CIMB Classic Preview

• Dates: October 17-23, 2016 (part of the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season
• Where: TPC Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Par/Yards: 36-36–72/6,967 yards
• Field: 78 players
• Eligibility: Eligible players for the 78-player field are:
  • The top 60 available players from the final 2015-2016 FedExCup Points List to a floor of 125th position.
  • The top 10 available money leaders from the Asian Tour Order of Merit as of Monday October 17, 2016.
  • Eight sponsor exemptions: One designated for the defending champion, if needed, and five restricted to players who are PGA TOUR members. Two (2) Malaysians will qualify – one (1) via the SapuraKencana National Qualifier held Sept. 20-22 at TPC Kuala Lumpur and one (1) via the Official World Golf Rankings to the highest ranking Malaysian as of October 11, 2016.
  • Beginning 9:00 a.m. Malaysian time on Monday of Tournament Week (October 17, 2016), any ithdrawal will be replaced by the next available player from the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• 2015 champion: Justin Thomas
• Purse: $7,000,000/$1,260,000 (winner)
• FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
• Format: 72-hole stroke play
• Twitter: @CIMBClassic

A look at the 2015 CIMB Classic and Justin Thomas

• Justin Thomas entered the final round tied with Brendan Steele at the top of the leaderboard and walked away with a one-shot win over Adam Scott at the CIMB Classic after a 6-under 66 on Sunday. Following a double bogey at the par-4 14th , Thomas went birdie-birdie-birdie-par to close out the tournament.
• With the win, his first PGA TOUR victory, Thomas became the youngest champion of the CIMB Classic at the age of 22 years, 6 months, 3 days.
• With his win in 2015, Thomas etched his name in the CIMB Classic history book with a new tournament record in relation to par, of 26-under (Bo Van Pelt, 23-under, 2011) while becoming the first player to make the CIMB Classic his maiden PGA TOUR victory.
• In the second round, Thomas’ bogey-free 61 set a new course record at TPC Kuala Lumpur and matched the tournament record.
• The former University of Alabama All-American also set the 36-hole tournament record in relation to par with his 15-under-par score (2012-Robert Garrigus /14-under).
• Thomas, a Jupiter, Fla., resident, is  pledging $250 per birdie in his first three events of the 2016-17 PGA TOUR Season to Convoy of Hope, a disaster-response, non-profit organization providing aid to those impacted by the recent Hurricane Matthew, which brought devastation to Haiti, the Bahamas and the Southeastern United States.
  • Through three rounds at the Safeway Open, Thomas has made 16 birdies and one eagle, totaling $4,250 in donations.
  • Additional donations for the #MakingBirdiesForMatthew cause can be made at https://www.convoyofhope.org/donate/makingbirdiesformatthew/.

CIMB Classic and the FedExCup

• In its seventh year, the CIMB Classic brings together top players from the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup standing, top players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit and top players from Malaysia.
• The FedExCup returns to Malaysia with PGA TOUR members receiving official FedExCup points as part of the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season.
• The CIMB Classic was the first event in Asia to offer full FedExCup points.
• In addition to 500 FedExCup points and a two-year PGA TOUR exemption, the winner this week (if not previously eligible) receives invitations to the 2017 Tournament of Champions, a winners-only event in January, along with two major championships (Masters Tournament and PGA Championship) and THE PLAYERS Championship.
• The player would also earn exemptions into six additional invitational events on the PGA TOUR. CIMB Group, the title sponsor of CIMB Classic since its inception in 2010, recently announced the extension of its title sponsorship of the golf tournament through 2020.
• The four-year extension reflects the success of the only official PGA TOUR FedExCup event in Southeast Asia, which is also the richest in the region with a purse of USD7 million.
• Since it was first staged, the tournament has attracted world class professionals like Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa. CIMB Classic, being one of most prestigious and biggest sporting events in the region, has undoubtedly boosted Malaysia’s position as a golfing tourism destination, attracting an audience from all over Asia annually.

