Top Golf Stars Give Malaysia the Thumbs Up

The Mines Hotel & Golf Course

Malaysia has been given the seal of approval as a top golf destination and a great place to visit by some of the world's leading golf stars.

The country has just hosted two key international tournaments for ladies and men - the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and the CIMB Classic - which both attracted stellar fields comprising many of the best golfers in the world.

They took time out of their busy golf schedule to enjoy some of Malaysia's other attractions, and were glowing in their praise of the country as well as its golf facilities.

Offering a range of golf experiences from up in its highlands and by beaches to jungle settings and close to cities, Malaysia has more than 200 courses, many of them top-drawer designs by notable architects.

Its courses have welcomed the very best in the world since the first Malaysian Open was staged in 1962, with the likes of golfing legends Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros gracing their fairways in the early days and latterly superstars including Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood competing for honours.

This October saw a host of stars descending on the country from all over the world to take part in the two championship events, both of which were held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC).

Sutera Harbour Marina

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, part of the LPGA Tour, attracted stars including winner Lexi Thompson, Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park, Sandra Gal, Beatriz Recari, Ai Miyazato, Stacy Lewis and teenage Solheim Cup sensation Charley Hull, while the CIMB Classic (co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA TOUR and the PGA TOUR's first official FedExCup event in Asia) drew megastars such as Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Stewart Cink, Keegan Bradley, KJ Choi, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia among others.

All were full of praise for Malaysia and its capital city, with comments including: "Clean air", "such a clean city"; "a special place!", "like walking into a garden", "unbelievable resorts", "I love KL!", "feel comfortable here", "English is very common", "I love Malaysia!", "one of my favourite stops", "the malls are huge", "good for shopping", "the food is fantastic", "I love how tropical it is", "we've been having fun!", "we've been going out every night" and "it's a fantastic place!"

This is what some of the stars had to say:

Phil Mickelson: 

Phil Mickelson

"This is my first visit to Malaysia and I knew that I liked it as soon as I walked off the aeroplane; the air is clean, the weather's nice, the city is clean and Kuala Lumpur has a really good feel to it. I'll be sure to walk through the city, visit some restaurants and I have already checked out the Twin Towers; it's a special place!"

Michelle Wie: 

"I love Malaysia; it's one of my favourite stops. I spend all my free time in the malls. The malls are huge! That's one of my favourite things about KL, and the international cuisine is amazing every night."

Ernie Els: 

"Malaysia's a wonderful place to come to. You come into Malaysia and it feels like you are walking in to a garden. It's beautiful, very First World with unbelievable resorts."

Beatriz Recari: 

"I fell in love with the place ever since I came here for the first time in 2010, and I just love the hospitality of all the people here. The food is fantastic. I love the nature; I love how tropical it is; I think it's a fantastic place. I don't think that many people realise how beautiful Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur are or how beautiful the people are and I definitely encourage everyone to come."

Stewart Cink:

Facade - Eastin Hotel

"I'm excited to be here again. I live on the East Coast of the USA and a lot of people there don't know much about this part of the world but really it's quite a Westernised place here. There are a lot of American influences and I think Americans will feel very comfortable here because English is very common. I'm an adventurous eater and I have a great time learning about new kinds of food and different kinds of cultures - and Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur are a great place to do that."

Rickie Fowler: 

"I love KL. I'm excited to be here!"

Ai Miyazato:

 "It's a beautiful city, such a clean city, good for shopping, I love shopping, and I'm a big shopper so I really enjoy staying here!"

Cristie Kerr:

"I just love coming here. Downtown KL is beautiful. There's a lot of local culture."

As for Malaysia's position on the global golf tournament scene, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said: "It just seemed like a couple of years ago that Malaysia was new. Now we would say [to others] come here and see how they set up the golf courses, how they handle their VIPs, what they do for the media, how they make sure the transportation is ready whenever everybody needs it. They have just figured out the detail to make sure everybody enjoys the country because you enjoy everything about the tournament. The players feel that. They want the best here at this tournament [Sime Darby LPGA] and the best are here every year. It's a Who's Who of professional golf."

Dalit Bay Golf Course

Endorsing that, the world's number one lady player, Yani Tseng, said of Malaysia recently: "I would like to encourage everyone to visit this beautiful country, to enjoy golf on the many beautiful golf courses located throughout the country but also to take advantage of the many culinary delights and shopping facilities as well as the eco-friendly national parks. Come and find out for yourself - you will not regret it."

The Malaysia Golf Tourism Association (MGTA) is a non-profit making membership organisation whose goal is to create greater international awareness of Malaysia's many exceptional yet relatively undiscovered golf destinations. From the mountains to the beach and from the cities to the rainforests, MGTA member golf courses, golf resorts, hotels and tour operators work together to deliver the ultimate golf experience for every visiting golf traveller.