Siam Country Club near Pattaya.
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.