Select player updates

Ryan Moore

• A two-time winner of the CIMB Classic (2013, 2014), Ryan Moore returns to TPC Kuala Lumpur after having one of his more successful seasons on TOUR.
• Moore finished 7th in the final 2015-2016 FedExCup standings on the strength of nine top-10 finishes that included a win at the John Deere Classic, his fifth career PGA TOUR victory, and a thrilling and memorable playoff loss to Rory McIlroy at the season-ending TOUR Championship.
• Thanks to the strong finish at the TOUR Championship, Moore was the final captain’s pick selected to the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team.
• Moore clinched the win for the U.S. Ryder Cup team as his point in the singles matches against Lee Westwood was the deciding point.
• In 2014, Ryan Moore defeated Gary Woodland, Kevin Na and Sergio Garcia by three shots to win his second-consecutive CIMB Classic. The year before, Moore defeated Woodland in a playoff.
• With four-career top 10s, Moore is one ahead of Kevin Na (also in the field this week) for the most all time top 10s in CIMB History.
• Moore is the all-time money leader at the event, with nearly USD3 million in earnings at the CIMB Classic in his career.
• Moore is one of the most decorated amateurs in the history of golf, winning the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Amateur Public Links and the NCAA Championship all in 2004.

Patrick Reed

• While Ryan Moore won the deciding point in the Ryder Cup, Patrick Reed came away as one of the U.S. team’s top performers, in no small part thanks to his win in the first singles match on the final day against Rory McIlroy.
• The 25-year-old American already has five wins on the PGA TOUR and at least one victory in each of the last four seasons.
• After a win at the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST, Reed finished a career-best No. 3 in the 2015-2016 FedExCup standings.
• Reed is playing in his fourth consecutive CIMB Classic with his best finish (T10) coming at last year’s event.

Adam Scott

• Scott shot a final-round 63 to finish runner-up to Thomas at last year’s CIMB Classic. The Aussie is one of the most accomplished players on the PGA TOUR with 13 victories in his career, including the 2013 Masters Tournament and back-to-back wins in 2016 at the Honda Classic and the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship.
• Scott matched his best finish in the FedExCup last season by ending the year at No. 4 in the rankings.  This is Scott’s third career appearance at the CIMB Classic. In addition to his runner-up in 2015, Scott finished T11 in 2009.

Sergio Garcia

• The Spaniard is playing in the CIMB Classic for the fourth consecutive year, finishing T11 in 2013, T2 in 2014 and T24 last year.
• Garcia has nine PGA TOUR wins and an additional 17 victories around the globe.
• Garcia won for the ninth time on the PGA TOUR earlier this year with a playoff win at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship.

Emiliano Grillo

• The Argentinian was recently the 2016 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year as voted on by the TOUR’s membership for the 2015-16 season.
• Grillo, now 24, is the third member of the famed high school class of 2011 to earn PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors, joining Jordan Spieth (2013) and Daniel Berger (2015).
• He is the second Argentinian to be named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year along with Andres Romero (2008).
• Grillo defeated Kevin Na in a playoff at the 2015 Safeway Open, becoming the first player to win in his first start as an official PGA TOUR member since Russell Henley at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii.
• He totaled two additional top-10 finishes the rest of the season, including a tie for second at THE NORTHERN TRUST and a tie for 10th at the season-ending TOUR Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs. He became just the ninth rookie to qualify for the TOUR Championship since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007.
• He also finished tied for eighth at the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition in Rio.
• A 2015 graduate of the Web.com Tour, Grillo was selected as PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year over Smylie Kaufman, winner of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and Si Woo Kim, winner of the Wyndham Championship. Both Kaufman and Kim are in the field at this week’s CIMB Classic.

Ernie Els

• The South African has 19 PGA TOUR victories and 47 other international wins, and is a World Golf Hall of Fame member.
• Won the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
• This is his fourth start at the CIMB Classic, his best finish coming in 2010 when he finished T5.

