ASEAN Golf Tour launched with five tournaments

Aimed at giving greater playing opportunities to professional golfers from the 10 member countries of ASEAN, the first event on the exciting new Tour will be the International Championship presented by Telkomsel at Imperial Klub Golf in Jakarta from September 5 to 8.

Prize money for the event will be US$50,000 and it is one of five tournaments scheduled for this year followed by tournaments in Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore.

“The flourishing state of men’s professional golf in Asia has resulted in the need for the region to boast this new circuit, which we have named the ASEAN Golf Tour,” said A.C. Wong, Chairman of the ASEAN Golf Tour.

Having been officially sanctioned by ASEAN and its Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong, the Tour has selected Singapore as the place to set up its headquarters.

“Many talented professionals in Southeast Asia, whether they are up and coming golfers or more seasoned players, do not have enough chances to play competitive golf. The ASEAN Golf Tour will therefore fill their playing schedules with more tournaments,” added Wong.

Wong also said that the Tour is in negotiations to organise events in the other member nations which are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar.

“We are extremely fortunate to be able to launch the Tour with the International Championship, which will clearly be an outstanding tournament. This year we plan to have five tournaments and gradually build upon that over the coming seasons,” added Wong.

It is expected that a field of 144 players will compete in the International Championship with players from all ASEAN nations invited. Golfers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore will make up most of the field.

“This is a wonderful initiative that will clearly benefit golf in the ASEAN region and we are honored that the International Championship will be the inaugural event on the Tour,” said Bintang Juliarso Chairman, International Sports Tour, who are the promoter of the event.

The tournament has also been sanctioned by the Indonesian PGA with one of their senior officials Pak Ray Hindarto acting as Tournament Director.

“Golf in Indonesia is once again growing rapidly. The country has a wonderful history of producing top amateur players such as the great Sukamdi, a four-time winner of the individual title in prestigious Putra Cup in the 1990s and Kasiadi, the Indonesia Open champion in 1989. We feel that the time is now right to push forward with the development of the professional game in our country and this something that will be greatly helped by our association with the ASEAN Golf Tour,” added Japto Soerjosoemarno, Chairman of the Indonesian PGA.

World Sport Group, who are headquartered in Singapore, are the Official Commercial Partner for the ASEAN Golf Tour.

The experienced organization, who are already a major shareholder in professional golf in Asia through promoting tournaments such as the US$4million Barclays Singapore Open, will be responsible for key areas such as event management, sponsorship and television. Importantly, they will work closely with local promoters on the Tour.

Imperial Klub Golf, Jakarta

Imperial Klub Golf is one of Jakarta’s premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Club is located in the new town development of Lippo Karawaci and is 25 minutes from downtown Jakarta and 35 minutes from Jakarta’s international airport.

“Hosting the International Championship and being part of the launch of the ASEAN Golf Tour is a tremendous opportunity to promote Imperial Golf Club to golfers across the region. We are well and truly on schedule with our plans to have everything in place for the tournament when we look forward to welcoming players, officials and spectators,” said Simon Subiyanto, General Manager, Imperial Klub Golf.

2007 ASEAN Golf Tour Schedule

International Championship, Imperial Golf Club, Indonesia (Sep 5 - 8): Purse US$50,000

ASEAN Golf Tour Thailand Leg (Sep 26 – 29): Purse US$30,000

ASEAN Golf Tour Philippine Leg (Oct 3 – 6): Purse US$30,000

ASEAN Golf Tour Vietnam Leg (Nov 20 – 23): Purse US$30,000

ASEAN Golf Tour Singapore Leg (Dec 13 – 16): Purse US$30,000

August 15, 2007