Global pathways accelerating talented Asian golfers to the fore

The stars truly aligned for Asian golf during one glorious Sunday in October as three talents: Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei, China's Ding Wenyi, and Kaito Onishi of Japan—put an exclamation point on the importance of the various global pathways that lead to the sport's ultimate destination, the PGA Tour.

- Chuah Choo Chiang

With golf sustaining its international growth, the multiple initiatives led by the PGA Tour are also beginning to bear their first fruits in accelerating the careers of aspiring stars from Asia.

A first case in point is Yu, who proudly became the first Asian graduate of the innovative PGA Tour University programme to win a PGA Tour event with his breakthrough victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Oct 6.

Yu had graduated in fourth place in the PGA Tour University ranking in 2021 following a stellar amateur career at Arizona State University. The following season, he played his way into the PGA Tour by finishing 20th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list.

The 26-year-old, who will be playing in the Oct 24-27 Zozo Championship, credited the PGA Tour University for providing a pathway to the elite tour.

“The system in the US is much more streamlined, giving players a faster track to the top,” said Yu, who became only the third golfer from Chinese Taipei after Chen Tze-chung and Pan Cheng-tsung to win on the PGA Tour.