Cho Minn Thant Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

OB Golf Championship to make ADT debut for fifth Indonesian event on schedule

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 05:55:04 +0000

Gunung Geulis Country Club (West Course). Image supplied

A fifth tournament in Indonesia, the inaugural OB Golf Championship, has been added to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) schedule this season and will be played on the West Course at Gunung Geulis Country Club, 27-29 September.

The US$70,000 event is one of eight tournaments currently on the schedule – with many more event announcements pending – and the fourth ADT tournament to be promoted by OB Golf, the organisation behind the country’s most lucrative event, the Indonesian Masters, an Asian Tour event that is part of The International Series.

Said Jimmy Masrin from OB Golf and Chairman of the Asian Tour: “OB Golf has long been a supporter of the Asian Development Tour, and golf in Indonesia, so we are delighted to launch a new event, the OB Golf Championship – which will provide another all-important playing opportunity for the region’s up and coming golfers.

“Golf in Indonesia is blossoming once again, and OB Golf is proud to be able to play a key role in helping to promote the game, its players and tournaments. The OB Golf Championship will be an exciting new addition to our portfolio of golfing properties and all efforts will be made to ensure a memorable and successful launch.”

Naraajie E. Ramadhanputra. Picture courtesy All Thailand Golf Tour.

OB Golf also promotes The 2nd Indo Masters Golf Invitational presented by TNE, the Indonesia Pro-Am and the OB Golf Invitational.

“This is another great announcement, coming quickly off the back of the recent news about the addition of four Indonesian events onto the Asian Development Tour schedule,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.

“We continue to be blessed with a constant stream of good news about the ADT and the Asian Tour during an unprecedented time of growth for golf in the region and we thank OB Golf and Gunung Geulis Country Club, who are also hosting The Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura, for their long-term support and commitment.”

Indonesia’s rising star Naraajie E. Ramadhanputra triumphed at the ADT’s season-opening Singha Phuket Open in May. The Tour’s second event, the All Thailand Partnership Trophy, tees off this week at Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club, Mountain and Ocean Courses, 6-9 July.

Both events and the ensuing week’s Singha Pattaya Open at Laem Chabang International Country Club are jointly sanctioned with the All Thailand Golf Tour.

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Greg Norman and Asian Tour chief welcome news of LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger

Matt Smith — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 08:34:49 +0000

Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant, LIV Golf Investments CEO Greg Norman and Asian Tour No. 1 Joohyung Kim. Asian Tour

Both Greg Norman, the LIV Golf Tour chief executive, and the Asian Tour CEO Cho Minn Thant have embraced the news of a partnership between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

News emerged on Tuesday of a merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the newest circuit, the LIV Golf League, after a year of acrimonious calls, fall-outs and even legal cases.

The news came as a shock across the sporting world almost exactly a year after the new LIV Golf League held its first event in London at Centurion Club, with the likes of Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Ian Poulter on the books, and name-drops of Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson happening as new arrivals during the inaugural competition.

But the leaders of the new partners have all embraced the deal as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan hailing it as “a historic day for the game we all know and love”, and Norman calling the move as “a great day in global golf for players and fans alike”.

A great day in global golf for players and fans alike. The journey continues!!

— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) June 6, 2023

Asian Tour boss Cho released a statement on Wednesday morning, which read: “The Asian Tour welcomed and embraced yesterday’s news concerning the landmark announcement between the [LIV-backers] Public Investment Fund, the PGA Tour, and the DP World Tour.

“This is a massive stride forward for the game and a great result for all parties concerned: the fans, brands, broadcasters, the Tours and their membership.

“This hugely significant development validates our well documented decision to collaborate with Golf Saudi and LIV Golf to elevate the Asian Tour’s standing in the game. We were always confident a solution would be found, and we are delighted it has come so soon following a turbulent period for golf globally.

“The Asian Tour looks forward to contributing to the ongoing dialogue and playing our part in helping to build a model and structure for the Tours to work together so that we can all enjoy what will arguably be the most exciting period for professional golf.”

