LPGA returns to Malaysia with Maybank Uncut Championship and $3 million purse
The LPGA announced on Tuesday that it will be returning to Malaysia in 2023 for the inaugural Maybank Championship to replace the LPGA Taiwan Swinging Skirts.
Maybank is one of the leading banking groups in Asia and will be the general sponsor of the event; The first Maybank Championship will take place October 26-29, 2023, when the event was originally scheduled in Taiwan, at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A previous event in Taiwan was canceled due to “operational factors” after not being held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Maybank Championship will feature 78 players competing for a $3 million prize pool, making it one of the biggest non-major championships on the tour. There will be no cut.
“The LPGA is thrilled to bring women’s professional golf back to Malaysia for the first time in six years thanks to the incredible support of Maybank,” said LPGA Commissioner Molly Marku Samaan. “The shared values of the LPGA and Maybank regarding the upliftment and empowerment of women make this partnership important to us in this region of the world. Maybank once again demonstrates its commitment to women and our athletes by providing the largest prize pool of our Asian events and world class facilities.”
KLGCC previously hosted Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia from 2010 to 2017 and produced winners such as Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda.
“As a golfer who proudly represents Malaysia around the world, I am more than thrilled to host the LPGA Tour once again in Kuala Lumpur this October,” said Kelly Tan, two-time Olympian and LPGA Players Director. “I believe that the involvement of a company like Maybank in the LPGA is a huge opportunity to help promote and further develop the game of golf in Malaysia, and I am very happy that golfers in my home country will have the opportunity to watch the best games in the world. professional female golfers compete in close combat.
