Asian Golf Issue 253 : December 2021 by Asia Pacific Golf Group

ISSUE

253

DECEMBER 2021

Asia will be witness to the dawn of a new era – an era which will see the 27-year-old Asian Tour flex its muscles and metamorphose into a major force in professional golf. For too long, this tour has languished and played second fiddle to professional tours like the European Tour. But that has all since changed as the Asian Tour has transformed into a well-funded, vision-driven, kick-ass organisation. ASIAN GOLF, as a serious stakeholder in the industry and with more than a 20-year publishing track record, has opted to tell the fascinating story behind the re-birth of professional golf’s newest powerhouse – the ASIAN TOUR.

SHARED THOUGHTS | FROM PUBLISHER

ASIA – THE NEW GOLD STANDARD IN GOLF!

For the past few years, ASIAN GOLF has been following the steady and gradual development of Asian professional golfers – both men and women. We have been making our picks for success and we can safely say that we were almost always spot on with our predictions. Those that we picked, more often than not, have gone on to make a name for themselves in the professional game.

SPECIAL FEATURE

A WORLD TOUR – UAE FIRES THE FIRST SALVO! After a ﬁve-decade reign as Europe’s only men’s professional tour, the European Tour has been sent packing into the sunset. But, not to be retired but to re-emerge as a fully revitalised new tour. The new tour has taken on the name of one of the previous tour’s power-packed partners, DP World, a humongous global logistics corporation headquartered in Dubai.

36 GOLF COURSES HIT A NEW HIGH ON NEW GRASS!

Meet the Grass King of Asia – Brad Burgess. This is one man who is revolutionising the quality of grass used on golf courses especially in Southeast Asia. Through his efforts, courses that have opted to go with the Burgess “revolution” are not only seeing their golf courses in better condition but are also incurring cost savings which is always good news for golf course owners.

MORIKAWA – THE DESERT KING! Collin Morikawa continues on his trailblazing performance as one of the hottest young stars. The 24-year-old, besides having won two Majors already, added the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship and the 2021 Race To Dubai titles and picked up US$4 million in cash prizes.

ISSUE

253

The big topic of discussion in global golf these days is about the seismic disruptions taking place especially around the professional tours. The disruptions are due to the sudden emergence of Golf Saudi as a major player on the global stage of golf. This deep-pocketed organisation from the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia first announced to the world back in 2019 that it was going to promote golf as an active participation sport for its population. This on its own was a commendable initiative by a country that was totally new to golf. However, since then, its ambitions have grown and now, it seems that it wants to challenge the world’s top professional golf tours. It seems that it is not content just being another global player in the professional game. It wants to be the dominant force. For starters, it has “invested” US$200 million in the long languishing Asian Tour which will now serve as its launch pad for its US$5 million Saudi International golf tournament. It has engaged the services of Greg Norman to lead its thrust onto the world stage who in turn is looking at some spectacular ideas to help Saudi Arabia become the global kingpin in golf. ASIAN GOLF takes a speculative look at what is happening by stringing the various developments related to this and concludes that there may be a Saudi Golf Tour in the offing at some point in time.

DECEMBER 2021

JEENO JAT – WATCH ME GO!

If you are looking for an inspirational story to share with a youngster, there’s nothing better than this success story of an 18-year-old who has risen to become one of the truly big names in women’s professional golf. And what makes her achievement a stand-out is that she climbed up the tough ladder to success in the shortest possible time. It was only a few years ago when this teenager was pondering whether to take up tennis or golf – this was at a tender age of 6. She was not a very healthy child and at the behest of her parents, she opted to go with golf to give her body, mind and soul a big healthy boost!

KO KO’s KORDA!

South Korea’s “Queen Of Cool”, Jin Young Ko has once again won the LPGA Player Of The Year title. She has brought glory to both her home-land and to all of Asia! What a champion!

Mike Sebastian

INTERNATIONAL ROVING EDITOR

Alan Campbell (China/Middle East)

Editor/Chief Executive Ofﬁcer [mike@asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com]

Correspondent

GLOBAL EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL

Angela Raymond

President [angela@asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com]

Gregg Patterson

President, Tribal Magic Inc.

Andrew Wood Founder/President, Legendary Marketing

James Cronk

Raquel Arcega

Executive Creative Art Director [raquel@asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com]

President, Cronk Group

IT Consultant Tech-Know Integrators

Alice Ho

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES

Business Manager [alice@asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com]

Alice Ho

Email: alice@asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com

ASIAN GOLF www.asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com Tel: +65 6323 2800 Company Registration No.: 201405689G

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of Asian Golf may be reproduced in any other publications, printed or published without the written permission of the publisher. Opinions in Asian Golf are the writers’ and are not necessarily endorsed by Asian Golf. Asian Golf accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies or other materials. Manuscripts, photographs and artwork will not be returned unless accompanied by appropriate postage.

SHARED THOUGHTS

FROM THE PUBLISHER

SHARED THOUGHTS | FROM THE PUBLISHER

e have always passionately believed in the

Ko is well on her way to also being inducted into the

famous quote from John Quincy Adams,

LPGA’s Hall Of Fame in the near future. Another measure of

the sixth American President who said:

Ko’s astounding success is the amount of winnings that she

“Leaders instil in their people a hope for

has banked into her account – her career earnings stand at

success and a belief in themselves. Posi-

US$7,557,239.

tive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.” This

Lest we forget, one of the most memorable happenings

is an ethos that our young men and ladies have bought into

in Asian women’s golf was the historic achievements of Thai-

wholeheartedly regardless of their nationalities. Our stars

land’s teenage phenom, Atthaya Thitikul. The 18-year-old

of the New Decade hail from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea,

superstar wrested the Ladies European Tour’s Race To Costa

China, Thailand, the Philippines and India.

Del Sol, it’s Order of Merit for 2021, thus being crowned the

Professional golfers from Asia are no longer playing

best female golfer in all of Europe. This is a player who is

second ﬁddle on the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies

well on her way to creating more moments in golf history

European Tour. Perhaps the best measure of their success

and she is destined to be a world number one soon.

can be seen from the tournament statistics that Asia’s best have registered on the aforementioned tours.

