IRDA Johor Classic to offer $300,000 Asian tour purse

The IRDA Johor Classic will offer total prize money of US$300,000 (RM1.05 million) when the tournament makes its debut on the burgeoning Asian Tour from August 9-12, officials announced today.

The inaugural Johor Classic, to be played at the Royal Johor Country Club, will be backed by the government of Johor, the southernmost state in Malaysia and the Iskandar Region Development Authority (IRDA).

IRDA is the driving force behind Johor's newly-launched Iskandar Development Zone which is aimed at delivering a first-class global hub for business, living and leisure, thus elevating Johor's status in the region.

The Asian Tour said that it was confident that the latest tournament to join its 2007 Schedule can develop and grow into one of Asia's foremost golf tournaments. It added that the launch of the IRDA Johor Classic was timely following the emergence of an exciting band of Malaysian players led by Airil Rizman Zahari, Ben Leong and Iain Steel.

Johor Chief Minister Dato' Haji Abdul Ghani Bin Othman said they were delighted to forge an allegiance with the Asian Tour to stage the IRDA Johor Classic, which will showcase the state's vision and growth.

"The staging of the IRDA Johor Classic will serve as a wonderful platform for us to further promote and develop professional golf in Malaysia," said Abdul Ghani. "Our ambition is to create a world-class golf tournament that will also promote the growth and development of the Iskandar Development Zone.

"This is a fantastic opportunity as the IRDA Johor Classic will receive widespread international television exposure through the Asian Tour's television platform with ESPN Star Sports and this can translate into greater exposure and benefits for our state of Johor

"The growth of professional golf in Asia has been outstanding in recent years, with greater prize money on offer and more tournaments staged across the region, and we are delighted to form a new partnership with the Asian Tour," he added.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said the support from Johor and IRDA would greatly enhance the growth of professional golf in Malaysia and across Asia.

"Over the last few years, we have witnessed the rapid growth of the professional game in Asia, through new events emerging in countries like India, Indonesia, Cambodia and now Malaysia," said Han.

"We fully appreciate the support given by the state government of Johor and IRDA and believe that our close association will bring greater benefits for the game, especially for professional golf in Malaysia.

"The staging of the IRDA Johor Classic will bring together Asia's finest players and this is a wonderful opportunity for Malaysian golfers to test their games against the region's best," he added.

This season, Malaysian players have performed well on the Asian Tour. Leong won the Qualifying School in Thailand, Airil lifted the Pakistan Open title while Steel has risen to fourth place on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit after producing some world-class performances that include a play-off loss in the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters.

March 20, 2007

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