A Mouth-Watering Month of Golf

October will highlight a truly momentous month for professional golf in Asia with the staging of three mega PGA TOUR tournaments in Malaysia, South Korea and China offering a super cool US$26 million in total prize money

Can Li Haotong propel his career to America with a home victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions?

Similarly, leading players from Asia and China will also be exempt into the WGC-HSBC Champions where a golfer like Li Haotong, famous for his third-place finish at the British Open in July, can propel his career to America with a home victory.

There will be no doubting that Thomas will start as a firm favourite to sparkle in Asia, especially after a spectacular season. A return to Malaysia will provide happy memories as his first PGA TOUR title was recorded in the 2015 CIMB Classic. In eight rounds at TPC KL, he has accumulated 59 birdies, two eagles and stands at a staggering 49-under-par.

PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan, during the launch of the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, hopes that the newest tournament on the schedule will positively shape the landscape of the game in South Korea and beyond.

“This announcement is a historic landmark for the PGA TOUR as we add another tournament in Asia. We had such a phenomenal experience in Korea at The Presidents Cup (in 2015), and we hoped an official, permanent event in this great country would be the result of that success,” said Monahan. “We have a tremendous population of Korean golfers on the PGA TOUR, and we anticipate that will continue as THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES inspires a new generation of players, not only in Korea but also around the world.”

Since making its debut in 2005, the HSBC Champions has celebrated a myriad of international winners in a tournament many have labelled as “Asia’s Major”. Giles Morgan, HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship and Events, must take credit for being a driving force behind the tournament’s growth into a WGC tournament.

 “WGC-HSBC Champions is our flagship event in global golf. Quality of field is the calling card for this tournament which has earned the reputation of ‘Asia’s Major’, and for the past three years, we have attracted 40 of the world’s top 50 golfers. Following recent heroics, China’s leading players are truly coming of age at just the right time. This event means so much to them. It is their major. It first inspired them into the game then nurtured their skills. Now it gives this new generation a chance to unleash their talents against the world’s best. All in front their home fans. It’s a mouth-watering prospect.” 

Indeed, it’s going to be a mouth-watering month of golf in Asia.

Chuah Choo Chiang is Senior Director, Communications of the PGA TOUR and is based at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

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Written by Chuah Choo Chiang

Photography by AFP

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