Cebu, Philippines: The Asian Development Tour (ADT) will break new ground with the staging of the Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI in Cebu, Philippines from August 31 to September 3..
The Aboitiz Invitational will be held at the Cebu Country Club, Cebu’s premier golf course, with a total prize fund of US$65,000, making it the first Philippine event to feature on the fledgling ADT.
The latest addition will raise the ADT’s Schedule to eight events this year where the region’s secondary circuit designed for upcoming players and rising stars will also travel to Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh and Indonesia. In the inaugural year in 2010, five events were staged on the ADT.
“An ADT tournament in Cebu through the Aboitiz Invitational puts the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) and ADT further in the regional and global golfing map,” says Colo Ventosa, General Manager, Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. (PGT). The PGT is the organisers of the domestic golf circuit.
Erramon Aboitiz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, was delighted to forge a new partnership with the ADT.“We are honoured to be involved with the fast growing ADT and we look forward to welcoming the region’s rising stars of the game to Cebu. We are very pleased to have enhanced this year’s Aboitiz Invitational by having players from both the ADT and PGT participate in this tournament,” said Aboitiz.
“The invitational will not only catalyse more interest in golf as a sport, but will showcase Cebu as a tourist destination and economic hub as well. Aboitiz Equity Ventures is honoured to be partnering with ICTSI in this effort.
“Aboitiz Equity Ventures is fully committed in our support of professional golf in the Philippines. There are a lot of talented players in our country and it is our aim to create more champions who will go on to enjoy a successful career on the elite Asian Tour.“Last year, we launched the Aboitiz Invitational as a domestic tournament under the Professional Golf Tour of Philippines which is supported by ICTSI, and we are glad to elevate the stature of our tournament this year,” added Aboitiz.
The Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) has an impressive portfolio of businesses which include power, financial services, food and transportation.
Among the rising stars set to feature prominently in the Aboitiz Invitational include local teen sensation Miguel Tabuena, who is the youngest member of the Asian Tour, Artemio Murakami, currently third on the ADT Order of Merit, PGT Order of Merit leader Juvic Pagunsa and Malaysia’s S. Siva Chandhran, a two-time ADT winner and last year’s number one.
Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said he was thrilled to welcome the newest tournament on the ADT Schedule.
“On behalf of our talented players, it is tremendous for us to welcome the Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI onto our ADT Schedule. While the ADT is only into its second year, it continues to grow with new events joining our Schedule which ultimately creates new playing opportunities for the rising stars of the game.
“These are exciting times for the development of golf in Asia and we hope to unearth new stars through a strong platform which the ADT was created for,” said Han.
The ADT is proving to be an exciting breeding ground for budding golfers to harness their talent and is the ideal career pathway to the established Asian Tour. The leading three players on the ADT in 2011 will also earn Asian Tour cards for the following season.
Last year, Siva Chandhran, Akhmal Tarmizee of Malaysia and Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Chia-jen finished top-three on the Order of Merit to earn their Asian Tour cards. – www.asiantour.com
