WHAT: Asia Long Drive Championship 2022
WHERE: Laguna Golf Club Phuket, Thailand
WHEN: September 16-18, 2022
At a press conference held on September 15 at Benyan Tree Hotel in Phuket, heads of Asia Long Drive Association and Just Play Asia Sport Management came together to introduce one of the biggest long drive competitions in Asia. Mr. Souhaib Mishmish, Director of International Relation of Asia Long Drive Association, said that this was the first time an event of this kind was organized in Thailand and that it is of crucial importance for the sport of long drive to have Asian representatives at the World Long Drive Championship.
Mr. Shine Liu, General secretary of Asia Long Drive Association, explained that this is the first Asia Long Drive Championship ever, and that it will definitely be exciting and challenging.
The championship is open to players competing in Open, Women’s and Master’s division, and will take place on the grounds of the beautiful Laguna Golf Club in Phuket, Thailand. It starts on Friday, Sep 16 and will continue through Sunday, Sep 18, when winners from all three categories will be announced. The winners will get to take home a hefty amount and a chance to compete at the World Long Drive Championship, which will take place on October 2-8, 2022 at Mesquite Sports & Events Complex, Mesquite, NV,USA. The participants come from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand and are at the top of their game.
According to Mr. Nateephratn Namngern, Managing Director of Just Play Asia Sport Management, they have been preparing for and organizing the competition for the past two years, but due to Covid plans got canceled and games postponed. The initial plan was to host the Championship in China, but because of the strict international travel requirements it got complicated. Thailand has been chosen instead.
Mr Thammawat Wongcharoenyot, president of the Phuket Sports Association, said that this was the first time for Phuket to host such important event and that, apart from promoting the sport, it’s a great development opportunity for Thai tourism.
As the governing body for long drive in Asia, ALDA’s mission is to expand the sport beyond the national borders. At a press conference, Shine Liu, the General Secretary of Asia Long Drive Association confirmed that ALDC 2022 is just the first in the series of events organized in order to achieve this goal. According to Mr. Liu, Asia Long Drive Association is planning to organize more events in 2023 and future.
During the press conference, representatives of ALDA and Just Play Asia Sport Management highlighted the importance of involvement of all Asian countries in the process and invited all current and, hopefully, future long drive enthusiasts in Asia to join forces and work towards a common goal – creating opportunities to play the game through organizing new and exciting long drive events across Asia.
