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The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Top level professional Golf consists of a year round schedule of weekly tournaments played all around the world The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent Golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for Top level professional Golf consists of a year round schedule of weekly tournaments played all around the world The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore. Singapore It is controlled by a board with a majority of professional golfers, and a Tournament Players Committee of its player members, supported by an executive team. The Executive Chairman of the Board is the Burmese professional golfer Kyi Hla Han. Kyi Hla Han (born 13 February 1961) is a Golfer from Myanmar (formerly Burma)
The first season in the current lineage was played in 1995, although there had been earlier attempts to create an Asian Tour. The Asian PGA was formed in July 1994 at a meeting in Hong Kong attended by PGA representatives from eight countries. In 1998 the Asian Tour became the sixth member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Top level professional Golf consists of a year round schedule of weekly tournaments played all around the world In 2002, the tour moved its office from Hong Kong to Malaysia and in 2004 the tour was taken over by a new organisation established by the players, who had been in dispute with the previous management. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and In 2007 it moved to new headquarters on the resort island of Sentosa in Singapore,[1] which is also the home of the tour's richest sole sanctioned tournament, the Singapore Open. Sentosa, which means peace and tranquillity in Malay, is a popular Island Resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people Singapore The Singapore Open is an Asian Tour Golf tournament It was founded in 1961 and was staged annually until 2001, when it was won by Official money events on the tour count for World Golf Ranking points. The Official World Golf Rankings is a system for rating the performance level of male professional Golfers.
Most of the leading players on the tour are Asian, but players from other parts of the world also participate (as of 2007 the country with most representatives profiled on the tour's official site is Australia). Each year the Asian Tour co-sanctions a number of events with the European Tour, and these events offer higher prize funds than most of the other tournaments on the tour. The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European From 2008, 50 per cent of players’ earnings from the US Open and the Open Championship will count towards the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. The two Opens have been singled out from the other majors because they have open qualifying which Asian Tour members may enter. [2]
In 2004 the total prize fund was 11. 4 million U. S. dollars, and by 2007 it had risen to 27. 73 million U. S. dollars (all purses are fixed in dollars apart from those of The Open Championship and the Johnnie Walker Classic, which are fixed in British Pounds). The Open Championship, or simply The Open (often referred to as the British Open outside the UK) is the oldest of the four major championships The Johnnie Walker Classic is a European Tour Golf tournament which is played in the Asia Pacific region However most of the tournaments with seven figure U. S. dollar purses are in events co-sanctioned by the European Tour, and European Tour players tend to collect most of the winnings in those tournaments. Asia's richest event, the $5 million HSBC Champions tournament, was first played in November 2005, is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour but did not count towards the money list for its first three years as any high placings by Asian Tour players would distort the money list, but from 2008 50% of the prize money will count towards the Order of Merit. The HSBC Champions is a men's Professional golf 72- hole tournament contested annually since 2005 in November on a course designed The tour's richest sole sanctioned event is the Singapore Open, which will also reach the $5 million level in 2008. The tour's schedule remains quite unstable, with several in-season cancellations, reschedulings and prize fund alterations in 2007.
In 2006 the Asian Tour became the most prestigious men's tour on which a woman has made the half-way cut in recent times when Michelle Wie did so at the SK Telecom Open in South Korea. Early years Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Korean-born parents Wie began playing golf at the age of four The SK Telecom Open Golf Tournament is an annual professional Golf tournament hosted in South Korea and sponsored by the Korean cell phone company SK Telecom
The table below shows the 2008 schedule.
