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Volvo Masters of Asia gets prize fund boost

The Volvo Masters of Asia, the Asian Tour’s celebrated season-ending Tour Championship, will return to Thai Country Club this year for the second successive season and boast a significant increase in prize money.

The stellar event, which features a select field of the top-60 players from the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, will be played from December 14 to 17 and offer a purse of US$700,000, which is an increment of US$100,000.

Shiv Kapur, the new star of Indian golf, recorded an impressive victory in the event last December and the tournament is once again expected to provide a thrilling finish to the year.

“The Volvo Masters of Asia has rightfully earned the tag as the Grand Finale on the Asian Tour after some memorable finishes over the past few years and following today’s announcements we are clearly on the road for another outstanding tournament,” said Mel Pyatt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Volvo Event Management.

“Volvo are delighted to be returning to Thai Country Club once again as part of our three-year commitment to stage the Volvo Masters of Asia at this fine venue. We were most impressed with Thai Country Club last year and in line with our continued commitment to the game of golf in Asia we have chosen to make a sizeable increase to the prize money,” added Pyatt.

Along with the US$700,000 Volvo Masters of Asia and US$1.8 million Volvo China Open, which was won last month by Indian Jeev Milkha Singh in Beijing, Volvo’s investment in Asian professional golf in 2006 will exceed US$6 million – not to mention the other various junior and amateur competitions held and sponsored by Volvo in the region.

With such an enormous contribution it is fitting that Volvo bring the season to a close in an event which will see the cream of the Asian Tour competing.

“Part of the beauty of the Volvo Masters of Asia is being able to watch the season long battle by players to get into the event by finishing in the top-60 of the Order of Merit after the penultimate tournament of the season. Our Volvo China Open winner Jeev Milkha Singh has clearly booked his place while defending champion Shiv Kapur is comfortably on course to make it to Thai Country Club,” added Pyatt.

The Volvo Masters of Asia was launched in 2002 in order to create an exclusive event that would draw the best players in Asian golf.

Korean Kevin Na won the inaugural contest in Malaysia at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club while Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee claimed the title the following year at Bangkok Golf Club. The tournament returned to Kota Permai in 2004 and saw Indian Jyoti Randhawa lift the trophy.

The Volvo Masters of Asia has quickly established itself as one of the leading tournaments on the Asian Tour.

For eight successive years Volvo staged the Volvo Masters of Malaysia before upgrading the event in 2002 to the Volvo Masters of Asia.

“Volvo have been one of the mainstays of the professional game in Asia for many years now and its commitment to further increase the prize fund of the Volvo Masters of Asia demonstrates its continued support towards the Asian Tour,” said the Asian Tour’s Chief Executive Louis Martin.

“With total prize fund of US$700,000, our season-ending event will have greater significance this December as it will once again determine the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit winner. We certainly look forward to a Grand Finale to our 2006 season and I would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Volvo for its faith in the Asian Tour and our highly talented players,” added Martin.

Located 45 minutes drive south of Bangkok, Thai Country Club is no stranger to staging top international competitions. The Club hosted the Asian Classic in 1997 which was won by American Tiger Woods.

“It was an honour and a pleasure for Thai Country Club to host last year’s Volvo Masters of Asia, which has become one of the region’s premier golf tournaments. It was a wonderful week of golf and it is with eager anticipation that we await this year’s tournament,” said Jean-Pierre Schneider, General Manager, Thai Country Club.

Kapur triumphed last year with a tournament record of 20-under-par 268 after closing with a five-under-par 67 to finish two strokes ahead of Randhawa.

“We once again look forward to welcoming so many great players to Thai Country Club. We boast an outstanding championship course that is always in pristine condition and a clubhouse and facilities that offer first class service,” added Schneider.

Volvo have a long history of sponsoring international golf which started in 1988 in Europe, while it was in 1994 that they accelerated into Asia by sponsoring the Volvo China Tour, the Volvo Masters of Malaysia and the Volvo Masters of Thailand.

May 25, 2006