PGA Tour preview: CIMB Classic

The PGA Tour is in Asia this week for the CIMB Classic. Ryan Moore defends the title against a strong field at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

Lowdown: The PGA Tour is in Asia this week for the CIMB Classic. Ryan Moore defends the title against a strong field at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

The field for this event is just 78 players and 10 of them will come from the Asian Tour. They’ll all be competing for a prize fund of $7 million and a winner’s cheque of $1,260,000. There’s no cut in this tournament.

Sergio Garcia will start as favourite this week, but he’ll face stiff competition from the likes of Billy Horschel, Charl Schwartzel, Hideki Matsuyama and Lee Westwood.

This will be the fifth time this tournament has featured on the PGA Tour. Ben Crane was the winner in 2010 and, since then, Bo Van Pelt and Nick Watney have been champions. Last year Ryan Moore came through a playoff against Gary Woodland to take the title.

The course at Kuala Lumpur G&CC was originally designed by Nelson Howarth and opened for play in 1991. But, the track was totally reconstructed for the 2010 Malaysian Open, although the routing and layout remained the same.

There’s bound to be weather issues to deal with this week as thunderstorms are all over the forecast. Last season, preferred lies were in operation every round and the tournament finished on the Monday.

Venue: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Date: Oct 30 – Nov 2 Course stats: par 72, 6,985 yards Purse: $7,000,000 Winner: $1,260,000 Defending Champion: Ryan Moore (-14)

Player Watch:

Patrick Reed – He played some fabulous golf at the Ryder Cup then followed that with a good showing in the World Matchplay at the London Club. He’s on the up.

Will MacKenzie – Lost in a playoff last week at Sea Island. He’ll look to build on that result this week.

Brendon de Jonge – Also lost in the playoff last week but a closing 65 showed the form he’s in. He was tied fourth in this event in 2012.

Key hole: 14th. It may be only 358 yards long but, with a heavily bunkered fairway, and a tricky approach over a lake, it’s a hole that requires a careful and strategic approach.

Skills required: Staying dry. There’s quite a bit of water to contend with, particularly on the back nine. If the trouble is successfully avoided then low scoring will be possible.