1981_Asia_Golf_Circuit
1981 Asia Golf Circuit
Golf tour season
The 1981 Asia Golf Circuit was the 20th 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 | 19 February 1981 (1981-02-19) – 26 April 1981 (1981-04-26) |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 10 |
| Most wins |  Chen Tze-ming (2) Tom Sieckmann (2) Payne Stewart (2) |
| Order of Merit | Lu Hsi-chuen |
← 1980 1982 → | |
In 1978, Papua New Guinea had joined the Asian Golf Confederation with the intention of adding a tournament to the circuit in 1980.[1][2] These plans were postponed and the tournament was then provisionally scheduled to start the 1981 season,[3] but Papua New Guinea withdrew from the circuit later in the year.[4]
After several years of the Indian Open clashing with the Malaysian Dunlop Masters, the Malaysian Golf Association managed to get the organisers, Dunlop Malaysia, to agree to reschedule their event.[5] However, the organisers of the Rolex Masters in Singapore controversially then organised their tournament for the same dates.[6]
The following table lists official events during the 1981 season.[7][8]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (US$) | Winner[lower-alpha 1] | Other tours[lower-alpha 2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Feb | Philippine Open | Philippines | 150,000 | Tom Sieckmann (1) | ||
| 1 Mar | Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open | Hong Kong | 120,000 | Chen Tze-ming (2) | ||
| 8 Mar | Thailand Open | Thailand | 60,000 | Tom Sieckmann (2) | ||
| 15 Mar | Indian Open | India | 60,000 | Payne Stewart (1) | ||
| 22 Mar | Malaysian Open | Malaysia | 70,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (7) | ||
| 29 Mar | Singapore Open | Singapore | 70,000 |  Mya Aye (2) | ||
| 5 Apr | Indonesia Open | Indonesia | 60,000 | Payne Stewart (2) | ||
| 12 Apr | Taiwan Open | Taiwan | 100,000 | Ho Ming-chung (3) | ||
| 19 Apr | Korea Open | South Korea | 70,000 | Chen Tze-ming (3) | ||
| 26 Apr | Dunlop International Open | Japan | ¥30,000,000 |  Kosaku Shimada (1) | JPN |
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[9]
| Position | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lu Hsi-chuen | 713 |
| 2 | Ho Ming-chung | 697 |
| 3 | Payne Stewart | 690 |
| 4 | Tom Sieckmann | 675 |
| 5 | Chen Tze-ming | 627 |
- JPN − PGA of Japan Tour.
- "Asian circuit expands". The Straits Times. Singapore. 20 March 1978. p. 22. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
- "PNG golfers enter big league". Papua New Guinea Post-courier. 12 April 1978. p. 40. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via Trove.
- "PNG on Asian circuit". Papua New Guinea Post-courier. 30 April 1980. p. 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via Trove.
- "PNG pull out from circuit". The Straits Times. Singapore. 18 October 1980. p. 37. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
- "Dunlop Masters put off". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 January 1981. p. 37. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
- "Fireworks in store for SGA at meeting". The Straits Times. Singapore. 21 March 1981. p. 38. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
- "No invitation from Manila, say SPGA". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 January 1981. p. 37. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via National Library Board.
- McCormack, Mark H. (1982). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1982. Springwood Books. pp. 222–234, 439–449. ISBN 0862541018. Retrieved 8 November 2023 – via Archive.org.
- "Shimada takes Dunlop title". The Business Times. Singapore. Reuter. 27 April 1981. p. 17. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via National Library Board.