Archive for the Asian Tour Category


Europeans Provide Respite for Asian Tour

British Open champion Padraig Harrington, Scottish star Colin Montgomerie and homegrown KJ Choi will be among the leading names at the European Tour’s inaugural tournament in Korea from March 13-16. The furore surrounding the nearly $3 million tournament has finally settled down after receiving joint sanction from the Asian Tour. The Europeans ruffled the feathers […]

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Hyped-Up Asian Tour Needs Reality Check

The Asian Tour and regional media are enjoying what often amounts to a comical, naïve and blindly jovial relationship. I must admit, as a journalist, I’ve also been guilty of this. The Asian Tour is worth supporting. There are people at the top who genuinely care. There are players who have worked hard and have […]

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Honours for Harrington, Liang and Asian women while Van De Velde sets new target

It has been a momentous past few days for Asian golf in a variety of ways. There were celebrations for the continent’s new number one, China’s Liang Wen-chong, while Asia’s women were on a high after victory over the Rest of the World in the Lexus Cup. Meanwhile, Frenchman Jean Van De Velde, who came […]

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Seething at Asian Tour article

There are times when you do things in a huff. When something makes you angry, you should really wait a few minutes, take a few deep breaths and consider the consequences of what you might do. I didn’t follow my own advice today when I saw an article in Bloomberg about the Asian Tour’s stance […]

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Finch and Saltus dominate

It was an English-American double in two Asia-Pacific tournaments over the weekend as the European Tour went Down Under and the Asian Tour inched closer to season’s end. England’s Richard Finch was the star at the picturesque Hills Golf Club in Queenstown as he won his first professional title with victory in the New Zealand […]

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Cambodia Joins Golfing Bandwagon

Once the “killing fields” of Southeast Asia, it is now an economy eager to tap the tourist dollar via its most famous landmark, the ancient temples at Angkor Wat. Cambodia is using golf to lure visitors to the former war-torn country, with the latest course built near the famous temples in Siem Reap. The country […]

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World Cup Mission

After several weeks of overseas domination, Asian golfers are hoping to make an impact at the World Cup in Mission Hills, China. With Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez winning in Hong Kong and American Phil Mickelson at the HSBC Champions event, golfers from Asia are eager to show what they can do against some of the […]

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Jimenez Earns Second Hong Kong Triumph

With a cast of big names and Asian Tour regulars battling it out for honours at the Hong Kong Open, it was left to someone who had done it before to take all the glory. Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez surged up the leaderboard on the final day to win the tournament by one stroke from […]

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Memories of Hong Kong’s Fanling

My time as a sports reporter with the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong was memorable, especially when it came to golf, with the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling particularly etched in my mind. It was previously called the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club and dropped the “Royal” after the Chinese regained […]

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No Culture Shock for Triumphant Mickelson

Phil Mickelson, a notoriously unwilling traveller before this year, made the most of his inaugural Asian foray, landing one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Asian Tour and delighting in his kids’ new cultural experiences. Lefty ended a drama-packed day at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai on Sunday with a second extra […]

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Shanghai Welcomes ‘Greatest Field Ever’ … in Asia

They are calling it the greatest field ever to be assembled in Asia, and that is without Tiger. This week’s HSBC Champions event, worth $5 million in total prize money, is the richest tournament in Asia and has attracted the likes of Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, who between them have won nine […]

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Cabrera Wins In Singapore, Mickelson hails Asian Players

One of the biggest weeks in Asian professional golf fittingly produced a big-name winner as US Open champion Angel Cabrera, of Argentina, lifted the Singapore Open title on Sunday. Cabrera, who led from the second round, closed with a one-over-par 72 to put the finishing touches to an eight-under 276 total and edge Fijian Vijay […]

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Faldo Returns to Hong Kong Hunting Ground

Nick Faldo has been one of Asia’s finest ambassadors over the years, first as a regular visitor to the region for tournaments and lately as someone keen to see the development of Asian golf. He will be fulfilling both roles at November’s Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling in a […]

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Mickelson’s Family Flee Fires

Wildfires don’t care about big names. With brush fires raging out of control in California, no-one in their paths are spared. Hollywood stars, the rich, the famous and even top golfers. Phil Mickelson’s family were among those forced to evacuate their homes this week because of the fire threat. Amy and their three children fled […]

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First-Time Feeling for McNeill and Mads while Randhawa Defends Indian Title

There were first-time winners on either side of the pond at the weekend. No longer are the names of George McNeill and Denmark’s Mads Vibe-Hastrup obscure to those who do not have an anorak’s eye-view of the US PGA Tour or the European Tour. McNeill triumphed at the Frys.com Open in Las Vegas while Vibe-Hastrup […]

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