Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club’s hosting of next week’s Sabah Masters on the Asian Tour will help to place the Malaysian State on the northern portion of Borneo on the international golfing map.
Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club.
To be staged from November 21-24, the Sabah Masters will be the ninth full-field event on the Asian Tour this season – and the first time an Asian Tour event has been held in Sabah for more than a decade.
Offering a prize purse of US$300,000, the event is supported by Tourism Malaysia, which aims to boost tourism in Sabah. The event is also featured as part of the 2019 PGM Tour schedule, Malaysia’s domestic circuit.
“I’d like to thank Tourism Malaysia and Sutera Harbour for their support,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Tour, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
“I’m sure this event will help promote Sabah as a tourist destination through the Tour’s global coverage via its digital media channels and television platform. I look forward to a successful staging of the Sabah Masters,” he added.
The Asian Tour last visited Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah State, when it held the 2008 Qualifying School in multiple locations in December, 2007. Local boy Ben Leong topped the class in front of his home supporters that year for his second straight Qualifying School win.
Sabahan Leong said: “It’s going to be awesome playing an Asian Tour event at home. We have played in Sabah on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) but this is the first time in 20 years that we are playing an Asian Tour event here. It will be a great boost for Sabah.
“I’m sure all the players will have a great time in Sabah. The food is great here and everything is close by. Sutera Harbour is a modern resort golf course. It can play fairly straightforward or difficult, depending on how the officials set it up.”
Designed by Australian Graham Marsh, the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club boasts 27 holes for day and night golfing and has garnered various awards of distinction.
It is located on the island of Borneo where the golf course is finished with Bermuda grass and strategically challenging bunkers. It is beautifully landscaped with undulating terrain and numerous waterways, providing a challenge for both amateurs and top professionals alike.
“We are very pleased to see the Sabah Masters return to its spiritual home at Sutera Harbour Resort for the 2019 running of the tournament,” said Rick Blackie, General Manager at Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club, a Golf Course Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
“Now that the event is flying under the banner of the one of the world’s major Tours, it will be great to showcase our course and the resort to the best golfers in the region and see how they fare.”
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