Minoza to return to Karachi 17 years on

The 46-year-old Minoza, a multiple winner across Asia, won in Pakistan some 17 years ago during his early years as a professional and with the Pakistan Open making its debut, it will give the battle-hardened veteran another shot at glory.

Amongst the other big-name Asian Tour players heading to Karachi include Tour winners Mardan Mamat of Singapore, India's Jeev Milkha Singh, Boonchu Ruangkit of Thailand, Australian Adam Le Vesconte and Marcus Both and new Thai golf sensation Chinarat Phandungsil.

Former Asian number one Kang Wook-soon of Korea and China's Liang Wen-chong are amongst the other top stars who will compete in the US$200,000 event, which is the second leg of the 2006 Asian Tour season.

All eyes though will be on Minoza, who enjoyed a resurgence last season after a couple of seasons in the doldrums. A six-time winner in Japan, the Filipino, who has enjoyed the privilege of playing in the US Masters, suffered a dip in form on the greens before finding his feet again with a solid campaign in 2005 with three top-five finishes on the Asian Tour.

Minoza said a switch back to the broomhandle putter saw him reap his rewards. "When you putt badly with the short one, you need to change. I have used the short putter for the past five years and I decided to go with the broomhandle.

"You just put it into the chest and putt with the right hand. It feels better than the short one which I didn't have confidence with. I will always support the Asian Tour as I have so many friends on this Tour," said Minoza.

A new crop of Thai youngsters could become spoilers for the experienced players. Teenage star Chinarat is among the young guns who exploded onto the scene after a record breaking feat on home soil at the 2005 Double A International Open. He became the youngest ever winner on the Asian Tour at the age of 17 years and five days after beating Shiv Kapur of India in a play-off.

Another 22-year-old Thai, Chapchai Nirat, who was the runner-up at the 2005 Taiwan Open, will also be determined to reach his goal early in the season. “I want to aim for a top 20 finish on the merit list in 2006. I would roughly know what to expect now and will not be ill-prepared. I thought that my fitness level was good until I joined the Tour which has forced me to work on my stamina to cope with the number of tournament,” said Chapchai.

Chapchai enjoyed an impressive rookie season when he finished the year ranked 29th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and accumulated over US$100,000 in prize money.

The presence of the cream from Asia will create an excellent opportunity for the local aspiring golfers. Pakistan has produced only one Asian Tour winner in the past following Taimur Hussain's success at the 1998 Myanmar Open.

The Pakistan Open will also include graduates from the Asian Tour Qualifying School which will be held in Malaysia this week.

Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) Honorary Secretary Taimur Hassan said of the event: "This is an important development for Pakistan golf. One of PGF's objectives was to elevate the stature of the Pakistan Open and we believe that we will achieve this by working closely with the Asian Tour.

"Pakistan has some wonderful golf facilities to host international-class championships. It has been nearly 10 years since Pakistan last hosted an international tournament and we feel that we need to catch up with world golf. By hosting the Pakistan Open on the Asian Tour, it will help realise our goal."

January 9, 2006

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