Jeev Milkha Singh: The Flying Sikh, Marathon Man & Scottish Joy

Published on August 13, 2019

What are the chances of a golfer who grew up in the India, winning one of the European Tour’s most prestigious events in the home of golf on a links layout?

Jeev Milkha Singh has been a ground-breaking golfer for India and arguably his country’s most successful.

The son of sporting internationals, Jeev tells the story of how his father overcame tragedy in the Indian partition to become one of India’s most famous athletes. And how his father’s success, known as the Flying Sikh, paved the way for his own achievements.

The first Indian to make the worlds top 50, conquering the Asian Tour and Japan and then going on to make his mark in Europe and the USA.

There’s the uncle whose generosity set him on his way and how that influenced him to lend a helping hand to some of his peers. He reveals the what he makes of his own swing, who his golfing idol is and why he still harbours following in his father’s footsteps as an Olympian.

Published on

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

The Tournament

The US$ 300,000 Sarawak Championship is a relatively new event on the Asian Tour schedule, with the first edition of the tournament played in July last year and providing an exciting finish.

With Thailand’s Jazz Janewattanond playing in the penultimate group having posted a 21-under-par 267 to grab the clubhouse lead, it all came down to the last group of John Catlin, Danthai Boonma and Paul Peterson to decide an outright winner or possible play-off. Catlin and Danthai were tied for the lead with Jazz playing the 18^th, and Peterson one shot behind.

Danthai could only manage a par on the last to stay in a tie for the lead, and Peterson would join the leaders after converting a birdie effort from 15 feet.

Catlin was the last man with a chance to break the four-way tie for the lead, and made a clutch birdie putt from 12 feet to claim the trophy and winner’s check of US$54,000.

The Course

The Arnold Palmer Designed Damai Golf and Country Club in Kuching, Malaysia is a par-72 course playing to 6,979 yards from the tournament tees.

If the conditions are anything like last year, players should be ready for a low-scoring week. The weekend cut was set at three-under-par last year and the fourth-round average score for players who finished in the top-10 was 66.3, or 5.7-under-par.

Only one player in this group failed to shoot in the 60s on Sunday, and his score was a two-under-par 70.

The Top Contenders

While nine players from the top-20 on the Order of Merit are in the field in Kuching, it is noteworthy that this list includes the two players who have earned a combined US$ 1,265,000 so far this year.

Order of Merit leader Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand with just over US$ 738,000 in earnings has already won two titles this year- the SMBC Singapore Open and Kolon Korea Open, and is surely looking to extend his lead in the Order of Merit race.

As an added motivation for Jazz, the cut-off date for the Presidents Cup automatic selections is coming up this Sunday. He is currently 10^thin the standings, 11.24 points behind C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei in eighth place , and will need a win this week to have a chance to play his way into the top-eight to qualify on points.

Looking at the numbers behind Jazz’s stellar play this year, it’s no mystery why he has amassed 10 top-five finishes across all tours including the two wins.

If we filter the 2019 Asian Tour stats for players with eight tournament rounds or more, Jazz would be ranked first in Scoring Average (68.76) and Bogey Avoidance (1.9), second in Greens in Regulation (76.05%) and Scrambling (70.40%), third in Birdies per Round (4.72) and eight in Total Driving (Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy combined).

Add a combined All-Round category (Total Driving, GIR, Putts/GIR and Scrambling) and he would rank first in that one as well.

This year’s Maybank Championship winner Scott Hend of Australia is one of the most prolific winners on the Asian Tour, with 10 titles to his name. Currently in second place on the Order of Merit with US$527,530, Hend is also in second place in Career Earnings with US$5,061,754 in winnings during his 13 years in Asia.

Like the player he is chasing above, Hend also has some very solid stats in his 2019 campaign. Known for a long time as one of the longest drivers on Tour, he would, using the same criteria as above, be ranked third in Driving Distance (305.47 yards), fifth in Total Driving, sixth in Birdies per Round (4.53) and fifth in a combined All-Round category.

Coming off four missed cuts in a row in Asia and Europe, 2016 Order of Merit winner Hend will be keen to break this trend and make a dent in Jazz’s US$210,000 lead on the Order of Merit.