A statement from the Asian Tour on the announcement by PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF. pic.twitter.com/lqOczH6aoc

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) June 7, 2023

The Asian Tour’s Order of Merit and International Series offer a pathway to the LIV Golf League for the best players.

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Commissioner Cho Minn Thant stays as relaxed as ever as the Asian Tour grows and grows on global stage

Matt Smith — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 08:23:10 +0000

Asian Tour Commissioner Cho Minn Thant has barely had time to catch his breath over a whirlwind 12 or so months that has catapulted the Asian Tour to the forefront of the global golf scene.

The Tour was in dire straits following the COVID-pandemic — with the massively depleted 2020 season still taking more than two years to complete — but Cho has been the architect of its resurgence. Thanks in no small part a deal with Golf Saudi and LIV Golf which Cho helped engineer, the Asian Tour is now thriving with massively boosted prize funds across the majority of its tournaments, and the introduction of the flagship $5 million PIF Saudi International and the innovative International Series, which showcases the Tour’s talents on the global stage.

Where it was previously limited to a handful of events in the likes of Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand, the Asian Tour in 2023 takes in destinations around the world including England, Vietnam, India, South Korea, Morocco, Egypt and Bangladesh.

The deal brokered with Golf Saudi has also opened the door to events across the Middle East, including recent events in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, with the possibility of more in the near future.

With such an explosion of competitions across such a wide range, Cho has spent more time in airport terminals and on the various golf courses than he has at home, but it is a mission that he relishes.

“It is a very welcome challenge,” he said. “We are here to represent and help our players and help raise the profile of the Tour. When you see what has happened over the past year, with the increased purses, it helps our players professionally and personally, plus — as they are only playing a schedule of 14 events on their series this year — we will see a lot of LIV Golfers continue to appear on Asian Tour events. That raises the field, brings in some bigger names, draws more crowds and raises the profile of the Tour.”

Cho Minn Thant presents Wade Ormsby with the International Series Thailand trophy. Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant

The 2023 International Series is well underway, with Wade Ormsby claiming the third title of the 10-event series in Singapore, following Takumi Kanaya in Oman and Andy Ogletree in Qatar, but with six destinations still to be announced, there is potential for a return to the Middle East.

While refusing to rule it out, Cho was playing his cards close to his chest before any announcement for the second half of the 2023 Asian Tour schedule.

“We have looked at some potential host venues,” he told Golf Digest Middle East on the sidelines of the Saudi International in Jeddah. “For us, we want to make sure we have 25 really strong events on tour, and we’re not going to be over ambitious and say we want 45 $3 million events on the tour, it just doesn’t work in terms of corporate sponsorship and travel, so 25 is about the sweet spot. If we can get to 25 events, $2 million-plus of [prize money] that’s a great tour to play on, and whether or not there is that progression to LIV, that’s a bonus.”

The International Series offers a pathway to playing privileges at LIV Golf events. Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent was the big beneficiary last year, having won the won the International Series Order of Merit and received an exemption to play in the 2023 LIV Golf League. Vincent and several others also played a full LIV schedule in 2022 thanks to their success in last year’s International Series events.

Even if players don’t make it to the ‘big bucks’ at LIV Golf, Cho is confident the Asian Tour regulars are delighted with recent developments.

“We’re very much independent now, and to the bulk of our membership that’s absolutely fine,” he said. “They’re playing for more money, they’re playing in new destinations, we’re a strong tour and there is a future playing on the Asian Tour, you don’t necessarily have to progress your career by going overseas.

“For the players to be able to play a full season for decent money, where keeping your card in the top 60 earns you — I’m plucking a number out of my head — $200,000 a year, that’s a pretty good living for guys pushing a white ball around.”

As for the future destinations for competitions both in the International Series and on the regular Asian Tour calendar, Cho is open to putting on more tournaments in the Middle East — but prefers to take the game to new audiences rather than established and successful destinations such as the UAE.

