Saudi Arabian-funded Asian Tour to host tournament in England

The Saudi Arabian-funded Asian Tour will stage its first event in England in June as it continues its expansion.

The Centurion Club in Hertfordshire is set to host the $2m (£1.5m) tournament from 9-12 June, one of 10 international events first unveiled in November 2021.

The Asian Tour's season starts on Thursday with the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

«We are on the threshold of a new era for the Asian Tour,» said Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant.

The tour recently revealed it had been boosted by a $200m investment from the Saudi Arabia government's Private Investment Fund, the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments. That funding has been increased by a further $100m, a statement revealed.

«We are setting the Asian Tour up as a powerful new force on the world golf stage,» added two-time major winner and former world number one Greg Norman, who is chief executive of LIV Golf Investments. He will hold a news conference on Tuesday to outline more details.

«In my 40 years as a professional golfer, I've seen many parts of the world that have benefitted tremendously from golf and its growth and development.

»We now have the opportunity to do that in the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East. I've never been so optimistic about the future of the sport."

The 10 new tournaments — dubbed the 'International Series' — have funding to be held in each of the next 10 years.

The first will be staged in Thailand, from 3-6 March, with the England leg — the first Asian Tour event to be held outside of the continent — following in June, the week before the US Open.

Other events will be held in South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia before heading to the Middle East and culminating in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

«Th