Singapore: Singapore’s first Asian Tour event this season has attracted a high-quality field for this week’s inaugural US$1.5 million International Series Singapore.

American Sihwan Kim, who currently leads the Tour’s Order of Merit following two victories, is one of 16 players from the top-20 on the Merit list who will line-up from August 11-14 over the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

It will be the 11th stop of the year on the Asian Tour and the third International Series event.

Korean Kim Bi-o and Zimbabwean Scott Vincent, both first-time winners this season and second and fourth respectively on the Merit list, have entered.

So, too, has Sadom Kaewkanjana, fifth on the rankings and enjoying a breakthrough season which has seen him win January’s Singapore Open and produce an inspired performance in The Open at St Andrews this month, finishing joint 11th, the best performance by a Thai player in the game’s oldest Major.

In total, six out of 10 winners on Tour this season will play in Singapore with Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Thai NitithornThippong also making the trip to the Lion City.

Thais Jazz Janewattananond, former Singapore Open winner and the Asian Tour number one in 2019, and Phachara Khongwatmai, have also entered, as well as Malaysian Gavin Green, the Merit list champion in 2017; Indians Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar Sharma; South African Justin Harding, Australians Scott Hend, a 10-time Tour winner, Wade Ormsby and Brett Rumford; plus Korean Wang Jeung-hun, the three-time DP World Tour champion, who has just completed 18 months national service in Korea.

The Singapore tournament, which will see the winner earn a cheque for US$270,000, will also welcome a host of prominent international players, led by ex-Masters champion Patrick Reed and fellow-Americans Chase Koepka, brother of four-time Major champion Brooks, and Peter Uihlein, and a number of the game’s rising stars who have recently turned professional.

Among them are former US Amateur champions James Piot and Andy Ogletree from the US, American Turk Pettit, who claimed last year’s NCAA Division 1 individual title, Australian Jediah Morgan – winner of the Australian PGA Championship in January by a record 11 shots – and Jovan Rebula from South Africa, the 2018 Amateur Championship victor, and nephew of South African great Ernie Els.

Thw field also includes veteran stars and former Singapore Open winners Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa from India, and Thais Thaworn Wiratchant, winner of a record 18 titles on Tour, and Prayad Marksaeng; as well as prominent Japan Golf Tour Organisation players Yuki Inamori, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Hideto Tanihara and Ryo Hisatsune.

Meanwhile, 11 Singaporean professionals, led by five-time Tour winner Mardan Mamat, and four local amateurs will fly the flag for the host nation.

The Tour last visited Tanah Merah in January for The Singapore International, the penultimate event of the 2020-22 season. Korean Kim Joo-hyung beat Thai Rattanon Wannasrichan in a sudden-death play-off.

Following on from Tanah Merah, players will head to the International Series Korea, at Lotte SkyhillJeju Country Club next week.

The new raft of International Series events was unveiled this year thanks to an exciting new relationship with LIV Golf.  Details of the remaining International Series events for the season will be announced soon.