NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNING

It’s the start of a New Year and always the time to look forward and perhaps reminisce a little about the past 12 months that have made the Asian Tour season so special.

This year, we will welcome the return of the Myanmar Open and the launch of a new event in Cambodia.

As they always say in golf, we are off to a strong start, with a total of eight tournaments that are going to feature prominently on our Schedule from January to April.

After the Qualifying School in Hua Hin, Thailand this month, the region’s best players will come together to kick start the new season with the Zaykabar Myanmar Open presented by Air Bagan at the Royal Mingaladon Golf Club from February 2-5.

The Tour then heads to the Philippines for the Philippine Open where Asia’s oldest national championship, will be held at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club from February 9-12, followed by the Avantha Masters at the DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi in the third week of February.

Making its debut will be the inaugural HANDA FALDO CAMBODIAN CLASSIC from March 14-17, followed by the second edition of the Panasonic Open (India) at the Delhi Golf Club from March 29-April 1.

Apart from the eight Order of Merit events, the Open Championship International Final Qualifying – Asia will be played for the second successive year at Amata Spring Golf Club in Bangkok from March 1-2.

In April we head to Malaysia for the Maybank Malaysian Open followed by the Indonesian Masters presented by PNTS and Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.

These events will definitely keep everyone busy at the start of the year. As they always say, there’s no rest for the wicked!

This is especially so, coming off from another successful season in 2011 where  the Tour witnessed the launch of the inaugural Panasonic Open (India), Indonesian Masters and CJ Invitational in Korea, won respectively by Anirban Lahiri of India, Lee Westwood of England and Korean star K.J. Choi.

The Thailand Golf Championship made its debut as the Tour’s season-ending tournament with much fanfare as Major champions Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke, along with England’s Lee Westwood, Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa arrived at the Land of Smiles to headline the event.

The Avantha Masters launched a magical run of three successive tournaments in India at the start of the new 2011 season where local hero S.S.P. Chowrasia made the most of playing on home soil by lifting his second Asian Tour title.

The SAIL Open proved to be watershed for Thai talent Kiradech Aphibarnrat,  where after several heart-breaking near misses in the past two years, the former world junior champion finally laid his hands on a first Asian Tour victory.

Like the Thai star, India’s Anirban Lahiri also fulfilled his immense potential when he won the Panasonic Open (India) while compatriot Himmat Rai broke through for his first win at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic after a titanic five-way play-off.

It was a year of comeback for Australian David Gleeson who won his third Asian Tour title at the Hero Indian Open while Chinese Taipei’s Chan Yih-shih rolled the right numbers to win the Macau Open presented by Cityneon, which returned to the Schedule after a one-year lapse.

Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih secured a memorable home double by winning the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship and Mercuries Taiwan Masters in October and becoming the first player with multiple wins in 2011.

While Filipino Juvic Pagunsan could only rue what could have been at the Barclays Singapore Open, he was laughing all the way to the bank was a cool US$666,660 despite losing in a play-off at Asia’s richest national Open in November.

Outside the ropes, coverage of the Asian Tour on television increased by many folds that it now reaches over 200 countries and 850 million households around the world while Rolex,  Starwood Hotel and Resorts and Cityneon signed up as Official Timekeeper, Official Hotel and Resorts Partner and Official Event Overlay Partner respectively, signalling the continued backing of Corporate Asia.

With so much happening past and present, I can only say this.

Get ready for another exciting season in 2012!

Kyi Hla Han, Chief Executive, Asian Tour