| Duration | 22 February 1979 – 22 April 1979 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 9 |
| Most wins |  Lu Hsi-chuen (3) |
| Order of Merit | Lu Hsi-chuen |
← 1978 1980 → | |
The 1979 Asia Golf Circuit was the 18th season of the Asia Golf Circuit (formerly the Far East Circuit), the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
The Philippine Open was withdrawn from the circuit due to non-payment of contributions towards the overall circuit fund, however the tournament did go ahead but did not count for the circuit standings. [1] [2] Along with Thailand, the Philippines had also not been forthcoming with their contributions for the previous season. [3] After the tournament, the Philippines announced their intention to reschedule the Philippine Open to December and possibly rejoin the circuit with the Philippine Masters, an invitational event which had served as warm-up event for the circuit since its inauguration in 1976, [4] however they ultimately rejoined the circuit for the 1980 season with the same tournament schedules.
The following table lists official events during the 1979 season. [5] [6] [7]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (US$) | Winner [lower-alpha 1] | Other tours [lower-alpha 2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb | Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open | Hong Kong | 100,000 |  Greg Norman (n/a) | ||
| 4 Mar | Singapore Open | Singapore | 50,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (1) | ||
| 11 Mar | Malaysian Open | Malaysia | 60,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (2) | ||
| 18 Mar | Thailand Open | Thailand | 40,000 |  Mike Krantz (1) | ||
| 25 Mar | Indian Open | India | 30,000 | Gaylord Burrows (2) | ||
| 1 Apr | Indonesia Open | Indonesia | 45,000 | Lu Hsi-chuen (3) | ||
| 8 Apr | Taiwan Open | Taiwan | 50,000 | Lu Liang-Huan (8) | ||
| 15 Apr | Korea Open | South Korea | 60,000 | Shen Chung-shyan (1) | ||
| 22 Apr | Dunlop International Open | Japan | 100,000 |  Hiroshi Ishii (n/a) | JPN |
The following events were sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse ($) | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb | Philippine Masters | Philippines | 55,000 |  Mya Aye | Limited-field event |
| 18 Feb | Philippine Open | Philippines | 100,000 |  Ben Arda |
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system. [7]
| Position | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lu Hsi-chuen | 142 |
| 2 | Hsu Chi-san | 109 |
| 3 | Hsu Sheng-san | 84 |
| 4 | Kuo Chie-Hsiung | 83 |
| 5 | Mya Aye | 78 |
The Philippine Open was one of the world's longest-running men's golf tournaments. First held in 1913, it is also Asia's oldest golf tournament.
The Malaysian Open is a men's professional golf tournament that is currently played on the Asian Tour, and was formerly played on the European Tour.
The Indonesia Open is the national open golf championship of Indonesia, and traditionally held in the capital, Jakarta.
Francisco "Frankie" Miñoza is a Filipino professional golfer.
Lu Liang-Huan, also known as Mister Lu to British golf fans, was a successful Taiwanese golfer who won several important tournaments on the Asian and European circuits between 1959 and 1987.
The Yomiuri Open was a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. Founded in 1970 as the Wizard Tournament, a 36-hole invitational tournament, it was played at Hashimoto Country Club in Wakayama until 1979 when it moved to Yomiuri Country Club in Hyōgo. With the move, it also became a full 72-hole tour event, having been extended to 54 holes in 1976, and adopted its new name. It remained at Yomiuri every year except for 1996, when it was played at Wakasu Golf Links in Tokyo. In 2007 it merged with the Mizuno Open to form the Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic.
The Kirin Open was a golf tournament in Japan. It was founded in 1972 as the season ending event on the Asia Golf Circuit, replacing the Yomiuri International which had been cancelled when sponsors decided to discontinue the event. It was also a fixture on the Japan Golf Tour from 1974 until 2001.
The Indian Open, titled for sponsorship reasons as the Hero Indian Open since 2011, is the national open golf championship of India, organised by the Indian Golf Union. Founded in 1964, it was added to the Asia Golf Circuit schedule in 1970. In 1998 it became an event on the rival Omega Tour. Since 2015, it has also been co-sanctioned by the European Tour.
The Thailand Open is the national golf open of Thailand.
Kuo Chie-Hsiung is a Taiwanese professional golfer.
The Taiwan Open was the national open golf tournament of Taiwan. It was also known as the Republic of China Open, ROC Open, Chinese Taipei Open, or simply the China Open. It was founded in 1965, and became an event on the Asia Golf Circuit the following year. The Asian PGA Tour was founded in 1995, and the Asian Circuit declined. The Taiwan Open became an event on the new tour in 1999, and was last held in 2006.
The Kuzuha International was a professional golf tournament in Japan between 1965 and 1990. It was played at the Kuzuha Public Golf Course in Kuzuha, Hirakata, Osaka. From 1978 to 1983, it was a Japan Golf Tour event.
The Asia Golf Circuit was the principal men's professional golf tour in Southeast Asia from the early 1960s through to the mid-late 1990s. The tour was founded in 1961 as the Far East Circuit. The first series of five tournaments was held in 1962 and consisted of the national open championships of the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, plus a final tournament held in Japan. The tour gradually grew over the subsequent years, eventually becoming a regular ten tournament circuit in 1974.
The 1982 Asia Golf Circuit was the 21st season of the Asia Golf Circuit, the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
The 1981 Asia Golf Circuit was the 20th season of the Asia Golf Circuit, the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
The 1978 Asia Golf Circuit was the 17th season of the Asia Golf Circuit, the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
The 1980 Asia Golf Circuit was the 19th season of the Asia Golf Circuit, the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
The 1984 Asia Golf Circuit was the 23rd season of the Asia Golf Circuit, the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1961.
The Philippine Masters is a professional golf tournament in the Philippines. First played as the Philippine Masters Invitational in 1976 over the golf course at Nichols Air Base in Pasay, to the south of Manila, it was scheduled the week before the first event of the Asia Golf Circuit calendar, and as such was considered an unofficial season opener or warm-up event for the tour.
The Sanpo Classic was a professional golf tournament in Japan. Founded in 1972, it was an event on the Japan Golf Tour from its inaugural season in 1973. It was held at the Asahi Country Club near Ichihara, Chiba.