Other notables from Asia on the Race To CME Globe include Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit and Ariya Jutanugarn,

The ladies must take precedence because they have

South Korea’s legendary Inbee Park and Japan’s pocket-

performed at a level that is truly world class and they have

rocket, Nasa Hataoka. Not only did Asia top this race, but as

proven without doubt that they are second to none!

a Continent, its players dominated by occupying ﬁve spots in

Leading the pack is South Korea’s 26-year-old superstar, the incredibly talented Jin Young Ko. She has been crowned

the top ten ranking. This is historic! Of the ﬁve LPGA Majors for 2021, the U.S. Women’s

LPGA’s Player Of The Year for 2021 after winning the season-

Open was won by the Philippine’s Yuka Saso and Tavatanakit

ending CME Group Tour Championship and the winner’s

who won the Chevron Championship, her ﬁrst major victory.

check for US$1.5 million, the biggest paycheck in history for

The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award went

women’s golf. Ko was also declared the top player in the 2021

to Thailand’s Tavatanakit. Besides this title, Tavatanakit also

Race to CME Globe – she is without doubt, the undisputed

claimed the Rolex Annika Major Award for 2021.

number one player in the world.

Another measure of success is the number of top ten

Ko has also swept the Rolex Player Of The Year Ranking by topping that list for 2021.

ﬁnishes scored by a player and the following are the top Asian stars in this category:

} Jin Young Ko (South Korea)

11 ﬁnishes

} Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand)

7 ﬁnishes

} Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand)

9 ﬁnishes

} Amy Yang (South Korea)

6 ﬁnishes

} Jeongeun Lee6 (South Korea)

8 ﬁnishes

} Pajaree Anannarukarn (Thailand)

6 ﬁnishes

} Inbee Park (South Korea)

8 ﬁnishes

} Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand)

6 ﬁnishes

} In Gee Chun (South Korea)

7 ﬁnishes

} So Yeon Ryu (South Korea)

6 ﬁnishes

Professional golfers from Asia are no longer playing second ﬁddle on the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Perhaps the best measure of their success can be seen from the tournament statistics that Asia’s best has registered on the aforementioned tours.

Japan’s Mone Inami brought pride to her nation when she claimed the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games for the women’s golf event. Her win was the ﬁrst Olympic medal in golf won by Japan. On the amateur level, Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani won at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur tournament in April while her compatriot, the 19-year-old Mizuki Hashimoto claimed a stunning victory at the 2021 Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific championship. There can be no denying that the performance of Asian women at both the professional and amateur levels has been anything but stellar. These ladies have set the stage and pace for the world to follow and nobody would be wrong to declare that Asian women are without doubt the best in the game of golf.

SHARED THOUGHTS | FROM THE PUBLISHER

JIN YOUNG KO (SOUTH KOREA)

JEONGEUN LEE6 (SOUTH KOREA)

PATTY TAVATANAKIT (THAILAND)

ARIYA JUTANUGARN (THAILAND)

INBEE PARK (SOUTH KOREA)

PAJAREE ANANNARUKARN (THAILAND) AMY YANG (SOUTH KOREA)

Asian men also held their own against very stiff competition, especially from the United States of America which is where the largest talent pool of men’s professional and

MORIYA JUTANUGARN (THAILAND)

the Shriners championship. Great things are expected from Im, including a major win soon. Not to be forgotten is Taiwan’s C.T. Pan, who, besides

amateur golf is concentrated. Against this daunting competi-

having a steady playing career on the PGA Tour is also the

tion, Japan’s ace superstar golfer, Hideki Matsuyama proved

proud winner of the bronze medal for men’s golf at the Tokyo

that he has what it takes to excel at the highest level of the

Olympics.

game. In 2021, the 29-year-old champion won the Masters

Finally, a young amateur from whom great things are

at Augusta becoming the ﬁrst Asian player to win this most

expected in the future. He has been described as the next

coveted trophy in the professional world of golf. Later, in the

Hideki Matsuyama – he is Keita Nakajima who was the run-

same year, Matsuyama went on to win the Zozo Champion-

away champion at the 2021 Asia Paciﬁc Amateur Champion-

ship in Japan and with it a big cash prize. He has recorded

ship, and he is expected to turn professional next year.

two big wins on the PGA Tour in 2021. Matsuyama has so far

In summation, while always rooting for Asian players,

won seven times on the PGA Tour and has banked in US$36.5

ASIAN GOLF never thought that our players would make their

million so far. He is valued by sports marketing experts at

presence felt so soon on the international stage. Well, it is

over US$600 million for his playing career.

always good to be proven wrong and, in this case, we accept

Then there is the young and fast rising star from South Korea – Sung-jae Im who scored one PGA Tour win in 2021 –

our missing the mark with grace and honour. Well done Asia! Show the world that there is more to come!

There can be no denying that the performance of Asian women at both the professional and amateur levels has been anything but stellar. These ladies have set the stage and pace for the world to follow and nobody would be wrong to declare that Asian women are without doubt the best in the game of golf.

IN GEE CHUN (SOUTH KOREA)

SO YEON RYU (SOUTH KOREA)

COVER STORY

ASIAN TOUR

COVER STORY | ASIAN TOUR

The new year, which is just weeks ahead, will mark a brand-new milestone for golf in Asia. As most golf fans already know, ASIAN GOLF has declared this third decade of the New Millennium as the “Asian Decade For Golf” and this is already borne out by the achievements of our highly talented men and women who have aspired for the stars and who have attained success at the highest levels of both the professional and amateur levels of golf. This upward trend will only continue as more young golfers follow in the footsteps of these trailblazers and work towards bringing more glory to the Asian Continent. While the history and growth of the new decade are being charted, Asia will be witness to the dawn of a new era – an era which will see the 27-year-old Asian Tour flex its muscles and metamorphose into a major force in professional golf. For too long, this tour has languished and played second fiddle to professional tours like the European Tour. But that has all since changed as the Asian Tour has transformed into a well-funded, vision-driven, kick-ass organisation. Already an international tour, it is set to expand and grow its footprint and become a true force to reckon with – a professional tour that is finally destined to embark on a mission to provide opportunities for professional golfers to have adequate playing opportunities matched with the earning power that they so deserve. ASIAN GOLF, as a serious stakeholder in the industry and with more than a 20-year publishing track record, has opted to tell the fascinating story behind the birth of professional golf’s newest powerhouse – the ASIAN TOUR.

COVER STORY | ASIAN TOUR

e saw the change coming and predicted

z It has entered into a multi-million-dollar partnership

the renaissance of the Tour back in July

with the Saudi Arabian backed LIV Golf Investments to

– it took a few months to unravel, and

promote and stage multiple events on the Asian Tour plat-

this all happened in October and No-

form. This infusion involves a US$200 million investment

vember. To get the facts straight, it was

over the next ten years and will primarily be used to fund

imperative that we had access to the CEO and Commissioner

prize purses for a new series of Asian Tour tournaments

of the Tour, Cho Minn Thant, a seasoned hand at the Asian

to be launched in 2022.

