MALAYSIA HEAT 'TAKES THE CAKE'

Soaring temperatures and humidity levels are causing concern for the stellar field assembled for this week's CIMB Classic in Malaysia.

The co-sanctioned $6.1million PGA Tour and Asian Tour event begins on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, where temperatures are touching highs of 32 degrees and humidity is above 90 per cent.

American Brandt Snedeker - a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year - said: "I got in Monday night and kind of walked around and got acclimatised to it.

"We try to compare the weather here to Memphis because we play Memphis in June. Memphis in June is hot, but I think this takes the cake.

"This is mild today, they said. It's all overcast, but I walked outside and I was sweating at 9:00am."

Swede Fredrik Jacobson added: "I always had a tough time playing in Malaysia and in Thailand because coming from Sweden and living there, those were the first tournaments of the year for us in the 90s.

"I was coming straight out of the wintry climate in Sweden and coming into the hot, humid weather was always difficult. Now coming from Florida, the weather feels more like what I am used to in Florida."

American Jonathan Byrd, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, said he had never known heat like it. "I grew up in South Carolina and that's hot. But it's very different here, I sweated a lot today."

But not everyone was concerned. Asian Tour regular Siddikur, who prefers to go by the one name, said: "Coming from Bangladesh, this is normal for me. I like it."

Temperatures and humidity levels are expected to remain sky-high throughout the week and are unlikely to be tempered by the heavy rains that are also forecast.