The Sabah Masters, one of the regionâs most respected tournaments, will bring the ASEAN PGA Tour season to another thrilling conclusion next month and will boast a new title sponsor in Warisan Harta Sabah.
To be played at Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club from January 6 to 9 the tournament will boast a purse of US$100,000.
Also in an exciting move the tournament will be sanctioned with the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf Association of Malaysia (PGAM) for the first time.
The tournament also welcomes back Sabah Tourism Board as a tournament owner.
âTitle sponsoring the Sabah Masters is a great fit as our agenda is focused on developing Sabah and increasing its appeal as a business and investment destination,â said Datuk Hj. Abu Bakar @ Â Wahab Bin Hj Abas, Chief Executive Officer of Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd.
âThe Warisan Harta Sabah Masters will provide everyone with the perfect start to the golfing year and we are looking forward to this new partnership.â
Warisan Harta Sabah is the investment arm of the Sabah State Government and was set up to support the State Governmentâs vision of transforming Sabah into a progressive and developed state.
âWe brought the Sabah Masters back onto the schedule in 2011 and it is with great delight we now look forward to its fifth edition with an outstanding title sponsor in Warisan Harta Sabah,â Â said A.C. Wong, Chairman, ASEAN PGA Tour.
âThis year we are equally excited to be working with the Asian Development Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia.â
The Warisan Harta Sabah Masters will determine the final ASEAN PGA Tour Order of Merit places which will be of further significance next year as the top three players will get into the SMBC Singapore Open at the end of January.
While the tournament will bring the ASEAN PGA Tour season to a close it will be the opening event on the ADTâs new season.
âThe Asian Development Tour is delighted to sanction the Warisan Harta Sabah Masters for the first time in 2016. Through the ADTâs involvement, the tournament will receive Official World Golf Ranking status which will be a boost for the regionâs rising stars. We look forward to a successful tournament next month and would like to thank all sponsors for their support of the game,â said Irfan Hamid, Associate Director, Asian Tour.
âThe Sabah Masters has long been one of Malaysiaâs most popular and high profile events and it is a key component of the PGAM Tour,â said Tan Sri Datoâ Haji Abdul Ghani bin Othman, President of the PGAM.
The 2015/2016 ASEAN PGA Tour season sees four events staged in Malaysia, with three of those, in Impian, Penang and Port Dickson, jointly sanctioned with the PGM (Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour).
Singaporeâs Mardan Mamat claimed his first Sabah Masters title and fourth ASEAN PGA Tour victory in January this year while Thailandâs Wisut Artjanawat triumphed in 2011 and 2014 and Filipino Antonio Lascuna won in 2013.
The tournament has a storied history with some great names having claimed the title including Thailandâs Thaworn Wiratchant in 1996.
âMardan Mamatâs brilliant victory this year in the Sabah Masters is a fine example of the stature and calibre of the tournament and the reason why we at the Sabah Tourism Board feel it is so important to associate ourselves with the event,â said YB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board.
This will mark the fifth successive season Sutera Harbour has hosted the tournament. However, it was also staged at the impressive venue in 1999 when American Robert Huxtable triumphed.
The 384-acre resort provides a spectacular array of activities including luxurious five-star hotels, a championship golf course, a marina and other recreational facilities.
Designed by leading golf course designer Graham Marsh, Sutera Harbour boasts 27 holes for day and night golfing and has garnered various awards of distinction.
âIt is an absolute thrill for Sutera Harbour to host some of the best golfers in Asia at the Warisan Harta Sabah Masters and that is why we have been working hard to ensure everything is in place for the 2016 tournament,â said Rick Blackie, General Manager, Sutera Harbour Marina, Golf & Country Club.
Lagardère Sports (formerly known as World Sport Group) will promote the event for the fifth successive time and as part of this relationship they will produce a one-hour highlight show which will be broadcast on FOX Sports.
