Asia has been competitive when it comes to golf. There are many wonderful courses in Asia including Hirono in Japan, Nine Bridges in South Korea, Shanqin Bay in China, Serapong in Singapore, and TPC KL Golf & Country Club in Malaysia. There are many famous golfers which are making their names real big in international competition.
Some of these golfers are not full-blooded Asians, but tracing their roots, they have a strong Asian bloodline. Here are some of the famous golfers you need to meet:
Tiger Woods
Eldrick, nicknamed Tiger, currently tied for the most PGA tour wins with the legendary Sam Snead. Although born in the United States, Tiger’s mother has roots in Thailand. Famous for making his golf debut on live TV at the age of 5, he has been the most dominant golfer since turning pro in 1996. He is currently 2nd all-time for most major victories at 15 trailing only the great Jack Nicklaus. After earning his tour card in 1996, it only took him one year to win his first major in 1997 winning the Masters. One of his more impressive accomplishments is his untouched streak of six straight PGA tour event wins.
K. J. Choi
Hailing from South Korea, K. J. Choi is one of the best golfers originally born in Asia. After turning pro in 1994, he captured his first win was in 1999 at the Kolon Korean Open. Choi continued to grow and gained his PGA tour card in 2002. That same year he won his first PGA event at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans. He has had several top 5 finishes in several major championships on the PGA Tour. He has even had a win at The Players Championship in 2011. In total, he has 29 wins on the European, Asian, and PGA tours.
Vijay Singh
From the Fijian Islands famous for his sweaters and nickname “The Big Fijian”, he is one of the most famous Asian golfers. Turning pro in 1982, he captured his first win at the 1984 Malaysian open. After continued success on the Asian and European tours, he earned his PGA Tour card in 1993. The same here he took his first PGA win at the Buick Classic defeating Mark Wiebe in a playoff. Since his start on the PGA tour, he has won 33 total PGA events and a whopping 64 career total wins.
Malaysian golfers are working their way to make waves on the Asian tour. Malaysia may be a smaller country by land size but these golfers are continuing to rack up wins and make a statement: Malaysia is an up and coming golf mecca.
These golfers are contributing to bringing the Malaysia name to prominence with golf.
Danny Chia
Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Danny became the first Malaysian to win on the Asian tour with his victory at the Taiwan Open in 2002. He is also one of the only golfers from Malaysia to play in the Open Championship, unfortunately, he missed the cut all three times. Chia turned professional in 1996 spending his entire career on the Asian tour and accumulating 19 total wins.
Nicholas Fung
Turning pro in 2010, Fung has earned thirteen victories since his professional start. His first major win on the Asian Tour came in 2017 at the age of 27 when he won the Queen’s Cup. His accomplishments on the Asian Tour include several runner ups and a third place finish. From an international standpoint, he represented Malaysia in the 2016 World Cup and was invited to represent Asia EurAsia Cup in 2014, 2015, and 2018.
Ben Leong
Turning professional in 2006, Leong has captured 6 professional wins on the Asian and Asian Development Tour. His first victory on the Asian Tour came in 2008 after a rough 2007 season when he won the Worldwide Selangor Masters with a one-stroke victory. He has one international appearance when he represented Malaysia in the 2018 World Cup. Ben continues to play full time on the Asian tour and has made major improvements to his game.
Gavin Kyle Green
A rising star from Malaysia at the age of 25 he turned professional in 2015 and has gathered four wins on the Asian (1) and Asian Development Tour (3). He currently participates in the European and Asian Tours where he continues to excel and improve his game. On the international stage, he has already competed in two World Golf Championships but did not make the cut.
Airil Rizman Zahari
Playing professionally since 2003 has won several tournaments on the Malaysian PGA Tour and made his first appearance on the Asian Tour that same year. In 2001, before his professional career started, he won a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games. A 2007 victory on the Asian Tour at the Pakistan Open solidified his choice to join the Asian Tour.
