Golf’s Singapore Open is back with a bang and here to stay
The tournament boasts a US$2 million prize purse and is a ‘signature event’ on the Asian Tour, says CEO Cho Minn Thant.
[SINGAPORE] The Singapore Open golf championship – which was inaugurated in 1961 and last played in 2022 – is back with a bang, and the Asian Tour promises that the popular event will be even bigger and better in the future.
This assurance came from none other than the Asian Tour’s commissioner and chief executive officer Cho Minn Thant, just days before the 2025 edition tees off on Nov 6 at the Singapore Island Country Club’s (SICC) New course.
Over the last six decades, the Singapore Open has grown in stature and prominence to become one of the most prestigious golf championships in Asia. Previous champions including the late Kyi Hla Han (1994), Adam Scott (2005, 2006, 2010), Jeev Milkha Singh (2008), Ian Poulter (2009), Sergio Garcia (2018), Matt Kuchar (2020) and Sadom Kaewkanjana (2022).
Cho, who has worked with the Asian Tour since 2007 and became CEO in 2019, described the Singapore Open as a “signature event”. It is making its debut on the International Series – 10 premier events on the Asian Tour that have higher prize money and a pathway for golfers to play in the LIV Golf league.
The four-day tournament this year has Kweichow Moutai as the title sponsor, with the event known as the Moutai Singapore Open. A total of US$2 million in prize money is up for grabs.
“We are restarting from an extremely strong position. We are delighted it’s now back on the schedule thanks to the support of the title sponsor, and we see this as an opportunity for it to return to the forefront of golf in the region,” Cho said in an interview with BT Weekend.
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“Moving forward, the only way is up. We will aim to increase the prize money, further strengthen the field and ensure the event returns to the pinnacle of tournament golf on the Asian Tour.”
Some of the world’s top-ranked golfers and an array of stars from the continent will be in town for the Singapore Open.
Leading the charge will be Englishman Paul Casey, who returns to Singapore after one of the strongest LIV Golf seasons so far. The 15-time European Tour winner and Ryder Cup veteran played a key role in steering Crushers GC to a second-place finish in the 2025 team standings.
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Other LIV Golf players competing are Americans Talor Gooch, Peter Uihlein and Anthony Kim.
Growth of the Tour
Cho said the aim is to add more events on both the Asian Tour and the Asian Development Tour, with the target of staging a total of 40 to 42 events in total.
“It has been an incredible turnaround for the Asian Tour since the global Covid-19 pandemic. We have enjoyed the most significant and transformative period in our history,” he said.
With the Asian Tour being a springboard for players who aspire to compete globally, Cho said there are many pathways for top-ranked players to participate on golf’s grandest stages, such as the Majors.
“For instance, the winner of The International Series Rankings earns a place on the LIV Golf league, and the winner of the Link Hong Kong Open will gain an exemption to the US Masters for the first time,” he said.
He pointed out that the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit winner also earns a place at the US PGA Championship and The Open through a special category on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Overall, Cho said the larger scale and geography of the Asian Tour also presented several challenges he had to overcome.
“One challenge that we have been facing over the last few seasons is a shift in consumer behaviour, where fans are viewing golf in a much different manner than before,” he said.
“We have had to pivot away from a heavy reliance on the full live television broadcast and place more emphasis on short-form digital media.”
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