By IANS
Sentosa (Singapore) : For the first time, the Asian Tour will begin the season with an event in India this year.
The Tour has also reached an agreement with the European Tour to co-sanction another event in Korea, just as they have done for the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters, which will kick off the season at the Delhi Golf Club from Feb 7-10.
The co-sanctioned event in Korea will be the Ballantine’s Championship, which will be held at the Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island Mar 13-16.
These two tournaments are the latest additions, both co-sanctioned with the European Tour, that will further strengthen the Asian Tour’s 2008 schedule, which presently includes 25 tournaments offering in excess of $28 million in total prize money.
Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han Tuesday said they were aiming to announce four other tournaments when negotiations conclude with the respective sponsors.
Han expects the burgeoning 2008 schedule to surpass the 30-tournament mark for the first time in the Asian Tour’s history. Last year, the Tour staged 27 tournaments with an all-time high of $28 million in prize money.
He said the Asian Tour was pleased to co-sanction the Ballantine’s Championship and Indian Masters, which will offer $2.9 million and $2.5 million prize money respectively.
“We are delighted to announce that the Asian Tour have reached an agreement with the European Tour to co-sanction the Ballantine’s Championship and EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters,” Han said.
“The two new events in Asia will enhance our 2008 schedule which is shaping up into a very strong one. Our players will continue to enjoy great playing opportunities and also test their games against the best players from around the world.”
Han also announced several updates to the schedule, which include the change of date and venue of the $300,000 Asian Tour International and postponement of the Pakistan Open.
The Asian Tour International was originally slated in Malaysia this month, but now it will be held in Thailand from March 20-23. The Pakistan Golf Federation has also postponed indefinitely the $300,000 Pakistan Open, which was initially slated for the end of this month, following a request.
The Singapore Masters, first launched in 2001 and jointly sanctioned with Europe, has been removed from the Schedule due to a lack of sponsors. However, Han is hopeful that the event, which has produced great Asian champions in the form of Arjun Atwal of India, Mardan Mamat of Singapore and Chinese duo Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong, will make a quick return.
“We are in the midst of finalising the venue for the inaugural Asian Tour International in March, while the Pakistan Open is expected to be played later this year,” Han said.
“We are also in final discussions with several sponsors to stage new tournaments on the Asian Tour and I am confident that the Tour can surpass 30 events this season. The market place is also showing a lot of confidence in the Asian Tour and this is being reflected in our growing schedule.”
It was earlier announced that the Royal Trophy, a match play showdown between Asia and Europe, had been postponed indefinitely following a period of mourning in Thailand due to the passing of King of Thailand’s sister.