European Tour Insider: Maybank Malaysian Open
Editor's note: Nick Dye is going to be giving PGATOUR.COM viewers an inside look at what's happening on the European Tour. Dye, who works with European Tour Radio, will be at more than 30 events this year and will file weekly columns on Wednesdays.
The world No. 11 Anthony Kim aims to rule in Kuala Lumpur this week as the European Tour gets back into gear after a week's break with the Maybank Malaysian Open..
Following his sensational two wins last year and his outstanding performance at Valhalla, Kim's an exciting presence on the Tour and is enthusiastic about playing his part in the Race to Dubai. Inevitably, bearing in mind his Korean roots, he also speaks of his thrill to play in Asia.
Kim may not have prospered at the HSBC Champions in China where he was disqualified for playing with an altered driver after tapping it on a sprinkler head. But if his fifth-place finish at the Ballantines Championship in South Korea last season is anything to go by, he'll be attracting plenty of headlines once again..
"I don't know if I am the man to beat," Kim said earlier this week. "I just heard that Thongchai Jaidee (of Thailand) has won this event a few times and there are definitely a lot of guys on the European Tour who have a lot of game and I have to set my game up to play at the that level and hopefully I can bring my game, too."
FIT FOR A KING
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When Malaysia celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2007, the Maybank Malaysian Open played host to a very important guest.
Teeing up alongside the former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell in the event's pro-am was the King of Malaysia, Sultan Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agon. He played off a handicap of 14.
Cambo asked to which club His Highness belonged. "He's the King of Malaysia. He can play anywhere he likes," was the response of his minder.
U.S. SUCCESS
The Malaysian Open was the first European Tour event to be co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour -- a relationship that has blossomed down the years, and allowed Europeans the current all-year-round schedule.
Back in 1999, a then 36-year-old from Portland, Oregon, won the event. Gerry Norquist held off the likes of Padraig Harrington, Alex Cejka and Bob May to win his only European Tour title. He had, though, won the event as a purely Asian tournament six years earlier. He's since been one of the leading officials running the Asian Tour.
Norquist is one of a host of the U.S. winners in Malaysia. The likes of Jeff Maggert, Steve Flesch and Glen Day are among the seven American champs while U.S. PGA TOUR-based players Vijay Singh, Charlie Wi and Arjun Atwal have all won the tournament, with Atwal taking the title twice. Kim will aim to follow suit.
WEATHER WATCH
The Malaysian Open is being played almost a month earlier than last year as part of the re-jig that sees the Tour revert to a calendar year. What affect the weather will have is therefore more open to question. The players will probably have to find a few things to occupy them as they take shelter from a storm or two. Hot and humid in recent years, you could almost predict just when play would be interrupted by an electrical storm. Yet, because of the predictability, it's usually been easy enough for tournament officials to get things back on track.
COBRA STINGS
One player to watch this week could be James Kamte.
Last season he became the first black South African fully on the European Tour for more than 30 years. He finished third at the Indonesian Open and closed the year with some good performances, but didn't do enough to maintain his playing rights.
A switch to the Asian Tour has worked a treat. Kamte won last week's event in Thailand, saying, "I kept my faith in the Lord and everything just went my way."
His nickname doesn't get used as much as it did, but might be resurrected given his new surroundings in Asia. Kamte was called "The Cobra" for his prowess on the football (soccer) field in his younger days.
VOTE FOR WOODS
"I think Tiger would make a great President one day" -- the words of a golfing buddy and rival Henrik Stenson.
The affable Swede needed little persuasion to be a guest editor of a golf magazine -- "Middle East Golfer" -- where he lives in Dubai.
Asked about the current incumbent in the Oval Office, Stenson says he hopes to meet Barack Obama at the Ryder Cup or if he plays the odd pro-am (maybe along with the King of Malaysia?).
Taking note of Tiger's speech at Obama's inauguration festivities, Stenson said he did ask the world No. 1 whether he'd like to be President. "He was not too keen. I think he just wanted to win majors at that time," Stenson said.
"The way he manages everything on and off the course, I would say he will definitely make for a good President if he puts his mind to it."
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