Murrells Inlet’s Byrd earns partial status on OneAsia golf tour

Murrells Inlet touring pro and 2009 Coastal Carolina graduate Zack Byrd plans to play at least a couple events in Asia later this year after finishing 11th in a qualifying tournament for the OneAsia Tour on Saturday in California.

Having played poorly in 2014 on the LatinoAmerica Tour – missing the cut in his four starts – Byrd was looking for another tour to join in 2015 that would give him some opportunities.

He found some information on the OneAsia Tour and its Q-School at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort in Industry, Calif., and the more he learned the more he liked. Nine of the tour’s 10 events in 2015 are open to Americans, and each has at least a $1 million purse compared to $175,000 purses in Latin America.