prizes in Southeast Asia,
According to an announcement on March 28, the LPGA Tour inaugurated the Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club from October 26 to 29. The tournament is expected to play four rounds without elimination, bringing together 78 players to compete for a prize fund of 3 million USD and will replace the position of Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA that has had difficulties in operating for the past three years. The event in Taipei launched in 2011, following the annual custom but has not taken place since the year of the Covid-19 outbreak.
With $ 3 million, the Maybank Championship bonus fund is second only to "Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican" with $ 3.2 million in this season's recurring schedule. LPGA Tour 2023 has 34 tournaments, including five majors.
Two tournaments in Southeast Asia have been launched, including Honda LPGA Thailand in February and HSBC Women's World Championship in the first week of March. This year, in addition to three stages of Southeast Asia, the LPGA Tour also plans to visit China and Korea in October, Japan in November.
The US women's first-class golf tournament system last played in Malaysia in 2017, with Sime Darby LPGA opened in 2010, both at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. This place has been open since 1991, has two courtyards East and West.
Sime Darby LPGA is usually played on the East court, while the West court is for the five CIMB Classic and seven Malaysian Open. The CIMB Classic is co-sponsored by the Asian Tour with the PGA Tour, while the Malaysian Open is recognized on the European men's first division system DP World Tour. Both of these events have dissolved.
Particularly in Vietnam, the Asian Tour is expected to return after an eight-year hiatus, with the first prize in the International Series group of the first division on The Links par72 at KN Golf Links Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa from April 13 to 16, 2023. The event gathered 156 golfers, had four rounds of stroke play, and competed for a prize fund of two million USD. Normally, the Asian Tour will reserve a few guest slots, according to the nomination from the host national golf association.
After the International Series Vietnam, the Asian Tour plans to host the BRG Open Golf Championship at the end of August in Da Nang, under a three-year contract with the host BRG Da Nang Golf Resort. This award belongs to the second division of the Asian Development Tour (ADT). Last year, the event was part of the Danang Golf Tourism Festival, which kicked off on August 31, through three rounds of stroke play, competing for a prize fund of $75,000.