Tour since 2007. We were not interested in just a cursory

z The Asian Tour has also entered into another partner-

ﬂy-over of the revitalised tour – we wanted all the nitty gritty

ship with Golf Saudi, the force that is driving the growth of

details and Cho, like the gentleman that he is, obliged!

golf in the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This will in-

For the beneﬁt of our readers, the Asian Tour has had

volve the world-class Saudi International golf tournament

its critics over the years, and it continues to have its critics in

an industry that is renowned for its indulgence in gossip and

the Asian Tour for ten years starting in 2022.

loose talk. Just weeks after concluding a landmark agreement, those tongues are still wagging, and we think that

“It is very clear that we have brokered separate partner-

these negative forces should be quietened to give the Asian

ships which will allow for a period of recovery and stability

Tour a chance to ﬂourish and grow. So, let’s get right down to

followed by signiﬁcant growth the likes of which the Asian

the brass tacks.

Tour has not seen before,” Cho said.

Central to the new-look Asian Tour are the following facts:

With the new agreements explained, let us do a deep dive to see how things will start panning out. First off, let us examine the agreement with LIV Golf Investments which is being steered by the 66-year-old Australian golf legend, Greg Norman. “Allow me to explain that this partnership between the two parties is that of a promoter and a platform - it is not

GREG NORMAN

a joint venture or merger of two businesses to form one …

To be absolutely certain that the rumour-mongers had

the two entities remain independent and complement each

their mouths gaffer-taped, ASIAN GOLF went a step further

other. LIV Golf Investments will pursue its own business in-

to seek clariﬁcation

terests outside of the Asian Tour while the Tour will continue

ASIAN GOLF posed this question to Cho:

to work with other promoters who organize other events on

How much independence does the Asian Tour have?

the Asian Tour,” said Cho. Obviously intended to slam shut the wagging tongues of

And Cho ﬁred back, “The Asian Tour has complete independence from LIV Golf Investments. The Asian Tour’s

critics, Cho wanted to make doubly sure that the arrange-

management structure remains unchanged under my lead-

ments with LIV Golf was clearly understood as he declared:

ership. I will work closely with Greg Norman and his team

“The Asian Tour and LIV Golf Investments have entered into

at LIV Golf Investments on the 10-event series and other

a mutually beneﬁcial strategic partnership. Whereby LIV

new commercial partnerships.” That’s emphatic enough and

Golf Investments will secure corporate sponsors for each of

should shut up the gossipers and naysayers!

the 10 events, with the Asian Tour providing the platform for

Throwing some light on the ten marquee tournaments

these events which brings an international television plat-

to be staged in 2022, Cho revealed, “Our focus is very much

form, world class production, access to our

on the Asian region, and we see major economic hubs such

fanbase, ofﬁcial golf ranking points and most

as Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand as key desti-

importantly, the professional golfers that will

nations. The Middle East is also a hugely important market

participate at these events.”

where the Asian Tour has not held an event since 2014 and

Allow me to explain that this partnership between the two parties is that of a promoter and a platform - it is not a joint venture or merger of two businesses to form one … the two entities remain independent and complement each other. LIV Golf Investments will pursue its own business interests outside of the Asian Tour while the Tour will continue to work with other promoters who organize other events on the Asian Tour.

COVER STORY | ASIAN TOUR

CHO MINN THANT

Our goal is to produce a string of Hideki Matsuyama type players in future by providing them with a platform to transition from amateur to the professional ranks and provide competition at the highest level, so they are prepared and comfortable when they compete on the world stage.

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

Australia is also a possible venue. We may also look to

Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! C’mon, golf is a noble game and let’s all

grow our footprint further West if opportunities present

behave accordingly! There’s no need to talk in such threat-

themselves.”

ening tones! Anyway, Cho has elected not to be drawn into

Now, can you smell what’s cooking? This is exciting

such a tussle, and wearing his big boy pants said, “I hope

because it is clearly evident that there are ambitions to

logic prevails and they realize that healthy competition is

take the Asian Tour global. In fact, the tour has always been

good at every level. It drives us to improve our respective

international in nature especially when you consider that it

products, and, in the end, players choose where they want

has been staged in up to 15 different countries with players

to play, fans choose who they want to watch, and corpora-

and staff of over 30 nationalities.

tions choose who they want to sponsor.” Both the PGA Tour

As a back story, LIV Golf’s boss, Norman had once pro-

and European Tour have communicated to their mem-

posed the formation of a global tour, but he ran up against

bership that players wishing to participate in Asian Tour

an impregnable brick wall. Perhaps, his dream for a global

sanctioned events will be subject to the respective Tours’

tour is now on the threshold of being ﬁnally realized!

release policies. And have both the tours lived up to their

Whenever the topic of a global tour pops up, it always

commitments? According to Cho, “To clarify, the PGA and

rufﬂes the feathers of the big boys of the professional

the European Tour have not “banned” their members from

game, namely the all-powerful U.S. based PGA Tour and its

playing in Asian Tour events. The players who have applied

lessor partner, across the pond, the European Tour which

for releases from the European Tour to participate in the

has since been rebranded into the DP World Tour head-

Asian Tour’s two upcoming events in Phuket have had their

quartered in Dubai. The Asian Tour used to be part of this

requests granted.”

structure, but that collaboration has since ceased. Commenting on the newly launched LIV Golf initiative,

While there may be challenges ahead, the future for the Asian Tour has never looked better! With a war-chest

and its expressed objective of growing a major international

armed to the teeth with millions of dollars, the Asian Tour’s

tournament footprint, the European Tour’s Chairman David

new series of events with LIV Golf Investments will allow

Williams said, “I will say little on that …. but what I will say

the Tour to offer more attractive prize purses, which in

is that the Asian Tour has gone from being partners to be-

turn will allow the Tour to retain talented Asian players as

ing competitors. And we are ﬁerce competitors. Let’s leave

well as attract a higher calibre of international competitors

it at that.”

who can stay and compete on the Asian Tour. “Ultimately,

Whoa! That’s some tough talk coming from Williams.

the Majors are the pinnacle of the game, and we hope to

COVER STORY | ASIAN TOUR

provide players a competitive pathway which allows them

events deﬁnitely allows them to stay put and compete in

to reach the top of the game,” Cho pointed out.

Asia rather than having to travel West to compete at a high

With a noticeable sense of enthusiasm in his voice, Cho said, “Our goal is to produce a string of Hideki

level.” Cho makes a lot of sense and now that he has the re-

Matsuyama type players in future by providing them with

sources available, there is no stopping the man who holds

a platform to transition from amateur to the professional

the reins to what promises to be an Asian Tour for all to be

ranks and provide competition at the highest level, so they

proud of! “The increased quality of golf content and quan-

are prepared and comfortable when they compete on the

tity of television broadcast hours will allow us to enhance

world stage. There is no reason why other countries in the

our fan base, thus improving marketplace awareness and

region cannot produce stand out players given the right

instilling conﬁdence from corporate sponsors. Increasing

development structure. Having a series of highly lucrative

our visibility in the media space with regular television

This is exciting because it is clearly evident that there are ambitions to take the Asian Tour global. In fact, the tour has always been international in nature especially when you consider that it has been staged in up to 15 different countries with players and staff of over 30 nationalities.

