DEFENDING champion Lee Westwood will return for his title defence of next year’s Maybank Malaysian Open.
Flamboyant Frenchman Victor Dubuisson will also join Westwood as Malaysia’s national Open celebrates its 10th anniversary under Maybank’s title sponsorship next February.
Ryder Cup teammates Graeme McDowell and captain Paul McGinley were earlier announced as the marquee names for the US$3 million (RM10 million) showpiece, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour, at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club from Feb 5- 8.
Former World No 1 Westwood, who just claimed his 42nd worldwide career title in Thailand on Sunday, is looking to lift the Seagram Trophy for the third time.
“You have to play really well to win any tournament by seven shots. I played really nicely that week and didn’t make many mistakes, which was key to my victory. If I can stay solid from tee to green, I don't see why I can’t be in contention again," said Westwood, who has been a regular in Asia since 1994.
Dubuisson burst onto the radar in late 2013 when he beat a world-class field to lift his maiden European Tour crown at the Turkish Airlines Open.
He has been a consistent performer since, with a string of top-five finishes in 2014 including a tied-second at the season ending DP World Tour Championship a few weeks ago.
The premier event has seen the likes of Peter Thomson, Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Sir Nick Faldo making their mark over the decades and in recent times, produced young and exciting winners in the form of Korean sensation Noh Seung Yul (2010), Matteo Manassero of Italy (2012) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand (2013).