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The members of the Asian Tour may not have ignited the Open Championship with their performances, but there is no doubt that the world is slowly sitting down to take it note
. in the field at Carnoustie this year. The Tour has not kept a record over the years, but it's by far the best account.
These 15 players are those who joined the Asian Tour. There were nine other players of Asian origin on the field (other Tours like Japan and Korea), bringing the total to 24 and constituting nearly one-sixth of the starting field of 156.
Shubhankar Sharma of India in action during the third round at the Open. Reuters
In comparison, at the 1990 Open in St Andrews, the Japanese Ozaki Naomichi was the only player to have eliminated five Asian players, all members of the Japan Golf Tour. Even late for the 2010 championship, the Asian contingent included eight Japanese and eight Koreans (all from various qualifiers), but only one true Asian Tour member, Thongchai Jaidee, who missed the cut.
This year in Carnoustie, six of the 15 members of the Asian Tour went to the weekend. Japan's Masahiro Kawamura posted the best result – tied with 39th – with India's Shubhankar Sharma tied for 51st. Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat and defending champion of the Asian Merit Order Gavin Green, from Malaysia among others, also took part in the cup.
Anirban Lahiri, graduate of the Asian Tour, said he "no doubt" With so many good players coming from India, Thailand and China, I would not be surprised if we had nearly 30 players from the Tour of Asia in the big estates by 2025, "said the world number 104. regular member of the PGA Tour in the United States.
"As we have more and more opportunities to participate in larger tournaments, confidence in our own abilities will only grow.The success of Kiradech and Shubhankar in recent times shows that we are not there just to make up for the numbers. "
Cho Min Thant, chief operating officer of the Asian Tour, was a proud man when he spoke to Firstpost at Carnoustie during the Open Championship.
"It is obviously very satisfying to see so many members of the Asian Tour at the Open.It also validates our presence at world golf.We are part of the Federation.However, we are still considered "One of the minor tours where it is nice to have Asian participation, but no one is really in the running," Cho said.
"I know that there have been weird Japanese players in the mix, but we really can not take credit for that.The best Asian finish in a major, I think, is Anirban (T5 in PGA Championship 2015).
"These next few years are our chance to break into and claim our place as a legitimate force in world golf." [19659002] One of the exciting things about Asian players is that a lot of people do not want to play. between them are very young and already make their mark on the world stage.
India Sharma just turned 22 last week, while Phachara Khongwatmai became a member of Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines, 24 years, is another promising star.
"I know that players like Anirban and Kiradech are already considered veterans at the age of 31 and 29, but we see so many young Asian players who are going so good. We all know the talent in countries like China, India and Thailand, but the pipeline is ongoing, "added Cho.
" Indonesia is an interesting example. The Asian Games are held there and they focus a lot on amateur golf under the direction of Australian coaches. Two of the last three professional events have been won by amateurs. So, it is very encouraging. "
The inclusion of golf in the Olympics is another factor that should catalyze the growth of gaming in Asia.In many countries, such as India and China, the financing of sport is linked to the quadrennial games
The recent decision to award official world ranking points to national tours in India and Thailand will also be encouraging.
Aphibarnrat, who has been in a sensational form this year with two two first places in two world championships golf, said that more work needs to be done for Asian players who compete in the majors of the number of Asian players on the field.This is a big improvement over the past, but I think we should continue to work hard, "said the world number 30.
"We need more exposure on the world stage.As this week (at the Open Championship), we need to learn how to tackle the links course and tame the winds here. It's not easy because we're not used to it because there are not many links in Asia. "
The next championship is the PGA Championship in three weeks at the Bellerive Country Club in Missouri and at least 10 Asian players (including five from Japan) are guaranteed to climb there on the basis of their world ranking in the top 100.
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