The Challengers

On a course where six out of last year’s top-10 finishers were also in the top-10 in GIR for the week, and four in the top-10 in Scrambling, Rashid Khan of India stands out as highly ranked in both of those stat categories this season.

Using the filtering criteria mentioned earlier, Khan would currently be seventh in GIR (71.5%) and first in Scrambling (73.2%).

In his only two Asian Tour starts this season, he has a third-place finish in the Bangabandhu Cup and a tied-10^th in the Hero Indian Open. He is also is leading the Order of Merit on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) with two victories and five other top-10s in his eight events played this season.

It would not be surprising to see Khan return to fully exempt playing status on the Asian Tour next year, and a top finish this week would go a long way towards this goal.

Fellow Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu came very close to winning his second Asian Tour title in Bangladesh in early April, when he finished runner-up a single shot behind rookie winner Sadom Kaewkanjana from Thailand.

Sandhu’s stats have also been good across the board this year, he’s as of this week ranked 16^th in GIR (68.4%) and 13^th in Scrambling (62.2%), while he sits in 10^th place in the All-Round category.

Currently in 20^th place on the Order of Merit with just short of US$71,000, Sandhu’s playing rights for next season are nearly secured. A high finish this week could make that a certainty.

He has already proven he can play well on this course, finishing tied-11^th last year on a score of 15-under-par, and could be a man to bet on for his second career Asian Tour win this week.

Thailand’s Prom Meesawat is enjoying a good season so far with three top-10s on the Asian Tour, with one of them, the SMBC Singapore Open, also earning him his second appearance in The Open Championship last month.

He has also won the Butra Heidelberg Cement Brunei Championships on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the 20th Singha Thailand Masters on the All Thailand Golf Tour in 2019.

Prom has not won on the Asian Tour since the 2014 Yeangder TPC, but a return to the winner’s circle could be imminent.

Last but not least, a player that is very much due for his first Asian Tour title is Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe. One of the most consistent high-performers in 2018, a year when nine top-10 finishes in Asia saw him finish fifth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Vincent has so far this season posted a fourth place in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth as his best result, along with a tied-sixth in the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup and tied-10^th in the Kolon Korea Open, and is currently ranked ninth on the Order of Merit with almost US$160,000.

In June he also claimed his first professional victory in the Landic Challenge 7 on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan.

Vincent should have good memories from last year’s Sarawak Championship when he finished tied-seventh after a final round eight-under-par 64, and could be primed for a breakthrough Asian Tour win in Kuching after six weeks away from tournament golf.

Published on August 12, 2019

Jersey City, August 12: Three hours before the leaders teed off, Kiradech Aphibarnrat tapped in his final putt on the 18^th green at THE NORTHERN TRUST. It certainly wasn’t the way he wanted to conclude a bittersweet first full season on the PGA TOUR.

A final round of 2-under 69 left the 30-year-old Thai well down the leaderboard in a share of 71^st place at Liberty National Golf Club as he failed to progress beyond the first of three FedExCup Playoff events.

Kiradech needed to finish 27^th or better here but an ailing right knee, which has hampered his golf since April, prevented him from extending his American dream.

“I’m really happy that I kept my card but the season ended sooner than expected. I had hoped to get into next week (BMW Championship). Right after Augusta, it’s been a hard time playing golf and to get my best game out with the way my right knee was hurting. It’s not a bad start to my first PGA TOUR season but I’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Kiradech.

He leaves for Bangkok on Monday and will under another MRI scan on his right knee in which he suffered a partial torn Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) during the Masters Tournament after taking a tumble from a difficult shot.

“Hopefully it’s not any worse than before. I’ll have three or four weeks off, and I want to fix it. If it’s not better in four weeks’ time, I might have to take eight weeks off. I’m looking forward to recovering as soon as I can and enjoying the game again. It’s been a tough few months to play when I’m hurt,” he said.

“Operating the knee is the last option. If the doctor says I need to operate, then I’ll do it. Fingers crossed, I won’t have to go through that option.”

