MANILA, Philippines - Tony Lascuña and Angelo Que get a rare chance to slug it out with some of the world’s best players, including 2012 FedEX Cup champion Brandt Snedeker, last year’s PGA champion Jason Dufner and 20-time PGA Tour winner Davis Love III, as they vie in the rich CIMB Classic firing off tomorrow at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia.
Lascuña and Que’s strong finishes in this year’s Asian Tour legs have put them at Nos. 5 and 6 in the current Order of Merit rankings, gaining them precious berths in the $7 million championship co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia which also serves as part of the season-long PGA Tour FedExCup competition.
The World Cup teammates in Australia last year will be coming into the event toughened up by a pair of playoff setbacks but will need a lot of work to do to measure up with the elite field.
Six other Major winners are in the fold, including Mike Weir (2003 Masters), Stewart Cink (2009 Open), and South Africans Retief Goosen (2004 and 2009 US Open), Trevor Immelman (2008 Masters), Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open) and Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters).
Also included in the field are up and coming players who have recently broken through the global scene – newly named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Chesson Hadley from USA and Web.com Tour Player of the Year Carlos Ortiz from Mexico.
They join a previously announced cast of international stars, including reigning FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel, world number three Sergio Garcia, US Ryder Cup team top scorer Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Ishikawa from Japan, Chinese teenage phenom Guan Tianlang, as well as Lee Westwood from England.
In total, the field includes 42 players who have won a total of 142 PGA Tour events including nine Major championships and five Players Championships. In addition, 23 players have won 148 other events worldwide.
“Five years on, the CIMB Classic has matured into a staple event in the global golf calendar. We’re happy with the tournament’s sustainable appeal and the depth and diversity of this year’s field,” said Effendy Shahul Hamid, group chief marketing and communications officer of CIMB Group.