The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Asian Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Asian Tour members.
| Dates | Tournament | Country | Prize fund (US$) | Winner | OWGR pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7-10 | Emaar-MGF Indian Masters | India | 2,500,000 | 26 | New tournament, co-sanctioned by the European Tour | |
| Feb 14-17 | Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open | Indonesia | 1,200,000 | 20 | Co-sanctioned by the European Tour | |
| Feb 20-23 | SAIL Open Golf Championship at Jaypee Greens | India | 400,000 | 14 | New tournament | |
| Feb 28- Mar 4 | Johnnie Walker Classic | India | 2,500,000 | 38 | Co-sanctioned by the European and Australasian tours | |
| Mar 6-9 | Maybank Malaysian Open | Malaysia | 2,000,000 | 24 | Co-sanctioned by the European Tour | |
| Mar 13-16 | Ballantine's Championship | South Korea | 2,900,000 | 28 | New tournament, co-sanctioned by the European Tour | |
| Mar 20-23 | Asian Tour International | Thailand | 300,000 | 14 | New tournament | |
| Mar 25-26 | Open Championship International Qualifying Asia | Singapore | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5 places at The Open Championship available |
| Apr 3-6 | Philippine Open | The Philippines | 300,000 | 14 | ||
| Apr 17-20 | Volvo China Open | China | 2,000,000 | 20 | Co-sanctioned by the European Tour | |
| Apr 24-27 | BMW Asian Open | China | 2,300,000 | 32 | Co-sanctioned by the European Tour | |
| May 1-4 | GS Caltex Maekyung Open | South Korea | 600,000 | 14 | ||
| May 8-11 | Pine Valley Beijing Open | China | 1,000,000 | 16 | Co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour | |
| June 5-8 | Bangkok Airways Open | Thailand | 300,000 | |||
| June 12-15 | U.S. Open Championship | United States | 50% of 7,000,000 | Major championship. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The Official World Golf Rankings is a system for rating the performance level of male professional Golfers. The Indian Masters is a professional Golf tournament that was played for the first time from 7-10 February 2008 in a slot used by the Malaysian Open in 2007 India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Early life Chowrasia's father worked as the Greenskeeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in Kolkata, India. The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The Indonesia Open is a Golf tournament played in Jakarta, Indonesia which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Amateur wins (4 1990 Chilean Amateur Open 1991 Chilean Amateur Open South American Championship 1992 Chilean Amateur Open The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Mark Brown (born 9 February 1975 is a New Zealand Professional golfer. The Johnnie Walker Classic is a European Tour Golf tournament which is played in the Asia Pacific region India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Mark Brown (born 9 February 1975 is a New Zealand Professional golfer. The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The PGA Tour of Australasia is a professional Golf tour for men The Malaysian Open is a men's professional Golf tournament It was first played in 1962 and since 1999 it has been sanctioned by the European Tour, which began to For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Arjun Atwal (born 20 March 1973) is an Indian professional Golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The Ballantine's Championship is a golf tournament which will be played for the first time on 13-16 March 2008 at Pinx Golf Club on the island of Jeju in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Amateur wins (6 1996 Ulster Boys Championship 1999 Irish Youths Championship 2000 Irish Amateur Close Championship Irish Youths Championship The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Lin Wen-tang (born 28 June, 1974) is a Taiwanese Golfer He comes from a golfing family with his father and uncle both being professionals and The Open Championship, or simply The Open (often referred to as the British Open outside the UK) is the oldest of the four major championships Singapore The Open Championship, or simply The Open (often referred to as the British Open outside the UK) is the oldest of the four major championships The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The Volvo China Open is a men's Golf tournament which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Professional wins European Tour wins 2008 Volvo China Open Other wins 1993 Irish PGA Assistants Championship The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The BMW Asian Open is a men's professional Golf tournament The tournament was founded in 2001 and was played in Taiwan for its first two years before moving China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Private life Clarke met his wife Heather in a nightclub in Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The Maekyung Open is an Asian Tour