KUALA LUMPUR, 11 February 2010 - The inaugural Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia has been scheduled to take place in Malaysia from 22  24 October 2010 at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).

The Sime Darby Group, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and event promoter IMG today announced that they will, for the first time in Malaysia s history, bring a full-field LPGA sanctioned event to Malaysia s shores.

It will feature the top 50 LPGA members from the Official Money List, along with 10 sponsor s exemptions. The three-day stroke play event with no cut will ensure that players spend most of their time in Kuala Lumpur and provide for a great tournament where the local and regional golf community can catch their favourite stars in action.

 The tournament will be a catalyst for the development of the women s game in Malaysia, said Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of the Sime Darby Group. He noted that with Asian professional lady golfers, particularly the Koreans, having proven their ability to perform at the highest level, there is no reason why Malaysians cannot attain the same level of achievement.

 The tournament will also promote Malaysia as a reputable golf ground via KLGCC and is also a testimony to Malaysia s ability to host events of this scale at the international level, added Tun Musa.

The LPGA is recognised as the official governing body for professional women s golf and has been making inroads in Asia. The selection criteria of LPGA, which has been staging more events in this part of the world as well as having a global reach, will enable IMG to secure the best international playing field. A stellar line up can be expected come October.

 IMG prides itself in playing an integral role in developing the sport globally and our footprint in Asia has been growing from strength to strength. So we are excited that we can finally stage a full-field LPGA event in Malaysia, said Robbie Henchman, Senior Vice President of IMG.

 With the support of Sime Darby and the LPGA, we can be assured that this inaugural event will deliver high quality in terms of international and local players as well as through the fabulous host venue.

The world s leading women golfers, through their participation in golf tournaments throughout the world, have endorsed Malaysia as a leading golf destination. More details about the event, including star players, local players and prize money, will be announced closer to the event.