Volvo Masters prize purse increased by 1 lakh dollar

Bangkok, June 12 (UNI) Volvo Masters, the prestigious year-ending Asian Tour event which will feature the cream of Asian pros, will see a whopping 100,000 dollar increase in prize fund when it makes its third successive visit to Thai Country Club.

To be played from December 6 to 9, the tournament features the top-60 players from the UBS Order of Merit taken from the penultimate event of the season and will boast prize money of 750,000 dollar.

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee triumphed last year in front of his home, his second success in the event as he also claimed the title in 2003 at Bangkok Golf Club while Indian pro Shiv Kapur won in 2005.

''We inaugurated the Volvo Masters of Asia so that for the first time Asia could boast a Tour Championship that features the players who have performed with distinction across the year. The tournament has been a wonderful success,'' said Mel Pyatt, President and CEO, Volvo Event Management.

''Staging the Volvo Masters of Asia in Thailand has been remarkably rewarding. Not only is it a golfing oasis but also a premier holiday destination. We have of course been fortunate to stage the tournament at Thai Country Club, which I think we all agree is one of the finest golf clubs in Asia. We are really looking forward to returning there in December,'' added Pyatt.

The Volvo Masters of Asia is part of a rich portfolio of events they sponsor. In April they staged the Volvo China Open in Shanghai, where Austrian Markus Brier won, while in November the European Tour season comes to a conclusion with the Volvo Masters in Spain, where Indian Jeev Mlikha Singh recorded a glorious victory last year.

The Volvo Masters of Asia was inaugurated in 2002, when Korean teenager Kevin Na took top spot at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club in Malaysia.

''The partnership between the Asian Tour and Volvo, has been a highly successful one. We are indebted to Volvo for their support as they have played a key role in the development of the Asian Tour over the past decade. The Volvo Masters of Asia is a fine example of Volvo's commitment to ensure that professional golf in Asia has a bright future,'' said Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman, Asian Tour.

''This year the Asian Tour boasts 29 events and record prize money of over 28 million dollar and what better way to end the year than by seeing our top players compete in an event of the highest quality like the Volvo Masters of Asia,'' added Han.

Thai Country Club has been an outstanding venue for the tournament. Just two months after it opened in 1996 it was in the global spotlight when a 21-year-old Tiger Woods claimed the Asian Classic.

Just a year later, the club was the host course for the Johnnie Walker Super Tour, which was won in style by Vijay Singh in the company of such golfing greats as Ernie Els, Jesper Parnevik and Laura Davies.

Designed by golf course architect Dennis Griffiths and opened on December 1, 1996, the par-72 Thai Country Club layout is a fitting challenge for the finest golfers on the Asian Tour.

UNI