Maybank Championship Fantasy Golf Power Rankings
The Maybank Championship field puts fresh talent against proven veterans in some hot Euro-Asian competition.
The Maybank Championship will bring together an interesting mix of established European Tour star power and some less familiar players from the Asian Tour. Most notably, defending champion Anirbar Lahiri is not in the 2016 Maybank Championship field. (He’s elected to play in the PGA TOUR’s Northern Trust Open.)
That puts Danny Willett in the cat bird seat this week, but Willett’s not without some serious competition. Both European Tour and Asian Tour champions will be teeing it up at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.
The Maybank will be contended on Royal Selangor’s Old Course, a 6742 yard, par-72 track that’s one of the oldest golf venues in Asia. It’s a course that will reward shrewd course management and a well-honed short game. If he’s in form, Royal Selangor will suit Willett’s game, but it also has the potential to draw out the best game Korean Younghan Song has to offer. Song’s certainly on my list of significant contenders.
Outside my top 10 list, the Maybank Championship field holds several potential surprises and wild cards. Alexander Levy could emerge as a contender, as could the intrepid Darren Clarke. Asian Tour Order of Merit winners David Lipsky of the United States, Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines, Arjun Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh of India and Thai trio Thaworn Wiratchant, Kiradech Aphibarnrat all have the potential to figure in the Sunday equation.
I’m not optimistic about any of the Scandinavian players this week. It’s not that they’re not competitive players. It’s the Kuala Lumpur heat and humidity – the heat and humidity will take its toll on them, particularly into the 3rd and 4th rounds.
But I see the power in the Maybank Championship field centered in 10 players. Let’s take a look, starting with the man who looks to be headed for a dominant 2016 season.
Next: Dan's My Man This Week