KARACHI, 18 January 2007 — The 2007 Asian Tour will swing into action a week late when the Pakistan Open gets under way today.
The event became the first of the year after the Philippine Open, initially scheduled for last week, was moved to February due to logistical problems.
The Asian Tour is operating at least 29 tournaments this year offering a record $26.5 million in prize money.
“It promises to be our best season yet,” said the tour’s executive chairman Kyi Hla Han. “We’ve got more events and prize money than ever before and I expect our players to perform well, both at home and abroad.” Five new events have been lined up including three in Indonesia and Cambodia’s first professional golf tournament.
Established names such as Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant, India’s Shiv Kapur and Jyoti Randhawa and Singapore’s Mardan Mamat are expected to dominate but an abundance of young guns are ready to upset the Asian order.
Chief among the new talent is Malaysia’s Ben Leong, who turned pro in December and is riding high from his three-shot victory in qualifying school.
Leong is hoping to emulate England’s Chris Rodgers, who claimed his maiden victory at last year’s Pakistan Open after also winning Q-school. “Chris’ feat has definitely inspired me and made me believe that I too could win it and hopefully I have what it takes to deliver a winning result,” said Leong.
India’s Amandeep Johl will also be in search of his elusive first win on the Asian Tour after finishing joint second at last year’s tournament. “I’ve made some good changes to my swing. Obviously you need to get a bit lucky to win a tournament but on my part, I’m pretty much right there. I am feeling quite confident,” said Johl.
“I’ve got a few things up my sleeve but I’ll let my clubs do the talking.
Mohammad Munir will lead the Pakistani charge and was fired up to impress in front of the local fans.
“My aim is to win. I have been here for the past six days getting the feel of the course. The greens are to my liking and with that extra bit of luck, I think I can make it this time, but nothing is definite,” he said.
Munir will be flanked by other top local players including Muhammad Shabbir Iqbal, Imdad Hussain, and Mohammad Siddique. Other Asian Tour stalwarts including Brad Kennedy, Anthony Kang and India’s Gaurav Ghei are also competing.
Nine events this year will be co-sanctioned with the European Tour.
