Published July 17, 2008 on September 24, 2018

Amir Vies for Spot at the CIMB Classic

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A total of 73 Malaysian golfers will vie for one spot in the CIMB Classic at the CIMB National Championship which begins at TPC Kuala Lumpur’s East course from Tuesday till Friday. And the one Malaysian player who is keen for the spot is upcoming golfer Amir Nazrin Jailani.

This week’s Malaysian winner at the CIMB National Championship will earn a coveted place in next month’s US$7 million CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur and face a starry field which will include title-holder Pat Perez and 2017 FedExCup champion Justin Thomas, who is also a two-time CIMB Classic winner.

With Ben Leong, Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung, who have all featured in the CIMB Classic previously, competing on the Asian Tour this week and Gavin Green poised to earn the second Malaysian slot via the Official World Golf Ranking, Amir is certainly the favourite to grab the spot.

The 21-year-old said: “I hope to play well but the East course is tight and the greens are challenging. I skipped a local event last week to prepare for this tournament and hopefully, I will manage my game well. It will be a bonus to get a spot in the CIMB Classic and maybe it could be life-changing to have the opportunity to play in my first PGA TOUR tournament.”

Last year, Amir, who was then in his rookie professional year, performed admirably in the CIMB National Championship where he finished third, one shot behind the playoff duo of Gavin Green and Danny Chia. Veteran Chia won the title in extra time.

“Finishing third and one back of Gavin and Danny was motivating for sure,” said Amir. “My form this season has been pretty good … I lost in a playoff on the Asian Development Tour a few weeks ago and I’ve also finished top-five twice on the local PGM Tour.”

Earlier, organisers announced that Perez will return for his title defence alongside nine-time PGA TOUR winner Thomas. Keegan Bradley, Ryder Cup star Paul Casey, Japanese ace Hideki Matsuyama, 2017 Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele and World Golf Hall of Fame members, Ernie Els and Davis Love III.

The CIMB Classic will celebrate its ninth edition this year, and is the second tournament of the new 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season.

Apart from this week’s winner of the CIMB National Championship earning a spot, the highest ranked Malaysian on the Official World Golf Ranking as of October 1 will also earn the right to play in the CIMB Classic.

The PGA TOUR-sanctioned CIMB Classic features a limited field of 78 players comprising of the top 60 available players from the 2017-18 FedExCup points list, eight sponsor exemptions and the top-10 available players from the Asian Tour.

Tickets for the CIMB Classic is also now on sale. For more details on ticketing prices and to purchase online, please visit www.cimbclassic.com