Selangor Masters makes welcome return as ADT event – 23-26 November 2022 @ Kelab Golf Seri Selangor

The Asian Development Tour (ADT) is set to make its eagerly awaited return to Malaysia this season, following a break of three years, for the Selangor Masters.

The popular event will be held at the highly rated Seri Selangor Golf Club from November 23 to 26 (Wednesday to Saturday) and will offer an overall purse of US$150,000 – making it one of the most lucrative ADT tournaments this season.

The tournament, which was previously held on the Asian Tour from 2008 to 2014, will play a key role in determining the final positions on the ADT Order of Merit, with players vying to finish inside the top-10 to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2023.

Jointly sanctioned with Asian Tour’s long-time partner Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, the Selangor Masters will feature a 144-man field consisting of 98 players from the ADT and 40 players from the PGM, along with six sponsor invitations.

It will also be the first international golf tournament to be held in Malaysia since the Malaysia Open, which was the last event to be held on the Asian Tour in March 2020 before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last ADT event in Malaysia, a country that used to host multiple ADT events in previous years, was held in November 2019 and won by Thailand’s Nirun Sae-Ueng.

The Selangor Masters has celebrated many worthy champions in Ben Leong (2008), the only Malaysian to have won an Asian Tour event in Malaysia, Australian Rick Kulacz (2009), Angelo Que (2010) of the Philippines and Joonas Granberg (2011) of Finland.

Thai trio Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), main picture, Pariya Junhasavasdikul (2013) and Chapchai Nirat (2014), who emerged victorious in a play-off to end a five-year title drought for his fourth win on Tour, claimed the last three editions of the Selangor Masters.

The Selangor Masters will mark the 14th leg of the current ADT season which celebrated the rise of Order of Merit leader Suteepat Prateeptienchai, who spectacularly won three titles to earn playing rights for the remainder of the current season on the Asian Tour.

The 29-year-old is attempting to become the third player from Thailand to lift the Order of Merit crown following Pavit Tangkamolprasert (2014) and Pannakorn Uthaipas (2017) since the ADT was inaugurated in 2010.

The ADT is set to stage a minimum of 14 tournaments this year across seven countries

– Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Selangor State Development Corporation, or PKNS – the title sponsor of the Selangor Masters, which commences tomorrow at Kelab Golf Seri Selangor – have welcomed the opportunity to partner with one of Malaysia’s best-known events.

The US$150,000 tournament, which is part of the Asian Development Tour (ADT), was last held in 2014 and as the honourable Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari explained at a press conference today with the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic over the chance to get involved with the event was too good to miss.

“When we heard there was an opportunity to host an Asian Development Tour event, we quickly jumped at the offer,” said Dato’ Seri Amirudin, who is also chairman of the PKNS Board.

“Despite the last-minute notice we are rather excited at being able to host a professional event again.

“I’m also happy to announce that this tournament is being organized in conjunction with the 77th birthday celebrations of His Highness the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharifuddin Idris Shah.”

Dato’ Seri Amirudin also added that the players will be contesting for the Sultan of Selangor Cup and that golf plays an important role in the State’s ongoing efforts to increase tourism revenue through sporting events like the PKNS Selangor Masters.

The event’s purse of US$150,000 makes it one of the more lucrative stops on the Asian Development Tour this year, which boasts a total of 16 events with two more remaining after this week.

Headlining the event will be Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam who are ranked one and two on the circuit’s Order of Merit.

Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, Malaysia’s Danny Chia and Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe, brother of Asian Tour star Scott, have also entered along with Malaysian Ben Leong – winner of the inaugural Selangor Masters in 2008.

With the top 10 on the Final Order of Merit gaining Tour cards to compete on the Asian Tour next year, the competition is expected to be fierce, particularly for the local contingent.

Malaysians Sharifuddin Ariffin and Paul San are currently ranked seventh and ninth respectively and will want to take advantage of the home support to maintain their hopes for 2023.

Also, in with a chance of moving into the top 10 is Malaysian Ervin Chang, ranked 15th and just over US$3,000 short of 10th placed Naraajie Ramadhanputra of Indonesia.

Notable other names playing this week are Galven Green, brother of Gavin, Khor Kheng Hwai, Danny Chia, Airil Rizman and veteran M. Ramayah.

Japanese amateur Daichi Hayashi is also playing, and aged 12 years old he is the youngest player ever to compete in an ADT event.

A total of 60 Malaysians, including a handful of amateurs, will tee up on the challenging Par 71 Seri Selangor layout, designed by well-known architect Ross Watson. The par-five 18th will play as a par four, as has always been the case for professional tournaments.

Seri Selangor has often been referred to as the only true public course in Malaysia. It is well-known for its firm, fast greens and narrow fairways hemmed in by towering trees.

The ADT season continues on to Riyadh GC from Dec 8-10 for the Saudi Open and finally the Taifong Open in Chinese Taipei from Dec 22-25. Both events offer US$200,000 in prize money.