“There is a lot of big and highly successful golf in the Middle East and the UAE right now,” Cho said. “There are big championships in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Even for us, we have Saudi, Oman and Qatar on the International Series, plus this massive event here in the PIF Saudi International.

Cho Minn Thant with Hassan Nasser Al Naimi, President of the Qatar Golf Association, at the inaugural International Series event in Doha. Photo by Ian Walton

“It’s about spreading it out in the region and we will look at places that don’t have golf at the moment, like we did in Egypt last year [with the International Series]. It is a bigger impact for us to go into those countries with a championship, where they haven’t had much golf, rather than do a smallish event in comparison to what they already have in somewhere like Dubai, where it could become saturated.”

Cho is also looking further afield in Asia in an attempt to get some more of the old Asian Tour regular destinations — China, Macau, Hong Kong — back as regular fixtures.

“China has just opened up again, and very recently they’ve reached out to the Asian Tour and said they’d like to work together with us again,” Cho continued.

“Obviously we’re going to concentrate on building the areas around Hong Kong as well. We haven’t been to Macau in a few years, we haven’t been to China for a few years because of Covid.

“If we can build that triangle of events, where we have Hong Kong, we get Macau back and we potentially get something in Southern China, that would be great for us.”

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Get the April 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here in both English and Arabic today!

Matt Smith — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 04:00:50 +0000

Golf Digest Middle East gets into full Masters mode as that annual date at Augusta is upon us once again. You can get all the lowdown from defending champion Scottie Scheffler — plus get to know the new Golf Saudi CEO Noah Alireza, while Asian Tour boss Cho Minn Thant talks about the plans for the future on the thriving series and our Hot List pitches in.

All this and much, much more in the April 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East available in both English and Arabic.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

See below for the sixth issue of the Arabic edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

If you want to look back at all our previous Arabic editions of Golf Digest Middle East, click here.

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Asian Tour adds Al Mouj Golf to 2023 calendar as International Series Oman is confirmed for February

Matt Smith — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 11:03:25 +0000

By Golf DigestME.com
The Asian Tour has announced the addition of Al Mouj Golf in Oman to its 2023 International Series calendar. The tournament will be held in Muscat from February 9-12 and boast prize money of $2 million.

The Tour also revealed that 10 International Series events will be held next season, each with prize money of at least $2 million — helping to build on the momentum gained this season, where seven International Series competitions were held.

“On the back of two outstanding weeks at International Series events in Morocco and Egypt, and this week’s season-ending BNI Indonesian Masters, also part of the International Series, the Asian Tour is excited to announce we will return to the Middle East early on in the new season for the International Series Oman,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.

“The 2022 campaign was a highly successful one for us and it is great to see the profile of the Asian Tour being raised. Next year promises more of the same with this news further enhancing this, even before we have announced our 2023 schedule — one that promises to be the biggest and best in the history of the Tour.

“We are extremely grateful to the Oman Golf Association for being the conduit in helping to launch this pioneering new event in such an important golfing region; and, of course, we thank Al Mouj Golf for their commitment and support in this process. We have every confidence that the event will be a resounding success.”

With one season drawing to a conclusion — which has also seen International Series events played in Thailand, England, Singapore, and Korea — attention is quickly starting to turn to 2023.

“With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Oman Golf Association is delighted to welcome the Asian Tour to the Sultanate of Oman in 2023,” said Mundhir Al Barwani, Chairman, Oman Golf Association.

“We are excited to be the first Asian Tour International Series event in the Middle East and to be able to share the beauty of the Sultanate with the players and officials, as well as a wider audience through television.

“Al Mouj Golf is a Tour-proven golf course and coupled with the proximity to the airport and the official hotel, we are certain that the players will have an enjoyable and memorable week with us. We commend the work that the Asian Tour have done in developing their international schedule and also in strengthening the Asian Development Tour, which will certainly have a positive impact on the growth of the elite amateur game within the region. We look forward to working closely with the key stakeholders and sponsors to deliver this event and to once again use the game of golf to showcase the investment and tourism opportunities that exist within Oman.”