golf tournament that takes place in South Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The Pine Valley Beijing Open is a men's professional Golf tournament on the Asian Tour, that was played for the first time from 26-29 April 2007 at Pine Valley Golf China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent Golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for The Bangkok Airways Open is an Asian Tour Golf tournament played in Thailand, which was first played in 2005 The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Thaworn Wiratchant (born December 28, 1966) is a Thai professional Golfer He has won 10 events on the Asian Tour which is more than The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the US The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The men's major golf championships, often referred to simply as "the majors" are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional Golf. 50% of prize money counts towards Order of Merit. | ||
| June 26-29 | Singha Thailand PGA Championship | Thailand | 500,000 | new event | ||
| Summer break (British Open excepted) | ||||||
| July 17-20 | The Open Championship | United Kingdom | 50% of 8,600,000 | Major championship. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Open Championship, or simply The Open (often referred to as the British Open outside the UK) is the oldest of the four major championships The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The men's major golf championships, often referred to simply as "the majors" are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional Golf. 50% of prize money counts towards Order of Merit. | ||
| Aug 21-24 | Indonesian President Invitational | Indonesia | 350,000 | |||
| Aug 28 - 31 | Brunei Open | Brunei | 300,000 | |||
| Sep 18-21 | Mercuries Taiwan Masters | Taiwan | 500,000 | |||
| Sep 25-28 | Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open | Japan | 1,850,000 | New tournament, co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour | ||
| Oct 2-5 | Korea Open | South Korea | 1,000,000 | |||
| Oct 9-12 | Hero Honda Indian Open | India | 500,000 | |||
| Oct 16-19 | Midea China Classic | China | 500,000 | |||
| Oct 23-26 | Macau Open | Macau | 500,000 | |||
| Nov 6-9 | HSBC Champions | China | 50% of 5,000,000 | Co-sanctioned by the European, Australasian and Sunshine tours. The Indonesian President Invitational is an Asian Tour golf tournament The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The Brunei Open is an Asian Tour golf tournament The 2005 staging was Brunei 's first ever professional golf tournament and it was won by Terry Pilkadaris Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Panasonic Open is a golf tournament for male golfers on the Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent Golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for The Korea Open is an Asian Tour men's professional Golf tournament played in South Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Midea China Classic is an Asian Tour golf tournament It was first held in 2007 when it was played from September 13 to September 16 at the Royal Orchid China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Macau Open is a men's professional Golf tournament which takes place in Macau SAR of the People's Republic of China and is also a tournament of the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. The HSBC Champions is a men's Professional golf 72- hole tournament contested annually since 2005 in November on a course designed China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The PGA Tour of Australasia is a professional Golf tour for men The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional Golf tour based in Southern Africa 50% of prize money counts towards Order of Merit. | ||
| Nov 13-16 | Barclays Singapore Open | Singapore | 5,000,000 | Richest sole-sanctioned event | ||
| Nov 20-23 | Hong Kong Open | Hong Kong, China | 2,250,000 | Co-sanctioned by the European Tour | ||
| Dec 4-7 | Vietnam Masters | Vietnam | 500,000 | |||
| Dec 11-14 | Cambodian Open | Cambodia | 300,000 | |||
| Dec 18-21 | Volvo Masters of Asia | Thailand | 750,000 | Limited to top 60 on the Order of Merit | ||
Source: [1]
The table below summarises the development of the tour since 2004, when the current organisation took control. The Singapore Open is an Asian Tour Golf tournament It was founded in 1961 and was staged annually until 2001, when it was won by Singapore The Hong Kong Open is a Golf tournament which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The Vietnam Masters is an Asian Tour golf tournament It was played for the first time in November 2007 at the Phoenix Golf Resort in Vietnam. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Cambodian Open is an Asian Tour golf tournament It was played for the first time in 2007 from November 29 to December 2 at the Phokeethra The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East The Volvo Masters of Asia is the final event of the season on Golf 's Asian Tour. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj
