An intriguing mix of rising talents, seasoned tour players and Asian legends will grace the fairways of Seri Selangor Golf Club in next week’s PKNS Selangor Masters.
With a bumped-up prize purse of US$200,000, the much-anticipated 12th edition tees off on January 22-25 as the season-opener for both the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour.
The field of 144 players includes 2024 ADT Order of Merit winner Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand, who triumphed in last year’s season-ending Aramco Invitational to pick up his fourth ADT title.
Also in the field are his compatriots Kammalas Namuangruk and Nopparat Panichphol, who finished 13th and 14th respectively on the 2024 ADT Order of Merit, narrowly missing out on getting into the top-10 which would have earned them Asian Tour cards for this season.
They will be joined by fellow Thais Sarut Vongchaisit and Runchanapong Youprayong, who were 11th and 12th respectively on the 2024 ADT Order of Merit. Vongchaisit was joint fifth in the 2024 PKNS Selangor Masters, while Youprayong has a remarkable record in the tournament, following up a T2 finish in 2023 with a T3 performance last year.
Another player who has done extremely well in the PKNS Selangor Masters in recent years is Australian journeyman Deyen Lawson, who mustered runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2024, falling short by just one stroke on both occasions. Lawson will be back this year for one more crack at the elusive title.
Adding star power to the championship are seven stalwarts of the game boasting 15 Asian Tour wins collectively – Australian Marcus Fraser (2 victories), Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman (2), Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines (1), the American duo of Anthony Kang (3) and Berry Henson (1), Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei (4), and Malaysia’s own Danny Chia (2). Fraser’s wins include the 2016 Maybank Championship Malaysia, while Kang won the 2009 Maybank Malaysian Open.
While defending champion Rahil Gangjee of India is not teeing it up next week, having earned his Asian Tour card via a third-place finish on the 2024 ADT Order of Merit, two former champions are in the field. 2023 winner Ho Yu-Cheng of Chinese Taipei and his predecessor, Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin, will return to Seri Selangor hoping to improve on their T25 and T9 finishes in 2024.
The field of 144 players consists of the leading 80 available players from the ADT, 40 from the PGM Tour and 24 tournament invitations. Four Malaysians get in via the ADT allocation, namely Marcus Lim, Shahriffuddin, Paul San and Amir Nazrin. Lim, who like Amir is a Seri Selangor ambassador, finished third in last year’s championship despite it being his debut as a professional.
As in the past three championships, one of the invitational spots is reserved for the boys’ individual winner of the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship (SIJGC), which starts tomorrow at Seri Selangor. Reinforcing the championship’s commitment to develop the game in the country, the organisers have added a slot for the leading Malaysian boy at the SIJGC. If the winner is Malaysian, then the second-best Malaysian will be given the spot.
The year’s championship has added significance as it will be the last professional event to be played on the original version of the highly-rated Seri Selangor course, a favourite with both elite golfers and everyday amateurs for its risk-for-reward design and fast greens. Crafted by Australian architect Ross Watson and opened for play in 1998, the course is set to undergo a major redesign and rerouting come February.
The PKNS Selangor Masters is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), who have been the title sponsor since 2022.
“The success of the PKNS Selangor Masters is a testament to the dedication and hard work of many individuals. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my fellow organising committee members, the management and staff of Seri Selangor, and our partners from the two sanctioning tours who share our vision for the development of golf. A special thank you goes to our title sponsor, PKNS, whose unwavering support and proactive involvement have been instrumental in making this event possible,” said Dato’ Setia Haji Haris Bin Kasim, Selangor State Secretary and Chairman of the PKNS Selangor Masters Organising Committee.
Ken Kudo, General Manager of the ADT, noted that the PKNS Selangor Masters is one of the players’ favourite stops.
“Our players have always looked forward to the PKNS Selangor Masters for the excellent organisation, wonderful hospitality and the venue, Seri Selangor. I am sure that there will be a strong sense of nostalgia when the players find out that this will be the last edition on the existing layout. This will give them added impetus to do well and I am sure we will be in for some great golf and, as in previous years, quite a fair bit of drama as well,” said Kudo.
The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 as a local event before joining the Asian Tour the following year, when Malaysia’s Ben Leong emerged triumphant. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014, before returning as an Asian Development Tour event in 2022 when Shahriffuddin became the second Malaysian to claim the title. Seri Selangor has been the venue on each occasion, except in 2011 and 2012 when the tournament was played at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.