Kiradech featured in 20 tournaments during the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season and posted three top-5 finishes. He missed seven cuts and will finish 83^rd on the final FedExCup points list. The burly Thai believes he can perform better in his second season as he would know the golf courses better.

“I think I have the game to stay up here. I know I have to work on my short game, the shots from inside 80 yards and around the green can be sharper,” said Kiradech.

“Next year will be easier as I now know which courses I should play on and which ones I need to take off my schedule.”

As the first Thai to hold a full PGA TOUR card, Kiradech wants to become the first from his country to win on U.S. soil as well. “I want to win. Playing on the PGA TOUR which is the biggest Tour in the world, is great. There’s pressure to play against the top and any one can win. If I can win once, it’ll take the pressure off my shoulders. I feel I’m not very far. I’m looking forward to returning to Bangkok to see my family and friends. And also make sure I focus on my knee. Then, I’ll get out and start hunting again.”

Depending on the situation with his knee, Kiradech is not giving up on his bid to play in the Presidents Cup for the International Team at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. He is well out of the top-8 ranking who will qualify for the team on August 19 before Captain Ernie Els makes his four picks in early November.

“The Presidents Cup is deep in my heart, always,” said Kiradech. “I’ve been close the last few times. I was like top-15 and didn’t get picked which was disappointing. This time, it’s different. I’m not fit enough and didn’t perform well. If I don’t get picked, it’s no problem. Ernie has to pick his best 12 players. I agree with everything he’s doing and it’s for the best. I will try to prove myself If I can play again before the picks are made. I want to play great until Ernie can’t ignore me.”

Ends.

Published on August 8, 2019

Shanghai, August 8: Italian star Francesco Molinari and home favourite Li Haotong are the latest stars to commit to the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions alongside reigning champion, Xander Schauffele and the world’s top four ranked players; Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.

World ranked Number six Molinari won the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2010 and the Open Championship in 2018, while China’s Li, a two-time winner on the European Tour, will be looking to improve on his seventh place highest finish to date at’ Asia’s Major’ which takes place from October 31 to November 3, 2019 at Sheshan International Golf Club.

As HSBC approach the 15th year of their award-winning title sponsorship of Asia’s biggest tournament, tickets have seen strong demand from fans while support sponsorship sales are also exceptionally strong as everyone wants to be a part of what is anticipated to be one of the best fields ever gathered as the players compete for an increased prize fund of US10.25 million.

New apparel sponsor Descente, Official Liquor Nei Can and VOSS as the Official Water are the newest sponsors joining a notable group of premium brands that include; WeChat, Mercedes Benz, iQiyi Sports, Dell Technologies and The Yuluxe Sheshan, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel.

Italy’s first major winner, Molinari said: “With all of the Majors now over for the year, we are turning our attention to the final World Golf Championships of the year. The scheduling changes on the PGA Tour certainly have benefited the stature of the WGC-HSBC Champions and I think it is going to be a huge event for all the players as we aim to end our year on a high with a victory at ‘Asia’s Major.”

Li, making his seventh appearance in the tournament, said: “The buzz around this tournament is already pretty crazy in China. With five of the world’s top six players already confirmed, it will be one of the must attend events of the year in Shanghai. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Jonathan Castleman, HSBC’s Global Head of Brand Partnerships, said:
“With another major winner confirmed in Francesco Molinari and homegrown star Li Haotong joining the all-star cast of the world’s best golfers, we already have the perfect ingredients for the tournament to live up to its billing as ‘Asia’s Major. Once again, we know the eyes of the golfing world will be firmly fixed on Shanghai come October.

WGC-HSBC Champions has gained an unrivalled reputation by assembling elite fields and delivering incredible experiences for all, there is simply nothing like it in Asian golf. This tournament has been a catalyst for so many exciting developments for golf in China at all levels and we look forward to that journey continuing.”

A new wave of tickets were launched today to meet demand, offered with an early bird discount for the month of August of up to 35% off. Juniors aged 18 years and under can enter for free when accompanied by a ticketed adult with additional discounts also available for students and families.

