Philippines Open restored with bigger purse

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 11 (UNI) The Philippine Open, which was originally scheduled as the season-opening event on the Asian Tour, will now be staged at Wack Wack Golf Club from February 1-4.

Prize money will increase to 300,000 dollar from last year's total purse when Australian Scott Strange claimed an emphatic victory in Asia's eldest national Championship at the fabled Wack Wack East course.

Initially, the Philippine Open, inaugurated in 1913, was scheduled to be played this week but organisers delayed the Championship due to some details of the event that were being finalised.

''We are delighted to announce that the Philippine Open will be held during the first week of February with a substantial increase of 50 per cent in the total prize money,'' Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said.

''We are fully confident and committed to ensure that the 2007 staging of the Philippine Open will be a highly successful affair where Asia's best players will shoot for glory in one of the region's most prestigious national Opens,'' he added.

With its timely return, the Philippine Open will now be the third leg of the 2007 Asian Tour season which is offering a minimum 29 tournaments and an all-time high of US million in total prize money this season.

The new season will kick off in Karachi next week with the staging of the Pakistan Open at Karachi Golf Club from January 18-21.

UNI