The European Tour has further strengthened its partnership with the American Express Tour de las Americas (TLA) following the announcement from Parallel Media Group plc that the TLA will be awarded an invitation to five of The European Tour’s joint-sanctioned tournaments in Asia.
The TLA’s 2004 Order of Merit winner, Rafael Gomez of Argentina, was invited to play in last week’s Caltex Masters presented by Carlsberg Singapore 2005, at the Laguna National Golf & Country Club, Singapore, as well as the Carlsberg Malaysian Open at the Saujana Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from February 17-20.
Due to prior commitments, Gomez was unable to take up the opportunity to play in either Singapore or Malausia. In Singapore, Marco Ruiz of Paraguay accepted the invitation to play, missing the cut with rounds of 75 and 76. Meanwhile Argentina’s Maurico Molina will make his first start outside of Latin America in the Carlsberg Malaysian Open later this month.
The other three invitations will be reserved for the leading player on the 2005 TLA Order of Merit, who will be offered the chance to compete at the newly announced TCL Classic at Yalong Bay Golf Club in Sanya, Hainan Island, China, from March 17-20, the Standard Chartered Indonesia Open from March 24-27 at Cengkareng Golf Club, Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Omega Hong Kong Open, which will form part of The European Tour’s early 2006 Schedule.
TLA Commissioner, Henrique Lavie, was delighted at this new opportunity for the TLA and its Members. He said: “With an average purse of US$1,000,000 per tournament in Asia, compared to US$200,000 in Latin America, as well as the chance of competing against the world’s finest golfers, our players definitely have a lot to aspire to and we are delighted to be offered the chance of demonstrating their talents on the global stage.”
George O’Grady, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: “We are delighted to enhance the co-operation that presently exists among the various Tours around the World. Inviting the leading player from the emerging Latin American Tour – Tour de las Americas – to compete against some the leading players in the world is a big incentive for the TLA Membership and further encapsulates that co-operation.”
The relationship between The European Tour and the Tour de las Americas has grown significantly over the past three seasons, with the 2005 Challenge Tour Schedule now including six joint-sanctioned events with the TLA in Latin America.