For more details on the WGC-HSBC Champions and all ticket information, please visit https://www.hsbcgolf.com/mens or follow the official WeChat Mini Program: HSBCChampions

Published on August 7, 2019

The US$300,000 event is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and will be staged at the Classic Golf and Country Club which is highly regarded as one of India’s finest golf courses.

The Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship is expected to feature an exciting mix of established stars, promising talents from the Asian Tour as well as home grown ones from the PGTI as they vie for honours at the Classic Golf and Country Club, which is the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in South Asia.

The host venue, which comprises of an 18-Hole Signature Championship Course as well as a 9-Hole Signature Canyon Course, witnessed a slice of history in 2009 when Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat recorded the world’s lowest 72-hole score with a 32-under-par to win the third of his four Asian Tour titles then

Prior to hosting its first Asian Tour event in 2009, the Classic Golf and Country Club was also home to the prestigious Indian Open in 2000 and 2001. Over the past few years, it has also played host to several tournaments on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour said, “We are looking forward to the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship as it gives our members another playing opportunity that allows them to gain valuable experience and have a potentially career-inspiring week.

“Apart from having our best players compete for some of the bigger prize purses on Tour, full-field events such as the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship will also provide our emerging talents with the opportunity to shoot for glory and aim for their breakthrough on the Asian Tour.”

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO of PGTI said, “Indian golf is on the rise today and the staging of the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship will allow our players to compete on a bigger stage.

“The Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship will give them a great chance to compete and showcase their talents. I am confident the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship will be a huge success.”

Ends.

Published on August 6, 2019

Sentosa, Singapore, August 6: Last week’s Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour was the last event of the regular season before the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and Asian Tour was represented by Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Anirban Lahiri and Monday qualifier Paul Peterson.

The event had big implications for Lahiri. Heading into the week in 178^th place on the FedEx Cup Standings, he would have needed a tied-second finish at Wyndham to get inside the top-125 and keep his card, or a tied-fourth for top-150 and conditional status for next season.

With a score of eight-under-par 272 the 2015 Order of Merit champion finished tied-53^rd, and will now have to play the three events on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals starting next week in order to regain his PGA Tour playing rights.

Thailand’s Kiradech has already secured his card for next year by being well inside the top 125 and will be playing in the first play-off event this week- The Northern Trust in New Jersey. Kiradech is currently ranked 76^th in the standings and will have get inside the top-70 in order to advance to the BMW Championship, the next event in the play-offs. He’s as of this week 44 points behind Matthew Wolff in 70^th place.

At last week’s Wyndham Championship Kiradech got off to a hot start with a six-under-par 64 in the first round, but the following rounds of 72, 69, and 68 meant he would finish the week in tied-60^th place on the low-scoring course.

On the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) Kiradech lost five spots and is now 59^th on the updated list, while in the Presidents Cup Standings he has fallen two spots to 20^th with two weeks to go before the cut-off date for the automatic selections which is due on August 18^th.

The two other Asian Tour members in the top 100 on the OWGR, Justin Harding and Jazz Janewattananond, did not play any event last week and dropped one position each to 52^nd and 54^th respectively.

Both are also in the running for a place on captain Ernie Els’s squad for the Presidents Cup in December.

Jazz is currently ranked ninth, one spot outside an automatic selection, and has one event remaining, the Sarawak Championship August 15-18. He will likely need at least a solo-second in Sarawak to avoid relying on a captain’s pick.

Harding has a little more work to do as he’s 11^th in the standings and will need to make up 12 points on the currently eight-placed C.T. Pan from Chinese Taipei. For an automatic selection he will need a win at his next event, likely the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals series August 15-18.

Published on August 2, 2019

The Asian Tour has welcomed many worthy champions into the winner’s circle. While many of them are still making their mark on the Tour and beyond, some have decided to put away their clubs but have continued to leave an impression on us.

In our first instalment of our ‘Where are they now?’ series, we spoke to Kyi Hla Han, who was the Asian Tour’s Executive Chairman for several years and is best remembered for winning the Volvo China Open and Asian Tour Order of Merit in 1999.

After ruling the fairways for more than two decades, Han is still very much passionate about the sport which brought him much success and even introduced him to his wife in Hong Kong.

