Asian Tour offered slots at Australian Open
BY iseekgolf.com | Australasian PGA Tour | 2007 Australian Open | General | 12 Sep 2007
The growing stature of the Asian Tour has been given another lift following an invitation to send five of its leading players from the UBS Order of Merit to compete in this year’s MFS Australian Open in December.
Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said that Golf Australia, guardians of the Australian Open, extended the invitation recently which bodes well for the region’s talented players.
The leading five available players from the top-25 of the UBS Order of Merit as of November 5 will earn their tickets to Down Under.
This year’s MFS Australian Open will be played at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney from December 13-16, a week after the Asian Tour season concludes with the staging of the Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok.
Han said: “I would like to extend our fullest appreciation to Golf Australia for extending an invitation to our leading players from the UBS Order of Merit to compete in the MFS Australian Open.”
“This is the first time that the Asian Tour has been accorded with such an invitation from Golf Australia and I believe this is a wonderful recognition of our rising stature in the world of golf.”
“We are confident our five players will represent the Asian Tour well in Australia’s most prestigious golf Championship.”
Australian John Senden, who played regularly in Asia before finding success on the US PGA Tour, will defend his title in Sydney.
This season, the Asian Tour will offer a record US$27 million in total prize money through the staging of 27 tournaments across the length and breadth of the region. China’s Liang Wen-chong is presently leading the UBS Order of Merit.
Source – Asian Tour
