The Asian Swing gets under way this week as the DP World Tour heads east for the Porsche Singapore Classic. Here are your five things to know.
The Asian Swing begins
This week sees the start of the Asian Swing - the third of five Global Swings in Phase One of the 2025 Race to Dubai.
After the Opening and International Swings, the Asian Swing consists of four events across six weeks sandwiching a down week and the season's opening Major Championship at the Masters Tournament. From Laguna National we move on to the Hero Indian Open before a double-header in China with the Volvo China Open and inaugural Hainan Classic.
At the end of the Swing, the player who has accumulated the most Race to Dubai Rankings points from those four events will earn entry into all events in Phase Two of the season - the Back 9 - and a US$200,000 bonus but that is not all that is on offer. The top three players only in the Swing will also earn exemptions into the season's second Major at the US PGA Championship, while the highest-ranked player not already exempt will guarantee their place at the Genesis Scottish Open - the second Rolex Series event of the season.
Bob is back
One of the DP World Tour's most popular characters is back in action this week as Robert MacIntyre tees it up at this event for the second time.
He played in the inaugural edition in 2023 en route to making a victorious Ryder Cup debut and enjoyed a stellar 2024 on both sides of the Atlantic, winning the Genesis Scottish Open and the RBC Canadian Open.
“I’m really excited to be playing in the Porsche Singapore Classic again this year,” he said. “The fans were amazing last time, and Laguna National is a great course to start the season’s Asian Swing. Singapore is an incredible city - it’s a world-famous destination with so much to offer. It’s always a fun place to visit, and I’m looking forward to being back.”
Inside the field
Teeing it up alongside MacIntyre will be Major Champion Jimmy Walker, with the 2016 US PGA Championship winner making his first trip to Singapore for just the eighth regular DP World Tour start of his illustrious career.
The Asian Swing also brings with it a strong Asian contingent as China's Li Haotong is joined by fellow 2025 season winners Alejandro del Rey, Calum Hill, Ryggs Johnston and John Parry.
Ockie Strydom, the 2023 champion, will look to lift the trophy once more, while Swede Sebastian Söderberg begins the defence of his Asian Swing title having secured two runner-up finishes and a third-place in the 2024 edition.
Ever popular Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat is also likely to take good crowds with him as he looks to go one better than last season's play-off defeat and clinch a fifth DP World Tour title
Teenage amateur among local qualifiers
Local teenager Brayden Lee will compete in his biggest event to date after sealing one of three quaifying spots last month. The 17-year-old amateur carded a one-over-par 73 to finish fifth at Laguna National Golf Resort Club and secure his spot as the top Singaporean.
“The smaller goal is to make the cut," said Lee. "But if you look at the bigger picture, I just want to see how the guys from the better tours actually navigate their way around the courses, and in this case it’s the Classic Course at Laguna National. In terms of the World Amateur Golf Rankings, this will be (my biggest competition to date). If I’m able to get some decent scores out and, in the worst case scenario I don’t make the cut, I think I’ll still have a little bit of a confidence boost. And I’ll be able to kind of ride that wave throughout the year, so hopefully that happens.”
Thai professional Natipong Srithong won the qualifying event with a score of 69, while Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno secured the other qualifying spot after defeating fellow professional Jonathan Wijono of Indonesia and Hong Kong amateur Wang Ngai Shen in a three-way play-off.
A European Tour Destination
Host venue of the DP World Tour’s 2025 Porsche Singapore Classic, Laguna Resort Singapore is one of Southeast Asia’s premier golf and country clubs, and is one of 25 European Tour Destinations.
It features two critically-acclaimed 18-hole courses that have been upgraded in recent years and which possess a rich, international championship hosting history, having hosted the Singapore Masters and the Korean LPGA’s ADT Caps Tour Championship. One of those, Laguna National which is known locally as the Beast, is set to once again welcome the DP World Tour’s Singapore Classic.
Located within 10 minutes of the city’s Changi Airport, Laguna Resort Singapore guests can take advantage of the onsite 5* Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore hotel, which offers three swimming pools, three tennis courts, a putting green, a gym and its signature Devarana Spa, not to mention a variety of gastronomic options.
The DP World Tour first visited Singapore in 1993, with Major Champions Sir Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam winning the first editions of the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1993 and 1996. Fellow Major Champions Vijay Singh and Adam Scott are also winners on the DP World Tour in Singapore.
The 2006 edition of the Singapore Masters, held at Laguna National, was the scene of the most memorable moment in the country’s golfing history, when home favourite Mardan Mamat lifted the trophy, finishing one stroke ahead of England’s Nick Dougherty.
