Miami (AFP) - The LPGA will return to Malaysia in October for the first time since 2017, the women's golf tour announced on Tuesday, after dropping an event scheduled in Taiwan last week.
A 78-player field will compete for a $3 million purse at the inaugural Maybank Championship on October 26-29 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
"The LPGA is excited to bring women's professional golf back to Malaysia for the first time in six years," LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said of the multi-year deal.
The move came five days after the LPGA announced the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA, scheduled for the same dates as the Malaysia event, was being canceled for a fourth consecutive year over "operational factors" clouding the tournament.
The Kuala Lumpur layout previously had hosted the LPGA Malaysia event from 2010-2017.China's Feng Shanshan was a two-time winner of the event.Other winners included South Koreans Park In-bee, Choi Na-yeon and Kang Ji-min and Americans Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr and Jessica Korda.
"As a golfer who is proud to represent Malaysia around the world, I'm more than excited to have the LPGA Tour at Kuala Lumpur once again this October," said Malaysian LPGA standout Kelly Tan.
"I'm thrilled that golf fans in my home country will have the opportunity to watch the world's best women professional golfers compete up close."
