Obituary: tributes pour in for Kyi Hla Han, 61, the former Asian Tour chief who helped change the face of regional golf
- The ex-player from Myanmar who lived in Hong Kong for many years died on Saturday after a six-month battle with cancer
- Han is one of the founding members of the Asian Tour, which gave regional players more say in their own golfing affairs
The young man from Myanmar was a curiosity at the Hong Kong Open in the late 80s. He was not from a recognised golfing country, he was an unknown player and the media needed to know how to pronounce his name.
Kyi Hla Han (chee la haan) was smart, erudite, charismatic and not a bad golfer either. What no one realised at the time was this diminutive golfing anomaly would one day become a giant of the Asian game.
Han, who died in Singapore on Saturday of complications that arose after treatment for cancer, aged 61, went on to become one of the founding members of the Asian Tour, the regional circuit that would give players from a Asia a greater say in their own golfing affairs.
As chief of the tour, Han created a thriving circuit that gave Asian players a chance to play more often and earn a living. His legacy was not forgotten as the Asian Tour last year forged a partnership with Saudi Arabian stakeholders under the management of Australian great Greg Norman to offer bigger tournaments with larger prize purses and attract high-profile players.
“There are few words to express the loss that everyone at the Asian Tour is feeling at the moment,” Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour, said.
“First and foremost, our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to his family at this very difficult time. We are all only just processing the news as we recently saw him at the SMBC Singapore Open in January. Asian golf has lost one of its greatest players, its greatest personalities, and its greatest leaders. We will forever remember Kyi Hla.”