DUSTIN JOHNSON

It’s time for Asian multi-national corporations to step up to the plate and support the tour by sponsoring tournaments. It’s time for Asia to nurture, build and promote new golfing heroes and it is also time for golf fans to get seriously behind the Continent’s very own stars. content as well as short form content will be tremendously important for the game of golf to captivate new audiences (especially Gen Z) and capitalize on the recent increase in golf participation over the pandemic period. It is no secret that the golfing audience is currently an ageing demographic and one of our goals is to revitalize golf’s fanbase.” Well, all that is now left is for all of Asia to close ranks and gather behind the Asian Tour as it gets set to soar to new heights. It’s time for Asian multi-national corporations to step up to the plate and support the tour by sponsoring tournaments. It’s time for Asia to nurture, build and promote new golfing heroes and it is also time for golf fans to get seriously behind the Continent’s very own stars. With the Asian Tour as golf’s revitalized flag-bearer in Asia, let’s all resolve to go and get the job done! Hey World! Here we come!

COVER STORY

THE SAUDI TOUR

COVER STORY | THE SAUDI TOUR

It’s almost Christmas and it’s that time for families around the world to huddle together and prepare for the year-end holiday season. It’s a time for old stories to be recalled and remembered and for new stories to be told. What a wonderful time of the year! ASIAN GOLF has decided to wrap up 2021 with a story of its own – it’s a hybrid tale made up of some facts, some gossip, some speculation, some make-believe, all tossed up and mixed into a cocktail that provides for a plausible setting for the future of golf. We think it’s a fascinating yarn to be spun and we hope that everyone enjoys reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

COVER STORY | THE SAUDI TOUR

ou see, this tale started way back in 2018

Saudi, which, in the context of growing the game, was an

when ASIAN GOLF got wind of something

excellent model. In a nutshell, Golf Saudi was focused on

happening in the vast oil-rich Kingdom of

promoting golf in homes, at schools and in everyday life and

Saudi Arabia. It’s not a nation known for any

to ensure that it was ﬁrmly ingrained, and with opportunities

sort of a history in golf although it has always

created away from just on-course activities. Put simply, its

been renown as a monster player on the global oil and gas

strategy was to allow the public the opportunity to engage

market.

with the game at a purely social level. What a novel national

The ﬁrst sign of the awakening of this giant nation to golf came through the launch of Golf Saudi, the so-called ex-

programme to embark upon – and who in golf would not support an initiative like this.

ecutive arm of the kingdom’s golf initiative led by the Saudi

In fact, support was almost spontaneous. ASIAN GOLF

Golf Federation and its partner, Softbank Investment Advis-

invited Golf Saudi’s CEO, Majed Al Sorour to pitch his excit-

ers. Any initiative designed to introduce and grow the game

ing plans at the 2019 Asia Paciﬁc Golf Summit which he

of golf is in ASIAN GOLF’s wheelhouse and quite naturally,

graciously accepted. Unfortunately, he did not make the cut

we reached out to Golf Saudi to ﬁnd out more.

and sent out one of his London-based PR promoters Jed

The launching of this new kid-on-the-block was perfect to be featured and showcased at the 2019 Asia Paciﬁc Golf

Moore to speak on his behalf. As a serious stakeholder in golf and with a publish-

Summit (an international golf business summit owned by

ing history of more than 20-years, we were enthralled to

ASIAN GOLF) which was staged in New Delhi, India. ASIAN

welcome Golf Saudi into the Asia Paciﬁc golf fold.

GOLF felt that it was an important enough project to be given

Shortly after the launch, Golf Saudi’s vision expanded to

a big boost on the global stage of golf and we helped set

include gaining a foothold at the serious end of professional

everything in motion.

golf tournaments. Working with the European Tour, the

What appealed most to us then was the vision of Golf

MAJED AL-SOROUR MAJED AL-SOROUR, CEO OF GOLF SAUDI AND THE SAUDI GOLF FEDERATION

inaugural US$3 million Saudi International Golf Tournament

JED MOORE MANAGING DIRECTOR PERFORMANCE 54

was launched. It’s alliance partner, the PGA Tour was supportive which saw the release of big-name players from its tour to play at the Saudi event albeit with “large sums of appearance fees” being paid by Golf Saudi. This honeymoon did not last too long, and the European Tour, now known as the DP World Tour is no longer associated with Saudi International which has since gone with the newly revitalised Asian Tour. As Golf Saudi plunged into big time professional golf, there were critics who accused it of using its golf push as a ploy to “sportswash” some highly controversial issues involving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We do not want to go down that road! Amidst all these developments, the usual travelling circus of golf which brings in its tow, golf course architects, builders, equipment and agronomy suppliers and all other

Golf Saudi was focused on promoting golf in homes, at schools and in everyday life and to ensure that it was ﬁrmly ingrained, and with opportunities created away from just on-course activities. Put simply, its strategy was to allow the public the opportunity to engage with the game at a purely social level.

COVER STORY | THE SAUDI TOUR

related bit players to climb aboard a caravan to golf’s new

forces driving this front-line operation wanted to become a

cash-cow – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Architects who

major player in golf and why not? After all, it’s an incredibly

once stood up for the creation of golf courses that were

rich nation that had declared aspirations to become a major

playable, accessible and affordable, chucked out these

global economic hub. And it obviously felt that golf could play

mantras and settled for dreaming up expensive designer

a key role in the realisation of this national objective. After

and boutique courses which their new cash-rich clients

all, the United Arab Emirates had done it ﬁrst and done it

were happy to pay for.

successfully.

Like bounty hunters out to bag a rich reward, virtu-

Golf Saudi’s aspirations to be a force in the global game

ally everyone who was parked in Asia, more speciﬁcally in

of golf came via plans that leaked out of London relating

Vietnam, made a beeline for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,

to the start of an ambitious global tournament schedule

sensing an upcoming golf boom. We can’t fault them – they

dreamt up by an organisation that called itself the Premier

are in business and when opportunity comes knocking, no

Golf League (PGL). Brieﬂy, their claim was to launch a new

one is going to wait for an invitation to strike.

series that they claimed would help invigorate and revitalise

The wheels were in motion in Saudi Arabia and golf for

the tournament schedules of the PGA Tour and its ally, the

the pleasure and enjoyment of the Kingdom’s population was

European Tour by injecting new and creative formats for

launched. But soon, this did not seem to be enough to keep

tournaments. Some reports tied the PGL with Golf Saudi

the Saudis satisﬁed. They had dreams and plans for bigger

however, the former has since categorically declared that it

and better things in golf that went beyond the shores of the

has nothing to do with the Saudi Arabian body.

