The Asian Swing kicks off this week as the DP World Tour heads east for stops in China, India and Türkiye.
In its 54-year history, Golf's Global Tour has visited 51 countries, bringing world class golf to every inhabited continent on the planet.
For the next few weeks, the focus is on Asia for the Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO, Hero Indian Open, Volvo China Open and Turkish Airlines Open - with the Masters Tournament and two rest weeks in between.
Here, was take a look back at the DP World Tour's history in taking golf to China, India and Türkiye.
China
Last season's Hainan Classic was the DP World Tour's 50th visit to China and with it falling before the Volvo China Open in this year's Asian Swing, the 2026 edition will be the 51st.
Over the past three decades, the Tour has been a regular visitor to the world's second most populous country since the first visit at the BMW Asian Open in 2004.
Spaniard Miguel Ángel Jiménez won that tournament – the first of eight that have been held in China.
Among those was the introduction of the Volvo China Open on the DP World Tour schedule, serving as the season-opening event of the 2005 campaign and which last season celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Three further visits were made to China that season, starting with the TCL Classic – which ran from 2005 to 2007 – and then the Johnnie Walker Classic, which alternated venue year to year, and the return of the BMW Asian Open.
The growth of China’s presence on the DP World Tour schedule was further amplified by the inception of the HSBC Champions, the opening event of the 2006 season.
Held in November 2005, Sheshan International Golf Club played host to a star-studded international field, with England’s David Howell holding off then World Number One Tiger Woods to claim victory.
That event was elevated to World Golf Championships status in 2009, reflecting the region’s growing stature in international golf.
In 2012, the BMW Masters became the newest event on the DP World Tour schedule, with Lake Malaren Golf Club welcoming a high-calibre international field for four consecutive seasons.
China’s presence as an increasingly important player in the global golf market was further seen with the addition of the Shenzhen International to the DP World Tour schedule in 2015, the first of three consecutive editions.
But partly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, China did not stage an event on the DP World Tour schedule for five years, with the final edition of the WGC-HSBC Champions being held in 2019.
That was until the Volvo China Open made its return to the Race to Dubai schedule last season, when it was joined by the Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO.
India
Last season's DP World India Championship represented the DP World Tour's 15th visit to India for a fourth different event.
In 2008, India became the 37th territory to stage a DP World Tour event as the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters – subsequently titled the Avantha Masters from 2010-2013 – marked the first foray to the subcontinent at Delhi Golf Club.
Later that season the Johnnie Walker Classic became the first DP World Tour event to be staged at DLF Golf and Country Club, where we have been ten times since and to where we will return next week.
The Hero Indian Open then took its place on the calendar in 2015 and the 2026 edition will the the ninth co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India.
Home hero Shiv Chawrasia won that event in 2016 and 2017 to take his total of DP World Tour titles on home soil to to four, with multiple winners Matt Wallace, Stephen Gallacher and Marcel Siem having lifted the trophy in recent years.
The DP World India Championship in 2025 then took the DP World Tour's presence in India to the next level, with the event taking a spot on the Back 9 with a $4 million prize fund.
Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy made his first visit to India for the event but it was Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood who emerged triumphant, with the event set to bring more star power to the calendar in October.
Türkiye
The most recent addition to this list, the Turkish Airlines Open was first staged in 2013 and has since seen a further seven editions take place.
Montgomerie Maxx was the host for the inauguaral event won by Victor Dubuisson and the Frenchman completed another emotional victory two years later, sandwiching a triumph by soon-to-be Major winner Brooks Koepka.
Thorbjørn Olesen was the winner in 2016 as the event moved to Regnum Carya and in 2017 it became one of the original Rolex Series events, with Justin Rose lifting the trophy and successfully defending 12 months later.
We were back at the Montgomerie Maxx in 2019 for an event that proved one of the most dramatic in Tour history as Tyrrell Hatton emerged from a six-man play-off under the floodlights.
Covid saw the 2020 event cancelled before a four-year hiatus but it returned to Regnum Carya with a bang last season as Martin Couvra won his maiden DP World Tour title en route to winning the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the year Award.
This year will break new ground as the country that straddles two continents moves from the European to the Asian Swing, with National Golf Club playing host for the first time.
