Kuala Lumpur, Sep 23 (IANS) Top Indian golfer and current Asian Tour No.1 Anirban Lahiri is among the early cast of international stars who have committed to play in the CIMB Classic to be held here from October 29 to November 1.
The CIMB Group announced its early line-up which will also comprise of Major champion Adam Scott, World No.6 Henrik Stenson, 10th-ranked Sergio Garcia and Major and FedExCup champions, tournament winners and 10 players who will be competing in the Presidents Cup in Korea next month.
Leading the early commitments is a trio of players in the top-12 of world rankings — Stenson (sixth), Garcia (10th) and Scott (12th).
Stenson, the winner of 2013 FedExCup, will be making his debut at the CIMB Classic. Garcia will play his third CIMB Classic after tying for second in 2014 while Scott, the 2013 Masters Tournament champion, will make his second appearance.
Ryan Moore, the CIMB Classic defending champion, will return to shoot for a third consecutive win.
Other early commitments were also received from South Africa’s Branden Grace, Australia’s Marc Leishman, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and New Zealand’s Danny Lee. Also committed for the tournament are Americans Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker.
Scott, Leishman, Grace, Matsuyama, Lee, Steven Bowditch, and Lahiri will be representing the International Team at the Presidents Cup while Walker, Reed and Chris Kirk will be representing Team USA.
The CIMB Classic, now in its sixth year, will feature a 78-player elite field, comprising 60 players from the PGA Tour, 10 from the Asian Tour and eight sponsor’s exemptions.
“This is the sixth edition of the CIMB Classic and the tournament has gone from strength to strength, evidenced by the quality and depth of its field,” said Effendy Shahul Hamid, Group Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of CIMB Group.
“Early commitments are always a good indication of interest in the event, and as always, we expect to have a stellar tournament come the end of October.”
The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia.