The highly-rated Boonchu Ruangkit Championship will raise the curtains on the new Asian Development Tour (ADT) season when it gets underway from January 10 to 13 next year.
Aspiring golfers from across the region will begin their battle for the seven coveted Asian Tour cards on offer for the 2020 season when the popular event returns to the RanchoĀ CharnveeĀ Resort and Country Club, located at the outskirts of Bangkok.
An attractive prize purse of ?4 million (approximately US$121,700) will once again be on offer to the 156-man field in the event launched by Thai legend Boonchu Ruangkit, who hopes to give back to the game by providing playing opportunities for players in the region.
The event was first held as a ābonusā event on the regionās secondary circuit in January 2015 where Thailandās Raththee Sirithanakunsak emerged victorious.
It returned as the season-finale and an Order-of-Merit counting event in December that same year where Thai prodigy Phachara Khongwatmai sensationally won the title to claim the fifth and last Asian Tour card on offer.
The prestigious trophy has been kept on home soil since as Danthai Boonma and Namchok Tantipokhakul both prevailed in play-offs to win the 2016 and 2017 editions respectively.
Boonchu, who has won five Asian Tour titles and is also a five-time winner on the European Senior Tour, expressed his delight in the return of his tournament as the season-opener for the 2019 ADT season.
āIt is a huge honour to be hosting again on the ADT . I hope to boost the development of golf in Thailand as well as provide more playing opportunities for aspiring talents through the staging of this event.
āI believe that the ADT is a great platform for players to nurture their games and prepare themselves for the higher levels of golf. Nitithorn Thippong and Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij have both earned their cards on the Asian Tour for the 2019 season following their wins this year. I hope more Thai golfers will be inspired by their feats,ā said Boonchu.
Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer Cho Minn Thant said: āOn behalf of the ADT, I would like to express our gratitude towards Boonchu and the All Thailand Golf Tour for their dedication to the development of golf in the region. We are thrilled to be back in Thailand to kick-off another exciting season on the ADT.ā
Launched in 2010 as the gateway to the regionās premier Tour, the ADT has served as a successful platform for aspiring talents hoping to make it on the bigger stage.
With Asian Tour cards up for grabs for the top-seven finishers on the ADT Order of Merit, players will be hoping to get a head-start on the merit race.
Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on all ADT events with the winner earning a minimum of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.
