Published July 17, 2008 on July 9, 2018

Royal Cup Returns to Asian Tour Calendar in July

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The highly-acclaimed Royal Cup, held in honour of King Rama X, will return to the 2018 Asian Tour schedule from July 26 to 29.

India’s Shiv Kapur, who won the 2017 edition for his record third title last season, is set to defend his title against a talented field when he returns to the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club later this month.

The 2018 Royal Cup, which offers a prize purse of US$500,000, will be held in conjunction with the 66th birthday celebration of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, which falls on July 28, Saturday.

Man of the moment John Catlin of the United States, who became the first player to win twice on the Asian Tour in 2018 following his victory at the Sarawak Championship last week, will headline the 156-man field alongside countryman and one-time winner Paul Peterson.

A strong Thai contingent, featuring Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Prom Meesawat and Panuphol Pittayarat, will also take aim at recapturing the trophy on home soil in the prestigious event, which marks the Tour’s fourth stop in Thailand this season.

Chanya Swangchitr, President of Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club, said: “We are delighted to welcome back the Asian Tour stars and officials. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our magnificent venue as we host some of the best players in the region. We look forward to another successful staging of the event in a fortnight’s time.”

Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer, Cho Minn Thant, hailed the return of the Royal Cup, saying: “We would like to thank the owner and management of Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club for staging their second event on the Asian Tour and welcoming all of us back again after three weeks.

“Khun Chanya Swangchitr and her team have made an unbelievable effort to host us again and we can only look forward to their hospitality. Inside the ropes, I am certain the course will once again be to the liking of our players and provide low scoring as always.

“I would also like to thank the SAT for their continued support of professional golf and the Asian Tour. The SAT has played a major role in the advancement of professional golfers from the region to the world stage through support of the Asian Tour over the past decade. Many of such breakthrough victories at SAT supported events have propelled our players’ careers to the next level,” he added.

The Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club was the host venue of the Queen’s Cup, where Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond claimed his second Asian Tour title last month. The tournament was held on the Mountain Course (front-nine) and Ocean Course (back-nine).

The Asian Tour will return to the same venue for the Royal Cup, with the front-nine being played on the Lake course and the back-nine being played on the Mountain course. The par-70 set-up measures 6,716 yards in total.

A Monday-qualifier offering 10 spots for the Royal Cup will be held at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club on July 23.