Kingdom. It very quickly became apparent that Golf Saudi and the

The PGL plan got the back of the PGA Tour up and it slammed the door shut on any overtures from the PGL and

It very quickly became appar the forces driving this front-li become a major player in golf and w incredibly rich nation that had decla major global economic hub. And it o play a key role in the realisation of

DUSTIN JOHNSON WINS 2021 SAUDI INTERNATIONAL

ring-fenced itself and its sought-after super-stars from jumping ship and joining the renegade start-up. The Americans and the European Tour went so far as to enforce rulings to suspend and ban any of their members who broke through the fence to play in the proposed PGL events. That put paid to the PGL’s hopes, at least for now. While this brouhaha was playing out, again word leaked out that the Saudi Golf Federation was involved in promoting a Super Golf League (SGL) – another innovative programme and format that was ready to throw cash-ﬁlled vaults at top players. And we are talking about truck loads of cash that would be hard to ignore, even by professional golfers who are already multi-millionaires. But the suspension and ban on top players afﬁliated to the PGA Tour and the European Tour placed a major roadblock for the Saudis to handle.

rent that Golf Saudi and ine operation wanted to why not? After all, it’s an ared aspirations to become a obviously felt that golf could this national objective.

MAJED AL-SOROUR MAJED AL-SOROUR, CEO OF GOLF SAUDI AND THE SAUDI GOLF FEDERATION

COVER STORY | THE SAUDI TOUR

This is only the beginning. The Asian Tour is a sleeping giant, and we share an ambition to grow the series and unlock what we believe is signiﬁcant untapped potential. We see our promotion of these new events as a vital ﬁrst step in supporting emerging markets, creating a new platform, rich with playing opportunities that create valuable play– GREG NORMAN er pathways. In the meantime, it was obvious that the honeymoon and romance between Golf Saudi and the European Tour and the PGA Tour was on the rocks. Just when everyone thought that

highlighted by a four-city tournament staged under the auspices of the LET and supported by Golf Saudi. The tie up with the Asian Tour was rapidly followed

the ambitious plans of the Saudis had hit a big grease patch,

by another seismic announcement - golf legend and

Golf Saudi announced that it had acquired a new partner

international entrepreneur Greg “The Great White Shark”

to help it realise its global vision. And that partner was the

Norman was engaged to lead this major thrust. Norman

Asian Tour.

was appointed as the CEO of a new company called LIV Golf

The partnership was no insigniﬁcant development – Golf

Investments, and it is reported that he will assume the role

Saudi placed its imprimatur on a ten-year deal with the Asian

of commissioner of what will be a league headlined by a

Tour which pumped US$200 million into the coffers of the

group of top-ranked players in the game – supposedly, the

heretofore struggling ﬂagship of the professional game in

much-ballyhooed Super Golf League (SGL).

Asia. With this infusion of capital, the Asian Tour has immedi-

Norman is an industry heavyweight and in his newly

ately bulked up into a force to be reckoned with anywhere on

minted role as Commissioner, he will lead the push “to sup-

the planet. It is also home to the US$5 million Saudi Interna-

port and promote a new 10-tournament series that will be

tional, which will be the Asian Tour’s ﬂagship tournament.

added to the Asian Tour schedule from 2022 onward, with

What’s happened with the Asian Tour is no different to what happened recently with the cash-strapped Ladies European Tour. Once Golf Saudi got behind it, the LET seems to have blossomed and with a better tournament schedule and the launch of the ARAMCO Series – it is going gangbusters

new events across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.” Now, can you see a major international professional tour emerging to take on the PGA Tour and its ally, the European

Tour? As revealed by Norman, “This is only the beginning.

leading the thrust, just be prepared to see some exciting

The Asian Tour is a sleeping giant, and we share an ambi-

new ventures being launched to add more beef to what

tion to grow the series and unlock what we believe is signiﬁ-

promises to be an already bulked up tournament schedule.

cant untapped potential. We see our promotion of these new

This is the ﬁrst time that the long established and

events as a vital ﬁrst step in supporting emerging markets,

super powerful PGA Tour is facing a serious affront from

creating a new platform, rich with playing opportunities that

an organisation packed with resources all the way up to

create valuable player pathways.”

its teeth and with the resolve to ﬁght. We only hope that

There is no disputing the fact that the international professional golf stage is really being shaken up. Perhaps the correct word for what is developing is “disruption”. With Saudi ﬁnancial backing, which is virtually bottom-

whatever the outcome of this clash amongst titans, it all ultimately turns out to be good for the game of golf. One thing is for sure – professional golfers who don’t ply their game on the PGA Tour, the European Tour and its

less, don’t expect Golf Saudi and its new platform to back

allies, will now have an alternative that is in a position to of-

down from a ﬁght. ASIAN GOLF envisages that the Golf

fer good rewards. These guys in Asia, Australia, Africa, Latin

Saudi strategy going forward will be to come at the PGA

America and Europe can now expect more opportunities and

Tour from all sides. This would include the new Asian Tour

things can only get better from hereon.

platform with a series of ten new international tournaments

For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Golf Saudi, they

staged in conjunction with the Tour’s regular schedule of

are at the cusp of a new era in golf, and it is hoped that they

tournaments, the much-anticipated SGL programme and

can deliver on their vision. The Saudi Global Tour – it is no

whatever else Golf Saudi has up its sleeves. With Norman

mirage! At least that’s what ASIAN GOLF thinks!

For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Golf Saudi, they are at the cusp of a new era in golf, and it is hoped that they can deliver on their vision. The Saudi Global Tour – it is no mirage! At least that’s what ASIAN GOLF thinks!

SPECIAL FEATURE

DP WORLD TOUR

SPECIAL FEATURE | DP WORLD TOUR

All of a sudden, the stories making headlines in the golf world have been on the major inroads being made by Saudi Arabia as it pushes its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the professional game. The Saudi initiative (refer to the cover story

this month), justified or not, has drawn fire from critics and the ire of the current forces that dominate the professional tours – the PGA Tour and in particular, its ally, the European Tour. The Saudi move has come a long way since it was first launched and in the past few weeks, the resistance to its position vis-à-vis the establishment of a global tour has taken a new twist.