The International Series was launched this year, through a partnership between the Tour and LIV Golf, with the aim of invigorating the game of golf in Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

“LIV Golf is proud to help establish new global events through the International Series that enhance player pathways to the world’s top competition,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman.

“Al Mouj Golf is sure to present a challenging and rewarding experience for the Asian Tour’s very best while showcasing one of the most unique venues in this region of the world. This is a tremendous addition to the global golf calendar as the International Series gets bigger and better in 2023.”

The challenging 18-hole championship golf course at Al Mouj Golf is the first links-style golf course to be created in Oman and was designed by two-time major champion Greg Norman, flanked by the Indian Ocean with the Hajjar mountain range in the background.

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International Series ‘goes the extra mile’ to take care of Asian Tour and LIV Golf players

Matt Smith — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 09:43:08 +0000

By Matt Smith
The International Series is still in its first year, but Asian Tour CEO and commissioner Cho Minn Thant already views it as key to the growth of players on both the Asian Tour and LIV Golf.

The International Series debuted earlier this year at Black Mountain Golf Club in Thailand as part of LIV Golf’s $300 million investment in the Asian Tour over the next 10 years. The series has since held events in England, Singapore and South Korea with purses up to $2 million — prize money never before seen on the Asian Tour.

Among the new champions are LIV Golfers Sihwan Kim and Scott Vincent, while big names such as 2019 Masters champion Patrick Reed have also taken part following their ban from the PGA Tour for joining LIV Golf.

The Asian Tour last week announced the addition of two more International Series events in Egypt and Morocco this season, with Vietnam, Indonesia, the Middle East, China and Hong Kong all expected in the near future.

Speaking on the sidelines of last week’s $1.5 million International Series Korea, where victory went to Taehoon Ok at the Lotte Skyhill Country Club Jeju, Cho said: “The International Series is beneficial to the Asian Tour for a number of reasons. First, we get eight new tournaments this season and moving forward it will be at least 10 next year. These events are very player-centric, and all about the player experience. We take care of the player accommodation, F&B, activities and even services such as a barber shop and players recreation area in the locker room. We go the extra mile to take care of the players and from that perspective I hope they are happy with it.

“From the LIV Golf perspective, our association means we are a platform that LIV Golf can use for players to progress to the LIV Golf Invitationals this year and the LIV Golf League in future, so it acts as a feeder into their series. Also, the LIV Golf Invitationals are eight events this year and the LIV Golf League will be 14 next year. Outside of these, professional golfers need to play to fill out their schedule and hopefully the International Series is an option for them to come and play outside the LIV Golf events, to keep sharp and come and play competitively.”

A number of LIV regulars such as Reed, Chase Keopka, Peter Uihlein, Andy Ogletree, and Turk Pettit have already chosen to take part in International Series events. Asian Tour members Vincemt, Sihwan, Wade Ormsby, Sadom Kaekwanjana, Travis Smyth, Viraj Madappa, Kevin Yuan, Justin Harding and Phachara Khongwatmai have likewise experienced LIV’s new 54-hole format through good performances in the series.

More: Middle East ‘very much’ part of Asian Tour plans
Asian Tour ads International Series events in Egypt and Morocco

Cho played down any concerns that his members might have about potential ineligibility for PGA Tour events through their participation in the series, because of its association with LIV Golf: “There are some players who are concerned about playing International Series events and becoming ineligible for PGA Tour. That’s not the case — we have clarified this with the PGA Tour that the restriction is not in play.

“The International Series is fully sanctioned by the Asian Tour. It forms part of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and there are several players who have played on the International Series who are playing on the PGA Tour, Korean Joohyung “Tom” Kim (Recent winner of the Wyndham Championship on PGA Tour) being a prime example.”

The high-profile International Series tournaments are underwritten and promoted by LIV Golf and Golf Saudi, with commercial sponsorship a major focus moving forward for the Asian Tour.

