The circuit became popular with young American professionals during the 1970s through into the 1990s,[8][9] with future major champions Payne Stewart and Todd Hamilton having considerable success.

[10] Over the next few years, the national opens steadily defected to the new tour and although some replacement tournaments were added, the Asia Golf Circuit declined until it eventually ceased operating some time after 1999.

In 1959 Hong Kong Golf Club member Kim Hall wrote to Australian professional Eric Cremin to inquire as to whether some of the Australian professionals who were travelling to play in the Philippine Open, the only major open golf tournament in Southeast Asia at the time, would consider also playing in a tournament in Hong Kong during their trip.

The tournaments were played over five weeks in February and March with Seagram sponsoring a circuit prize for the four players with the lowest aggregate scores.

[13][14] Thomson was declared the first circuit champion, with fellow Australians Kel Nagle and Frank Phillips in second and third place, and New Zealander Bob Charles in fourth.

[15] For the second season of the Far East Circuit, an additional tournament was scheduled in Osaka, Japan but it succumbed to adverse weather, with the course being covered in four inches of snow.

[34] The Asia Golf Circuit did finally expand to eleven tournaments when Pakistan Open was added in 1989, with the intention for it to be held in alternate years,[35] but it proved to be only a one-off.

The Sabah Masters, which had only been on the circuit since 1994, joined the Asian PGA Tour in 1996;[52] the Indonesian Open left in readiness for the 1997 season; Thailand, Korea and India followed suit a year later.