Asian Tour event in Saudi Arabia mooted

An Asian Tour official said Asia’s major golf tour would like to have a professional golf tournament next year in the Kingdom as part of its mission to develop golf in emerging market. Speaking to Arab News in an interview from Riyadh, Lee Han Bin, Asian Tour’s Event Development senior executive, said Saudi Arabia is a very important market in the Middle East and as a part of Asia “we can support each other in this emerging market.” The Korean Lee was visiting Saudi Arabia on invitation by the Kingdom Dirab Golf Academy chaired by Jo Tae Hwan. Lee said he is looking at November and December, when the cold weather sets in, as possible months to stage a first-ever Asian Tour event at Dirab Golf & Country Club. Another option is between January and February in 2013, he said. To start preparations for the Saudi swing of the Asian Tour Dirab golf course owner and Saudi Golf Federation President Khaled Abunayyan, who also sits on the Kingdom Dirab Golf Academy board as vice chairman, said Lee will again visit the Kingdom next month. “We would like to introduce to the people of Saudi Arabia how golf is so great a sport. They only know football,” said Lee. Lee sees a vast potential for growth of golf in the country. He said they have had Asian Tour events in Cambodia, Vietnam and Brunei, among other countries in the region. In Vietnam, the country never had a professional event until we built one. Now, Vietnam has a professional golfer, Michael Pran, playing on the Asian Tour, he added. “To find title sponsor the Asian Tour will work together with the Saudi Golf Federation. It’s really important to make the first step and work together,” Lee said. For his part, Abunayyan said bringing in Asian Tour card-carrying players to the Kingdom would go a long way in boosting the Saudi game. Also, this tournament will inspire Saudi golfers to become a golf professional in future and develop a career in golf, he added. Present at the meeting between Lee and Abunayyan were DGCC General Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani, Tae Hwan and Kingdom Golf Academy marketing director Miran H.