Asian Development Tour expands to PH

THE Asian Development Tour (ADT) will break new ground with the staging of the Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI at the Cebu Country Club from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

The Aboitiz Invitational will have a total prize fund of $65,000 making it the first Philippine event to feature on the fledgling ADT.

The latest addition will raise the ADT’s schedule to eight events this year featuring upcoming players and rising stars who will also travel to Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

“An ADT tournament in Cebu through the Aboitiz Invitational puts the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) and ADT further in the regional and global golfing map,” says Colo Ventosa, general manager of Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. (PGTI). The PGTI oversees the domestic golf circuit.

Erramon Aboitiz, president and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, was delighted to forge a new partnership with the ADT.

“We are honored to be involved with the fast-growing ADT and we look forward to welcoming the region’s rising stars of the game to Cebu. We are very pleased to have enhanced this year’s Aboitiz Invitational by having players from both the ADT and PGT participate in this tournament,” said Aboitiz.

“Aboitiz Equity Ventures is fully committed in our support of professional golf in the Philippines. There are a lot of talented players in our country and it is our aim to create more champions who will go on to enjoy a successful career on the elite Asian Tour Aboitiz added.

Among the rising stars set to compete in the Aboitiz Invitational include local teen sensation Miguel Tabuena, the youngest member of the Asian Tour, Artemio Murakami, currently third on the ADT Order of Merit, Juvic Pagunsan, the current No. 1 on the PGT Order of Merit and Malaysia’s S. Siva Chandhran, a two-time ADT winner and last year’s No. 1. /PR