Asian golf stars believe their time has come

Asia’s long search for its first major champion is a matter of being “a few putts away,” say the region’s Masters hopefuls.

Asian Tour stars Jeev Milkha Singh of India, Lin Wen-tang of Taiwan and Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng are competing in the year’s opening major at Augusta National and they believe the region’s strength is finally showing.

Korean duo K.J. Choi and Yang Yong-eun, both graduates of the Asian Tour and winners on the U.S. PGA Tour, are also in the Masters, with Choi looking to improve on his third-place finish here in 2004.

“Asian golfers have come good in recent years because of the Asian Tour,” said Lin, the first player from Taiwan to qualify for the Masters in 20 years. “The three of us qualified for the Masters on merit which shows that we have become better.”

The man from Taipei does not need to look very far for inspiration to achieve his major dream.

Countrymen Lu Liang-huan and T.C. Chen came close at the British Open and U.S. Open in 1971 and 1985, respectively, each finishing runner-up. Lin’s wife has told him to capitalise on his maiden major appearance.

“My wife said that I’ve got an exciting opportunity to write golf history for Chinese Taipei,” said Lin, who finished second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last season.

Singh, Asia’s No. 1 in 2008, was delighted to see the growing number of Asian Tour players in the elite field. Apart from his success in Asia, Singh is also making his name abroad with a career-first top-10 in a major at last year’s U.S. PGA Championship and a fourth place outing at the recent World Golf Championship event in Doral, Florida.

“I think it’s fantastic. Golf is a global sport and it’s good to see so many Asians qualifying for the Masters,” said Singh, who is making his third Masters appearance.

Smooth-swinging Prayad knows that ultimately, Asia’s progress in world golf will be judged by their results at the majors. “The level of play amongst Asian players has certainly risen. But we have to take another big step up and keep raising our standard,” he said.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han also believes that Asian players are capable of challenging for major titles.

“K.J. showed that he could contend at the Masters in 2004 and played well at the British Open last year,” he said. AFP


Korea’s K.J. Choi hits a shot during a practice round prior to the 2009 Masters Tournament in Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, U.S., on Tuesday.

New tour to offer more big money tournaments

Australian golf officials support a new OneAsia Super Series, which has divided opinion in the region, because the schedule will likely involve about 20 tournaments by 2011, each offering at least $1.5 million in prize money.

"This ... is just the first step in creating an elite platform of golf that runs from Delhi through to Auckland," commissioner Ben Sellenger of the PGA Tour of Australia said Tuesday in a tour newsletter.

"It's a platform that will sit above and complement the regional tours ... and give the players from all the bodies involved the chance to compete on a tour that's a genuine alternative to the (U.S.) PGA and European tours.'

Sellenger said he was confident the 2011 OneAsia schedule, which would take in tournaments from the Australasian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese tours and become the world's third-largest golf tour, would involve at least 20 tournaments.

He said it would allow players from each country the chance to remain active on their respective home tours. At least 16 Australasian PGA Tour players will be eligible as part of a minimum 76-strong Asia-Pacific contingent in a field of 156.Sellenger, who has moved to Singapore to coordinate the new program, said he hoped to add to the six tournaments announced this year.

The Asian Tour, which sanctions golf on the continent, opposes the OneAsia series and has been critical of the Australasian PGA's motives in establishing it.

The Japanese tour backed away from joining the OneAsia series this year but plans to join from next year, potentially increasing the number of events to 12 or 14 for 2010.

The six tournaments announced for 2009 are scheduled to start with the $2.9 million China Open next month, and include the Australian Open and Australian PGA, two other events in China and the Korean Open.

Golf Australia chief executive officer Stephen Pitt reaffirmed his support for the OneAsia series.

"We believe in the concept and we are genuinely excited about the benefits we believe the OneAsia Series will deliver, not just to the Australian Open, but also to golf in the Asia-Pacific region," Pitt said in a Golf Australia media release.

The Asian Tour has been opposed to a rival continental golf series and initially sought clarification on the involvement of Chinese events it sanctions.

"The Asian Tour is shocked and disapproves of this desperate attempt by the PGA of Australia to revive its flagging domestic circuit, through its proposed creation of a series by listing events which are already part of the Asian Tour schedule," Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han said in the statement earlier in the year.

The Asian Tour, the successor to the Asian PGA first played in 1995, will sanction 28 tournaments across the region in its 2009 calendar, with 16 of them co-sanctioned by either the European Tour or the Japanese, Korean, Indian or Australasian tours.

The increased presence of the European Tour in Asia had created friction in recent years, as the Asian Tour seeks to assert its primacy in the region, while it had also sought co-operation with the powerful national tours across north Asia.