Asia’s best golfers signed up for Phuket Pro-Am charity event

PHUKET: More than 20 international golf stars are confirmed to play in Phuket’s first-ever Pro-Am golf charity event on November 5.

With more pros signing up, organizers of the 2010 Phuket Property Dot Com Pro-Am Invitational expect a total of about 30 professionals to take part.

Among the star-studded lineup are Simon Yates (Scotland) and Scott Hend (Australia) – each of whom has won the PGA Asian Tour five times. They will be going head-to-head with 10-time PGA Asian Tour winner Gerry Nordquist (USA).

Singapore’s top-ranked player, Lam Chih Bing, and top-ranking Thai golfer Udorn Duangdecha have also signed on.

Amateur golfers from all over Thailand are welcome to join and challenge the pros in the 18-hole tournament, which tees off at 11:20am at the Blue Canyon Country Club.

The total prize package is valued at more than US$150,000.

Proceeds will go to the Phuket Has Been Good To Us foundation, which provides free English-language education to more than 700 underprivileged children.

Mr Duangdecha, known for his bright dress sense on the course, says he’s looking forward to taking part.

“It’s great to see an event like this in Phuket that supports a worthy cause. Blue Canyon’s Course is always a challenge and I’m sure all involved will enjoy the event,” he said.

Blue Canyon has been voted Best Golf Course in Asia by FinanceAsia for four years in the past decade. It is the only course to have hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic tournament three times: in 1994, 1998 and 2007.

Once described by Fred Couples as one of the best par-3s in the world, Hole 17 is one of two holes where substantial prizes are up for grabs at the tournament.

Anyone who hits a hole-in-one at hole 17 will win a 3.1-million-baht condominium, and hole-in-one hitters at hole 13 will walk away with travel vouchers worth one million baht.

All of this is on top of prizes for the nearest to the pin on each hole, prizes for overall tournament winners and a gift bag worth 3,000 baht for each participant.

Entry for members of Blue Canyon Country Club is 7,000 baht, and 9,000 baht for non-members.

The Phuket Gazette and PGTV are proud media sponsors of this event.

To get involved, email Graham Haslam at graham@phukethasbeengoodtous.org

— Alexandra Andersson