ɪt wʌz fˈɜːst plˈeɪd ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈuː ænd ðə fˈiːld wʌz ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli ɹᵻstɹˈɪktᵻd tə ðə tˈɑːp sˈɪksti plˈeɪɚz ɔnðɪ ˈeɪʒən tˈʊɹz ˈɔːɹdɚɹ ʌv mˈɛɹɪt, ɪŋkɹˈiːsɪŋ tə sˈɪksti fˈaɪv ɪnðə fˈaɪnəl jˈɪɹ.
It was first played in 2002 and the field was originally restricted to the top 60 players on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, increasing to 65 in the final year.