Westwood to defend Malaysia Open golf title in February

English golfer Lee Westwood with the Thailand golf championship trophy after winning the tournament on Sunday. - EPA

PETALING JAYA: Three-time European Tour Golfer of the Year Lee Westwood has confirmed his title defence at the US$3mil (RM10.5mil) Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) from Feb 5-8.

The 41-year-old Englishman, who is one of a few golfers to win on every continent in the world, will certainly fancy his chances for further success in Asia. On Sunday, he captured the Thailand Golf Championship for his 14th triumph in Asia and 41st overall.

Malaysia, in particular, is one of Westwood’s favourite hunting grounds. He also won the 1997 Malaysian Open. In April this year, Westwood triumphed again in Kuala Lumpur to put an end to his two-year title drought. He did it in style by romping to a seven-shot victory at the KLGCC.

“You have to play really well to win any tournament by seven shots. I played really nicely that week and didn’t make many mistakes, which was key to my victory,” said the former world No.1, who made his Malaysian Open debut in 1995. “If I can stay solid from tee to green, I don’t see why I can’t be in contention again.”

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson will be joining Westwood at the Asian Tour and European Tour co-sanctioned event. The 24-year-old rising star is known for his short game brilliance that prompted many to hail him as the new Seve Ballesteros.

Dubuisson rose to fame following his stunning victory at the Turkish Airlines Open late last year. He has been consistently finishing in the top five this year, including joint second at the season-ending World Tour Championship last month.

Besides Westwood and Dubuisson, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and European Ryder Cup winning captain Paul McGinley have also confirmed their participation.

-thestar online.