Seoul, Sep 28 (IANS) Three-time Major champion Vijay Singh of Fiji, who started his professional golf career in Asia, will return next week to tee up at the Kolon Hana Bank Korea Open.
Singh, who has amassed 52 titles around the world including 31 wins on the US PGA Tour, will make his debut in the Korea Open, which marks its 50th anniversary by offering a record million dollars in total prize money.
The defending champion at Asia’s longest running golf tournament is Yang Yong-eun of Korea. The event will also see current Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit leader Liang Wen-chong of China returning to Korea after finishing runner-up in his previous trip at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May.
Singh, ranked number 12 in the world, has very close relations with Asia as he started his career in Malaysia before venturing to Europe and eventually making a name for himself on the US PGA Tour. He has won titles in Malaysia, Singapore and Korea.
The 44-year-old, a former world number one, has maintained his competitive edge with his renowned work ethics and won twice in the US this season at the Mercedez-Benz Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last year.
Singh’s trip to Korea is the first of three tournament appearances in Asia. He is also slated to compete in the $4 million Barclays Singapore Open and HSBC Champions in Shanghai in November.
Yang will be eager to retain his title at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club. Last year’s triumph sparked a rich vein of form for the beefy Korean who went on to win the HSBC Champions, stunning world number one Tiger Woods in the final round.
Other top names competing in Seoul next week include Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and Chapchai Nirat, Malaysia’s Iain Steel and Korean trio Lee Sung, Bae Sang-moon and Kim Kyung-tae, all winners on the Asian Tour this season.
The Korean Open is the 21st tournament on this season’s Asian Tour schedule, which features an all-time high 28 tournaments with over $27 million in total prize money.