Singapore, August 1: The 2019 SMBC Singapore Open will be played from January 17 to 20 and it will once again be the opening event on the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation.

The US$1 million jointly sanctioned tournament, won by Spanish star Sergio Garcia at the start of this year, will be played on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club – the event’s traditional home since 2005.

And for the third successive season the event will be part of The Open Qualifying Series. As was the case this year, the leading four non-exempt players will secure their places for the 148th Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club, in Northern Ireland, July18-21.

“Traditionally it is that time of year for us to confirm the dates for our national Open and we are delighted that it will once again start the season for the region’s two main Tours: the Asian and Japan Tours,” said Ross Tan, President of the Singapore Golf Association.

“Next year will be the 53rd Singapore Open and we will announce the line-up of star players in due course. Importantly, we are able to confirm today the SMBC Singapore Open will be part of The Open Qualifying Series ― a tremendous attribute that provides our tournament with global exposure.”

American Sean Crocker, Lucas Herbert from Australia and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Danthai Boonma, were the four players who qualified for the Open at Carnoustie two weeks ago via January’s SMBC Singapore Open. Both Crocker and Herbert survived the halfway cut.

“The SMBC Singapore Open has been a key tournament in Asia for our Open Qualifying Series. It first became part of the series in 2017 and the R&A are thrilled that it will once again be part of the schedule next year,” said Dominic Wall, Director Asia Pacific, The R&A.

Places in the starting field at next year’s Open will be even for more sought after as it will be only the second time in the Open’s more than 150-year history that it will be played outside of Scotland and England, and the tournament is expected to be the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.