The regionās rising stars, led by Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit leader Hsieh Chi-hsien of Chinese Taipei, will showcase their talents once again when the US$120,000 Ambassador ADT gets underway on Thursday.
The burgeoning Tour, launched in 2010 as a gateway to the premier Asian Tour, celebrated a fantastic first-half of the season where it welcomed six first-time winners and three multiple winner in 10 events, all aged below 30.
Malaysiaās Arie Irawan, the only player to win twice this season, is among the gifted group of new winners in their twenties to emerge, joining the likes of Thai duo Itthipat Buranatanyarat, Nirun Sae-Ueng and Janne Kaske of Finland, who will all head to the Hsin Feng Golf and Country Club for the inaugural Ambassador ADT this week.
Hsieh, who leads the Merit rankings with a seasonās haul of US$31,077 thanks to one victory and three top-10s, will spearhead the local charge alongside rising stars Hung Chien-yao, Lee Chieh-po and four-time ADT winner Chan Shih-chang, who just won on the PGA TOUR China Series last weekend.
Local stalwarts Lin Wen-tang and Lu Wei-chih, who have a combined total of nine Asian Tour victories, as well as veterans Yeh Wei-tze, Lu Wen-teh and Wang Ter-chang are also in the fray.
Other notable players include Frenchman Erwan Vieilledent, American duo Casey Oātoole and Greg Moss, who are all chasing for their breakthrough victories on the ADT.
Itthipat, placed fourth on the Order of Merit, is relishing the excitement of playing in his first ADT event in Chinese Taipei.
āMy gameās feeling good. I won on home soil the week after I claimed my first ADT win in the Philippines last month. That gave me a great confidence boost in my game. I hope I can find back some of the magic this week,ā said the 22-year-old, who turned professional in 2014 and is playing in his first season on the ADT.
Janne, who claimed a breakthrough ADT victory in Sarawak last week, hopes to stay consistent in his game as he chases for one of the five 2016 Asian Tour cards which will be rewarded to the top five players on the final ADT Order of Merit.
āIāve been playing well the whole season and my win last week will get me closer to the top five. Thatās been my goal the whole year. This victory will go a long way in achieving my goal. It means a lot because Iām dedicated and I worked hard,ā said Kaske.
A total of 150 players will compete in the Ambassador ADT, with the field being split between the ADT and the Taiwan PGA. The Ambassador ADT is the 11th leg of the 2015 ADT season and also the Tourās second stop in Chinese Taipei this season.
Apart from the Ambassador ADT, the Yeangder Group also sponsored the Charming Yeangder ADT which took place in March and backs the Yeangder Tournament Playersā Championship (TPC) which is returning for its sixth edition on the Asian Tour in October.
Since it was inaugurated in 2010, the ADT has grown from five events in the first year to a record 21 tournaments in both 2014 and 2015.
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.
For more information on the ADT, please visitĀ www.
