KUALA LUMPUR: Golf fans are already squirming in Malaysia after American star Tiger Woods announced he would play the CIMB Classic from October 25-28 at The Mines Resort in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The event is to become an official PGA Tour stop next year, is to have a massive draw because of Woods, who will compete in Malaysia for the first time since he won the individual and team titles at the 1999 World Cup in the country. The CIMB Classic began two years ago as little more than a limited-field exhibition that featured PGA Tour players and Asian Tour players. It will become a full-fledged PGA Tour event starting in 2013, when the tour begins its new season in October after the FedEx Cup competition. This year's even will feature a 48 man field, including 30 from the US's PGA Tour, 10 from the Asian Tour and 8 exemptions. They will compete for $6.1 million. When it becomes part of the 2013-14 tour schedule, the CIMB Classic will have at least a 78-man field and a $7 million purse, organizers said. Fans are already “pumped” to see Woods in action, who has returned to solid form in the past few months and bumped his world ranking back into the top 5 after a long layoff as a result of personal scandals. “I am so excited and pumped to see Woods play,” said Selangor resident Thomas Murray, a British expatriate who has lived in Malaysia for nearly a decade. He told Bikyamasr.com that “this will be great for golf and great for Malaysia because this is a country that should be hosting top level events.” A year ago, the Malaysian event was largely overlooked the last week in October when IMG put together the Shanghai Masters at Lake Malaren, a 30-man field that featured an All-Star cast that included Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Padraig Harrington.
