The Asian Development Tour (ADT) will make a popular and long-awaited return to Pakistan this month for the inaugural ADT Rumanza Open Pakistan.

Boasting prizemoney of US$85,000 it will be held on the Sir Nick Faldo-designed course at Rumanza Golf & Country Club in Multan, a city in Punjab in central Pakistan, from February 19-22.

It will be the second stop of the season on the ADT – which got underway at the PKNS Selangor Masters in Malaysia two weeks ago, where victory went to Thailand’s Tawit Polthai – and marks the first time an ADT event has been played in Pakistan in six years.

Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “We have been working on returning to Pakistan for some time now and so we are thrilled to be able to confirm the launch of the ADT Rumanza Open Pakistan.

“It is an exciting new event in a market that offers so much potential, as shown by the emergence of local player Ahmad Baig – a two-time winner on the ADT last year, who now has his Asian Tour card, by virtue of finishing in the top-10 on our circuit’s Order of Merit.

“We are also fortunate to be heading to an outstanding venue in Rumanza Golf & Country Club – a new venue and the first signature course in the country. The tournament is happening very soon as well – a great development for the Tour, its members and golf in Pakistan. We thank Rumanza Golf & Country Club and the Pakistan Golf Federation for their help and support.”

The 132-man field will feature 54 players from the ADT, 50 from the Pakistan Golf Federation, 18 ADT invites and 10 invites from the club.

“With great enthusiasm, the Pakistan Golf Federation continues its commitment to fostering professional golf by hosting another ADT event,” said Lt. Gen. Qazi Ikram, President, Pakistan Golf Federation.

“This will further showcase Pakistan’s potential as a prime venue for international golf tournaments. Our efforts aim to highlight Pakistan as a premier golf destination while providing local talent a platform to compete internationally. We extend our gratitude to the Asian Tour for their collaboration and to Rumanza Golf & Country Club and DHA Multan for their exceptional support.”

Rumanza Golf & Country Club, scenically exceptional with features 49 eco bunkers, four large lakes, and citrus orchards, was opened to much fanfare in February of 2022 with the Rumanza Inaugural Challenge.

A star-studded team of Graeme McDowell, Charley Hull and Hamza Amin beat a team made up of Rafa Cabrera Bello, Baig and Humna Amjed. Faldo was the guest of honour.

The ADT last visited Pakistan in October of 2019 for the RAYA Pakistan Open. The tournament was won by none other than Korean star Tom Kim, who was 17 at the time. It was the third of his three victories that season that earned him a battlefield promotion to the Asian Tour.

Main Picture: Ahmad Baig.