The Philippine Masters is set to join the European Tour and Asian Tour Schedules in 2018 as a co-sanctioned tournament after the signing of a three-year deal which will take the tournament through to 2020.The new event will be promoted by Salvador Zamora’s Tranzen Group.
The event will mark the European Tour’s first visit to the Philippines since 1995, when American Fred Couples won the Johnnie Walker Classic at the Orchard Golf and Country Club.
It follows the announcement of the Strategic Alliance between the European Tour and Asian Tour last July, which officially ratified a partnership which had developed and grown since 1999, when the two tours co-sanctioned their first event, the Malaysian Open.
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “The Philippine Masters further increases the playing opportunities for our members, and strengthens our Strategic Alliance with the Asian Tour.
“Salvador Zamora’s vision and support have been instrumental in bringing this new tournament to fruition, so we thank Zamora for his interest and his desire to bring the European Tour back to the Philippines. We look forward to working together to grow this tournament in the coming years.”
Josh Burack, Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Tour, said: “The Asian Tour is delighted to welcome the Philippine Masters onto our schedule in early 2018.
“This new tournament will extend our long and successful association with professional golf in the country, and on behalf of our members I would like to offer our gratitude to Salvador Zamora for his generous contribution to the game. We will work closely with our Strategic Alliance partner, the European Tour, to ensure the event’s success for the benefit of the game in the Philippines, Asia and around the world.”
Zamora said: “I am delighted to be hosting the European Tour here in the Philippines from 2018-2020. This will be a co-sanctioned event with the Asian Tour bringing some of the best players across Europe and Asia together and battling it out here in the Philippines.
“These are very exciting times for golf in the Philippines. My personal objective is to promote golf in the Philippines and to introduce the game to as many people as possible, with a special emphasis on the introduction of golf to children. Golf has been a major part of my life for many years and given me so much, so I now feel it is time for me to give back to golf.”
The tournament organisers will announce the full Philippine Masters tournament details, including the venue, dates and total prize fund on offer, at a later date.