Cho explained: “We are extremely grateful to LIV Golf for their support. Ultimately, the goal is for corporate sponsors to sustain the tournaments themselves and for LIV to revert to being a promoter at these events. Each International Series event will have the ‘presenting partner’ position available, and the focus next year will include sponsor activations and engaging more spectators to attend events.”

Cho also explained how the Asian Tour has already supported LIV Golf in their bid to secure world ranking points. He said: “LIV Golf are applying for world ranking points independently, but the process requires a nomination by one of the full-member Tours.

“As a good partner, it was our responsibility to help LIV Golf submit their bid for world ranking points and that is under way now — the Asian Tour has nominated them, and they are providing technical information that will support their application with the intention of getting world ranking points next year.”

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Open Championship 2022: Asian Tour offers LIV Golf players opportunity to earn ranking points

Matt Smith — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:28:56 +0000

By Matt Smith

The Asian Tour has opened the door for LIV Golf Invitational Series players to earn Official World Golf Ranking points by competing in its tournaments, as the saga involving the Saudi-backed money-spinning series and the PGA Tour and DP World Tour rolls on.

LIV Golf officially applied for OWGR accreditation earlier this week and chairman Peter Dawson wrote: “Examination of the application will now commence.

Although LIV players have been banned by the PGA and DP World Tours, they remain eligible, currently, to compete in the major championships. However, should the OWGR not grant LIV Golf accreditation, most of its players would eventually be unable to compete in the sport’s four big events.

Now the Asian Tour has offered an opportunity for players such as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Paul Casey and Patrick Reed — all of whom are currently competing at the 150th Open Championship in St Andrews — to continue to rack up OWGR points by competing on its ever-expanding calendar of events in the Far East and beyond.

The Asian Tour has already received a major cash injection from Golf Saudi and the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, paving the way for a new international series of tournaments and the adoption of the former DP World Tour Saudi International competition which carries a $5 million prize purse.

Asian Tour CEO Cho Minn Thant told Reuters that LIV Golf will contribute $400 million to the Asian Tour, which will underwrite the international series and drive up purses from, in some cases, $750,000 to $1.5 million or $2 million. But the ranking points could be key in attracting the big LIV Golf names as they look for avenues to preserve their presence at the game’s for majors.

“They’ve certainly got a place to play on the Asian Tour, the international series in particular,” Cho told Reuters. “Now that they have temporarily left the PGA Tour they’ll be looking to play more events on the Asian Tour to keep their rankings up.

“I foresee a lot of them coming together as a group to play multiple Asian Tour events because power in numbers, the more players inside the top 100 that come to play the higher the strength of field.”

With just eight tournaments on the LIV schedule this season and massive purses up to $40 million at each event, players will have plenty of money and time.

What the LIV Series cannot offer yet are ranking points, the currency that allows entry into the Masters, British Open, U.S. Open and PGA Championship.

“Anything we sanction and counts on our order of merit gets world ranking points,” explained Cho. “So any of international series events we do with LIV sanctioned by the Asian Tour carries world ranking points.

“A lot of players have identified the window between November and January and that is perfect for us it is either the very end of our season or the start.

“It suddenly makes us a lot more attractive to sponsors.

“My job is to look after the members of the Asian Tour and we’ve done what’s right.”

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Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour co-sanction mixed-gender double-header in Thailand

Kent Gray — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 10:27:44 +0000

Siam Country Club near Pattaya.

By Kent Gray
The Asian Tour will stage mixed-gender events for the first time after joining forces with the Ladies European Tour (LET) for a quickfire Thai double-header set to boast a combined $1.5 million in prize money.

The Asian Mixed Cup and the Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge will be played back-to-back on the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club near Pattaya from April 7-10 and April 13-16 respectively.

Sixty players from each tour, plus 24 sponsor invitees, will make up the 144-strong fields for each of the $750,000 events where the men and women will play for the same prize money and trophy.

