Bandar Seri Begawan, March 5: Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate Miguel Carballo of Argentina is determined to put up a strong showing after travelling across the globe for the Richard Mille Brunei Championships which starts on Wednesday.

Carballo, the only Argentinean to hold an Asian Tour card for the 2018 season, will make his Asian Development Tour (ADT) debut and compete in his first professional event in Asia since 2006 at the US$60,000 event staged at the Empire Golf and Country Club.

The 38-year-old Carballo, who turned professional in 2002, began his journey last Thursday, flying for about 16 hours from Argentina to Istanbul before continuing his journey for another 10 hours to Kuala Lumpur where he stopped for a night before flying to Brunei on Sunday.

“It has been a long journey since I left Argentina on Thursday. It is my first time to this country and even though I did a lot of travelling, I am happy to finally get here and I am happy seeing all these new countries,” said Carballo.

Despite the hectic traveling, Carballo is excited to get his season off to a good start with a strong showing at the inaugural event, which gets underway from March 7 to 10.

Playing on the ADT will be good for me because I feel it gives me more playing opportunities, as compared to when I am back home in Argentina. I will stay in Asia for the next couple of weeks and try to play as many events as I can.

“I will probably be based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as it’s easier to get around,” added Carballo, who previously won on the Challenge Tour and the Web.com Tour in his 16-year professional career.

Carballo will be amongst the talented 120-man field, spearheaded by Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who will challenge for top honours at the Richard Mille Brunei Championships. Reigning ADT Order of Merit champion Pannakorn Uthaipas, as well as Asian Tour winners Marcus Both and Steve Lewton, will also feature in the ADT event.

Both, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, said: It’s great to be back on a familiar venue. I have played here before on the Asian Tour. This course sets up well for me. It’s not a bombers paradise and you have to think your way around a little.

“There are a lot of dog-leg holes that are right on the yardage where I still use my driver off the tee but it leaves you with a tricky second shot even though you get to cut corners a little. It’s certainly a lot windier here so the wind will play a big factor this week,” said the 37-year-old Australian.

Local prospect Faiz Damit, who used to ply his trade on the Asian Tour and the ADT, is thrilled to play a professional event at home again.

He is excited to play on home soil again and hopes the Richard Mille Brunei Championships will promote his country as a golfing destination.

It’s hard for the local golf scene to grow because we don’t have a lot of golfers and facilities here. This event will bring in more publicity to professional golf in Brunei and encourage the younger generation to take up golf.

“Two of the amateurs playing in this event are my cousins and we grew up practicing together. It’s good to see that they have more opportunities to play since they always ask me for advice about turning professional,” said Faiz.

“This course is all about strategic golf. There are a couple of holes where you just have to hit an iron or a 5-wood off the tee. I have been practicing here a lot but the course will be different since they moved some tee boxes up and they switched the two nines,” he added.

All ADT events are afforded Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status. The winner of each tournament receives a minimum of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2018 season.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

Ends.

About Asian Development Tour

The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia. Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world. Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School, players will qualify for the Asian Development Tour and enjoy the opportunity to hone their games and talent through a secondary circuit in Asia. Designed in the same structure as the Web.com Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf. The Asian Development Tour has been structured to ensure the best opportunities for its members. The leading five players on the Asian Development Tour will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for aspiring professionals. All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking points.