SPECIAL FEATURE | DP WORLD TOUR

fter a ﬁve-decade reign as Europe’s only men’s professional tour, the European Tour has been sent packing into the sunset. But, not to be retired but to re-emerge as a fully revitalised new tour. The new tour has taken on the name of one of the previous tour’s power-packed partners, DP World, a humongous global

Next year, we will have 47 events, 23 of which will be in Europe and 24 in other countries around the globe … we are deﬁnitely a World Tour.

logistics corporation headquartered in Dubai. Henceforth, the Continent’s top tour will be referred to as the DP World Tour. The re-branding is said to be a mega deal involving up to US$1 billion! The former European Tour’s main pitchman and CEO, Keith Pelley came right out of the gate to declare that the this was a historic re-branding exercise that was all set and ready to go in the new season with a war-chest of some US$200 million driving it. The timing of this re-branding is intriguing because it comes at a time when the battle for bragging rights to the formation of a global tour has hit a new peak with the Saudi initiative grabbing the bulk of the headlines. What Pelley seems to have done is to corral the stagecoaches into a circle and create an impregnable fortress to ward off the Saudis from getting the inside track on this race. Fully aware of the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s US$200 million partnership with the Asian Tour and the launching of a new organisation headed by former golf bigwig Greg Norman to fast-track its pathway

to a global platform, Pelley did his magic with DP World. It seems apparent that he put up a convincing case with DP World to takeover the leadership and form the DP World Tour, thus claiming ﬁrst rights to being the top dog in the global arena of the sport. Essentially what this does is to not only give the former European Tour a new lease in life, but it also forces a new paradigm where two Arab neighbours are brought into face-to-face conﬂict over golf! There is no denying that this development has been triggered by the headline-grabbing news over the past few weeks involving ambitious moves by Saudi Arabia and its golf promoting arm, Golf Saudi to challenge the current elite status of the professional game which is led by America’s PGA Tour. At stake was

Yes, rich golfers will be getting even richer. As a gauge, last year’s combined Tour prize funds (excluding majors) was US$70 million and next year it will be US$140 million …. including the majors, it will be north of US$200 million. – KEITH PELLEY

SPECIAL FEATURE | DP WORLD TOUR

THE OFFICIAL CEREMONY FOR THE LAUNCH OF DP WORLD TOUR

the creation of a global tour with record sums of money

Pelley boasted. And that is not all – he indicated that more

and top players jumping ship to go with the Saudi initia-

stops will be added, while the Challenge Tour, the main

tive. This goal is now openly challenged by the DP World

Tour’s feeder league, will also beneﬁt signiﬁcantly.

Tour, backed by the United Arab Emirates own cash-rich

“Yes, rich golfers will be getting even richer. As a

sovereign wealth fund which has billions in its war-chest. It

gauge, last year’s combined Tour prize funds (excluding

now looks like its going to be a war amongst giants – Arab

majors) was US$70 million and next year it will be US$140

giants – to see who eventually rules over the global game of

million …. including the majors, it will be north of US$200

professional golf.

million,” added Pelley.

In what seems like an act of provocation, Pelley, de-

Whichever way one looks at this re-branding, the

clared: “Next year, we will have 47 events, 23 of which will

former European Tour has come out on top for the moment.

be in Europe and 24 in other countries around the globe …

It had been experiencing tough times with cash ﬂow and

we are deﬁnitely a World Tour.”

the migration of its top stars to North America to play on

According to Pelley, there will be a minimum purse of

the rich PGA Tour. To stave off its troubles then, a “strategic

US$2 million at each event, with at least thirteen tourna-

alliance” was brokered with the PGA Tour, which included

ments above that and the ﬁve in the Rolex Series offering at

a cash injection, effectively making the PGA Tour an active

least US$8 million. The 2022 DP World Tour Championship,

partner and board member of the European Tour.

the season-ending ﬁnale which stages its 13th edition mid-

It seems that the launch of the DP World Tour has the

November, will have a purse of US$10 million. “This will be

full blessings of the other protagonist to the Saudi initia-

our ﬁrst regular event to have an eight-ﬁgure prize fund,”

tive, The PGA Tour, whose Commissioner Jay Monahan

expressed his congratulations by saying: “This is a landmark deal on a landmark day.” In fact, the PGA did not wait – it took its own shot at the Saudi initiative when it followed up with another body blow by leaking out that it plans to create a series of lucrative, international tournaments that will offer guaranteed money to the world’s best players. This was revealed by Golfweek, the U.S. based golf magazine. According to the report, the PGA Tour intends to stage between four and six events annually outside of the United States, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The series will begin in the fall of 2023 at the earliest, though possibly not until 2024. This latest development is seen as an effort by the PGA Tour to push back on the threat posed by the Super Golf League, a proposed splinter circuit ﬁnanced by the Saudi Arabian regime that has been trying to lure players to global events with promises of huge signing bonuses and guaranteed cash. The battle is not over – it is just beginning. Expect the Saudis to come back at their Arab brethren in the United Arab Emirates with their sabres rattling!

It seems that the launch of the DP World Tour has the full blessings of the other protagonist to the Saudi initiative. This is a landmark deal on a landmark – JAY MONAHAN day.

A 5 star championship golf course located in Indonesia’s city of Bandung. Parahyangan Golf is set admist picturesque lakes, rolling hills and lush paddy ﬁelds.

SPECIAL FEATURE

THE GRASS KING

SPECIAL FEATURE | THE GRASS KING

Literally, golf course owners in many parts of Asia are on a high – totally ecstatic and feeling blissful and it’s all due to the quality of the grass on their courses! Wouldn’t you be if the grass on your course was a brilliant green all year round and simply a delight to look at and play on? Well, that’s precisely the state of some of these courses because of a decision they took to either turf their new courses or returf existing courses with the wonder hybrid strains from the Zoysia family of grass. A whole new turf era has dawned upon Asia and the grass revolution is being spearheaded by two highly innovative organisations. One is based in Texas with a name that one would not associate with the culture of hybrid turf. It is a world leader and a prime force in the development and supply of a multitude of Zoysia hybrids. It answers to the name Bladerunner Farms, and it is the biggest of its kind in the world. It’s partner across in the Paciﬁc is Sports Turf Solutions (STS), a rapidly growing force in all things related to golf agronomy. Together, Bladerunner and STS are greening the golf courses of Asia and the transformation of the landscape is just starting. ASIAN GOLF has elected to tell this story because the changes being experienced by golf courses in the region are awe inspiring and the magazine and its annual golf summit, the Asia Paciﬁc Golf Summit (APGS) played a vital role in starting the Zoysia revolution.

