Former world #1 and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Greg Norman, has today been announced as CEO of a newly formed company, LIV Golf Investments, a move which will set in motion a number of momentous developments for professional golf worldwide.

Norman’s first order of business is the announcement of a ground-breaking series of 10 new marquee events to be staged annually on the Asian Tour over the next 10 years, representing a total commitment of over $200m to support playing opportunities and prize funds. The move represents one of the single biggest investments in the history of professional golf.

The series will be added to the Asian Tour schedule from 2022 onwards, with new events across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It has been designed to drive greater engagement amongst fans, attract new commercial interest and to help stabilize professional golf following a sustained period of worldwide disruption and uncertainty.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

“This is only the beginning,” commented Norman. “LIV Golf Investments has secured a major capital commitment that will be used to create additive new opportunities across worldwide professional golf. We will be a cooperative and respectful supporter of the game at every level, and today’s announcement alongside the Asian Tour is the first example of that.

“I have been a staunch supporter and believer in playing and developing golf in Asia for more than four decades. The Asian Tour is a sleeping giant and we share ambition to grow the series and unlock what we believe is significant untapped potential. We see our promotion of these new events as a vital first step in supporting emerging markets, creating a new platform, rich with playing opportunities that create valuable player pathways.”

LIV Golf Investments has been established with group companies in the USA, UK, with Asian offices to follow. Several high-profile C-Suite executives have already been appointed, with further announcements to follow in due course. PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in the new company. Plans are in place to introduce further investment partners, who share the passion and belief in how new opportunities in professional golf can create widespread benefit for fans and players.

“This is the single biggest development in the history of the Asian Tour and a major milestone for professional golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour. “The opportunity will secure unprecedented new playing opportunities, establish new player pathways, allow us to compete commercially with other sports, and enhance our social agenda.

“We are particularly excited at the prospect today’s landmark announcement brings to the amateur game, providing new inspiration to aspiring players through a new level of top-flight professional competition in the region.”

The series will add to the Asian Tour’s backbone of established events to comprise a 25-event season, expected to represent a record-breaking combined prize-fund in 2022. Each of the 10 new events will be broadcast live across the globe, with plans to attract an international field of headline talent through an open eligibility category regardless of Tour affiliation so opportunities are available to the broadest cross section of players.

Today’s announcement closely follows the striking of a new 10-year partnership between the Asian Tour and Golf Saudi, the organisers of the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, which will see the event become the flagship tournament on the Asian Tour, featuring an impressive increased prize fund of $5m. The Saudi International will not be one of the 10 new events to feature as part of the new series but will itself provide enhanced exemption requirements.

Further signals of increased prosperity for the Asian Tour also came recently with the announcement that competitive play will soon recommence following a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its suspended 2020/21 season will draw to a close with the staging of two new tournaments in Thailand in November and December 2021, and two further tournaments planned for Singapore in January 2022.

The new series of 10 events will take place throughout 2022, with all full-field events contributing towards the Order of Merit ranking.

Further details on the new series, including a reveal of the brand and series name, will follow in the near future.

About LIV Golf Investments 

LIV Golf Investments is a newly formed company, with group companies in the USA and UK, with Asian offices to follow. Its remit is to holistically improve the health of professional golf on a truly global scale and support existing stakeholders to help unlock the sports’ untapped potential. Greg Norman is the first and founding CEO of LIV Golf Investments. PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments.

Thailand’s Prom Meesawat, aka the ‘Big Dolphin’, has returned from a taxing few months in Japan in order to make a splash on Phuket Island when the Asian Tour restarts its 2020-21 season there at the end of November.

The two-time Asian Tour winner has entered both the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship and Laguna Phuket Championship ‒ two back-to-back US$1 million events dubbed the “Asian Tour’s Phuket Series”.

The former will be played at Blue Canyon Country Club from November 25-28, while the latter will be staged at Laguna Golf Phuket from December 2-5.

Prom returned from Japan just over a week ago and did his quarantine in Phuket’s sandbox ‒ which gave him the freedom to play Blue Canyon and Laguna Golf Phuket twice.

“I hadn’t played Blue Canyon since the 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic,” said Prom, who took part in a virtual press conference for the Asian Tour Phuket Series today.

“Not much has changed to the Canyon course. It’s always a good course. It’s going to be fun. You really need to be careful with your tee shots as its tree lined. Also, I hadn’t played Laguna Phuket since the Thailand Open in 2009. They have changed a lot of greens there. It’s quite tricky and small and very slopy but there are still a lot of birdie opportunities.”

He is called the ‘Big Dolphin’ due to his burly frame coupled with the fact he is from the seaside town of Hua Hin.

As is well documented, Prom spent the end of last year and beginning of 2021 recovering from a ruptured appendix, which took five months to fully recover from.

