1979 Asia Golf Circuit
The 1979 Asia Golf Circuit was the 18th season of the Asia Golf Circuit (formerly the Far East Circuit), the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
| Duration | 22 February 1979 – 22 April 1979 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 9 |
| Most wins | Lu Hsi-chuen (3) |
| Order of Merit | Lu Hsi-chuen |
← 1978 1980 → | |
Changes for 1979
The Philippine Open was withdrawn from the circuit due to non-payment of contributions towards the overall circuit fund, however the tournament did go ahead but did not count for the circuit standings.[1][2] Along with Thailand, the Philippines had also not been forthcoming with their contributions for the previous season.[3] After the tournament, the Philippines announced their intention to reschedule the Philippine Open to December and possibly rejoin the circuit with the Philippine Masters, an invitational event which had served as warm-up event for the circuit since its inauguration in 1976,[4] however they ultimately rejoined the circuit for the 1980 season with the same tournament schedules.
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1979 season.[5][6][7]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (US$) | Winner[lower-alpha 1] | Other tours[lower-alpha 2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb | Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open | Hong Kong | 100,000 | Greg Norman (n/a) | ||
| 4 Mar | Singapore Open | Singapore | 50,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (1) | ||
| 11 Mar | Malaysian Open | Malaysia | 60,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (2) | ||
| 18 Mar | Thailand Open | Thailand | 40,000 | Mike Krantz (1) | ||
| 25 Mar | Indian Open | India | 30,000 | Gaylord Burrows (2) | ||
| 1 Apr | Indonesia Open | Indonesia | 45,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (3) | ||
| 8 Apr | Taiwan Open | Taiwan | 50,000 | Lu Liang-Huan (8) | ||
| 15 Apr | Korea Open | South Korea | 60,000 | Shen Chung-shyan (1) | ||
| 22 Apr | Dunlop International Open | Japan | 100,000 | Hiroshi Ishii (n/a) | JPN |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse ($) |
Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb | Philippine Masters | Philippines | 55,000 | Mya Aye | Limited-field event |
| 18 Feb | Philippine Open | Philippines | 100,000 | Ben Arda |
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[7]
| Position | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lu Hsi-chuen | 142 |
| 2 | Hsu Chi-san | 109 |
| 3 | Hsu Sheng-san | 84 |
| 4 | Kuo Chie-Hsiung | 83 |
| 5 | Mya Aye | 78 |
Notes
- The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Asia Golf Circuit events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Asia Golf Circuit members.
- JPN − PGA of Japan Tour.
References
- "Philippines withdraw from circuit". The Straits Times. Singapore. 12 January 1979. p. 31. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
- "Lack of competition, so pros leave for PI". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 February 1979. p. 22. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
- McCormack, Mark H. (1979). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1979. Doubleday. pp. 227–243, 376–385. ISBN 0385149409. Retrieved 8 November 2023 – via Archive.org.
- "New $420,000 PI open". New Nation. Singapore. AFP. 20 February 1979. p. 17. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
- "Taiwan's Lu first rookie to win three golf titles". The Straits Times. Singapore. Reuter. 25 April 1979. p. 32. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
- McCormack, Mark H. (1980). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1980. Springwood Books. pp. 205–232, 371–379. ISBN 0905947835.
- Simms, George (1980). World of Golf 1980. Macdonald and Jane's. pp. 142–146. ISBN 0362020078.