PGA Tour Honours Dr Chu - China's 'Father Of Golf'


Shenzhen (November 13): Mission Hills China's founder and chairman, Dr David Chu, was honoured by the PGA Tour today with an award created by the PGA Tour's Board of Directors. The award recognises Dr Chu's outstanding contributions to the growth of golf in China. Dr Chu is considered by many the father of golf in China. Dr Chu founded Mission Hills in 1992, confident in his belief that China's thriving economy would give rise to a domestic golf and leisure industry. Little more than 15 years after breaking ground, Mission Hills has grown into the world's largest golf club and is leading the golf boom gripping China.

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'Monty' To Pull The European Strings At Royal Trophy


Bangkok (November 12): Colin Montgomerie will act as a playing captain for the European Team in the fourth edition of the Royal Trophy to take place in Chonburi, Thailand from January 8-10, 2010. The eight-time Ryder Cup player for Europe has accepted the position after speaking with five-time Major winner Severiano Ballesteros who had previously planned to lead the European effort himself. "Seve has invited me to captain Europe at the Royal Trophy and I am delighted to accept," said eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner Montgomerie, currently competing in the UBS Hong Kong Open.

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Australian Masters: Baddeley Looking To Recapture Past Glories


Melbourne (November 11): While most of his rivals have been hard at work on the range and the practice putting green, Aaron Baddeley has been on the couch watching old videos to prepare for the 2009 JBWere Masters at Kingston Heath. Not any old videos, mind you, but the coverage of his Australian Open win at the same venue in 2000. Back then, Baddeley was a fearless 19-year-old who stunned the golfing world by successfully defending the Australian Open title he won as an amateur 12 months earlier. Nine years on and with the JBWere Masters moving to the Heath for the first time after three decades at Huntingdale, Baddeley has been rummaging through his old tapes to remind himself what his swing was like in 2000, and what it takes to win at this week's venue.

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Captain Ozaki Calls On Indian Singh For Amata Spring Showdown


Bangkok (November 10): Jeev Milkha Singh will add his weight and exprience to Asia's bid to retain the Royal Trophy in January. The Indian will line-up alongside Thais Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng, the Japanese duo of Yuta Ikeda and Ryo Ishikawa and Korean Charlie Wi. Asian captain Naomichi 'Joe' Ozaki is due to confirm the final two members of his team for the January 8-10 showdown at Bangkok's Amata Spring Country Club before the end of the month.

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Westwood And McIlroy Head The 'Race' To Hong Kong


Hong Kong (November 10): Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, the men currently occupying the first two places in The Race to Dubai, will headline the field for this week’s UBS Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. The duo both finished in the top eight in last week’s enthralling WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, McIlroy’s stunning closing 63 helping him to fourth place – a finish which saw him leapfrog Germany’s Martin Kaymer into second spot and to within €52,321 of Race leader Westwood. Now both will turn their attentions to the UBS Hong Kong Open which, in conjunction with the JBWere Masters in Australia, represents the last week of tournament action before the top 60 in The Race to Dubai head to the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

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Confident Thongchai Turns Attentions To Hong Kong


Shanghai (November 8): Thongchai Jaidee celebrated his 40th birthday with a top-20 finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions on Sunday and then turned his full attention back to the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit race. The Thai star fired a two-under-par 70 at the Sheshan International Golf Club for a share of 19th place on eight-under-par 280 in the US$7 million event, which was Asia’s first staging of a World Golf Championships tournament. India’s Jyoti Randhawa was also tied 19th after a 72 while Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang settled for joint 33rd place after a frustrating 76 to end the tournament alongside Asian Tour members Chapchai Nirat of Thailand, Jeev Milkha Singh of India and Australia’s Scott Strange.

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