He said he was playing really well by the time he headed to play in Japan in September, but the trip proved to be a disappointment.

Said the Thai star: “It is difficult to find a place to practice there, so after tournaments there would be no practice for three days and my game dropped. It was quite a difficult time in Japan. And the courses are quite tight and narrow. I still did ok but not as good as I expect. Even though I have a good short game the grass is different there and I needed more time practice on it.”

Upon hearing the Asian Tour was due to restart the 37-year-old decided to pack up and head home.

Added Prom: “I felt it made sense to go back and prepare for the Phuket Series. I think it was a good idea for me to do that.”

This week he will also attempt to win the Singha Pattaya Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour for an astonishing fifth time, before playing in the Thailand Open ‒ which his father Suthep Meesawat won in 1991 ‒ and the Singha Esan Open.

“I have three weeks in a row, then two weeks off before Phuket,” said Prom, who has also lost in three sudden-death play-offs on the Asian Tour.

“It’s good that I have a couple of tournaments to prepare for the Phuket Series. It’s such a good sign that the Asian Tour is back. I know we still have to worry about COVID, but everyone is looking forward to going back and seeing each other. It is very positive the Tour is back and will get strong again.”

After the Phuket Series, the Asian Tour is planning to compete its season with two events in Singapore in January.

Ends.

Senior government officials in Thailand voiced their overwhelming support and underlying hopes for the two inaugural Asian Tour events that will be played on Phuket Island during a virtual press conference today.

The Blue Canyon Phuket Championship 2021 and the Laguna Phuket Championship 2021 ‒ both boasting prizemoney of US$1 million ‒ have been dubbed the “Asian Tour’s Phuket Series” and will be part of a series of four events which will bring the 2020-21 season to a close.

The former will be played at Blue Canyon Country Club from November 25 to 28, while the latter will be staged at Laguna Golf Phuket from December 2 to 5.

Restoring public confidence, welcoming international tourists, and supporting international events and sports tourism are high on their priority list.

“Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Thailand and the rest of the world, the Thai government has prioritized restoring confidence in its public with a number of domestic projects, including sport tourism activities with strictly preventive procedures for health and safety,” said Mr. Siraphop Duangsodsri, Advisor to Minister of Tourism and Sports.

“Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Sports Authority of Thailand, and related agencies have joined hands to organize international sporting events to prove that Thailand is ready to host tournaments under both central and regional administrations, especially the tourism destinations like Phuket Province. Thailand also intends to boost its public health safety requirements to international standards in order to welcome tourists back once the COVID-19 crisis has been resolved.”

Sport Authority of Thailand, one of the events partners, are also excited about the opportunities that the events will bring.

Said Dr. Nittaya Kerdjuntuk, Director of Office of the Professional Sports Committee, Sports Authority of Thailand: “The Sports Authority of Thailand has consistently supported local and international sporting events, and we are confident that Thailand has significant potential to host international tournaments in this region, particularly in terms of the effectiveness of organizing sporting events in the current COVID-19 situation. The fact that top international golfers have signed up to compete in these two golf tournaments demonstrates the success of Thai professional golf as well as the international acceptance of our preventive measures.”

Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Order of Merit champion, has confirmed he will compete in the Phuket events. The Thai star ‒ currently in fifth place on the Merit list ‒ is vying to become the first player in Tour history to clinch back-to-back Merit crowns.

“I am convinced these two events will help Thailand as a whole and boost Phuket’s economy in a variety of ways, including hotel and restaurant businesses and local employment,” said Mr. Pichet Panapong, Vice Governor of Phuket Province.

“More importantly, these sporting events will aid in the promotion of Phuket Province’s readiness and demonstrate the effectiveness of the Phuket SandBox Program in welcoming and caring for tourists while maintaining public health safety standards. This can instill trust in travelers visiting Phuket to enjoy the island’s natural features, art, and cultural destinations, as well as its unique way of life that tourists from all over the world dream of experiencing.”

In January, following the Christmas and New Year breaks, the Tour is planning to stage two more tournaments in Singapore over consecutive weeks.

This will allow the Tour to complete its Order of Merit and crown an Order of Merit champion.

All four tournaments will be broadcast live on television with further details to be announced soon.

Ends.

The Asian Tour today announced exciting and ambitious plans to stage a series of season-ending tournaments to finish its 2020-21 schedule, ensuring that the Tour can complete its Order of Merit, and crown a Merit list champion.

The Tour, which stopped play in March last year because of the pandemic, will make its eagerly awaited return by staging back-to-back inaugural events at two of the most renowned golf courses on Phuket Island in Thailand with purses of US$1 million respectively.

The Blue Canyon Championship will first take place at Blue Canyon Country Club from November 25-28, followed by the Laguna Phuket Championship, which will be held at the Laguna Phuket Resort from December 2-5.

