Barclays Singapore Open to be co-sanctioned

The Barclays Singapore Open, the richest national Open in Asia, will become a co-sanctioned tournament with The European Tour in 2009 when the 46th edition of the event is played at Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, from October 29-November 1.

A full-field Asian Tour event for the past three years, the decision to alter the status of the event comes following months of discussions and negotiations.

Boasting a purse of US$5 million - with US$833,330 for the winner - the event will take place at the Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course from October 29 to November 1, the same week as the Volvo World Match Play Championship, and is certain to play a pivotal role in The Race to Dubai, which reaches a climax at Jumeirah Golf Estates three weeks later.

In previous years, Singapore’s national Open has predominantly been made up of Asian Tour members with a sprinkling of big-name star players brought in by Barclays, most notably Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Angel Cabrera, Vijay Singh and Choi Kyung-ju.

Last year’s event was won by Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, who pipped Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els by one shot with Rory McIlroy and David Gleeson a further stroke back in equal fourth.

Under the new arrangement as a full field event of 156 players, the 2009 Barclays Singapore Open will comprise 65 players from each Tour with a further ten places available through a local qualifying competition, four amateurs and three Singaporean professionals, plus nine sponsor's invitations.

Europe’s involvement with the tournament will be met with glee by the elite European Tour members who will now be able to look forward to a lucrative three-week Asian swing prior to its season-ending Dubai World Championship.

The week after Singapore they will head to Shanghai for the US$7 million HSBC Champions, which has been elevated to a WGC event. From there they will fly south to the US$2.5 million UBS Hong Kong Open.

Confirmation of the co-sanction comes in the wake of last week’s announcement that the Asian Tour and the European Tour have entered an alliance that they say is designed to invigorate the game internationally ‘by fortifying existing co-sanctioned tournaments, generating new competition at all levels and reinforcing relationships with sponsors, tournament promoters, national associations and regional professional bodies’.

Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour, commented: “As Asia’s richest national Championship, the Barclays Singapore Open has long been the flagship event on the Asian Tour, attracting the Tour’s best players. With the inclusion of the European Tour as a sanctioning partner, this event provides the galleries with a world-class spectacle of golf as our top players are given the opportunity to take on the best from The European Tour.

“The Barclays Singapore Open holds a special place in the hearts of our talented players as this championship is staged at Sentosa, which is the home of the Asian Tour. We have been fortunate to have two wonderful partners in Barclays and Sentosa who continue to raise the benchmark for professional golf in Asia. Sentosa was instrumental in reviving the Singapore Open in 2005 and it continues to exceed itself by delivering a superb Serapong course, which is a worthy stage for a great championship.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said, “We are delighted to join forces with the Asian Tour for the 2009 Barclays Singapore Open. Barclays has been a committed and valued partner of The European Tour since 2001 through The Barclays Scottish Open and their support for golf is mirrored in Asia via the Barclays Singapore Open.

“Our Members will unquestionably enjoy playing at a superb venue in Sentosa Golf Club, especially at a time in the calendar when many of our leading players will be seeking to improve or consolidate their ranking in The Race to Dubai with the Dubai World Championship only three weeks away. A victory or high-placed finish at Sentosa could have a huge influence on the outcome of The Race to Dubai.”

The Barclays Singapore Open was one of the topics of discussions when Han and O’Grady met at Turnberry during the Open Championship.

August 21, 2009