A recent article on the European Tour website highlighted the “record number of European Tour members†competing at this year’s US PGA Championship, the final Major of the year at Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It claims to have 48 golfers due to take part at Southern Hills Country Club from August 9-12 but some of those names have a distinctly Asian flavour to them.
And being a great supporter of Asian golf, we are claiming these guys. They include Indians Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa and Chinese golfer Liang Wenchong.
Korea’s YE Yang is also part of the crew, no doubt keen to link up with his high-flying compatriot and PGA Tour member KJ Choi, who had a top-10 finish at the recent British Open and is also an Asian.
Asian golf has made huge strides over the past few years. However, the reality is, that golfers from this part of the world will not be taken seriously until one of them wins a Major.
Ignoring the fact that Tiger Woods is, in fact, half Asian, there does not appear to be many golfers from the world’s largest continent who can make that Major breakthrough.
Choi definitely is one of them. He has won six PGA Tour titles, including two over the past few months, and has the game and the mental strength to triumph in one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments.
Jeev, himself, said that Choi’s performance at the Open in Carnoustie was an inspiration to other Asian players. He was quoted in a Reuters article as saying:
“There is a lot of talent in Asia and I think in the near future you will see a lot more Asians winning worldwide in the big events. They feel that players like KJ and others who are doing well on different tours can do it and therefore why not them? It’s a good thing to have that in yourself, to believe that if someone else can do it, why not me?â€
Jeev, who has had some notable victories in Europe over the past year, is also one of those golfers who could give Asian its first Major winner.
Golfers such as Jeev and Choi were groomed on the Asian Tour. Fijian Vijay Singh, many years back, also once used Asia as a base from where he honed his skills.
However, it’s time for less talk and more action. Asia has some of the best and most spectacular golf courses in the world. It’s time we can say the same about our golfers.
