April 29, 2014: This would be third occasion when best from the region will meet at one platform to compete for the US$ 1.5 million The Championship, which tees off this Thursday at Laguna National Golf and Country Club. The event, jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour, will see young and seasoned in the elite field, as they return to play after Maybank Malaysian Open and Indonesian Masters.
The Indians in the field include Indonesian Open Champion Anirban Lahiri, rookie Rashid Khan, who has been consistent this season, Asian Tour honorary member Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chowrasia, who is trying hard to remain in fray. The Eight-time Asian Tour Champion, Jyoti Randhawa, who finished 13th in Jakarta last Sunday, can also be a worthy contender in Singapore.
Other Asian stars, who will vie for The Championship, are Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, Nicholas Fung of Malaysia and Kiradech Aphinbarnrat and Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand.
The Championship has shifted from its traditional base in Korea, where it has been held since its inception in 2008 to a new venue this year at the Masters Course at Laguna National. The Championship is scheduled between May 1 -4. The US$ 1.5 million event will see 156 golfers in the field.
The International challenge will come from Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Australia’s Brett Rumford, who won The Championship in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and would like to make a mark in Singapore as well.
The home challenge will be spearheaded by Mardan Mamat, who has won thrice on the region’s premier Tour. The 46-year-old veteran claimed his biggest victory, when he won the Singapore Masters in 2006 at the Masters Course at Laguna National; he will certainly try to put an end to his two-year winless streak on the region’s premier Tour.