| Year | Official money tournaments | Total prize fund (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 32 | 43,550,000[3][4] |
| 2007 | 28 | 27,730,000 |
| 2006 | 26 | 23,990,000 |
| 2005 | 27 | 20,115,000 |
| 2004 | 21 | 11,400,000 |
| Year | Leading player | Country | Earnings (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Liang Wen-Chong | 532,590 | |
| 2006 | Jeev Milkha Singh | 591,884 | |
| 2005 | Thaworn Wiratchant | 510,122 | |
| 2004 | Thongchai Jaidee | 381,930 | |
| 2003 | Arjun Atwal | 284,018 | |
| 2002 | Jyoti Randhawa | 266,263 | |
| 2001 | Thongchai Jaidee | 353,060 | |
| 2000 | Simon Dyson | 282,370 | |
| 1999 | Kyi Hla Han | 204,210 | |
| 1998 | Kang Wook-soon | 150,772 | |
| 1997 | Mike Cunning | 170,619 | |
| 1996 | Kang Wook-soon | 183,737 | |
| 1995 | Lin Keng-chi | 177,856 |
The table below shows the leading money winners on the Asian Tour as of the end of the 2007 season. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional Golf tour in Asia except for Japan which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full The 2007 Asian Tour was the 13th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main men's Professional golf tour in Asia excluding Japan since it was established in 1995 Men's professional golf Major championships 6-9 April '''The Masters''' - Winner Phil Mickelson The Augusta Men's professional golf Major championships 7-10 April Masters Tournament - Tiger Woods defeated fellow American Major championships April 11 - The Masters - Phil Mickelson wins the first major of his career June The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The 2007 Asian Tour was the 13th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main men's Professional golf tour in Asia excluding Japan since it was established in 1995 Amateur wins (3 1996 China Amateur Open Championship 1997 China Amateur Open Championship 1998 China Amateur Open Championship Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The 2006 Asian Tour was the 12th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main men's Professional golf tour in Asia excluding Japan since it was established in 1995 Early life Singh was born in Chandigarh India, the son of the famous Indian Olympic athlete Milkha Singh. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Men's professional golf Major championships 7-10 April Masters Tournament - Tiger Woods defeated fellow American Thaworn Wiratchant (born December 28, 1966) is a Thai professional Golfer He has won 10 events on the Asian Tour which is more than The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Amateur wins (5 1995 Pakistan Amateur Open Championship 1997 Putra Cup 1998 Putra Cup Singapore Amateur Open Championship Thailand Amateur Open The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Arjun Atwal (born 20 March 1973) is an Indian professional Golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Professional wins (9 Asian Tour wins (7 1998 Hero Honda Masters (India 1999 Hero Honda Masters (India 2000 Wills Indian Open India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Amateur wins (5 1995 Pakistan Amateur Open Championship 1997 Putra Cup 1998 Putra Cup Singapore Amateur Open Championship Thailand Amateur Open The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Amateur wins (1 1999 Finnish Amateur Championship Professional wins (5 European Tour wins (2 2006 Enjoy Jakarta England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Kyi Hla Han (born 13 February 1961) is a Golfer from Myanmar (formerly Burma) Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Kang Wook-soon (born 2 June 1966 is a South Korean Golfer Kang is his family name South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Mike Cunning (born July 30, 1958) is an American professional Golfer Cunning was born in Phoenix Arizona. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Kang Wook-soon (born 2 June 1966 is a South Korean Golfer Kang is his family name South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Lin Keng-chi (born 1 July 1966) is a Taiwanese Golfer He has won five tournaments on the Asian Tour and topped the Tour's money list Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The official site has a top 100 list which also shows each player's winnings for the last six years.
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize money (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thongchai Jaidee | 2,605,237 | |
| 2 | Jyoti Randhawa | 1,952,549 | |
| 3 | Thaworn Wiratchant | 1,861,733 | |
| 4 | Prayad Marksaeng | 1,680,233 | |
| 5 | Simon Yates | 1,605,398 | |
| 6 | Jeev Milkha Singh | 1,353,584 | |
| 7 | Charlie Wi | 1,291,829 | |
| 8 | Thammanoon Srirot | 1,205,595 | |
| 9 | Liang Wen-Chong | 1,137,604 | |
| 10 | Kang Wook-soon | 1,131,658 |