SPECIAL FEATURE | THE GRASS KING

ack in 2009 and 2010, APGS highlighted the

Just in case you race off in a huff to cancel ASIAN GOLF

research that was being done by various aca-

because of what seems to be open advocacy on the use of

demic institutions on new strains of grass for

“grass” on golf courses, just hit the brakes and wait till you

use on golf courses. The gestation period for

get the big picture. This article is not about the type of weed

new strains from test beds to the market can

that causes the mind and the body to plunge into lala land.

take many years and the programmes to produce the new

Instead, it is an all-important special report on the revolu-

hybrids started around 2006. ASIAN GOLF helped launch

tion that is taking place in the golf industry as it relates to

the early hybrids back at its APGS conference in 2011 in the

golf courses and the grass on these courses. As golfers,

Thai seaside resort of Pattaya. It brought out the “Father

most of us really don’t bother about the type of grass that

of Zoysia,” Dr Milton Engelke, a renowned professor from

we play on – to many of us, grass is grass is grass! It may

Texas A&M University. It was at APGS 2011 where the

have been the case in the days of our fathers, but grass on

numerous features of the new Zoysia hybrids caught the at-

golf courses today is all about science and the advances in

tention of an eager Australian turf specialist, Brad Burgess.

landscaping, course design and turf grass maintenance.

A seasoned Asia hand in golf course agronomy, Burgess

In the early days of golf, people didn’t give a second

sensed that he had to latch on to this Zoysia revolution and

thought to the types of grasses on the courses. The grass

he did just that.

was whatever grew naturally in the links’ sandy soil along

Many of them can’t stop raving about how happy they are with the way their golf courses have turned out. They constantly ask me to come and play with them and check to see if there is anything being overlooked and to provide more training for their maintenance team.

BRAD BURGESS

SPECIAL FEATURE | THE GRASS KING

We have two large nurseries, one each in Vietnam and Thailand. Both nurseries are forever expanding with new varieties, including native grasses used for outer roughs. We now have four types of Zoysia grasses growing and have many more under trials. Scotland’s coast. But today, the kind of grass on golf courses is a key part of the game. Advances in landscaping, course design and turf grass maintenance help determine the choice of grass on golf courses around the world. So, back to Burgess – more than ten years have since passed when he began his romance with the new Zoysia hybrids. He is headquartered in Bangkok from where he rules over his growing turf empire. There is no disputing Burgess’s company, Sports Turf Solutions - it is the agronomy kingpin in Southeast Asia. ASIAN GOLF reached out to him for a heads up on how the region is catching on to the new hybrids. The following are excerpts from that discission:

ASIAN GOLF: Finally, golf courses in the region have access to a wide choice of new hybrid turf. How is the club industry reacting and accepting the new varieties? BRAD BURGESS: The feedback has been better than expected. Golf course owners and operators know they have conditions far better than the surrounding golf courses, while at the same time saving money. I think we have over thirty projects completed with several still under construction and at least another twenty-ﬁve projects in different stages of planning and development.

ASIAN GOLF: What has reaction been so far from the course owners and operators? BURGESS: Many of them can’t stop raving about how happy they are with the way their golf courses have turned out. They constantly ask me to come and play with them and check to see if there is anything being overlooked and to provide more training for their maintenance team.

ASIAN GOLF: Have you put in the new hybrids into renovated courses? What has been the reaction? BURGESS: We have done several renovations with the Green Zoysia varieties, and the response so far has been great. It is taking some time for turf managers to learn how to reduce the inputs and do less cultural practices. I guess years and

years of trying to reduce thatch and grain in Paspalum and Bermuda (types of grass used on golf courses) is difﬁcult to shake off.

ASIAN GOLF: How are you supporting the demand for the new hybrids and by this, I mean how many nurseries do you operate in the region? BURGESS: We have two large nurseries, one each in Vietnam and Thailand. Both nurseries are forever expanding with new varieties, including native grasses used for outer roughs. We now have four types of Zoysia grasses growing and have many more under trials.

ASIAN GOLF: How are you propagating the turf – is it from seeds or from sod?

SPECIAL FEATURE | THE GRASS KING

BURGESS: We harvest both sod and stolons (pieces of turf) using specially modiﬁed harvesters. It took us more than a year to modify the equipment in order to pull quality stolons compared to conventional harvesting machines. I think people have failed to propagate Zoysia in the past because it’s difﬁcult to harvest quality stolons.

ASIAN GOLF: How are you ensuring that the integrity of the turf is maintained and by this I am referring to the challenge of coping with the species becoming corrupted?

BURGESS: We are under the guidelines of the ITGAP (International Turf Grass Assurance Programme), and we are required to conduct monthly and quarterly reports and annual inspections carried out. The guidelines are very stringent, and we must have certain boundaries to operate within together with the use of dedicated machinery for each ﬁeld to prevent contamination. We provide our clients with protocols to ensure that maintenance guidelines are always observed, and we are always on hand to help in the event of any problems arising. A certiﬁcate is provided with each shipment.

There are too many variables, but a course could save up to US$100,000 on their greens maintenance and probably more on the rest of the course while producing better quality playing surfaces. Water, fuel, electricity, parts, labour, fertilizer and pesticides are all signiﬁcantly reduced.

SPECIAL FEATURE | THE GRASS KING

ASIAN GOLF: In an environmentally conscious business, what sort of positive impact are owners seeing in areas like water utilisation, fertilizer utilisation and pesticides? BURGESS: Zoysia is now commonly known as Low Input Turf grasses. It means less of everything. We attended a Zoysia symposium in New York several years ago and there were breeders and growers there speaking about their experiences with Zoysia. The common theme was the easiest way to spoil Zoysia grass is by doing too much to it. Leaving Zoysia alone is always the best maintenance practice.

ASIAN GOLF: With the new hybrids in place, can one say that overall maintenance costs have been reduced and if so, by how much when compared with previous situations? BURGESS: It is by far more than a 50% reduction in costs. Laem Chabang, a Jack Nicklaus design golf course in Thailand is saving up to 70% of costs on their A Course renovation which was carried out four years ago. This is a terriﬁc success story on cost savings across the board! They are not yet using any of the green varieties but are very impressed with what they are seeing.

ASIAN GOLF: Looking at renovations and upgrades – a good many courses in Southeast Asia are over two

decades old. How are you working on getting these courses to consider upgrades of their turf? BURGESS: We are in discussions with so many existing courses that know they must upgrade in the very near future. They are all waiting for the travel restrictions to ease, and they will visit various projects in Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand who have already converted to report back to their owners.

