Kuala Lumpur: Bo Van Pelt will be aiming for a CIMB Classic double but he is wary of the elite field comprising of Major champions and talented Asian Tour winners who will feature at the event which starts on Thursday.

Van Pelt, winner of the 2011 CIMB Classic, will contend for the US$7 million prize purse against World Number three Phil Mickelson, Major champions Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley at the challenging Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Asian Tour honorary member K.J. Choi, current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, an in-form Scott Hend of Australia and the popular Siddikur of Bangladesh will also feature in the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA TOUR.

I think you look at the strength of the field this week, a lot of guys came over. Guys have heard this is a great event the last couple of years, and I think that's why you see the strength of the field,” said Van Pelt, ranked 44th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

He is not worried about the tropical Malaysian heat where humidity can soar up to 30 degrees and higher throughout the week.

“I live in Oklahoma, so it gets pretty hot in the summer there, so it wasn't that big a stretch for me to deal with humidity and this amount of sunshine. So, you know, you just drink lots of water and take your time and listen to your body. Everybody will get through it,” he said.

Bo reckons that accurate drives will be the key to success this week. “It looks like you need to drive the ball well. The golf course looks tight off the tee. If you go offline, you can definitely get penalized.

“It looks like there’s a lot of uphill and downhill. There is a lot of change in elevation. So it's going to be critical to try to control your distances and get the distance right, which will be a challenge for everybody this week,” added the 38-year-old Bo.