- Stiffs at China’s Sanya Championship announced that 28-year-old Malaysian golfer Arie Irawan has died.
- The concluding round of the tournament was reportedly canceled after Irawan was found dead in his hotel room, according to the Associated Compress.
- Irawan had been pro since 2013, when he moved back to Asia after college to pursue his career.
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Officials at China’s Sanya Championship reportedly canceled the definitive round of the tournament Sunday after 28-year-old Malaysian golfer Arie Irawan died in his hotel room.
The PGA Sightsee Series-China said in a statement that the official coroner’s report had not been completed but Irawan appeared to have disappeared of “natural causes” within a day after he missed the 36-hole cut-off in the tournament, according to the Associated Press.
“The PGA Outing and the China Golf Association grieve at this loss of one of our members and share sincere condolences with Arie’s strife, Marina, and his parents, Ahmad and Jeny,” the league said in a statement. “When something of this magnitude occurs in the golf humankind, we all grieve at the same time.”
A memorial page on the PGA’s website said that Irawan’s roommate, American golfer Kevin Techakanokboon, noticed Irawan was unresponsive in his bed at the Sheraton Sanya Reserve, near Yalong Bay Golf Club.
After Techakanokboon notified several other players, medical personnel acted 45 minutes of continued revival efforts before pronouncing the 28-year-old dead.
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PGA Tour Series-China Superintendent Director Greg Carlson is quoted on the memorial page saying last year was Irawan’s first full ambit experience with the “tight-knit family.”
“This is just a terrible tragedy that affects all of us who are part of a very tight-knit people here in China,” Carlson said. “Arie played with us in 2018, his first full year on our Journey, and I know he was excited about this season as he continued his professional golf pursuits. We are incredibly saddened by this word, and we extend our sincere condolences to his wife and family.”
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Irawan made his PGA Tour China introduction in 2006 before attending the University of Tulsa in 2008. Irawan turned pro in 2013 and returned to Asia to pursue his master career.