Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The European Tour resumes this week after a short break and continues its road trip around Asia.
Defending champion Anthony Kang, of the United States, is ready to face the challenges of a strong international field at the 49th edition of the Malaysian Open, with K J Choi, Daniel Chopra, Darren Clarke, Thongchai Jaidee and Shingo Katayama among the headline names in Kuala Lumpur.
Kang's win last season earned him full playing rights on the European Tour and he believes his experiences during the Race to Dubai have made him a better player ahead of his title defence at the refurbished Kula Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
The men arrive in the Far East as the LPGA Tour packs its bags for the US. They have a lot to follow as well, with the HSBC Champions event a tremendous success and the ladies game thriving in the region.
Ai Miyazato of Japan continued her fine early season form as she posted a three-under-par final round of 69 to emerge victorious at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.
The 24-year-old won the season-opening Honda PTT LPGA Thailand the previous week and followed it with a third career title on Sunday. She finished two clear of American Christie Kerr to become the first player for 44 years to win the first two events of a season and the first Japanese woman to win consecutive tour titles.
The world number one may be Mexican and some of the game's biggest stars such as Natalie Gulbis, Julie Inkster and Michelle Wie (although of Asian origin) are American, but the LPGA Tour is dominated by the Korean and Japanese ladies.
In the 60 years that the LPGA has been around, the game for ladies has changed immeasurably from the days when some clubs wouldn't even allow ladies through the gates. Legends from the past such as Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg battled to get recognition for their achievements, where modern professionals such as Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa have had phenomenally successful careers as household names.
In 2010, Asian ladies hold 50 per cent of the top 25 places in the world and Miyazato seems destined to be the latest in a growing list to dominate the game. On current form she could seriously challenge Ochoa who has held the number one slot since Sorenstam's retirement to start a family.
Back in KL and Malaysia's top golfers Danny Chia, Iain Steel, Ben Leong, Shaaban Hussin and Airil Rizman will all be hoping to create history this week as the first home winner in the 49-year history of the Malaysian Open.
No home player has won the national championship since its inauguration in 1961 - the closest was P Gunasegaran in 1994 when he lost in an eight-hole play-off - but the host nation have never had so many potential contenders to the $2 million title, which will be played from tomorrow to Sunday.
Through playing opportunities originally in partnership with the Asian Tour, and through subsequent co-sanctioning agreements with The European Tour, the Malaysian Golf Association has been able to offer its most talented players the opportunity to sharpen their skills at the highest level of the professional game.
We wish them the very best of luck.
