Australian great Peter Thomson reflected this week on the birth of the Malaysian Open some 50 years ago and was amazed with its growth as one of Asia’s premier events.
The five-time British Open champion was a special guest at the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club and he took time to share with the media how the Open was initiated.
“I first came here in 1961 which not everyone remembers. Kel Nagle and myself, he was the British Open champion of 1960, we played a match at Royal Selangor (Golf Club).
“About 500 or 600 people came along to watch the match and it was my secret intention to lure the club into having an Open golf event. I said to Nobby Clarke, who was the club captain then, ‘If we could get a crowd like this for the two of us, think about how many more would come if we have a field of 150 players’.
“Nobby then said we won’t have anyone to come here to play and I told him I’ll play and I’d bring along a few others and we’ll find a budget to start the Malaysian Open. That’s how we began.”
Thomson was thoroughly impressed with the stature of the Maybank Malaysian Open as it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary this week. With a record prize fund of US$2.5 million, the championship will also boast a stellar cast which includes three of the current four Major champions and the current world number one.
Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer, who is also the world number one, will tee up along with world number nine Rory McIlroy, who led the Masters for 63 holes.
Title holder Noh Seung-yul of Korea, who is the reigning Asian Tour number one, will lead the Asian charge.
Thomson said the initial years of the Malaysian Open was challenging, especially when it came to sponsorship. “For quite a few years, we battled on. We had a genuine difficulty to find sponsors to make it lucrative for players from all over the world to come over to play. So we thought that if started small, we’ll grow big. And here we are … 50 years on. It’s really big. I’ve not seen a bigger media centre than the one that we have here this week,” laughed Thomson.
He also shared some nuggets of his past experiences at the Malaysian Open which had the local media in stitches. “I’m very happy to be here. I’ve got fond memories and made a lot of lifelong friends here. That’s a reward in itself. I’m pleased to be back here in Kuala Lumpur,” said Thomson, now 81.
Thomson did not win the Malaysian Open but won the Indian Open, Hong Kong Open and Philippine Open during his heyday which included five British Open victories in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1965.
The Australian legend was the only man in the 20th century to win three straight British Open titles.
Asked what spurred him to win five times at the British Open, Thomson shared:
“I can’t remember how much I’d won but it wasn’t enough to buy a Jaguar car. The salesman said I didn’t have enough and I had to go back (to the Open) and win another one and when I did, I went to see the salesman again and he said you still haven’t got enough! So I went back there to win it again. That was how it was, if you can believe it,” he smiled.
