By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS
Singapore : The star cast at the Barclay’s Singapore Open is easily the strongest ever assembled for an Asian Tour event. And all of them ranging from world number two Phil Mickelson to Lee Westwood, Vijay Singh, Michael Campbell and Adam Scott are full of praise for the growing strength of Asian golf.
Many of them tipped South Korean Choi Kyung-ju (K.J. Choi) to become the first Major champion from the continent. They also rolled off names like India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, winner of four titles in 2006, Jyoti Randhawa, Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and Thongchai Jaidee as the players to watch out for in the future.
Mickelson felt that Choi, the first Asian Tour product to find fame in USA, is the region’s best bet to win a Major.
“In any event that he tees up now, he’s got a chance of winning. He’s an all round solid player,” said Mickelson.
“I didn’t realise how many good players were here in Asia. I noticed it on the driving range, I noticed it on the putting greens and I noticed it when I played with Nirat that he is a world-class player.
“He can easily play the PGA Tour and do well. He should be playing in the World Golf Championships and the Majors as I feel he is extremely talented. I think there are a number of players like that who have impressed me as golf has become so global and there are so many good players. I hadn’t been aware of how good golf is in Asia. These players are strong.”
Westwood echoed the sentiments on Asia’s rising standards.
“You only have to look at the improvement of Asian players around the world,” said Westwood, a regular visitor to Asia.
“I mean Jeev was top 50 in the world, Jaidee and Zhang Lian-wei have always played well overseas and Choi has always been fantastic in the US.
“It shows that there are a lot of good golfers in Asia. It is a good breeding ground for talent and there is no reason why the Asian Tour can’t go from strength to strength.”
Golf in the region is indeed flourishing, with the Asian Tour offering a record 28 tournaments with an unprecedented $27 million in total prize money.
Campbell knows only too well of the leaps in standards of Asian golf. The former US Open champion began his career in Asia and was in agreement with Westwood.
“There has been a huge improvement in Asian Tour players in the past 10 years,” he said at the Barclays Singapore Open.
“One of the factors is that a lot more top golfers are coming over here to play and as a player you have to play with the best to improve.
“That is why we have seen more success from Asian players. The tournaments they play in are becoming stronger and so are the players.”
Like Campbell, Fijian star Vijay Singh started his career in Asia and has followed developments in the region while cementing his position as one of the world’s greats in the US.
The winner of three Majors, back in Singapore for the first time since 2001, said he had been highly impressed with Asian golf’s “giant steps”. In 2001, Vijay won back-to-back events in Singapore and Malaysia.
“The depth of the game in Asia has definitely improved as compared to before,” he said. “We have been seeing quite a few good young Asians coming through, but we need to see more.”