Hanoi, June 7: The inaugural Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters will be launched in September as Vietnam’s richest golf tournament following an agreement signed between the Asian Tour and PMG, the AIM quoted sports, entertainment and media agency.
Promoting the Vietnam Masters represents the first time that PMG has worked with the Asian Tour in a full-field Asian Tour event and the partnership is poised to propel the development of the game in Vietnam, already a rapidly expanding golf market.
The Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters will offer a total prize purse of US$500,000, the highest ever offered in a golf tournament in Vietnam, and will be played at the magnificent Sky Lake Resort and Golf Club, which is located on the outskirts of Hanoi.
The new tournament, one of four events which will make its debut on the Asian Tour in 2013, will be broadcast live for four hours daily during the four competition days on the Asian Tour’s global television platform which reaches over 200 countries and 650 million homes.
Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour, said: “It is exciting for the Asian Tour to be returning to Vietnam for the Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters in September.
As an emerging market in Asia, I have every belief that the Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters will greatly impact the landscape of professional golf and accelerate the development of the game in Vietnam and across Asia. On behalf of our talented players, I would like to extend our fullest appreciation to Volvik and Sky Lake for their wonderful support and sponsorship towards golf at the highest level in Asia, especially when the Asian Tour is celebrating our milestone 10th season as a players’ organisation in 2013.
“With golf’s impending return into the Olympics in 2016, the staging of new and exciting Asian Tour tournaments such as the Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters will further provide the impetus for Asian and Vietnamese golfers to raise the level of their games and improve their positions on the Official World Golf Ranking, which will be used to determine the field for the Olympics. It is also our fervent hope that the Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters will create the launch pad for a Vietnamese player to qualify for the Olympics.”
David Ciclitira, Chairman of Parallel Media Group, said: “Staging six events in the first six months, PMG is pleased to be able to add the Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters to its growing golf portfolio. The Company is proud to be involved in Vietnam’s first golf tournament which has a US$500,000 prize fund, and this tournament is a testament to the vision of our offices in Singapore and Seoul.
“The Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters shows the strength of professional golf in Asia, and PMG would like to thank the Co-Title Sponsors of the event, Volvik and Sky Lake for their hard work and dedication to continually improving the level of the game in Vietnam. Without their support, none of this would be possible.”
Volvik, which is Korea’s leading golf ball manufacturer, title sponsored a Korean tournament on the Asian Tour last season and its involvement with the Volvik – Sky Lake Vietnam Masters is part of an agreement to support new golf tournaments in Southeast Asia.
Sky Lake Resort and Golf Club is located at the Van Son Lake area in Chuong My District, which is 45 minutes (40km) from the Hanoi Convention Centre. The golf resort was built in a very unique area surrounded by magnificent mountains and a large natural lake, providing a perfect getaway not only for golfers but also their families.
