By Bong Pedralvez | Malaya Business Insight | July 24, 2014
WITH a bigger prize pot of $1 million and world ranking points at stake for the 2016 Rio Janeiro Olympic Games, the second edition of the Resorts World Manila Masters promises to more competitive and action-packed when it tees off on from Nov. 20-23 at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club.
“Together with the Asian Tour and our new presenting sponsor 918.com, we look forward to making the 2nd Resorts World Manila Masters even bigger and better,” RWM chief operating officer Stephen James Reilly said in a press conference yesterday launching the event at the RWM Genting Club.
For his part, Manila Southwoods chairman Bob Sobrepena said: “When I asked Jack Nicklaus to design our courses 10 years ago, I asked him to design courses that would showcase the best in professional golf so we are proud to be the host of the Resorts World Manila Masters.”
Putting up the cash prize of $1 million, a $250,000 hike from last year’s kitty, is 918.com, one of Asia’s leading online gaming companies whose Philippine licensee is First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp. based in Makati.
Asian Tour chairman Kyi Hla Han said aside from the bigger prize money and being part of the Asian Tour, the RWM Manila Masters will also have world ranking points at stake that will serve as part of a qualification event for the Rio Olympic Games.
“The champion will earn 16 world ranking points and these will count in the golfer’s quest in the Rio Games,” said Han, a member of the World Tour Rankings Committee.
Based on the rankings, he added, the top 60 men and top 60 women will compete in Rio de Janeiro where golf is marking its return as an Olympic sport exactly a century ago. Golf was last played in the 1904 St. Louis Olympiad.
Reilly expressed the hope the tournament would not be overshadowed by a typhoon similar to last year’s super howler Yolanda which devastated the country while the event was taking place.
China’s Liang Wen-chong, who beat Thailand’s Prom Meesawat in sudden-death for the RWM Masters crown, donated half of his prize money to the Yolanda victims.
