A strong lineup of world-class golfers including Daniel Chopra of Sweden has eye on the championship of the first Resorts World Manila Masters to be held from 14 to 17 November, 2013.
HONG KONG / MANILA – Sweden’s Daniel Chopra and Chinese Taipei’s veteran Lin Wen-tang will be among the big names with high hopes for victories in Asia when they flock to the region for the inaugural US$750,000 Resorts World Manila Masters which tees off at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club this week.
Chopra earned his breakthrough in Asia when he won the Johor Open in Malaysia in 1993. It was his first victory a year after turning professional. Since then, the 39-year-old, who was born to a Swedish mother and an Indian father, has gone on to record a total of 14 victories including the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2001.
While he is now focusing on his career in the United States where he has won twice on the PGA Tour, Chopra is looking forward to returning to the region which has brought him great success.
“I’m looking forward to my first win this season and hopefully it will come at the Resorts World Manila Masters. I’ve fond memories of playing at Manila Southwoods and I remember it being a terrific course. Hopefully I can do something special there this week,” said Chopra.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei veteran Lin Wen-tang will be targeting a second win in the Philippines this season when he returns there in a few days for the RWM Masters.
Lin will join the strong line-up of players which include reigning Order of Merit champion Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand and Liang Wen-chong of China in vying for top honours at the Resorts World Manila Masters.
The 39-year-old Lin, who won in the Philippines in April this year, is determined to prove his worth again as he seeks to win his seventh title on the region’s premier tour Asian Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season this year.
“Before my win in April, I never had good memories of the Philippines. I missed out on my first win in the Philippines back in 2008 and I never played much in the country since then. Winning in April definitely makes me like the country more,” said Lin.
“I’m really excited to go back to the Philippines again. It’s good to see new events coming on board the Asian Tour. I hope this tournament can continue to grow in the future,” added Lin.
Filipino duo Angelo Que and Antonio Lascuna will spearhead the local charge and take aim at putting on a good show before heading to Australia to represent the Philippines at the ISPS Handa World Cup of golf.
To further develop the sport of golf in the Philippines, 30 spots will be given to players from the ever-growing Philippines Golf Tour (PGT) to compete against the region’s best at the Resorts World Manila Masters, which will run from 14 to 17 November, 2013
As the sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour believes that partnering the PGT is important to help grow the game domestically, especially in view of golf returning to the Olympics program in 2016.
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