So tell us, how did you get started in professional golf and the Asian Tour back in 1994-95?

KHH: I turned professional in December 1980 at the World Cup in Bogota, Colombia. I was 19 and still in University but wanted to turn professional badly then. I started playing the old Asian Circuit in 1981 which was basically about nine to 10 National Opens over a 10-week period run by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC). There were also a few professional events in South East Asia which would be the equivalent to what we have with the Asian Development Tour now. I won over a dozen of them, like the Malaysian and Thai PGA Championships and the Malaysian Masters.

Since the old Asian Circuit was much smaller than the Asian Tour is now, what did you do when there were no events in Asia?

KHH: I wanted to play more events, so I went to play in Australia, Europe and Japan because I felt like there were not enough tournaments in Asia. I met my wife Marlene in Hong Kong where she was living at the time, and in 1993, she was approached by a sports marketing company that wanted to start up a Tour with about 20 events in Asia. I was asked to help structure the Tour from a player’s point of view, and in 1995 the Asian PGA Tour was launched with me and Dom Boulet as its founding members. At the time I still had a card on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), so I didn’t really play the Asian PGA Tour until 1996.

Except for winning some of the smaller events which you mentioned earlier, you must have won bigger ones as well?

KHH: Yeah, I won the Singapore Open in 1994 which was an event on the Australian Tour then, and also the 1997 Rolex Singapore Masters. But the highlight of my career was definitely in 1999 when I won the Asian Tour Order of Merit along with the Volvo China Open.

How many years did you play on the Asian Tour before you retired and transitioned into management?

KHH: After I won the Order of Merit in 1999 I was trying to raise my game but I felt like I wasn’t improving enough to get to the next level, to play on the European Tour or PGA TOUR. In 2003, there was talk among players who wanted us to form our own Association, so we split from the Asian PGA and founded the Asian Tour in 2004. Me and five other players were the founding members, and I served as the Chairman of the Tour. I was pretty involved even though I was playing. My game was still ok and I was younger so I thought I could do both. But by 2006 I had a lot of injuries, so I stopped playing and took over as Executive Chairman later that year. Being on the management side is totally different to being a player. But it was a good experience as I got to understand both sides of the sport.

How do you feel now when you see all these young Asian players coming up and venturing out in the world, instead of in the past where most players wanted to play only in Asia?

KHH: I think it’s fantastic and it’s always been my goal to see our players to be on the world stage. It’s great to see young guys like Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jazz Janewattananond, Anirban Lahiri and Gavin Green coming up as it was always the intention for the Tour to create a pathway for players to become world class champions.

After 25 years of playing and 12 years in Asian Tour’s management, you are still serving on the Asian Tour’s Board of Directors. But outside of the Tour, what are you up to these days?

KHH: I’ve always loved golf course design and it was something I wanted to pursue. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to design a course in Dalat, Vietnam (The Dalat at 1200 Country Club), and to be involved as a signature designer in a Schmidt-Curley Golf Design project near Mandalay, Myanmar. I have a partner in my golf design business, Sam Sakocius who has a vast knowledge of course construction. I was also approached by some people to start the Junior Golf Tour of Asia (JGTA) that is associated with the American Junior Golf Assiciation (AJGA), which basically helps our junior players get into colleges in the U.S. on golf scholarships. The Tour is for boys and girls aged between 12 to 18 years old. We have finished two seasons of the JGTA and so far seven of our players have received scholarships to Division I colleges in the U.S.

We know that you are also involved in music and playing a lot of guitar?

KHH: Yes, I’ve always been into classic rock from the 60’s and 70’s and played some guitar in my teenage years, I’ve always loved music. When I started living in Singapore, I was always going out to the bars and restaurants to listen to music. It was there where I met up with two guys that played that kind of music. I became good friends with one of them who is now one of the top guitarists in Singapore- Robyn Anthony. I get involved in gigs with them at clubs, bars and private homes and it’s really fun. Playing music is very relaxing and it’s good to have a new challenge.

Kyi Hla and the band at the 2018 LeoPalace21 Myanmar Open

Being a top player and out on tour for a long time, is there anything you miss about the Tour?