Hideki Matsuyama

• Hideki Matsuyama of Japan has already notched two career PGA TOUR wins with the latest coming in a playoff against Rickie Fowler last season at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
• In addition to his two PGA TOUR wins, he has also recorded five victories on the Japan Tour.  Matsuyama was an International Team member in the last two Presidents Cup competitions.
• He ended the season ranked 16th in the FedExCup in 2014-15, and this is his third-consecutive appearance at the CIMB Classic.
• Matsuyama’s best finish in four tries at the CIMB Classic came last year (5th).

Rafa Cabrera Bello

• The two-time winner on the European Tour and member of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team has accepted full-time membership on the PGA TOUR for this season.
• Cabrera Bello finished third at the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play, T4 at the Shell Houston Open and T5 at the Wyndham Championship last season on the PGA TOUR.
• The No. 30 ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking is making his debut at the CIMB Classic.

Ian Poulter

• The two-time PGA TOUR winner who has an additional 13 victories worldwide makes his PGA TOUR return after sitting out much of the 2015-16 season due to injury.
• This is Poulter’s first appearance at the CIMB Classic.
• Poulter played in last week’s Venetian Macao Open on the Asian Tour in advance of the CIMB Classic.

Scott Hend

• Hend leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit thanks to two victories at the True Thailand Classic presented by Chang and Queen’s Cup in Thailand.
• He also has three fourth place results this year and finished second at the Omega European Masters where he lost on the first play-off hole to Alex Noren.
• The big-hitting Australian is a nine-time Asian Tour winner and he will make his third appearance at the CIMB Classic.
• Hend also represented Australia in the Olympic Golf competition in Rio in August.

Anirban Lahiri

• The reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion will return to TPC Kuala Lumpur with fond memories as he tasted success at the same venue at the 2014 Malaysian Open.
• A seven-time Asian Tour winner, Lahiri will make his fourth appearance at the CIMB Classic.
• After saving his PGA TOUR card, Lahiri will be aiming for a fast start in the FedExCup 2016-17 season.

Jeunghun Wang

• Jeunghun Wang enjoyed a memorable two-week stretch when he won the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco before going on to seal back-to-back victories at the Mauritius Open.
• He became the youngest player at 20 years and 263 days to win consecutive events on the European Tour.
• Wang also played in the Olympic Golf competition in Rio and was part of Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM in January.
• This is his first start in the CIMB Classic.

Chan Shih-chang

• Chan will make his debut at the CIMB Classic after winning the King’s Cup presented by PTT Group and Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Japan where he shot a final round 62.
• Before joining the Asian Tour, Chan played on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he won five titles.

Miguel Tabuena

• Tabuena, 22, is one of the brightest prospects to emerge from the Philippines.
• He won his first Asian Tour title at the Philippine Open presented by ICTSI in 2015 and has enjoyed two runner-up results in 2016.
• Tabuena also qualified for the U.S. Open and represented Philippines in the Olympic Golf competition in Rio in August.
• This will be Tabuena’s first appearance at the CIMB Classic.

Other Miscellaneous Field Stats (as of 10/16)

• The CIMB Classic will feature five players in the top 15 of the Official World Golf Ranking, the most in the history of the event (Adam Scott/6, Patrick Reed/7, Paul Casey/12, Sergio Garcia/13, Branden Grace/14).
• This year’s field features nine out of the top 13 in last year’s FedExCup rankings (Reed/3, Scott/4, Casey/5, Moore/7, Chappell/8, Knox/10, Grillo/11, Thomas/12, Matsuyama/13).
• There are a combined 152 PGA TOUR victories by players in the field this week.
• TPC Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) marked another milestone in the club’s history, with its successful acquisition of the licensing rights as Southeast Asia’s first golf facility to join the PGA TOUR’s prestigious Tournament Players Club (TPC) Network.
• The newly named TPC Kuala Lumpur joins the highly acclaimed network of golf courses affiliated with the PGA TOUR, most of which are based in the US. As home of the CIMB Classic, TPC Kuala Lumpur will also hold the distinction of being Southeast Asia’s first TPC-branded facility to ever host an official PGA TOUR event.
• In addition to the CIMB Classic, TPC Kuala Lumpur also successfully hosted the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia which will be held the week immediately following the CIMB Classic.