The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A will return to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) schedule this season, after its highly successful debut last year – and it will be staged at Luisita Golf & Country Club in the Philippines.

The tournament, won last year by Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol after a close finish in Cambodia, will be staged from 16-19 October, with a minimum purse of US$100,000.

It is the eighth stop of the season on the ADT, although more tournaments are due to be unveiled, and it will mark the first time the circuit has visited the archipelago in nearly a decade.

The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A was launched in order to help both the ADT and The R&A achieve their objectives of nurturing raw talent in the region and discovering the stars of tomorrow.

Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, Asian Development Tour: “The first edition of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A provided us with a wonderful opportunity to work with the game’s governing body and it was an unqualified success.

“Like The R&A, the Asian Development Tour works at both developmental and elite level, with the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A a model tournament that helps provide a pathway from one to the other.

“We thank them for their support and guidance plus we also extend our gratitude to Luisita Golf & Country Club and the National Golf Association of the Philippines for their commitment to making this event a success.”

Luisita Golf & Country Club.

The winner of the event will receive an invite to play in the International Series Philippines, being played the following week, at St. Elena Golf Club, 23-26 October.

The 144-player field will be made up of 80 from the ADT, up to 36 from The R&A, and 20 from the Philippine Golf Tour. There will be six amateurs and two invites from the club – which is located in Tarlac City, Central Luzon.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said: “Establishing clear development pathways for aspiring golfers to reach their full potential in the sport sits at the heart of what we do at The R&A and reflects our support of the Asian Development Tour. We are pleased to see this event being staged in the Philippines, where golf continues to grow in popularity. Thanks to the efforts of the National Golf Association of the Philippines, they are increasingly becoming an important market in the region.”

The ADT last went to the Philippines in 2016, when Filipino Jay Bayron claimed the Aboitiz Invitational.

Bones Floro, Secretary General, National Golf Association of the Philippines: “We are thrilled to welcome the Asian Development Tour back to the Philippines, offering a world-class stage for rising talent and reaffirming our country’s place on the global golfing map.”

Filipino Aldric Chan, who claimed the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam on the ADT in March: “Having an Asian Development Tour event in the Philippines is one of the best things that can happen to help grow the sport locally. And with the support of The R&A it helps us see the potential that the sport has within our community. A lot of great talent is here in the Philippines that will truly benefit from this tournament.”

Nopparat was victorious last year after a gripping end to the tournament. Playing in the second to last group, a fine round saw him finish with a seven- under-par 65 to take the clubhouse lead on 20-under at Angkor Golf Resort – an Asian Tour Destinations venue. Holding a two-shot lead over the rest of the field only Ahmad Baig was in a position to spoil the party. The Pakistani needed a par on the last to force a play-off, but a bogey dashed his hopes.

The next event on the ADT is the Singha Laguna Phuket Open at Laguna Golf Phuket, 22-25 May. Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert in the defending champion; his win last year taking his tally of titles on the ADT to eight – the most by any on the popular circuit.