Critically, Official World Golf Ranking, Asian Tour Order of Merit and LET Race to Costa del Sol points will be awarded.

The events are to be hosted by Trust Golf, part of the Thai-based technology enterprise TCT Corporation, and are part of the three event Trust Golf Asian Mixed Series to be preceded by the Thai Mixed later this month.

“The Asian Tour is extremely excited to add a new format of play to our tournament schedule,” said Asian Tour CEO and Commissioner Cho Minn Thant in a joint statement.

“We thank Trust Golf for making it possible for the Asian Tour to stage its first mixed events, which will resonate strongly with golf fans in the region. It is also an exciting opportunity to collaborate with the Ladies European Tour for the first time and pay our maiden visit to the highly-regarded Siam Country Club.”

Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant

Siam Country Club is one of Asia’s finest clubs and currently the home of Honda LPGA Thailand.

Dr. Prin Singhanart, founder of TCT Corporation and the Trust Golf Tour, is passionate about innovative golf formats. She hopes to drive towards a World Mixed Championship one day.

“I’m always extremely keen on mixed formats as golf is the only sport allowing people of all ages and genders to play together,” said Dr. Singhanart.

“I would like to provide a pathway for Thai talents, both male and female. If a female golfer wins outright, they will earn membership to the LET, and if a male golfer wins outright, they will earn membership to the Asian Tour. With the Trust Golf Tour affiliated membership programme, it will allow the players to be ranked on both order of merits.

Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET, said: “We look forward to collaborating with Dr Prin and her vision to nurture the next generation of Thai talent. These new tournaments are important steps in the continued growth of the LET as we offer 33 playing opportunities to our members in 2022 and we look forward to working together with Trust Golf and the Asian Tour at Siam Country Club in April.”

Monday’s announcement comes after The Asian Tour recently announced its new ‘The International Series’, a collection of 10 new marquee events made possible by a $300 million, decade-long investment by Saudi-backed LIV Golf Investments.

Korean-born American Sihwan Kim won the first of events, The International Series Thailand, at Black Mountain Golf Club on Sunday, ending a string of near misses on the Asian Tour to claim in maiden pro title after 10 years of trying.

The new Asian Mixed events add immediate focus to the 2022-23 Asian Tour schedule which is still a work in progress due to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. The $500,000 DGC Open at Delhi Golf Club in India is the next event confirmed from March 24-27.

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Middle East a “huge part” of Asian Tour’s future, says CEO Cho Minn Thant

Kent Gray — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 12:25:20 +0000

Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant, LIV Golf Investments CEO Greg Norman and Asian Tour No.1 Joohyung Kim.

By Kent Gray
The Middle East will host two of the Asian Tour’s 10 new premier ‘International Series’ events in 2022 and is set to become a key region for a circuit no longer “geo ring-fenced”, Commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant says.

The International Series was unveiled on the sidelines of the Saudi International on Tuesday where former world No.1 turned LIV Golf Investments CEO Greg Norman confirmed the Saudi-bankrolled company had increased its previously announced US$200 backing of the series to $300 million over 10 years.

Significantly, there will also be event at London’s Centurion Club in June as the Asian Tour takes its new brand to territories traditionally the stronghold of the DP World (formerly European Tour). Norman likewise mentioned the United States and Australia as future targets to host events, insisting the 10-event series “is just the beginning”.

Minn Thant echoed those sentiments when asked how important the Middle East was to the Asian Tour moving forward, mentioning the strategic partnership between the circuit’s development tour and the MENA Tour as another building block in the relationship.

“It’s greatly important to us. Now that we’ve done our first event here at the Saudi International, our first event in a long time in the Middle East, it’s just the first step of many,” he said.

“We’re looking to do two of our International Series events in the Middle East region and like Greg said, my phone has been inundated with calls, especially from sponsors, potential stakeholders in the Middle East wanting to have a piece of the action.

“I think it’s going to be a huge part in what we do in the future.”

Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin has been chosen as the debut venue with the $1.5 million The International Series Thailand scheduled for March 3-6. It will be followed by a $2 million event at the Centurion club from June 9-12 before further stops planned in Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Middle East, China and Singapore ahead of the series culminating in Hong Kong.

The 10-events will be woven into the Asian Tour’s planned 2022-23 schedule set to filled out by 15 “regular” stops. The full schedule, including host venues and dates for the eight remaining International Series events, would be announced in “due course” as the Asian Tour continued to be challenged by the pandemic and Asia’s tougher travel restrictions.

Minn Thant said the LIV Golf cash had emboldened a sleeping giant to shed its previous inferiority complex although both he and Norman were at pains to point out that they viewed themselves as a “respectful and healthy competitor” to the PGA and DP World Tours.

The Asian Tour would be an “open tour” offering playing opportunities to players from around the world.

“Part of our strategy is to make the Asian Tour a more global tour. Twenty-five nationalities are currently playing on our tour but it’s not just for Asians and it’s not just in Asia anymore,” Minn Thant said.

Norman said LIV Golf Investments had “identified a new opportunity out of a lost opportunity” – namely a golf industry which had access to 45 percent of the world’s population. He would not be drawn on LIV Golf’s mooted Super Golf League which has been rumoured to sit over and above the Asian Tour investment other than to reiterate “this is just the beginning” and “we have our game plan and we’re executing very well across all sectors of the eco system.”

Norman said LIV Golf Investments wanted to work with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour alliance and used the analogy of a pie. He insisted LIV Golf did not want to steal a slice of the pie from the PGA or DP World Tour, but rather grow the pie “for everyone” via an untapped region boasting 4.5 billion people where “60 percent of all golf course construction [globally] is happening.”

“It’s all about the game and I cannot enforce this enough, it’s for the benefit of the game, it’s not for the benefit of administrations. It’s for the benefit of the players, the fans, the stakeholders, the broadcasters, everybody across the board.”

The rhetoric is unlikely to sway the hierarchy at PGA headquarters in Florida or DP World Tour HQ in Wentworth, nor critics of Saudi Arabia’s massive investment in golf. The traditional tours are preparing for a battle for the game’s biggest names despite Norman’s assurance that LIV Golf, or by association the Asian Tour, “are not in this for s fight. We’re in this for the good of the game.”

“If they want to be upset with us, that’s their choice. We’re not upset with them, we’re not picking a fight,” Norman said. “Our process is this. LIV Golf Investments is investing into The International Series, that’s what we’re focused on now, today. Will there be things announced in the future, absolutely there will be things announced in the future.”

Minn Thant felt scathing attacks on the Asian Tour’s strategic partnership with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in the media were unjustified. Likewise, Norman asked the rival circuits and detractors “what are you scared of?”

“It’s disappointing, to be honest personally disappointing, to see some of the attacks taking place unwarrantedly. If you prejudge anybody without knowing the facts, shame on you. Are you scared of something?

“Understand the fact that we have always and continue to be very collaborative and cooperative with any of the institutions, right across the board. We want to work together, side by side…I would encourage them to sit back and say, ‘maybe it’s a good time to sit down and understand if we can work side-by-side.”

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Asian Tour’s new ‘marquee’ series to include stops in England, Middle East as LIV Golf boosts investment to $300 million

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 10:03:17 +0000

By Kent Gray
With six of the world’s top-20 players, a roll-call of top-100 head-turners as a supporting cast, not to mention critics everywhere decrying the event from afar, the eyes of the golfing world were always going to be sharply focused on this week’s 4th Saudi International.

The Asian Tour hasn’t wasted its unprecedented moment in the spotlight at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, enlisting LIV Golf Investments CEO Greg Norman on Tuesday to articulate fresh details of the 10 new “marquee” and LIV Golf-funded tournaments to be woven into its 2022-2023 schedule.

With bold forays into England and the Middle East, traditionally DP World Tour territory, and a $100 million boost in funding, now up to $300 million over 10 years for what will be herewith known as ‘The International Series’, expect the curiosity and criticism to only intensify.

Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin has been chosen as the debut venue with the $1.5 million The International Series Thailand scheduled for March 3-6. It will be followed by a $2 million event at London’s Centurion club from June 9-12 before further stops planned in Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Middle East, China and Singapore ahead of the series culminating in Hong Kong.

The Asian Tour said firm details of the events beyond London would be confirmed in “due course” but hailed the $100 million increase in funding as “further solidifying LIV Golf Investments dedication to the global game”.

The International Series, courtesy of “one of the biggest investments in the history of professional golf” would allow the tour to “drive greater engagement amongst fans, attract new commercial interest and to help stabilise professional golf following a sustained period of worldwide disruption and uncertainty.”

“We are on the threshold of a new era for Asian golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, the Asian Tour’s Commissioner and CEO.

“The International Series is a new upper-tier of elite events, the likes of which the region has not seen before, that will mark the start of a phenomenal period of growth for the Asian Tour. It also signifies the beginning of our relationship with our new strategic partner LIV Golf Investments and its CEO Greg Norman.

Asian Tour chief Cho Minn Thant

“Importantly, The International Series will add to the Asian Tour’s backbone of established events to comprise a 25-event season, expected to represent a record-breaking combined prize-fund. Each of the 10 events will be broadcast live across the globe, with plans to attract an international field of headline talent.”

With old friendships on ice, golf’s traditional geographical boundaries continue to be blurred by the powerplay for professional golf. The Asian Tour’s sortie into England is a tit-for-tat response to the DP World Tour announcing it will host an event in Japan for the first time in April. The former European Tour, which has another “Asian Event Confirmed” listing on its website for the week preceding the ISPS HANDA – Championship in Omitama, has cut all ties with the Asian Tour after the latter hitched its wagon to LIV Golf Investments. LIV Golf reportedly has plans to launch its own elite league over and above the 10 Asian Tour events.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the majority shareholder of Liv Golf Investments. As one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, it clearly has the financial might to challenge the PGA Tour-DP World Tour alliance – a point illuminated by the star-studded field at Royal Greens this week.

Norman was announced as CEO in October and handed a mandate to “holistically improve the health of professional golf on a truly global scale to help unlock the sports’ untapped worldwide potential”.

The Asian Tour is clearly the first major benefactor of that remit.

“We are setting the Asian Tour up as a powerful new force on the world golf stage,” said Norman.

“In my 40 years as a professional golfer, I’ve seen many parts of the world that have benefitted tremendously from golf and its growth and development. We now have the opportunity to do that in the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East with this incredible investment platform. Everyone benefits – professional players, amateurs, grassroots golf, fans, economies, communities, stakeholders. I’ve never been so optimistic about the future of the sport.”

Tuesday’s media conference is set to light a fresh fuse under the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. The Asian Tour’s new “flagship” $5 million season-opener is not part of The International Series but has assembled, with the help of Golf Saudi, the circuit’s strongest ever field. It includes two-time defending champion Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, the world numbers five, eight and nine respectively. Also in the field are Tony Finau, Matthew Wolff, Abraham Ancer, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na and major champions Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, Henrik Stenson and Jason Dufner.

Korean teen Joohyung Kim, the freshly minted Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, leads a contingent of more than 50 Asian Tour members in King Abdullah Economic City.

“I have been fortunate to enjoy an amazing start to my professional career but for this to happen at the same time as the Asian Tour is going through such incredibly positive changes is a huge bonus for me, as well as for all the Asian Tour players,” said Kim.

Joohyung Kim (Photo: Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)

In related news, the 102nd New Zealand Open, scheduled for March 31-April 3 as the fifth event on the 2022-23 Asian Tour schedule, has been cancelled for the second successive year due to the country’s strict border restrictions.

The tournament in Queenstown was to have offered starts in the 150th Open Championship to the top three players not already qualified for St Andrews. The R&A has yet to say if those spots will be reallocated to an Asian Tour event.

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