The prestigious Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship will celebrate its sixth consecutive edition when it returns onto the Asian Development Tour (ADT) from September 24 to 27.
The US$110,000 ADT event, which is the longest-running event on the burgeoning Tour, will be staged once again at the highly-rated National Golf Country Club.
Order of Merit leader Hsieh Chi-hsien, who secured his first professional win in the 2012 edition and went on to claim his second victory on the same golf course earlier in March, is expected to spearhead the local charge alongside talented prospects Chan Shih-chang, Hung Chien-yao and Asian Tour winners Lin Wen-tang and Lu Wei-chih.
The field is also expected to include the likes of proven ADT winners Arie Irawan, Rizal Amin and Wilson Choo of Malaysia, Thai trio Panuwat Muenlek, Phachara Khongwatmai and Nirun Sae-Ueng who will all continue their chase for the five coveted 2016 Asian Tour cards on offer this season.
“We are pleased to continue our support for the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship. We hope it will continue to showcase emerging talents from the region and be a good platform to propel players onto the premier Asian Tour. We look forward to welcoming all players to this prestigious event,” said Jean Touboul, Managing Director, Pernod Ricard Taiwan.
Asian Tour’s Associate Director Irfan Hamid extended his appreciation to Ballantine’s for its continued support of the ADT.
“We are delighted with the return of the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship as we believe it will continue to create an impact on the professional golf landscape in Taiwan and across the region,” said Irfan.
“The staging of the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship for the sixth consecutive year also reflects on the commitment and value that sponsors enjoy with the Tour,” he added.
Past winners of the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship include Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang (2010 and 2014), Kao Shang-hung (2011), Hsieh Chi-hsien (2012) and Malaysia’s Iain Steel, who was the only foreigner to win the tournament in 2013.
A total of 144 players will compete in the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship, with the field being split between the ADT and the Taiwan PGA. The Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship will be the 19th leg of the 2015 ADT season and also the Tour’s final stop in Taiwan this season.
Since it was inaugurated in 2010, the ADT has grown from five events in the first year to a record 22 tournaments in 2015.
The ADT will continue to reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2016.
With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.
Chan Shih-chang, who claimed a record fifth victory on the ADT last month, is currently in the field for the Olympic Games based on this week’s rankings.
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.
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