KHH: The comradery, and how you remain friends with fellow players even for a long time away from the Tour. I do miss all my friends out on tour. I have a lot of good stories and memories from the Tour, but I think the players are probably a little more serious now than we used to be. When we were out there were a lot of players with their own character, but they all played well.

So, what’s a good story?

KHH: I just met up with Danny Mjiovic from Canada in Toronto a few weeks ago, he used to play the Tour about 20 years ago and he was actually the guy that introduced me to my wife Marlene! One of the most memorable moments on Tour was back in 2000. After I won the 1999 Order of Merit, they paired me with Tiger Woods in the Johnnie Walker Classic after he had just won four Majors in a row. That was a real highlight.

Any other hobbies or interests taking up your time nowadays?

KHH: I am also getting involved in doing more charity projects to help children in Myanmar. I feel that I have been very blessed in my life, and it’s time to help the children that are not as fortunate. Our two daughters just graduated from college in Canada this year, so I have more time to pursue all my different interests and keep myself busy.

Ends.

About Kyi Hla Han

Country: Myanmar

Date of Birth: February 13, 1961

Residence: Singapore

Turned Pro: 1980

Twitter Handle: @kyi_hla

Family: Married, Wife: Marlene, Daughters: Natasha and Kaitlyn

ASIAN TOUR VICTORIES: (1) 1999 Volvo China Open

ASIAN CIRCUIT VICTORIES: (1) 1997 Rolex Singapore Masters

AUSTRALASIAN TOUR VICTORIES: (1) 1994 Epson Singapore Open

OTHER WINS: (14) 1983 and 1984 Dunlop Malaysian Masters

1983 and 1985 Malaysian PGA Championship

1985 and 1988 Thailand PGA Championship

1985 Royal Johor Championship

1985 and 1988 PFP Malaysia Championship

1994 and 1995 Hong Kong PGA Championship

1994 Johor Masters

1988 Tourism Malaysia Events in Penang and Miri

AMATEUR WINS: (3) 1980 Putra Cup, 1977 and 1978 Burma Amateur Open

OTHERS: Represented Myanmar in World Cup Golf in 1980, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004.

Represented Myanmar National Amateur Team 1977-1980.

Published on August 1, 2019

August 1: The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, and some of the world’s leading professionals are set to return to one of the most spectacular destinations on the Asian Tour when they battle it out at the Heritage Golf Club.

Multiple European Tour winner Marcel Siem of Germany attended the official launch of the 2019 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on August 1 to take in the beauty of Mauritius during a two-week break in the European Tour schedule and following the busy summer period.

Another strong field will gather at the Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort on Domaine De Bel Ombre from December 5 to 8 for a tri-sanctioned tournament – alongside the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour – which is driving the growth of Mauritius as an increasingly popular destination for the world’s leading professionals.

Last year, four-time Major winner Ernie Els made his debut in the tournament, joining 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, 2011 Open Champion and 2016 European Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke, 2018 European Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Björn, and a host of former Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players as well as multiple Sunshine Tour, European Tour and Asian Tour winners.

This September, Heritage Golf Club will break ground on the construction of its second championship course – a design collaboration between Peter Matkovich and Louis Oosthuizen – that will further enhance the island’s status as a growing powerhouse in world golf travel.

“The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open has over the last five years captured the attention of leading golfers,” said Sanjiv Bhasin, Chief Executive Officer of AfrAsia Bank. “This is a source of encouragement and demonstrates that we are on track to make this event better every successive year. We are privileged to be the lead sponsor for the event as it enables us to present Mauritius as a formidable destination for tourism, real estate and financial services, all three of which are the key pillars of economic growth for this island nation. With this association our brand is on display on a global platform within our customer segment and in over 160 countries, strengthening our global reach.”

The scheduling of the tournament as the final event of the year on the Sunshine Tour – the next event after the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player and the Alfred Dunhill Championship – and the second tournament on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai for the 2020 season, has also made it a highly attractive way for the professionals to end their year, with golf in paradise.

