King's Cup added to the European Tour's 2016 summer schedule
Tuesday 3 May 2016 14:15, UK
The European Tour will return to Thailand this summer when the King’s Cup, co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour, is played at in Pattaya from July 28-31.
Held at Phoenix Gold Golf Club on the same week as the PGA Championship, the tournament will carry a prize fund of $750,000 and mark the first time the European Tour schedule has visited Thailand twice in a season.
The field will be made up of 90 players from the Asian Tour, 25 from the European Tour and 25 from the Thailand PGA, with prize money counting towards both the Race to Dubai and the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: "We are delighted to be adding another tournament to the schedule, which gives those European Tour members not playing in the US PGA Championship an opportunity to compete that week.
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"We have long enjoyed a very successful relationship with the Asian Tour, and adding a new co-sanctioned event to our schedule is another positive step forward."
The event is returning to the Asian Tour schedule having been first played in 2009, with Thaworn Wiratchant taking the title ahead of Andrew Dodt and Anirban Lahiri the last time it was held in 2014.
Kyi Hla Hand, Asian Tour Commissioner, said: "The Asian Tour and our talented players look forward to returning to Thailand for the King's Cup. This is a fantastic development for golf as it reinforces yet again the growing strength of the game in Asia.
"We are also delighted to co-sanction the King's Cup with our long-time partner, the European Tour. I believe the addition of 25 European Tour players in the field will strengthen what is already a highly-regarded and prestigious golf tournament."
