By Kent Gray
The Asian Tour will stage mixed-gender events for the first time after joining forces with the Ladies European Tour (LET) for a quickfire Thai double-header set to boast a combined $1.5 million in prize money. 

The Asian Mixed Cup and the Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge will be played back-to-back on the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club near Pattaya from April 7-10 and April 13-16 respectively.

Sixty players from each tour, plus 24 sponsor invitees, will make up the 144-strong fields for each of the $750,000 events where the men and women will play for the same prize money and trophy.

Critically, Official World Golf Ranking, Asian Tour Order of Merit and LET Race to Costa del Sol points will be awarded.

The events are to be hosted by Trust Golf, part of the Thai-based technology enterprise TCT Corporation, and are part of the three event Trust Golf Asian Mixed Series to be preceded by the Thai Mixed later this month.

“The Asian Tour is extremely excited to add a new format of play to our tournament schedule,” said Asian Tour CEO and Commissioner Cho Minn Thant in a joint statement.

“We thank Trust Golf for making it possible for the Asian Tour to stage its first mixed events, which will resonate strongly with golf fans in the region. It is also an exciting opportunity to collaborate with the Ladies European Tour for the first time and pay our maiden visit to the highly-regarded Siam Country Club.”

Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant

Siam Country Club is one of Asia’s finest clubs and currently the home of Honda LPGA Thailand.

Dr. Prin Singhanart, founder of TCT Corporation and the Trust Golf Tour, is passionate about innovative golf formats. She hopes to drive towards a World Mixed Championship one day.  

“I’m always extremely keen on mixed formats as golf is the only sport allowing people of all ages and genders to play together,” said Dr. Singhanart.

“I would like to provide a pathway for Thai talents, both male and female. If a female golfer wins outright, they will earn membership to the LET, and if a male golfer wins outright, they will earn membership to the Asian Tour. With the Trust Golf Tour affiliated membership programme, it will allow the players to be ranked on both order of merits.

Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET, said: “We look forward to collaborating with Dr Prin and her vision to nurture the next generation of Thai talent. These new tournaments are important steps in the continued growth of the LET as we offer 33 playing opportunities to our members in 2022 and we look forward to working together with Trust Golf and the Asian Tour at Siam Country Club in April.”

Monday’s announcement comes after The Asian Tour recently announced its new  ‘The International Series’, a collection of 10 new marquee events made possible by a $300 million, decade-long investment by Saudi-backed LIV Golf Investments.

Korean-born American Sihwan Kim won the first of events, The International Series Thailand, at Black Mountain Golf Club on Sunday, ending a string of near misses on the Asian Tour to claim in maiden pro title after 10 years of trying.

The new Asian Mixed events add immediate focus to the 2022-23 Asian Tour schedule which is still a work in progress due to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. The $500,000 DGC Open at Delhi Golf Club in India is the next event confirmed from March 24-27. 

The post Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour co-sanction mixed-gender double-header in Thailand appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Closed in 2006-2007 for a complete renovation, American architects Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley have kept the original routing, for the most part, while modernising all aspects of the course. Upgrades to the original out-and-back parallel holes included curved fairways, new water hazards, high lipped bunkers and relocated greens. New greenside bunker complexes add to Siam’s legendary, undulating putting surfaces.

Since reopening in 2007, the golf course has hosted several international golf tournaments including being the home of the LPGA Tour’s Honda Classic since 2010.  In 2018, Siam CC Old Course was recognised for its excellence when it was voted 73rd best golf course in the world by Golf Digest magazine.

The 7,162 yard, par-72 layout is set in the low hills just a few kilometres from Pattaya and contains more than its fair share of mature trees, shrubs and plants. A large golden Buddha is watching over the course and can be seen clearest from the all uphill 9th hole. The Siam Old Course boasts many dramatic challenges, particularly the last four holes which are Siam’s answer to Amen Corner, arguably the best finishing holes of any Pattaya golf course. If you’re having a good day and scoring well, take care as this closing stretch which can easily bring you back to earth.

The clubhouse is still the original structure dated from the 1970’s with major interior facelifts brightening up the facilities. Permanently mounted binoculars in the clubhouse help bring the distant farms and other golf courses in the area into close view.

siamcountryclub.com

The post Travel Guide 2020: Siam Country Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Fears of the spreading coronavirus have caused officials with another significant golf tournament to change their plans.

The R&A on Saturday announced it was postponing the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, scheduled for Feb. 12-15 at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand.

“The decision has been taken amid serious concerns for the safety of players and officials travelling during the current coronavirus outbreak,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in a press release. “Our utmost priority is to ensure their safety and the advice we have received in the last 24 hours is that we should not ask them to travel at this time.”

Rather than an outright postponement for the year, however, the R&A is hopefully it can reschedule the event later this year.

This news came shortly after the LPGA announced it was cancelling its March event on China’s Hainan Island. Interestingly, however, the LPGA has a tour event, the Honda LPGA Thailand, to be played at Siam Country Club in two weeks that remains on schedule.

The PGA Tour-China series has also postponed a qualifying event in Indonesia with a possible delay coming for its regular season.

The coronavirus had reportedly taken more than 700 lives with more than 34,000 cases reported in China.

The post Coronavirus causes R&A to postpone Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins
If any golfer wanted to avoid another question regarding the Rules of Golf, it’s Lexi Thompson after all that transpired at the 2017 ANA Inspiration. But it was likely inevitable that the 23-year-old would face a situation as some point, and that some point came Friday during the second round of the Honda LPGA Thailand.

On the 15th hole at Siam Country Club, Thompson found her ball near an advertising sign, which she moved. At some LPGA events these signs are considered moveable obstructions, at others, they’re temporary immovable obstructions. Unfortunately for Thompson, playing in her second start of the 2018 season, at the Honda they were immovable, resulting in a two-stroke penalty for her breach that gave her a 68 on the day rather than a 66.

Making the situation a little more unusual is the fact that Thompson wasn’t assessed the penalty until she was in the scorers’ tent. Thompson finished her round unaware that she had broken a rule. But prior to signing her scorecard, a rules official informed her of the infraction. Instead of being four shots behind leader Jessica Korda, Thompson stands six back at 10 under.

The LPGA explained the ruling in this official statement:

“During the second round of the Honda LPGA Thailand, Lexi Thompson incurred a two-stroke penalty on hole 15 for breach of the Local Rule regarding temporary immovable obstructions as prescribed in Appendix 1. The Supplementary Rules of Play for the Honda LPGA Thailand state that advertising boards are temporary immovable obstructions.”

The situation, of course, brings back the bad memories of the 2017 ANA where Thompson incurred a four-shot penalty during the final round for not replacing her ball correctly on a putting green during the third round. Thompson lost the lead and eventually the tournament. The first two strokes were for not replacing the ball, and the other two strokes were for signing an incorrect scorecard. Thanks to a USGA rules change that allows the implementation of a local rule, those second two strokes would now not be applied.

The LPGA uses that local rule, so even if Thompson had signed her card before being made aware of her rules infraction in Thailand, she wouldn’t have received the extra two-stroke penalty like she did at the ANA.

The post Lexi Thompson involved in rules issue at the Honda LPGA Thailand appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.