Vientiane,
March
21: The second Luang Prabang Laos Open will tee-off next month once again as a
showpiece event on the ASEAN PGA Tour.
The tournament
was launched last year with much hype as it was the country’s first
professional golf tournament and saw Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant stroll to a
magnificent eight-shot victory.
It was played at
Luang Prabang Golf Club and returns to the same venue this year from April 24
to 27.
This year prize
money has been increased from US$80,000 to US$100,000 and it will form the
third leg of the 2013 ASEAN PGA Tour. This season the circuit boasts 12 events
worth a record US$1,095,000.
A host of leading players
from the ASEAN PGA Tour are set to play in the event including Malaysian
Nicholas Fung, the reigning Order of Merit champion.Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat, Thanyakon Khrongpha, who finished third last year, Thammanoon Sriroj and Udorn Duangdecha will also compete along with Mars Pucay, Jay Bayron, runner-up in 2012, and Gerald Rosales from the Philippines.
Indonesian number one Rory Hie will also play along with Singapore’s rising star Choo Tze Huang.
The tournament signifies the rapid expansion of golf in the region and in particular into new untapped nations.
“The Luang
Prabang Laos Open is the second championship golf tournament in Laos, which
reflects the great cooperation between the government and the private sector.
We have joined together to promote Luang Prabang City and also to help develop
the golf industry in Laos to a world class level. We were delighted with the
success of the event last year,” said Dr Khampheng Saysompheng, Governor, Luang
Prabang.
Laos had a taste
of tournament golf in 2009 when it hosted the 25th South East Asian Games.
The Thailand
men’s amateur team beat Singapore in a play-off to win the gold medal.
Thanyakon was part of the Thai team which competed at the SEA Games Golf Club
in the capital Vientiane.
Luang Prabang
Golf Club is a world-class venue located in Luang Prabang, which is a city in
north central Laos. It is about 425 kilometres north of Vientiane. The
city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The club is only a 15
minute drive from the town centre and Luang Prabang International Airport.
“On behalf of
Luang Prabang Golf Club, it is a true delight to host an ASEAN PGA Tour event
at Luang Prabang for a second time. I would like to thank the Laos Government,
the event organisers, sponsors and the Laos National Golf Federation. The Luang
Prabang Laos Open will provide an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of
the beautiful and peaceful city of Luang Prabang, which is a wonderful
tourist destination and also a great place to do business,” said Yao Bin –
President of Luang Prabang Golf Club.
“Thanks
to events like the Luang Prabang Laos Open the eighth season of the ASEAN PGA
Tour is set to be our finest ever,” said AC Wong, Executive Chairman, ASEAN
PGA.
“We
will meet our main objective of providing more playing opportunities for our
ASEAN-based members, be they rookie professionals or more seasoned campaigners.
We are also extremely confident this year’s schedule will be the catalyst for
an ongoing expansion for our Tour.”
Along with the
Laos government, Thailand-based company Tropical Hospitality Management (THM)
have been the driving force behind the event.
“We are thrilled
to be able to help showcase Laos as an outstanding tourism destination while
also revealing that it is one of golf’s new frontiers. What better way of doing
this than by staging the Luang Prabang Laos Open for the second time,” said
Wisith Chawalitanon – CEO of Tropical Hospitality Management.
THM are also
working with World Sport Group (WSG), Asia’s leading sports marketing agency;
specializing in sports sponsorship, sports content, and sports event
management. WSG are the official commercial partner for the ASEAN PGA Tour.
Their television
arm produces a one hour highlight show for each event which is broadcast on FOX
Sports.
The ASEAN PGA
Tour got underway in February with the season-opening Singha Esan Open - where
victory went to Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น