Bangkok, January 29: A power-packed line-up of Japanese stars will head full speed to Bangkok next week for the season-opening Asian Tour International at the Suwan Golf and Country Club.

No fewer than nine Japan Golf Tour champions will challenge last year’s winner James Kamte of South Africa for the title when the US$300,000 tournament begins from February 4-7.

Azuma Yano, Nobuhito Sato and Hideto Tanihara will spearhead the challenge from the Land of the Rising Sun and through their impressive credentials, they will be expected to launch a title assault.

Sato has won nine times in Japan while Tanihara is an eight-time winner, including two co-sanctioned events with the Asian Tour. Yano, who earned his Asian Tour card through Qualifying School earlier this month, is a three-time champion and was ranked second in Japan in 2008.

Last year’s runner-up at the Asian Tour International, Tetsuji Hiratsuka, will also return to Suwan with the aim of winning his sixth career victory.

Other leading Japanese contenders will include Daisuke Maruyama, winner of the Asian Tour Qualifying School and the Panasonic Open last season, Tatsuhiko Ichihara, Go Higaki, Soushi Tajima and Jun Kikuchi, who have all won once in Japan.

Tanihara, 31, has been one of Japan’s leading players over the past few seasons with his impressive track record. He also hit international fame by finishing tied fifth at the 2006 British Open at Hoylake. In the past four seasons, he has finished in the top-10 of the Japan money rankings on three occasions.

The event’s title sponsor, Kinogolf, has annually invited players from Japan to compete in the Asian Tour International, which will celebrate its third edition next week.

True to its name, the Asian Tour International will feature players from no fewer than 25 different nationalities which reflects the cosmopolitan feel of the established Asian Tour.

Thai hero Thaworn Wiratchant, Asia’s number one in 2005, will bid to equal countryman Thongchai Jaidee’s record of 12 career titles on the Asian Tour when he competes on home soil.

Other top Thai stars in the elite field include Prom Meesawat and Chinnarat Phadungsil.

Australia’s Marcus Both, who has finished third in the last two editions of the Asian Tour International, will head to Suwan with the intention of winning a third Asian Tour career victory. He won the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open last November to finish seventh on the Order of Merit, the best finish of his career.

Sponsors of the Asian Tour International include Kinogolf, Panasonic, Singha, Ricoh, Srixon and Inetol.

About the Asian Tour

As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia.  This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include J.Lindeberg (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider) and Srixon (Official Ball). Sentosa, Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, is the Home of the Asian Tour.