Tour stars voice support for Asian Development Tour
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Asian Tour winners Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei and Filipino Artemio Murakami believes the fledging Asian Development Tour (ADT) will unearth new stars of the game across the region.
The ADT was launched last year along the lines of the Nationwide Tour in the United States and the European Challenge Tour as a platform for budding golfers who do not have access onto the elite Asian Tour to sharpen their skills.
Lin, a five-time Asian Tour winner, threw his support behind the Asian Development Tour, saying it will benefit up-and-coming players in the long run.
"There is a promising pool of talented players who are all eager to prove themselves and show that they can match up against seasoned campaigners like me. It brings out the best in them," said Lin, who loss in a play-off to countryman Chiang Chen-chih in the recent ADT Transcend Open.
Lin reckons the likes of Chiang and Hsu Chia-jen, who had pushed him last year at the Ballantine's Taiwan Championship, would go on to become stars in their own right on the Asian Tour.
Hsu earned his Asian Tour card after he finished in the top-three of the ADT Order of Merit last season.
"The ADT is a good platform for players who want to develop their game and move on to the main Tour where the standards are much higher," added Lin.
Filipino Murakami, winner of the 2007 Iskandar Johor Open, has also played on the ADT after losing his full card on the Asian Tour. "Everybody likes to play in tournaments and the ADT is a good chance for the younger kids to hone their skills and try to get onto the main tour," said the bubbly Filipino.
The ADT was the springboard for India's Himmat Rai, who finished tied fifth at the Impian Classic in Malaysia last month before battling into contention at the ICTSI Philippine Open on the Asian Tour where he eventually tied for 28th place after a final round 79.
"It is very good build up to the Asian Tour weeks. When you are not playing, you are not geared up to play in the main Tour events. It's highly competitive although it's a development level," said Rai.
The newest ADT winner Chiang, who currently leads the Order of Merit, is delighted to have the opportunity to take his his career to a new level.
"It's a good platform for us to develop our game and compete at the highest level. This is important as we need the experience when we play on the main Tour," said Chiang.
Last year, the ADT staged five tournaments in its inaugural season. There is a minimum seven tournaments on this year's schedule.