“It has been remarkable to witness the growth of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, which has provided the perfect platform to showcase Mauritius and our award-winning resorts in Domaine De Bel Ombre to the rest of the world. The positive feedback from the players is that this is indeed golf in paradise,” said Francois Eynaud, CEO of Veranda Leisure and Hospitality (VLH).

“We are excited to be starting with the construction of our second championship golf course at the Heritage Golf Club this September and it will add significantly to a hospitality and golf offering which we believe rivals the best in the world.”

Published on July 29, 2019

July 29, Singapore: The widely heralded SMBC Singapore Open will be contested from January 16 to 19 next year and will once again be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation.

Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held off challenges from England duo Paul Casey and Matthew Fitzpatrick and Yoshinori Fujimoto of Japan to clinch the title earlier this year.

The 2020 SMBC Singapore Open will return to the award winning Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club – the tournament’s home since 2005 – and offer total prize money of US$1 million.

“We are delighted to announce that the SMBC Singapore Open will return next year in what are now the traditional mid-January dates,” said Ross Tan, President of the Singapore Golf Association.

Since its return in 2016 the SMBC Singapore Open has been won by Younghan Song of South Korea, who pipped then number one Jordan Spieth of the United States by a stroke in 2016, golden oldie Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand – whose victory came just days ahead of his 51st birthday in January 2017 – and Spanish maestro Sergio Garcia, who arrived at Sentosa in 2018 as the Masters champion.

Published on

July 29: Thailand’s Poom Saksansin finished in a share of 58^th position amongst 63 elite golfers at the US$10.25 million World Golf Championships-FedEx St Jude Invitational and left Memphis knowing where his game needs to be to compete at the highest level.

The 26-year-old signed for a closing four-over 74 at TPC Southwind on Sunday and his four-day total of 10-over 290 was good enough to beat four PGA TOUR winners in Sung Kang of Korea and the American trio of Keegan Bradley, Max Homa and Kevin Tway.

Poom said: “It was nice, a good experience at a big event. I was struggling with my driver before arriving but I managed to get it to work and hit it a lot better than the past few weeks. Hopefully this will help build my confidence.”

Brooks Koepka, the current FedExCup No. 1 and World No. 1, captured his third title of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season by three shots after closing with a 65 and the baby-faced Poom, a three-time Asian Tour winner, was under no illusion of the fact that he needs to raise his game up a few notches if he hopes to go toe-to-toe with the best players in the world.

Power is something which Poom realises he needs to generate after he ended the week some 40 yards shorter than Koepka in the average driving distance category. Poom clocked in an average 267.4 yards from off the tee while Koepka registered 308.4 yards during a successful week which saw him claim the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 bonus prize of US$2 million after achieving an unassailable lead in the points list.

With one regular season event remaining before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs, Koepka is also in prime position to lift the prestigious FedExCup and bag a whopping US$15 million in bonus pay out.

“Watching Brooks hit driver is like watching another step up of playing golf. He’s got all the muscles,” said Poom. “I know I have to improve on my distance and I have to be better with my confidence too. The result is not good for me but if I look at my main problem, it was just a few things.”

He said he truly enjoyed his week in the historic city of Memphis, which is the birthplace of Blues, Soul and Rock ‘n Roll. Poom also got to sample the city’s famous BBQs. “I have a friend who is studying here, and he had a lot of good food recommendations. I enjoyed some BBQ,” added Poom, who will take a three-week break before resuming action on the Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour.

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Class of ’26: The new faces to look out for from Qualifying School

The Asian Tour gets underway this week in the Philippines with virtually all Qualifying School graduates participating

Singapore Open receives two places in The Open as part of OQS

This year’s Open Championship will take place at Royal Birkdale from 16-19 July

International Series Japan launches 2026 pathway to LIV Golf

Tournament will be played from 2-5 April, launching The International Series Rankings race

International Series calendar heralds next phase of global expansion

The International Series today unveiled the first nine events of its compelling 2026 schedule

Yeangder Group revives Taiwan Open refreshing Chinese-Taipei calendar

Increase in prizemoney for Mercuries Taiwan Masters and important date change to the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open

The Round Golf Podcast caught up with one of India’s most decorated golfers, Jeev Milkha Singh, who shares his insight into his life and distinguished golfing career.