ASIAN GOLF: Give us a sense of what sort of investment would be required to renovate an 18-hole course with the new hybrids? BURGESS:

Zoysia is now commonly known as Low Input Turf grasses. It means less of everything. We attended a Zoysia symposium in New York several years ago and there were breeders and growers there speaking about their experiences with Zoysia. varieties and they outperform the imported Paspalum and Bermuda varieties that aren’t native to Asia. We’ve brought another level of quality to Asia thanks to breeders in the

There are too many variables, but a course could save up to

USA that have invested heavily in the belief that these Zoysia

US$100,000 on their greens maintenance and probably more

grasses will be more sustainable for the game of golf.

on the rest of the course while producing better quality play-

ASIAN GOLF: You were the pioneer in bringing the new hybrids to the region – what’s in store for the future? Are new and better varieties coming and if so, throw some light on what can be expected?

ing surfaces. Water, fuel, electricity, parts, labour, fertilizer and pesticides are all signiﬁcantly reduced.

ASIAN GOLF: With operating costs being the key consideration for many golf course owners, what advice can you offer them to consider upgrading their courses to help bring costs down with new hybrids and to maintain control over the costs? BURGESS:

BURGESS: We visit the Bladerunner Farms at least twice a year and have always monitored the new varieties coming through. It takes many years to identify the best ones and we’re now in the ﬁnal stages of selection. We will have two Zoysia Research Centres

Better quality grasses are now available to them that are de-

opening in the second half of 2022 in Vietnam and Thailand

rived from this region that have never been an option before.

and these facilities will provide full access to the industry at

There are some stunning golf courses using local Zoysia

large. We will announce these in the coming months.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

JEENO

SPECIAL FEATURE | JEENO

To land on the home soil of the Solheim Cup champs and to beat the lot, takes a lot of talent and courage. If you are looking for an inspirational story to share with a youngster, there’s nothing better than this success story of an 18-year-old who has risen to become one of the truly big names in women’s professional golf. And what makes her achievement a stand-out is that she climbed up the tough ladder to success in the shortest possible time. It was only a few years ago when this teenager was pondering whether to take up tennis or golf – this was at a tender age of 6. She was not a very healthy child and at the behest of her parents, she opted to go with golf to give her body, mind and soul a big healthy boost!

SPECIAL FEATURE | JEENO

ince her early teens, she had shown promise

Elated after being crowned Europe’s best player, Thiti-

that she was destined to be a force to be reck-

kul said, “I just did my best out there today with every single

oned with on the world stage of golf. And in a

shot, but Lydia was absolutely brilliant.” The four-time

relatively short period, she has arrived!

winner on the LET added, “I learned a lot from her today,

Thailand’s 18-year-old golf sensation,

Lydia Ko has one of the best short games ever, her putting

Atthaya Thitikul was crowned the winner of the Ladies

was brilliant, and every approach shot she played this week,

European Tour (LET) Order of Merit for 2021 – the Race To

I can deﬁnitely learn to get better from her.”

Costa Del Sol. This is a huge deal considering that the LET

Although she ﬁnished second to Ko, the Thai ace had

is Europe’s premier professional golf tour where the best on

an unassailable lead in the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol with

that continent ply their game.

3,264.46 points to her name.

Thitikul clinched the historic win after rounding off

“It’s an honour and it’s a really amazing feeling to win

another successful week on Tour with a second-place ﬁnish

the Race to Costa del Sol this year in my rookie season as

at the Saudi Ladies International played in Jeddah.

well, words can’t really describe it,” she exclaimed.

She battled the eventual winner of the Saudi tourna-

By clinching the coveted Race To Costa Del Sol, Thitikul

ment with the former world number one, New Zealand’s

has become the youngest ever winner of the title. You go

Lydia Ko.

“Jeeno Jat” – be the best that you can be!

It’s an honour and it’s a really amazing feeling to win the Race to Costa del Sol this year in my rookie season as well, words can’t really describe it.

SPECIAL FEATURE

JIN YOUNG KO

SPECIAL FEATURE | JIN YOUNG KO

It was a ﬁght for glory and there was no room for mistakes. The battle involved two of the best players in the world and uppermost in their minds was destroying the other to claim the prestigious title of LPGA Player of the Year.

SPECIAL FEATURE | JIN YOUNG KO

It was her fifth win this season, the first five-time winner since 2016 on the LPGA. In a four-year playing career, Ko has already bagged twelve wins and is well on her way to being inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

JIN YOUNG KO, OF KOREA, RIGHT, HOLDS THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR TROPHY ALONG WITH LPGA COMMISSIONER, MOLLIE MARCOUX, LEFT, AFTER WINNING THE LPGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT, SUNDAY, NOV. 21, 2021, IN NAPLES, FLA.

he combatants were the “queen of cool”, South Korea’s Jin Young Ko and the American, Nelly Korda. Reportedly playing with a wrist injury, Ko put on a gallant ﬁght to win the richest prize in women’s golf – US$1.5 million! It was her ﬁfth win this season, the

first five-time winner since 2016 on the LPGA. In a four-year playing career winnings, Ko has already bagged twelve wins and is well on her way to being inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The US$1.5 million prize pushes her past US$9 million in her career. At $US9,102,985, Ko now checks in at No. 26 on the LPGA’s all-time money list. The tournament venue was the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Ko got off to a flying start and shot 30 on the front nine and closed with the low round of the tournament at 9-under 63 for a one-shot victory over Japan’s diminutive pocket-rocket Nasa Hataoka. This is the second time that the 26-year-old has been named LPGA Player of The Year. Her first came in 2019. Ko has also topped the 2021 Race To CME Globe which makes her the undisputed number one in the world.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

DP WORLD TOUR

SPECIAL FEATURE | DP WORLD TOUR

Hail to the King of the Desert! Collin Morikawa came, saw and conquered the ﬁeld to lift two big wins in Dubai. Just 24 years of age and only two and half years as a professional, the young superstar won the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship and also the coveted Race to Dubai, the ﬁrst American to win this title.

SPECIAL FEATURE | DP WORLD TOUR

Morikawa had a US$3 million payday for the DP World Tour Championship and a US$1 million bonus for the Race to Dubai. In total, his take-home was US$4 million.

or his world-beating performance, the second

[win the Race to Dubai] on the European Tour, to put my

ranked player in the world, Morikawa had a

name against many greats, hall of famers — it’s special,”

US$3 million payday for the DP World Tour

declared an elated Morikawa.

Championship and a US$1 million bonus for the Race to Dubai. In total, his take-home was

Success has come to Morikawa after a lot of hard work during which time he laid the foundation for his success

US$4 million – what a pre-Christmas harvest! He was also

with a stellar amateur career that saw him claim numerous

declared the European Tour’s Number One player!

titles, taking collegiate wins while studying at the University

Morikawa has set a scorching pace this year with a massive win at the British Open which followed his ﬁrst Major win at the PGA Championship in 2020. “It’s an honour to be the ﬁrst American to do that

of California, Berkeley. He reached Number One in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and played on victorious Walker and Palmer Cup teams before joining the paid ranks in 2019.

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