Off the tee: Asian tour tempts talent eastwards

''Look east young man" is the new catchcry of young New Zealanders chasing a professional tournament career.

And why not.

The Australasian circuit has shrunk rather than expanded in the past few years and winning a tour card does not guarantee you starts.

The New Zealand secondary circuit is still a work in progress, while Von Nida tournaments in Australia come and go.

Meanwhile, Asia is the great growth area for golf and the Asian circuit has shared in the expansion.

The purses are beginning to reflect the game's status in the area with the Singapore Open recently boosting its prize fund to US$3 million ($4.3 million), and US$475,500 for the winner at the Sentosa Club in September.

The Asian tour co-sanctions some events with the European, South African, Japanese and Australasian tours and the prize money reflects their enhanced status.

The word has clearly spread. When the Asian tour closed entries for its qualifying schools this month, 600 applications had been received from around the world.

Only Waikato professional Brad Shilton progressed from the first to the final stage at the Palm Resort in Malaysia this week. Josh Carmichael, Doug Holloway and Scott Hill missed by one.

Shilton and three other Kiwis, Brad Iles, Kevin Chun and Mathew Holten, who were exempt to the final stage, are battling for one of the 40 cards to be awarded tomorrow for full playing rights. Survivors will join Richard Lee, Mahal Pearce and Eddie Lee on the tour.

Aucklander Richard Lee turned to the Asian tour last season after losing his card on the Japanese tour in 2003.

He had to go through both stages of qualifying but then won the Thai Open and finished the season 32nd on the Asian order of merit with US$103,749 in winnings.

Pearce had been frustrated in his efforts to join a tour in either Europe or the United States.

He qualified for Asia last January and earned US$98,274 from 13 tournaments to finish a couple of places below Richard Lee on the order of merit.

Eddie Lee won a professional tournament in Korea while still a New Zealand amateur representative and has regularly competed in Asia since turning professional. He won US$85,860 on the tour last season.

The order of merit reflects the international nature of the players.

Two Thais head the list. Thaworn Wiratchant won US$510,122 from 27 tournaments. Thongchai Jaidee collected US$454,335 from just 13.

The top-10 also includes players from India, Australia, South Africa and Korea. Europeans, Taiwanese, Japanese and Chinese are prominent and they certainly get a geography lesson.

When Richard Lee failed to make the cut in the New Zealand Open at Gulf Harbour last year despite shooting three under the card, he was ineligible for a place in the rich NZPGA tournament at Christchurch so opted to fly to Myanmar for a tournament worth only US$200,000.

This season there are tournaments in Myanmar, India, China, Korea, Macau, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Pakistan, Qatar, Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The big guns of world golf are being attracted to China by millions of dollars but there are still places for Asian tour players.

"The East is Red," the Maoists sang.

They were probably not referring to the red figures on the leader board that reward players from around the world in a very capitalist type of game.