By :The Round Golf Podcast

What are the chances of a golfer who grew up in the India, winning one of the European Tour’s most prestigious events in the home of golf on a links layout?

Jeev Milkha Singh has been a ground-breaking golfer for India and arguably his country’s most successful.

The first Indian to make the worlds top 50, conquering the Asian Tour and Japan and then going on to make his mark in Europe and the USA.

A look ahead to this week’s Sarawak Championship at Damai Golf and Country Club.

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

The Tournament

The US$ 300,000 Sarawak Championship is a relatively new event on the Asian Tour schedule, with the first edition of the tournament played in July last year and providing an exciting finish.

Danthai could only manage a par on the last to stay in a tie for the lead, and Peterson would join the leaders after converting a birdie effort from 15 feet.

Catlin was the last man with a chance to break the four-way tie for the lead, and made a clutch birdie putt from 12 feet to claim the trophy and winner’s check of US$54,000.

The Course

The Arnold Palmer Designed Damai Golf and Country Club in Kuching, Malaysia is a par-72 course playing to 6,979 yards from the tournament tees.

Only one player in this group failed to shoot in the 60s on Sunday, and his score was a two-under-par 70.

The Top Contenders

Looking at the numbers behind Jazz’s stellar play this year, it’s no mystery why he has amassed 10 top-five finishes across all tours including the two wins.

Add a combined All-Round category (Total Driving, GIR, Putts/GIR and Scrambling) and he would rank first in that one as well.

Coming off four missed cuts in a row in Asia and Europe, 2016 Order of Merit winner Hend will be keen to break this trend and make a dent in Jazz’s US$210,000 lead on the Order of Merit.

The Challengers

Using the filtering criteria mentioned earlier, Khan would currently be seventh in GIR (71.5%) and first in Scrambling (73.2%).

It would not be surprising to see Khan return to fully exempt playing status on the Asian Tour next year, and a top finish this week would go a long way towards this goal.

Currently in 20^th place on the Order of Merit with just short of US$71,000, Sandhu’s playing rights for next season are nearly secured. A high finish this week could make that a certainty.

He has already proven he can play well on this course, finishing tied-11^th last year on a score of 15-under-par, and could be a man to bet on for his second career Asian Tour win this week.

He has also won the Butra Heidelberg Cement Brunei Championships on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the 20th Singha Thailand Masters on the All Thailand Golf Tour in 2019.

Prom has not won on the Asian Tour since the 2014 Yeangder TPC, but a return to the winner’s circle could be imminent.

In June he also claimed his first professional victory in the Landic Challenge 7 on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan.

Three hours before the leaders teed off, Kiradech Aphibarnrat tapped in his final putt on the 18th green at THE NORTHERN TRUST. It certainly wasn’t the way he wanted to conclude a bittersweet first full season on the PGA TOUR.

Kiradech needed to finish 27^th or better here but an ailing right knee, which has hampered his golf since April, prevented him from extending his American dream.

“Operating the knee is the last option. If the doctor says I need to operate, then I’ll do it. Fingers crossed, I won’t have to go through that option.”

“I think I have the game to stay up here. I know I have to work on my short game, the shots from inside 80 yards and around the green can be sharper,” said Kiradech.

“Next year will be easier as I now know which courses I should play on and which ones I need to take off my schedule.”

Ends.

Italian star Francesco Molinari and home favourite Li Haotong are the latest stars to commit to the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions

For more details on the WGC-HSBC Champions and all ticket information, please visit https://www.hsbcgolf.com/mens or follow the official WeChat Mini Program: HSBCChampions

New Delhi, India, August 7: The Asian Tour is set to welcome its newest tournament when the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship makes its debut on the Tour’s schedule from September 12-15. The US$300,000 event is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and will be staged at […]

Ends.

A look at movements on the OWGR following last week’s worldwide events.

Both are also in the running for a place on captain Ernie Els’s squad for the Presidents Cup in December.

In our first installment of our ‘Where are they now?’ series, we track down one of Asia’s golfing legends and find out what he’s up to now after ruling the fairways for more than a decade .