KUALA LUMPUR, 26 July 2011  Sime Darby Berhad and IMG, organisers of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, will continue to support the development of women golfers in Malaysia through the Sime Darby LPGA Development Program 2011.

Held at the KLGCC Golf Academy, the Sime Darby LPGA Development Program is in its second year and open to Malaysian female golfers who have a handicap of two and below. The golfers are also under the Malaysian Ladies Golf Association (MLGA), the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) and the KLGCC Junior Golf Programme.

It is an initiative of Sime Darby Berhad, in collaboration with the KLGCC Golf Academy, and aims to train promising women golfers for regional and local LPGA qualifying tournaments.

Dato Abd Wahab Maskan, Group Chief Operating Officer of Sime Darby said,  We are pleased to continue our support for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Development Program 2011. This is a reflection of our steadfast commitment towards developing home grown sporting champions!

 Today we have been able to witness the wealth of talent amongst young female golfers in Malaysia and we hope that this Program will ultimately propel some of these women into becoming one of the finest female golfers on the world stage, added Abd Wahab, who is the Managing Director of Sime Darby Property.

Launched last year ahead of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2010, the Development Programme prepares local female golfers for the upcoming Malaysian Qualifier and tackle the challenging KLGCC East Course.

The programme also prepares players who qualify for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011, which is set to feature the top 62 LPGA members from the LPGA Tour s Official Money List.

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Development Program has shown good improvement since the inaugural Program commenced last year. There will be 12 players taking part this year during the eight-week course.

In addition, this year s specialist training program, which began in June and spans over a 10-week period, will encompass 50 hours of training a week for 16 specialist students.

An extra two weeks of training, on top of the initial 10-week program, is also provided for the winners of the qualifiers to further prepare them for life on the LPGA circuit.

MST Academy coaches, Dean Hartmann and Koe Lai Yin, will conduct a variety of specialised classes across both physical and mental disciplines to help these golfers qualify and play in the prestigious Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011. It will be held at the KLGCC from 13- 16 October.

In showcasing this year s Program, guest coach Ian Triggs joined a number of the players at the KLGCC recently to demonstrate some of the skills being honed over the course . Triggs was mentor to former World Number One, Karrie Webb, and 2009 US Open winner, Eun Hee Ji.

 I am delighted to be part of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Development Program and to offer these promising young golfers training advice in order to develop them both on and off the course.

 Preparation is integral part of any athlete s training program. In the first four weeks of the Program, these players have already been exposed to specialist advice and training to prepare them for the professional game. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with players and wish each and every one of them the best of luck with their golfing career.

Guest instructors such as Triggs have been working alongside leading physiotherapist, Ms Jasmine Loke, and her team to attend to the player s physical profiling, exercise prescription and treatment.

The training sessions, conducted five days a week, will see the instructors oversee a variety of specialised classes catered specifically to high level tournament players.

Utilising a mixture of on and off the course sessions, the Program is aimed at imparting psychological, physiological and physical knowledge of the game on the trainees.

Classroom sessions cover topics such as physical preparation, physiotherapy, diet and nutrition, strengthening and stretching, and cardiovascular understanding. The intensive golf practice sessions, meanwhile, will focus on improving the trainees short game, putting and driving, among others.

Special sessions aimed at building the psychological strength of trainees will also be conducted during the Program. I will touch on the need to train in focus, mental toughness, self-confidence, dominance, and other traits possessed by the best players in the world.

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011 will be an even greater showcase this year, offering better prize money and an increase in the field size and number of playing days.

The four-day stroke play event with no cut ensures that players are in Kuala Lumpur for the tournament duration, providing local and regional golf community an opportunity to catch their favourite golfers in action the entire week. It has already been confirmed that local golfers Kelly Tan and Jean Chua will receive two of the sponsors invites for the 2011 Championship.

For more information on the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, please visit the event website - http://simedarbylpgamalaysia.com/index.php