Stefano Mazzoli returns to the Asian Tour, his circuit of expertise, after securing his card with an eighth-place finish in the Qualifying School. He is set to compete in the Saudi Open presented by PIF, scheduled from April 17th to 20th at the Riyadh Golf Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Asian Tour, schedule
Among the field are six players ranked in the top ten of the money list: number one, Spanish player David Puig, who competes in the LIV Golf; American John Catlin (ranked 2nd); Australians Scott Hend (ranked 6th) and Maverick Antcliff (ranked 8th); Korean Jeunghun Wang (ranked 7th); and Thai Denwit Boriboonsub (ranked 10th). The field also includes Chinese player Haotong Li, Spaniards Rafa Cabrera Bello and Gonzalo Fernandez Castaño (winner of two Italian Opens in 2007 and 2012), Filipinos Miguel Tabuena and Angelo Cue, Indians Veer Ahlawat and Shiv Kapur, Thais Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Poom Saksansin, and South Africans Robin Williams and Jbe Kruger. Alongside Puig, there will be other players from the Arabian Super League such as Swedish player Henrik Stenson, Americans Peter Uihlein and Andy Ogletree, Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra, and Australian Wade Ormsby.
Stefano Mazzoli, in his fifth event of the season, has cashed in the prize money in the first three tournaments but missed the cut in the previous International Series Macau. The total prize purse is one million dollars, with the winner taking home $180,000.
The formation of the Asian PGA took place in July 1994 during a meeting in Hong Kong, attended by PGA representatives from eight countries. The inaugural season of the APGA Omega Tour, named for sponsorship reasons, commenced in 1995, quickly establishing itself as the premier golf tour in Asia outside of Japan, eventually surpassing the existing Asia Golf Circuit administered by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation.
In 1998, the Asian Tour gained recognition as the sixth member of the International Federation of PGA Tours, signifying its growing stature on the global golfing stage. Following a sponsorship transition, the tour was known as the Davidoff Tour from 1999 to 2003 before adopting its current name in 2004.
In 2002, the tour relocated its headquarters from Hong Kong to Malaysia, and in 2004, a new organization, formed by the players themselves due to disputes with previous management, assumed control of the tour. Subsequently, in 2007, the tour established its new headquarters on Sentosa Island in Singapore, coinciding with the hosting of the prestigious Singapore Open.
The establishment of a rival tour, the OneAsia Tour, in 2009 introduced a competitive dynamic, leading to strained relations between the two entities.
In 2010, the Asian Tour launched the Asian Development Tour (ADT) to serve as a developmental circuit. With five events in its inaugural year, the ADT expanded significantly, hosting 28 tournaments with a total prize purse of US$2.2 million by 2015, highlighting its role in nurturing emerging talent within the region.
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