Asia gets five new golf events

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-07 11:09

Golf's Asian Tour will add five tournaments to its 2007 schedule, with the tour heading for three new events in Indonesia and its first ever stop in Cambodia, organizers said.

Prize money for the 2007 season was also bumped up by more than US$2 million to a record US$26.5 million from 2006, the Asian Tour said in a statement yesterday.

Total prize money has more than doubled since 2004.

"The expansion of golf in Asia is epitomized by a number of new events that will take place in 2007, most notably in Indonesia, and it will be exciting to break new ground with the inaugural Cambodian Open," said Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han.

Indonesia's three new tournaments are the Jakarta Masters, the Motorola Open Bintan, the Indonesian International Championship. Phokeethra Country Club in Siem Reap, the closest town to historical Angkor Wat, will host the US$300,000 Cambodian Open next December.

The other new tournament is Malaysia's Johor Classic. Nine events are co-sanctioned with the European Tour, the statement said. Such co-sanctioned events usually give the winners a chance at a playing card in Europe.

Its flagship Singapore Open, won by Australia's Adam Scott this year, will also increase in prize money - from US$3 million in 2006 to US$4 million next year.

Player lists for 2007 were not available but World No. 1 Tiger Woods, South Africa's Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, Scotland's Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie and Scott were among the notables in the region recently.

 





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