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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN professional golfer Scott Vincent, who won the International Series Order of merit standings, will have a busy schedule in the Asian Tour in 2023.
Vincent is likely to be joined by his younger brother, Kieran Vincent, and compatriot Ben Follet-Smith, who took part in some Asian Tour tournaments in the recent season.
The 2022 season, which saw 20 tournaments staged, came to a dramatic conclusion two weeks ago in Indonesia where Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut stormed to an impressive victory, marking himself down as one to look out for next year.
The Asian Tour have unveiled their schedule for 2023 and the new season will commence with the most lucrative event of the year in Saudi Arabia, followed by an exciting blend of established and new tournaments, including four International Series events.
Vincent is likely to participate in most of these events. The impressive schedule boasts a total of 11 tournaments contested over 14 weeks, starting with the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers — won so dramatically by American Harold Varner III this year when he holed a 92-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole — at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, near Jeddah, from February 2-5.
In the ensuing two weeks, the Tour will then journey to two inaugural International Series tournaments in Oman and then Qatar — marking the first time the International Series will have visited the Middle East.
Al Mouj Golf will host the former event, while Doha Golf Club will stage the latter.
These will be the first of an expanded 10 International Series events in 2023, with International Series stops to follow in Hua Hin, Thailand, in March, and Cam Ranh, Vietnam the following month.
The International Series Thailand launched the highly successful International Series earlier this year and saw American Sihwan Kim triumph at Black Mountain Golf Club, while the Tour visits the spectacular KN Golf Links for the first edition of the Vietnam event. This will be the first time the Asian Tour will return to Vietnam in seven years.
The New Zealand Open presented by SKY SPORT makes a popular return to the calendar following a two-year Covid-19-enforced break in the first week of March at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown — the tournament’s home since 2014.
The DGC Open, inaugurated in the 2022 season, will also be staged in March at the historic Delhi Golf Club, as well as the Tour’s long-awaited return to Hong Kong with a new event at one of the region’s most iconic golfing venues, the Hong Kong Golf Club.
Details of this event will be released soon along with information on back-to-back tournaments in Thailand in April and a Korean event in May.
Sihwan Kim secured the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) title.
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