KUALA LUMPUR, 26 October 2016 – Royalty graced the greens of TPC Kuala Lumpur early this morning as Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah Hamidun participated in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Pro-Am accompanied by Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, the leader on the LPGA Money List and current world no. 2*.

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Pro-Am gave players a taste of what to expect from the challenging East Course, as they finished their final preparations for the tournament, which starts tomorrow.

Bringing an extra element of excitement for local fans, the 2016 tournament will feature the largest contingent of Malaysian golfers in Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia history, with a total of nine ‘Malaysian Angels’ competing.

Speaking at today’s official press conference where all nine Malaysian players were present, the country’s top-ranked female golfer, Kelly Tan, who was also celebrating her birthday today, said:

“I had a good group today in the Pro-Am. They were all really fun and we enjoyed ourselves. The course is in great condition and I can’t wait to get started tomorrow. I’ve been working hard with my game, and it can get hard sometimes when the results aren’t really showing, but I’ve learnt that you just got to be patient and keep giving yourself opportunities and one day, everything will come together.”

Ainil Bakar, who plays on the Ladies European Tour and Ladies Asian Golf Tour, comes into the tournament after having an exciting few months, having won the EVLI Ladies Finnish Open in August. She said:

“I feel that my game is a lot better now. After this week, I’m flying off to Abu Dhabi and India, so I will have some momentum. As long as I stay fit, I should be okay.”

One local golfer to watch for the future is Natasha Oon, who qualified for the tournament as one of two top ranked junior amateurs in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Development Programme.

The 15 year-old had the opportunity to speak to some of the world’s best female golfers over the past few days, and revealed that their conversations have helped her prepare for the tournament:

“Some of them shared their experience of their first LPGA tournament, and we also talked about how to just dump the shot. It’s really helped to make me less nervous for the tournament.”

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia tees off on the East Course of TPC Kuala Lumpur from 27^th October to 30^th October. For all the latest updates, visit the tournament website at www.simedarbylpgamalaysia.com. Tournament activities can also be followed on www.facebook.com/SimeDarbyLPGAMalaysia, or via Twitter and Instagram using @SimeDarbyLPGA, #SimeDarbyLPGA, #WomenWithDrive.

A Malaysian Affair at Sime Darby LPGA

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