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2008 Q-School to be held in Sabah

The 2008 Asian Tour Qualifying School will break new ground later this year when it is played for the first time in Sabah, Malaysia.

The Asian Tour announced today that the Qualifying School has also received the full support from Tourism Malaysia and Sabah Tourism.

Approximately 500 players from all around the world are expected to head to the East Malaysian state in November and December in their attempts to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2008 season.

The Asian Tour is widely regarded as the fastest growing tour in the world, with a record US$27 million in total prize money on offer this year through the staging of 27 tournaments across the region.

The Qualifying School will feature two stages of strokeplay competition, with the First Stage being held over two separate weeks (November 7-10 and December 5-8) in Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah. The courses which will be used are Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club and Borneo Golf and Country Club.

The all-important Final Stage will be held at Sutera Harbour and Sabah Golf Club from December 12-15 where the top-40 finishers and ties will earn playing rights for the 2008 season. The Entry Form for the Qualifying School is available on www.asiantour.com.

A strong turnout of international players are expected to head to Sabah as the dates of the Qualifying School have been fixed by the Asian Tour to avoid a clash with other major golfing events and qualifying schools held by the Japan and Australasian Tours.

Sabah State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun was delighted to strike a new partnership with the Asian Tour, which is the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia.

“We are grateful that the Asian Tour Qualifying School is also supported by Tourism Malaysia,” said Datuk Masidi.

He added that staging of the Qualifying School in Malaysia was a positive step towards the promotion of Malaysia as one of the top golfing and tourism destinations in the region.

“Malaysia, particularly Sabah, has some of the most beautiful golf courses in Asia and we are proud to host the 2008 Asian Tour Qualifying School especially during this Visit Malaysia Year 2007. It reflects on our goal and desire to promote the game and also golf tourism in Malaysia and the State.

“Over the years, the Qualifying School has been a platform for rising stars to stamp their mark and we enjoyed a proud moment when our very own Malaysian Ben Leong won the 2007 Qualifying School at the end of last year in Thailand,” said Datuk Masidi.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han welcomed the support of Tourism Malaysia and Sabah Tourism and is confident that the 2008 Qualifying School will be among the most exciting in years, thanks to the quality of golf courses in Sabah.

“Malaysia has some of the best golf courses in the region and I’m sure the Qualifying School hopefuls will face a challenging test in their quest to earn Asian Tour cards for 2008.

“Last year, we attracted nearly 500 entries and with the Asian Tour growing rapidly where a record of US$27 million in total prize money is on offer this year, we are confident that golfers from all over the world will head to Sabah to fight for playing rights in 2008,” said Han.

Over the years, the Qualifying School has been as breeding ground for Asia’s rising stars to emerge onto the big stage. In Thailand last year, Malaysia’s Ben Leong earned top medalist honours, a week after turning professional. Among the other Malaysian professionals now on the Asian Tour are Iain Steel, reigning Pakistan Open champion Airil Rizman and Danny Chia.

Other prominent names who emerged from last year’s Qualifying School include former US Tour player Scott Hend of Australia, who has enjoyed a sparkling season so far where he is presently third on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit.

Thai star Thongchai Jaidee, a two-time Asian Tour number one, Korea’s Charlie Wi and Korean-American Kevin Na, both stars on the US Tour, India’s Shiv Kapur and Australian Andrew Buckle are amongst the Qualifying School graduates who have made an impact on the international scene.

Sabah, located in the Northern part of Borneo, is the second largest State in Malaysia. The famous Sabah landscape, with lush green forests and mountainous terrain, has been a tourist attraction with its breathtaking views of tropical rainforest.

August 30, 2007