The European Tour darts off to Malaysia this week for the third edition of the Maybank Championship. The tournament, co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour, was only introduced in 2016 meaning the experienced Australian Marcus Fraser and Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti are the event’s only winners. Saujana Golf and Country Club, known as “The Cobra”, plays host for the second successive year.
The Favourite: Henrik Stenson
Henrik Stenson both headlines and makes his debut in the event. The Swede has also been installed as the hot 7/1 favourite to overcome the scorching temperatures and the rest of the field, as he bids to record his first European Tour triumph in just over 18 months, dating back to the 2016 BMW International Open.
13 years ago, in his last appearance at the Saujana Golf and Country Club, Stenson finished third at the 2005 Malaysian Open. Just a few months ago the 2016 Open champion won in Kuala Lumpur as part of Europe’s EurAsia Cup team in Kuala Lumpur three weeks ago, while he has top-10 finishes in his two tour tournaments in 2018.
Defending Champion: Fabrizio Zanotti
Fabrizio Zanotti bagged his second European title in last year’s event after carding a stunning eagle on the final hole - much to the despair of David Lipsky - and he now returns to the same venue looking to become the first player to retain the trophy.
Back in 2014 Zanotti became the first Paraguayan to win on the European Tour following his success at the BMW International Open. Last year he bagged his second tour title at the Maybank Championship - coming from six shots back - and he’s out at 50/1 to repeat the feat this time around.
Man In Form: Chris Paisley
If you’re after a man in cracking form then look no further than Chris Paisley who is a 33/1 shot to finish top of the tree at the Maybank Championship. The Englishman hoisted his maiden European Tour title just over two weeks ago at the BMW SA Open, which he’s since backed-up with consecutive top-5 finishes in a brace of tournaments in Dubai.
The 31-year-old will be gunning to continue his stunning start to the year and represents a decent price to go all the way once again, while another top-5 standing is available at 8/1 for a player currently ranked 4th in the Race To Dubai.
Return To Former Glory...?
One player who has experienced success at Saujana is Lee Westwood. Admittedly this came a whopping 21 years ago and was in a different tournament, but they all count, and while the Englishman has lost his sparkle in recent years, he does catch the eye out at 50/1 to record his 24th European Tour win. Westy’s last success on the tour happened to come in Malaysia four years at the Maybank Malaysian Open, which he won by a sizeable seven strokes.
