Tournament champions were not the only winners in 2023 as once again players and venues were rewarded for their important contributions to the season through other accolades at Asian Tour Awards Night, held at the Wynn Palace in Macau.

Asian Tour members had cast their vote in favour of the star-studded season-opening PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers as The Tournament of the Year.

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour said, “The Tournament of the Year Award is one of the Asian Tour’s most prestigious accolades – especially as it is an emphatic vote of confidence from our membership.

Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers in 2023 – Neville Hopwood

“We first staged our season-opening event at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers in 2022, when it received rave reviews from our players. It was the perfect start to the year, and this was very much the case in 2023.

“It is our most lucrative tournament, boasting our strongest field on a world-class golf course – which our members have made particular note of the outstanding playing surfaces.

“So, the Asian Tour congratulate Golf Saudi, Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, and everyone involved in staging the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers on being rewarded for their efforts by receiving this award. It is a truly first-class event.

“We look forward to returning there this year, when the event will help bring down the curtain on what will be another brilliant season on the Asian Tour.”

Abraham Ancer of Mexico receives the trophy from Noah Alireza (L), CEO of Golf Saudi, after winning the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 05, 2023 in Al Murooj, Saudi Arabia – Getty Images / IMG

Noah Alireza Golf Saudi CEO commented, “It is an honour to receive the recognition of the Asian Tour’s tournament of the year for the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. Winning such an award is a testament to our commitment to excellence in the world of golf. This acknowledgement, especially from the players themselves, adds a unique and profound layer of significance.

“We are grateful to all of our valuable partners, whose support has been instrumental in making the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers a remarkable success. We look forward to continuing our journey of elevating the golfing landscape with the same enthusiasm and commitment.”

On The International Series – 10 elite level events that are integrated into the Asian Tour schedule and provide a pathway onto the LIV Golf League – it was the Hong Kong Open that got the nod as The International Series Tournament of the Year.

Andy Ogletree – 2023 Kyi Hla Han Award for the Player of the Year on the Asian Tour – Chris Wong.

In other awards, Andy Ogletree’s dominant 2023 season saw him receive arguably the most coveted award of them all, the stamp of approval by his peers, as he was handed the Kyi Hla Han Award for the Player of the Year on the Asian Tour.

The American (pictured above) won both the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) title, as well as The International Series OOM, in runaway fashion and was the overwhelming choice for the Kyi Hla Han Award – after a final count of a players’ poll was conducted.

It was the first year that the award had been named after Kyi Hla Han, the Asian Tour’s former OOM champion who later became the regional circuit’s Executive Chairman, making this all the more significant for Ogletree.

Cho Minn Thant said, “It was a wonderful year for Andy, fittingly coming during the season when we named the prestigious Player’s Player of the Year Award after one of the Asian Tour’s most-celebrated luminaries, Kyi Hla Han.”

The winners of the statistics categories were also rewarded – Chris Wong.

And equally impressively it was that event’s venue, the Hong Kong Golf Club, that was the Players’ Choice Course of the Year, along with Al Mouj Golf – the popular club on the stunning Muscat coastline that hosts the International Series Oman.

With regard to the Asian Tour Rookie of the Year Award there was only ever one candidate, Taichi Kho.

Winning the World City Championship at Hong Kong Golf Club saw him become the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour, while he also shone at the Volvo China Open, chipping in for an eagle on 18 to tie for second.

Those performances helped him end the year in ninth place on the Merit list to complete one of the finest-ever rookie seasons. He also claimed the gold medal in the Asian Games, which was another first for Hong Kong,

Statistically speaking, the players who featured on the leaderboard across the season also dominated the numbers.

Spaniard David Puig had the best stoke average with 68.25; Ogletree, not surprisingly, topped Greens in Regulation on 77.02%; and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand had the measure of the greens with a medium of 27.85 putts per round.

A hot putter also helped Phachara make the most birdies. He recorded 293, although his compatriot Sadom Kaewkanjana matched him, to share the honours in that category.

Taichi Kho (right) is handed the Rookie of the Year Award by Dom Boulet – Chris Wong.

Korean Seungtaek Lee was the biggest hitter of the season with his average drive reaching 326.98 yards, Gaganjeet Bhullar from India hit it straightest off the tee finding 81.09% of the fairways, while it will surprise no one that the magical short game of Thailand’s Poom Saksansin allowed him to win the Scrambling section, getting up and down 67.24% of the time.

Main Image: Chris Wong