The PKNS Selangor Masters returns to Seri Selangor Golf Club this November 8-11 with a beefed-up total purse of US$175,000, an increase of US$25,000 from last year.
One of the richest events on this year’s Asian Development Tour (ADT), the PKNS Selangor Masters will be co-sanctioned with the Toyota Tour, Malaysia’s domestic professional circuit. The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) returns as title sponsor for the second year running, while the event promoter is PKNS Golf Management Services Sdn Bhd which is a full subsidiary of PKNS.
The field of 144 will be made up of the leading 75 available players from the ADT and 40 from the Toyota Tour, with the remaining 19 spots allocated for tournament invitations. The invited players will include the boys’ champion of the preceding week’s Selangor International Junior Golf Championship at the same venue.
The country’s top player Gavin Green will spearhead the local challenge, hoping to become the third Malaysian winner of the event after Shahriffuddin Ariffin (2022) and Ben Leong (2008).
Winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2017, Green competed in the 2013 Selangor Masters at Seri Selangor as an amateur and finished as top Malaysian in tied sixth place on four-under-par 280.
“I’m really looking forward to playing in the PKNS Selangor Masters as it’s always nice to compete on home soil,” said Green, who plays on the DP World Tour (European Tour).
“Seri Selangor is definitely one of my favourite courses and hopefully I can bring my ‘A’ game and do well next week,” added the 29-year-old.
Asian Tour Commissioner & CEO Cho Minn Thant noted, “We’re delighted to confirm the PKNS Selangor Masters’ place on the ADT schedule this year, and to be partnering with the Toyota Tour. We’re thankful to the Selangor State Development Corporation for their continued support and for ensuring the PKNS Selangor Masters remains one of the richest events on the Asian Development Tour.”
Launched this year, the Toyota Tour is the result of a tri-party agreement between the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, UMW Toyota Motor as the naming partner and MST Golf as the delivery agency.
Dato‘ Mahmud bin Abbas, Chief Executive Officer of PKNS, noted: “The partnership between the PKNS Selangor Masters and the ADT provides an important avenue for professionals to progress to the regional circuits and beyond. We therefore feel it is appropriate to further elevate the stature of the tournament by increasing its purse.”
With the top-10 players on the ADT’s end-of-season Order of Merit earning promotion to the lucrative Asian Tour in 2024, the PKNS Selangor Masters as part of the crucial closing stretch will play a key role in determining who makes it through.
Mohd Zubir Idrus, the Chief Executive Officer of Seri Selangor Golf Club, lauded the return of the event.
“We are delighted to be the host venue of the PKNS Selangor Masters again. Our golf course is one of the most challenging in the country and will be in prime condition for the tournament, providing a worthy challenge for the rising stars of the region as they strive to elevate their careers,” said Mohd Zubir.
The defending champion, Shahriffuddin Ariffin
After a seven-year hiatus, the PKNS Selangor Masters made a welcome return to the regional golfing schedule last year when Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin clinched a two-shot victory over Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub at Seri Selangor. One of the nation’s most talented young players, Shahriffuddin kept his nerve on an exciting final day to claim his second ADT title with a nine-under-par 275 total.
The victory helped Shahriffuddin finish fourth on the 2022 ADT Order of Merit, earning the 24-year-old playing rights on the Asian Tour for this year.
“Winning the PKNS Selangor Masters was a significant achievement for me because it was an ADT event at home here in Malaysia, and it helped me secure my Asian Tour card for 2023. The Seri Selangor course is a great layout and will be a good challenge for the professionals,” said Shahriffuddin.
Shahriffuddin was the second Malaysian to win the event, following in the footsteps of Ben Leong who fought off Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee at the second edition in 2008 when it became part of the Asian Tour.
Established as a statutory body in 1968, PKNS is the development agency for the state of Selangor and is involved in real estate development, trade development, industrial development and investment.
A project of PKNS, Seri Selangor Golf Club offers a challenging 18-hole course designed by Australian architect Ross Watson. The course opened for play in 1998 as Malaysia’s first genuine public facility and continues to provide an enthralling golf experience with its strategic design, tree-lined fairways and speedy greens.
