Arie Irawan, a 28-year-old professional golfer from Selangor, Malaysia, passed away in his hotel room during the Sanya Championship. Following the news of his tragic passing, the PGA Tour Series-China canceled the final round of the tournament.
“The PGA Tour and the China Golf Association grieve at this loss of one of our members and share sincere condolences with Arie’s wife, Marina, and his parents, Ahmad and Jeny,” the tour said in a statement, via the New York Post. “When something of this magnitude occurs in the golf world, we all grieve at the same time.
“Out of respect for the family, officials canceled the final round of the Sanya Championship … it’s a true tragedy what has happened. Sometimes, though, things happen in life that are bigger than a sporting event.”
Irawan had turned pro in 2013 and played events on the Asian Tour, the Asian Developmental Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia as well as PGA TOUR Series-China. He had two Asian Developmental Tour wins.
He is survived by wife Marina, parents Ahmad and Jeny, and sister Wan Edna.
All of the information we know about Arie’s passing can be seen below.
Arie Irawan Cause of Death: ‘Apparent natural causes’
shot at Yantai Championship. Time for a break with @marinamalek in Bali and will be back again @pgatourchinaofficial Beijing Championship! @srixongolf @fenixxcell @quickrehabperformance @kinetiquegolf @kinetiquefittinglab #saujanagolfandcountryclub #lifeontourAfter missing the cut of the Sanya Championship at Sanya Yalong Bay Golf Club, Irawan was found dead in his hotel room. Tournament officials said that Irawan seems to have passed away from “apparent natural causes,” but an official coroner’s report has yet to be completed.
Irawan’s body was discovered by his roommate Kevin Techakanokboon, who called for assistance. Irawan was pronounced dead 45 minutes after medical personnel arrived after failed attempts to revive him, according to CNN International.
The official PGA Tour website adds:
Techakanokboon called fellow player Gunn Charoenkul, who came to the room. American player Shotaro Ban also arrived and immediately began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while Charonekul’s wife, Vichuda, fluent in Mandarin, called local emergency services. After 45 minutes of continued revival efforts, medical personnel pronounced the 28-year-old dead.
At the time of his passing, American Trevor Sluman was leading and he was ultimately declared the winner when the final round was canceled out of respect for Irawan’s family. Sluman also addressed the tragedy.
“My heart goes out to Arie’s family and his beautiful wife, Marina,” Sluman said. “Along with the rest of the tour, we are thinking about them at this time. It’s very bittersweet today, and I think the rest of the year will be dedicated to Arie and the impact he had on this tour.”
Our deepest condolences are with Irawan’s family during this incredibly difficult time.