Sentosa Golf Club Named ‘World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility’
Sentosa Golf Club has wrapped up another successful awards season, after capturing the title of ‘World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility’ for the second consecutive year at the 2021 World Golf Awards in Dubai.
This latest accolade comes shortly after the Club received recognition as ‘Sustainability Champion of the Year’ at the Britcham 22nd Annual Business Awards (British Chamber of Commerce Singapore), further crediting their efforts in golf’s battle against climate change from an array of highly successful initiatives over the past 12 months.
Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong also collected ‘Singapore’s Best Golf Course’ at the World Golf Awards, with the course recently ranked at number one in Golf Digest’s ‘Best Courses in Every Country’ list.
At the World Golf Awards the Club’s latest achievement is the third year in a row it has collected a headline, ‘world’s best’ award, having first captured the title of ‘World’s Best Golf Club’ in 2019.
It has been another standout year in the sustainability field, during which the Club announced a new pledge to become the world’s first carbon neutral golf club by 2022, through various initiatives to actively manage and reduce its carbon, water and waste footprint including the deployment of energy efficient buggies, innovative irrigation and agronomy technologies, and supporting offsite carbon sequestration through certified high-quality offsets from contributions from golf rounds.
The Club’s sustainability plans are aligned with the recently announced Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap. The Club is part of the Sentosa Carbon Neutral Network, a business alliance committed to achieving Sentosa Island’s dual goals of carbon neutrality by 2030 and becoming a globally recognised, certified sustainable tourism destination.
Speaking at the Awards Ceremony in Dubai, Sentosa Golf Club General Manager, Andrew Johnston, said: “To be recognised as the ‘World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility’ for the second successive year, as well as ‘Sustainability Champion of the Year’ at the Britcham 22nd Annual Business Awards, is an outstanding achievement. Receiving recognition for our hard work to improve and pioneer new sustainable initiatives over the last 12 months is also hugely satisfying.
“Sentosa will take great pride and satisfaction in winning these awards, however our focus will remain on continuing the excellent work that has been carried out over the last three years and to continue to lead the industry in tackling this critical issue.”
Sentosa Golf Club’s awards success is firmly backed by the strength of its team, who deliver state-of-the-art championship courses in tournament ready conditions, 365 days of the year, under the leadership and guidance of Johnston.
He masterminded an extensive renovation last year to The Serapong, to maintain its pristine quality playing standards and elevate the course to a new level on the world stage and has also been credited as second runner up in the 2021 Healthy Land Stewardship Award at the GCSAA Environmental leaders in the Golf Awards.
As part of the Club’s ongoing GAME ON campaign, five new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were installed earlier this year as part of Porsche Destination Charging. This initiative is a global charging network being introduced at premium lifestyle destinations, with Sentosa being the first golf club in Singapore and the Southeast Asia region to join the programme.
In July 2020, Sentosa became the first golf club in the world to sign the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Initiative to help set the sports industry and their communities on a path to achieving the global climate goals established by world leaders at the Paris Agreement in 2016.
The Asian Tour is based on Sentosa Island, and Sentosa Golf Club is part of the Tour’s Asian Tour Destinations network.
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.
Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club is another precious golfing gem in the south of Malaysia, who became part of Asian Tour Destinations last year. We felt it was time to catch up with them and find out how things are at the club. We spoke to Ong Seng Kiat, the Assistant General Manager – Club Operations.
Becoming part of Asian Tour Destinations is an exciting development. What are you looking forward to the most?
It is very exciting, especially since Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club is the second property under our Group and second club in the country to receive this distinction after Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.
We are looking forward to more involvement with the Asian Tour, especially to boost golf in the southern region of Malaysia. Seeing Asian Tour players practice and play at our venue away from the pressures of tournaments will definitely help increase interest to play here.
In addition, we want to establish interclub relations with other Asian Tour Destination venues and link-up with its partners.
It has been a difficult year for the golf industry. How has Horizon Hills handled the situation, in particular with the border closed?
It’s been tough, especially considering that a lot of golfers that regularly play at Horizon Hills hail from Singapore.
We’ve had many meetings with key management personnel on business strategies moving forward and we are looking forward to executing these.
While the club was closed, we still kept up a maintenance schedule for the course and the facilities plus we vaccinated the entire workforce.
The border is still closed so we will be looking to entice golfers from within the country to come and experience Horizon Hills.
Your club has been opened for 13 years and, prior to the pandemic, you must have been delighted with the progress the club has made?
Yes, Horizon Hills has come a long way in its 13 years, from hosting internationally acclaimed tournaments such as the Iskandar Johor Open (2010-2012) to winning numerous awards and accolades from various reputable organisations.
On top of that, the location at the southern tip of the peninsular so close to Singapore sees us welcoming a lot of foreign golfers, even all the way from China due to direct flights being introduced to the Senai International Airport.
Sergio Garcia posing with the winner’s trophy at the Iskandar Johor Open at Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club on December 16, 2012 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. (Photo by Khalid Redza/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images)
What are some of the club’s landmark achievements?
Hosting the Iskandar Johor Open from 2010 to 2012 was a great achievement for us. But we are also proud to have earned some great awards, such as: Best Course in Malaysia – Asian Golf Awards, First Runner-Up, 2019; ParGolf People’s Choice Awards, Top 3 Best Overall Golf Experience, 2018; Malaysia’s Top 10 Golf Courses, Winner, 2017; HAPA Golf Course Of The Year – Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (HAPA), Winner 2016-2018; and Regional Series Awards 2016 – 2018.
How much has the golfing landscape in Johor changed over the past 10 years and what is the outlook in the region post COVID-19?
It’s changed quite a bit especially with the opening and closing of several golf courses. Now the scene includes some prominent big players so it’s a good challenge for us to keep growing and improving too. In terms of outlook, hopefully things go back as close to normal as possible but SOPs will still remain in place for awhile to safeguard players from contracting the virus. A lot of things will go digital or contactless – this will be interesting to see how far the golf industry can progress on this front.
Horizon Hills hosted the Johor Open in 2010, 2011 and 2012. What was that experience like for the club and do you intend to stage tournaments in the future?
It was a very memorable and enlightening experience for everyone, especially when it came to learning the ropes on how an event of such magnitude is planned, organised and executed. The bonus was welcoming players and watching them in action, also working with officials from the Asian Tour. It was a very good learning experience for everyone. If there is a possibility or opportunity to stage tournaments in the future, Horizon Hills will readily welcome this.
You are one of the leading and most established club’s in the region. What have been the keys to your success?
Basically, it boils down to three things – our people, our products and our services. We empower our people to go above and beyond their scope of responsibilities and in turn, take care of their wellbeing as best we can with a lot of perks and privileges. We are very conscious about our products and services and are constantly trying to find ways and means to further improve on them.
Photo by Mike Casper
What has been the club’s mission statement over the years and objectives moving forward?
Mission: To be a premier golf destination that provides a well-maintained golf course, quality facilities, excellent services, competitive pricing and valued affiliations; consistently achieves international recognition; and to be a popular sports and recreational hub for the community.
Objectives: To continuously improve on our people, products and services so that we come to mind when anyone wants to experience golf in Johor and on a wider extent, Malaysia.
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.
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