KUALA LUMPUR, 24 Oct: Malaysian ladies’ number one Kelly Tan is all excited and eager to come back and play in the 2023 Maybank Malaysian Open which tees off at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), Bukit Kiara from Oct 26-29.
The 30-year-old who will returning to Malaysia after four years, said she would be hoping to produce a more matured performance in the tournament that is sanctioned by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.
Kelly added that since golf courses here were among his favourite, she would be hoping to perform better but would need added confidence to achieve a positive result especially when playing infront of the home fans.
“The last time I played in a LPGA tournament in Malaysia was during the Sime Darby Tournament in 2017, but the last time I played in Malaysia was in 2019 when participating in the Professional Golf Association of Malaysia (PGM) organised Perlis and Kedah Open…that means I have not played in Malaysia for four years.
“These tournament is very important for me so I am very excited. I have been playing in LGPA tournaments since the age of 17, so I can play with more confidence and maturity when playing on home turf,” she told reporters here today.
Speaking of Malaysian golfers who would be able to mount a challenge in the tournament, Kelly said Malaysia is not short of good players since a number of them have excelled at international tournaments before.
Kelly pointed out that the presence of local hopefuls Alyaa Abdulghany, Jeneath Wong, Ashley Lau, Natasha Andrea Oon and Jing Xuen Ng would certainly raise the heat of the competition because they will also be eager to showcase their talent against some of the best professional players in the region.
The Maybank Malaysian Open will feature 68 professional players from all over the world while 10 slots are reserved for players from Malaysia and ASEAN.
The Open offers a prize purse of US$3 million (RM14.32 million).
— BERNAMA