A PERFECT MATCH

If there’s one brand that’s synonymous with golf in Malaysia, it’s Maybank. We have always been at the heart of the communities we serve and our commitment to the sport is testament to our unwavering dedication to empowering communities across ASEAN.

At Maybank, we view golf as a game that promotes honesty, discipline, precision and astute decision-making, reflective of our values and mission of Humanising Financial Services.

Through our long involvement in and commitment to the sport, we have been able to reach a wider global audience, continuing to build on our brand equity. The platform also helped put our nation on the world map as one of the leading venues for top-level golf tournaments by highlighting the country’s golf courses, superb infrastructure and various tourist attractions, all packaged in our trademark Malaysian and ASEAN hospitality.

At Maybank, customer-centricity is our main priority – with golf serving as an important networking platform, providing opportunities to host our business partners and customers to a day filled with action on the golf course through pro-am tournaments and corporate games. During professional tournaments, invited guests are able to watch the golfing action while enjoying food and refreshments in our air-conditioned hospitality marquees.

With the large footfall during tournament week, we also leverage our events to highlight the various aspects of our businesses as well as our community empowerment initiatives to the public.

Our official involvement with the game at the highest level teed off in 2006 with the title sponsorship of the Malaysian Open. The partnership with the event custodians, the Malaysian Golf Association, carried on for a full decade during which the tournament developed into one of the most prestigious events in Asia.

Co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour, the Maybank Malaysian Open brought the world’s finest players to our shores and provided a platform for Malaysia’s leading professionals and elite amateurs to test their skills against top-level opposition and gain international recognition. Prize money grew from USD1.25 million to USD3 million for the 2015 edition, won by Indian star Anirban Lahiri who went on to compete on the European Tour and PGA Tour.

With substantial Official World Ranking Points (OWGR) on offer as well as being a counting event on the two tours’ Order of Merits, the Maybank Malaysian Open also opened a pathway for our players to reach greater heights and make their presence felt on the world stage.

In 2016, we decided to broaden the scope of our marquee golf event and make it ASEAN-centric in tandem with Maybank’s growing regional presence. Working with the European Tour and Asian Tour as well as relevant national sports bodies, the Maybank Championship was born. In four highly successful stagings of the USD3 million event, Malaysian golf fans not only enjoyed watching world-class golf but were also treated to next-level spectator engagement activities that had never been seen before in the country.

While maintaining spots for Malaysian players, the Maybank Championship broke new ground through the creation of an ASEAN category for golfers who would not otherwise qualify. This provided a chance for rising talents from the region to play with the world’s best golfers while gaining valuable experience along with extensive international exposure.

In 2023, golf in Malaysia celebrated a monumental milestone with the re-birth of the Maybank Championship as one of the richest ladies’ professional golf events in Asia with a purse of USD3 million. Staged in collaboration with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the world’s leading women’s circuit, the latest iteration of the Maybank Championship strives to elevate women’s sports by providing the intersection where the best-in-class come together to thrive and succeed in their passion.

In line with the Maybank Championship’s objectives of inclusivity and opportunity, starts were allocated for Malaysian professionals and elite amateurs, along with regional talents, providing a global platform to test themselves against the world’s leading lady golfers. In 2024, the introduction of a stand-alone ASEAN Qualifier elevated this effort by according starts to the top five finishers

Living up to its billing as a 'Tournament For Good' with the tagline of 'Empowering Limitless Potential', the Maybank Championship transcended sports by providing a platform for change in economic and societal impact. The various facets of the Championship were curated to act as catalysts for realising the full potential of all parties involved, from the athletes and stakeholders to the spectators and partners.