Published on November 4, 2020

Asian Golf Leaders Forum Commits to Boosting Asian Golf Talent with the New Ladies Asian Tour Series Starting with the KLPGA Hana Financial Group Championship 2020


AGLF founders at the signing ceremony for the inaugural Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open 2020. From left to right; Managing Director of sports marketing agency Mediapro Asia, Lars Heidenreich; Kyung Ja Kim, Executive Director, KLPGA; women’s golf legend, Seri Pak; Hana Financial Group Chairman, Jung-tai Kim; Singapore Golf Association President, Ross Tan; and President of Tanah Merah Country Club, Ho Beng Huat.

Hana Financial Group Championship 2020 will tee off this Thursday as the first tournament of the newly minted Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) series organized by Asian Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF). Firmly rooted in the sport of golf and having been title sponsors on the LPGA, KLPGA, KPGA & Asian Tour for close to two decades, the LAT series further underscores Hana Financial Group’s (Chairman Jung-Tai Kim (www.hanafn.com) and AGLF’s commitment to uniting Asian countries through the sport.

 

The LAT series came hot on the heels of the establishment of the AGLF as the four founders of AGLF – Mr Jung-Tai Kim of Hana Financial Group, Mr. Gwang-Soo Hur of Korea Golf Association (KGA), Mr. Sang-Yeol Kim of Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), and Mr. Kenny Park of Simone – saw the opportunity to deepen its commitment to the sport by providing a platform for Asian women’s golf to make waves globally.

 

“The first tournament of the LAT series at the Hana Financial Group Championship 2020 marks a significant milestone for the AGLF,” says Mr Paul Park, Secretary General of AGLF. “We will continue to charge forward with our mission in enhancing international sports relations and promoting friendship between Asian countries through the spirit of sport.”

 

In addition to the first of the LAT series at Hana Financial Group Championship 2020, existing tournaments such as Korea Women’s Open, Taiwan Women’s Open, China Women’s Open, Vietnam Women’s Open, and the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open will also be part of the series from 2021. The AGLF plans to launch flagship tournaments in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines in the year ahead. Plans are also in the works for an independent ranking system in Asia and establishing the Asian Player of the Year Award.

 

The Ladies Asian Tour is a new tour series organised by the AGLF in 2020. Hana Financial Group Championship will be the first official event of Ladies Asian Tour Series 2020/2021 and is expected to have at least 6 tournaments in 2021 across Asian countries, including the new Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open 2021, a Singapore national event co-sanctioned by the Singapore Golf Association and KLPGA.

 

The Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF) is a non-profit corporation, led by four founders Mr. Jung-Tai Kim of Hana Financial Group, Mr. Gwang-Soo Hur of Korea Golf Association (KGA), Mr. Sang-Yeol Kim of Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), and Mr. Kenny Park of Simone. With a mutual understanding with the R&A and golf associations in Asia such as Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, AGLF’s mission is to unite all the Asian golf associations and create synergies to boost Asian golf to a global arena. Together with corporate partners, AGLF is working to establish and grow Asian’s own series of women’s golf by co-developing with existing tournaments or establish new tournaments in countries across Asia. R&A has put its support behind AGLF and LAT for this new milestone in Asian Golf.