MAKING MALAYSIA BOLEH!
One of the hallmarks of Maybank’s involvement in golf is being the first financial institution to champion a structured long-term development of golf across the region , whether through our events or other initiatives.
The Maybank Malaysian Open and the Maybank Championship both offered guaranteed starts for local golfers. The Maybank Championship elevated the local element with 10 Malaysian professionals getting into the elite field based on the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour Order of Merit, joining their compatriots who qualified through the European Tour and Asian Tour categories. Additionally, one place was reserved for the highest-ranked Malaysian in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Recognising the need for players to receive financial support so they can travel and develop their careers without worrying about expenses, Maybank had previously sponsored some of the country’s leading golfers, including Malaysia’s current number one Gavin Green as our ASEAN ambassador from 2015 to 2020.
A two-time Olympian, Green made history in 2017 when he became the first Malaysian to top the Asian Tour Order of Merit and is currently competing with much success on the European Tour.
Other past Maybank-sponsored players include Malaysian legend Danny Chia, who over the course of a much-decorated career has set numerous benchmarks for Malaysian golf. Chia is still the only Malaysian to win twice on the Asian Tour and in 2010 became the first golfer from our shores to make the cut in a men’s Major, achieving the feat during the British Open at St Andrews Golf Club in Scotland.
Maybank also previously supported the talented Shaaban Hussin, who was one of the most successful players in the country until an unfortunate motorcycle accident in 2016 saw him lose his left leg. Shaaban was the best Malaysian finisher in the 2012 Maybank Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club and is still active as a coach.
Maybank has continued its legacy of supporting our country’s top golfers with the signing of Malaysian ladies’ number one, Kelly Tan, as our ASEAN ambassador. A two-time Olympian as well, Tan has been a shining beacon for ladies’ golf in Malaysia for the best part of the last decade with her exploits on the LPGA Tour. The two-year sponsorship will not only help showcase the potential of ASEAN talent but also help realise Maybank’s vision to grow the game and provide equitable opportunities for women from all walks of life.
Tan has enjoyed much success on the LPGA Tour with her best finish being a runner-up performance in last year’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. In 2019 she won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on the Epson Tour. With a shared passion for promoting golf in Malaysia and the region, Tan will team up with Maybank to run junior clinics and mentorship programmes during the off-season.
At the grassroots level, Maybank has initiated numerous development programmes over the years including the hugely successful Maybank Junior Academy, whose graduates have gone on to become leading amateurs and rising young professionals. Each Maybank golf event also featured golf clinics run by some of the top professionals during tournament week.
