Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (December 11): European golfing great Colin Montgomerie has predicted the emergence of a rash of Major championship winners from Asia over the next decade.
In a taped interview for the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS), which teed-off at the award-winning Empire Hotel & Country Club today, the Scotsman said he anticipated a minimum of half-a-dozen Major championship wins from male Asian golfers in the coming years.
“We have four Major championships a year, so that’s 40 Majors in the next 10 years. In that period, I’d expect six or seven of those championships to be won by Asian players, if not more. That’s a massive geographical switch to the East,” said the eight-time European Tour Order of Merit champion.
To date, the solitary Major championship victory by an Asian man was delivered by Korean Yang Yong-eun, who held off Tiger Woods down the stretch to triumph in the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine in 2009.
“The quality of Asian golfers has improved tremendously in recent years and it’s just a matter of time before we see more Major winners from Asia,” added Montgomerie.
Unable to make the trip to Brunei in person, as originally planned, due to a foot injury, Montgomerie also spoke extensively about his hopes for the growth of the game across the region.
Wearing his hat as a budding golf course architect, Montgomerie acknowledged that with the decline in growth of the game in the United States and parts of Europe, the golfing industry is now looking to Asia to take the lead.
He said: “It is encouraging for golf course designers such as myself that there are opportunities in Asia. Europe and America are fairly stagnated in terms of golf development: in America they are still feeling the effects of recession, and more golf courses closed than opened there last year. Golf is moving East, and to the Far East in particular.”
It was a theme that was also touched upon by Brunei’s Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia during his welcome address to the more than 200 delegates.
Keynote addresses were also delivered by Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy and Jim Singerling, Chief Executive Officer, Club Managers Association of America.
Sustainability also took centre stage with a presentation from Ron Dodson, Chairman/President, International Sustainability Council, while Michael Leemhuis, Chief Executive Officer at America’s Congressional Country Club, discussed the impact of emerging trends of private clubs.
Concluding the pre-lunch session, Klas Boon, from Dutch Docklands, gave the background behind the world’s first floating golf course in the Maldives.
Three panel sessions covering a variety of topics followed the break, starting with Professional Golf Tournaments: Value and Impact on Your Club and Has the Shine Gone off the Club Experience? and Golf Tourism: A Driver of Growth.
Rounding off the opening day, Conrad Benitez, President of Orchard Golf & Country Club, talked about the success of one of the most prominent clubs in the Philippines.
The Asia Pacific Golf Summit is part of a week-long golf carnival in Brunei that also includes the the Campus on the Greens conference for course superintendents and the first Intellectual Property Rights Symposium, the 2012 Asian Golf Monthly Awards Gala and the Royal Trophy match play contest between high-profile professional teams from Europe and Asia, captained by Jose Maria Olazabal and Naomichi ‘Joe’ Ozaki respectively.
The week-long activities are being supported by Brunei’s Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and hosted by Brunei Tourism. Event Partners are Golfplan, JMP Golf Design Group and Schmidt-Curley Golf Design.
Business Partners are Atlas, Mizuno, Nicklaus Design, Royal Brunei Golf & Country Club, Titleist and Wilson Staff.
BRUNEI GOLF EVENT DATES 2012
•Asia Pacific Golf Summit |December 11-13|
•Campus on the Greens |December 11-13|
• Intellectual Property Rights Symposium |December 12|
•Asian Golf Monthly Gala Awards Banquet |December 12|
•Royal Trophy |December 14-16|
For further information, please contact Spencer Robinson at spencer@asiapacificgolfgroup.com
*Note: The Asia Pacific Golf Summit was inaugurated in Singapore in 2007. In 2008 it was staged in the southern China Province of Guangdong at Mission Hills Shenzhen before moving to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in 2009 and onto Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, in 2010, and Pattaya in 2011. This year it is being held in Brunei at the sprawling, world-class Empire Hotel & Country Club. For further details, please visit www.golfconference.org and www.asiapacificgolfgroup.com¯/i>
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