In January, following the Christmas and New Year breaks, the Tour is planning to stage two more tournaments in Singapore over consecutive weeks. All four tournaments will be broadcast live on television with further details to be announced soon.

“After a difficult 18 months the Asian Tour is thrilled to announce that it is able to restart in Q4 of 2021, and most importantly expedite the return of our membership to elite competition,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour.

“The Asian Tour have been working around the clock to resume competition and crown the Merit list champion ‒ a challenge made more difficult by our reach across many countries and each of their COVID-related protocols. We are confident of being able to complete our season despite several remaining challenges created by the pandemic.”

The sprint to the season’s finish line is expected to be more exciting than ever, as the top 30 players from the final Order of Merit will receive automatic entry into next year’s season-opening US$5 million Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

The four Asian Tour events played in early 2020 will be added to the blended 2020-21 schedule. Australian Wade Ormsby has led the Order of Merit throughout the hiatus since winning the Hong Kong Open last January.

Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Order of Merit champion, has confirmed he will compete in the Phuket events ‒ which will be backed by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

The Thai star ‒ currently in fifth place on the Merit list ‒ is vying to become the first player in Tour history to clinch back-to-back Merit crowns.

“It is great news to hear that the Asian Tour will be resuming competition soon. I know everyone has been really looking forward to getting out and playing again after a long break,” said Jazz, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour.

“The atmosphere at the Phuket events will be special. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, and of course playing competitive golf on home soil.”

The Asian Tour last visited Phuket in 2019 when it staged the Singha Laguna Phuket Open at the Laguna Phuket Resort ‒ an event on its feeder circuit, the Asian Development Tour. Blue Canyon Country Club has also featured on the Asian Tour previously with several marquee events being played at the iconic venue which has seen an illustrious list of champions including former world number ones Tiger Woods and Greg Norman.

All four tournaments will be played in tournament bubbles and will closely adhere to local government standard operating procedures. In addition, all players will need to be fully vaccinated in order to compete.

The plan to stage a series of season-ending tournaments follows on from last month’s ground-breaking news that the Saudi International will become the Tour’s flagship tournament. The event will be played at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club near Jeddah from February 3-6, and will offer the highest purse on the Asian Tour in 2022.

More updates on the plans for the 2022 season will be communicated in due course.

To view current Order of Merit standings, please click here.

A new start for the Asian Tour is imminent, but it is the old that will once again help play an important part in its success moving forward.

The Tour has been blessed to be able to count among its number an established and prestigious body of tournaments that have contributed to its longevity and continuity.

One such tournament is the Mercuries Taiwan Masters – which was won yesterday by Wang Wei-hsiang. Remarkably, he is the older brother of Wang Wei-hsuan, who claimed the title last year.

It was Wei-hsiang’s first victory as a professional while it marked the third time a pair of brothers have won the tournament ‒ which has been played at Taiwan Golf and Country Club since its launch in 1987.

The other famous siblings to have triumphed are Lin Wen-tang (main picture, 2009) and Lin Wen-ko (2003), as well as Hsieh Chin-sheng (1995) and Hsieh Yu-shu (1993).

For 20 years the event ‒ along with is colorful founder Mr. George Wong ‒ has been an intrinsic part of the Tour’s schedule, alongside an impressive line-up of national Opens and other long-standing tournaments.

Lu Wen-teh has won the event a record four times.

The pandemic, and the quarantine restrictions that accompanied it, meant it was only played on the domestic circuit this year and last season.

However, after Wei-hsiang tapped in for victory, attention will have quickly turned to 2022 when it will return as one of the Asian Tour’s key events.

“It was a really important step on the road to recovery to see the Mercuries Taiwan Masters keep its active streak going and continue to be played during this pandemic period,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour.

“Even though this year and last year’s editions did not feature on the Asian Tour, we would like to congratulate Mr. George Wong ‒ the brainchild behind the event ‒ and his team for making it happen and we look forward to seeing it back on the Asian Tour next year.”

Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai claimed the title in 2019 when it was last played on the Asian Tour. His name was added to an impressive list of past winners that includes his famous countrymen Thaworn Wiratchant and Boonchu Ruangkit, Australian Scott Hend, Malaysians Gavin Green and Danny Chia, and Sweden’s two-time PGA Tour winner Daniel Chopra.

Gavin Green claimed the title in 2017

Local heros have, of course, dominated the tournament: Lu Wen-teh has lifted the trophy on four occasions ‒ which is the record ‒ while some all-time greats from the powerful golfing nation, like TC Chen and Hsieh Min-nan, have also recorded victories.

“The stature of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters is reflected by the quality of its past champions, and it has a great connection with our members that we want to see last long into the future,” added Cho.