On the Asian Tour
ASIAN TOUR’S FRESH NEW LOOK
Viraj Madappa
Himmat Rai
Madappa, Rai Earn Playing Rights On Asian Tour
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iraj Madappa, one of India’s most promising talents, finished tied 29th at the 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School’s Final Stage to earn his maiden Asian Tour card in only his second season as professional. Madappa (73-67-69-72-71), who became the 2017 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year after amassing the highest earnings among the rookies in the season, posted an even-par-71 in the fifth and final round of the Final Stage at the Rayong Green Valley Country Club in Thailand on Sunday to total three-under-352 for the week. He thus finished inside the top-35 and ties for the week to claim his Asian Tour card. The rookie, who had 6 top-10s on the PGTI last year including a runner-up finish, made 3 birdies and 3 bogeys in the last round that saw him slip 5 spots from his overnight tied 24th. Nonetheless, the 20-year-old’s final round performance was good enough for him to not only secure his card but also end up as the highestplaced Indian at the event. The Kolkata-based youngster had been one of India’s leading amateurs prior to turning professional in 2017. Himmat Rai (71-71-71-66-74) was the other Indian to earn full playing rights on the Asian Tour as he closed the week in tied 34th place at two-under-353. Rai, a former winner on the Asian Tour, dropped 16 places from his overnight tied 18th as a result of his final round of three-over-74 but still managed to make the grade by one shot. He now returns to the Asian Tour after a one-year gap. The tournament was won by Korea’s Seungtaek Lee who outclassed the field by closing with a second straight 4-under-par 67 to claim a one-shot victory. The 22-year-old, playing his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School, fired 3 birdies
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in his closing four holes to top the 243-man field with a five-day total of 14-under-par 341. The 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School Final stage saw 243 hopefuls from over 30 countries vying for their playing rights at the start of the week. The first cut was made after 36 holes and a total of 153 players made it into the third and fourth round. A further cut was made after 72 holes and 78 players progressed into the fifth and final round where a total of 44 players from 12 countries securing their Tour cards for the 2018 season after making the cut-off mark set at 2-under-353. The Indians who did not finish among the top-35 players and ties and thus missed their card, were Angad Cheema (tied 51st at evenpar-355), Veer Ahlawat and Deepinder Singh Kullar (both tied 69th at 4-over-359) and M Dharma (tied 73rd at 5-over-360).
Did you know? l Seungtaek Lee topped the class in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School. He became the second Korean following Yikeun Chang in 2016 to win the Asian Tour Qualifying School l A total of 44 players from 12 countries earn their Asian Tour cards for the 2018 season. The countries represented are Australia (11), Korea (10), Thailand (7), United States (3), Japan (3), England (2), New Zealand (2), India (2), Spain (1), Sri Lanka (1), Argentina (1) and South Africa (1) l Former Tour champions Thammanoon Sriroj and Udorn Duangdecha of Thailand, Himmat Rai of India and Australian David Gleeson, successfuly regained their playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2018 season
With the balance of power tilting towards youth, the Asian Tour refreshed its logo to reflect the development and progression of the organisation. Recently, the Asian Tour has seen a dramatic shift in performance from a new crop of ultra-talented young players. On any given week, there is a host of 20-somethings such as India’s Shubhankar Sharma, Panuphol Pittayarat (Thailand) and Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) contending for the title. In 2017, a record 16 players under the age of 30 were victorious on the pan-Asian professional golf tour’s official schedule. The new logo has been i m p l e m e nt e d a c ro ss a l l platforms as well as collaterals and it made its first appearance at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January. The new design is an evolution of the old logo where the golfer’s silhouette has evolved into a stronger and more powerful position which is forward-looking and embodies the modern game. However, in keeping with tradition, the swing path rings which are a stylised representation of an ensō brush stroke are retained. In Zen, ensō is a circle that is hand-drawn in a single brushstroke to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. The Asian Development Tour logo will also be updated with the new design elements. “We are really excited to announce the Asian Tour’s new logo. The design is inspired by our talented players and our mission to develop the game of golf in the region. The launch of our new logo marks the latest exciting phase in the proud 23year history of the Asian Tour, dating back to our days as the Asian PGA.” said Josh Burack, CEO of the Asian Tour.