Europe, Asian Tours combine again at BMW
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2006 BMW Asian Open | Preview | 19 Apr 2006
The European and Asian Tours combine for the eighth and second last time in 2006 when the BMW Asian Open gets underway tomorrow in Shanghai. The final event between the two tours will be at the UBS Hong Kong Open in November but for now all eyes are on the Shunfuke Kato designed Thomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club in China.
Ernie Els won the event by thirteen shots last year but he will not be here in 2006, his place as pre-tournament favourite taken perhaps by Miguel Angel Jimenez who won here in 2005 and who finished in 11th place at Augusta two weeks ago. He is one of the additions to the field who played last week in Beijing as are Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjorn.
The balance of those playing this week is made up of those who played in the Volvo China Open, the winner, Jeev Milkh Singh, looking to repeat his significant performance when winning his first European Tour event.
Jimenez apart, the players expected to do well are Bjorn, Montgomerie, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, David Lynn, Nick Dougherty, Simon Wakefield, Simon Dyson and Raphael Jacquelin amongst the European players and from the Asian Tour, Singh, Jarrod Lyle and Prayad Marksaeng amongst others.
Singh has finished well here in each of the last two years and his win last week highlights his current form and both Lyle and Marksaeng are in good form at present.
The Australians, apart from Lyle, who could do well are Peter Fowler who played well last week, Andrew Buckle who is one of the leading players in Asia this season and Peter O’Malley who last week finally showed some form after a fairly ordinary run of late. Buckle will head to the US after this week’s event to play Nationwide Tour events there for the next few months.
This week signals the end of the big money events in Asia before the mid-season break between mid-June and mid-August. The purse this week is US$1.8 million but importantly for many playing here, the opportunity to gain immediate access to the European Tour by winning the event.
There are many others Australians and New Zealanders keen to take advantage of this one last opportunity before the European Tour heads back to Europe including Eddie Lee, who finished fourth to Ernie Els here last year but who has not made the weekend in seven Asian Tour starts in season 2006.
