Kim, Katayama added to Maybank Malaysian Open

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KUALA LUMPUR -- The Maybank Malaysian Open 2009 announced that Anthony Kim will make his first appearance in Southeast Asia at this year's event which takes place at Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur from Feb. 12-15.

Kim

The 23-year-old Korean-American burst onto the PGA TOUR in 2007 and picked up two victories last season at the Wachovia Championship and the AT&T National. This made him the first American player under the age of 25 to win twice in one year on the PGA TOUR since Tiger Woods in 2000.

"I had a great season on TOUR last year and it will be a great experience for me to come to Malaysia to play in the Maybank Malaysian Open for the first time. With it, being part of the Race to Dubai, I know I will be facing a tough field, but I hope I can play well and continue where I left off last season," Kim said.

Kim finished the 2008 PGA TOUR season in 11th position on the Official World Golf Ranking and was part of the winning Ryder Cup team 2008 where he defeated world No. 2, Sergio Garcia, 5 and 4 in the opening singles match of the final day. He also recorded his first top-ten finish in a major, tying for seventh place at the British Open.

Katayama

Another top player announced for the February event is Japan's number one Shingo Katayama. He has topped the Japan Golf Tour money list last year for the fifth time and has 26 victories on the Tour. Katayama's most notable achievement to date outside of Japan is his tie for fourth at the 2001 PGA Championship.

Known for his cowboy hats and fashion flair, Katayama is looking forward to the event, saying, "This is going to be a great and challenging event for me in Malaysia.

"It will be a new course for me to play on and I know the other players will be playing well at the start of the year so hopefully I can do the same," Katayama said. This will be my first event of the year before heading to the U.S. for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, so this is great preparation for me."