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The Asian Tour's scorecard makes impressive reading these days. With scores tumbling, standards
rising, tournaments multiplying and prizemoney sky rocketing, the region's professionals are on a
fairway to fame and fortune.
Some optimistic promoters and sponsors are even forecasting the burgeoning Asian Tour will soon
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be on a par with the lucrative circuits in the United States and Europe.
China, where golf was officially frowned upon as a bourgeois pastime until just two decades ago, is
at the forefront of the rapid expansion. At least 10 Asian Tour events will be staged in China this
season with five of them - including the Omega Hong Kong Open - joint-sanctioned by the European
Tour.
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Scotland, the historic home of golf, will play host to one fewer Euro event than emerging China and
Hong Kong combined in 2005, a situation which has been viewed with a sense of achievement in
Asia and bewilderment elsewhere in the world.
Carmakers, eager to boost their sales and profiles in the mind-boggling China market, made up the
front row of the grid in the sponsorship race last year but whisky giants, hotel chains and , if the
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industry buzz is to be believed, major banks are jockeying for prime position along with several of
the mainland's top trading names and tourist destinations.
During a three-week spell after the Masters at Augusta in April, the golf world will focus much of its
attention on China. US-based Shigeki Maruyama will lead Japan in their battle with Asia for the Visa
Dynasty Cup, the regional equivalent of the Ryder Cup, at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen. |
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Then Ernie Els, the Big Easy, will headline the US$2.3 million Johnnie Walker Classic in Beijing - the
first time Asia's richest event has been played in China - and the US$1.5 million BMW Asian Open in
Shanghai.
Tiger Woods has also confirmed he will play in China in November, but details of the tournament
have still to be announced. But with Woods commanding an appearance fee of about US$2 million, |
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there is speculation the prizemoney for the mega event will be at least double that figure. While the
big names will continue to draw crowds and entice sponsors, the Asian Tour is becoming
increasing wary of the money-making machinations of their counterparts in Europe and the US. The
Asian Tour wants to give all its players the chance to shoot for big bucks and that is not the case in
co-sanctioned tournaments when sometimes fewer than 60 tee it up. |
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Asian Tour officials have been playing hard ball with the European Tour over the Standard Chartered
Indonesian Open and the TCL Classic in China, both million-dollar events scheduled for March. The
tough line taken in talks with European Tour chiefs was that useless the Asian Tour was given more
spots, there would be no sanction for the tournaments.
The stance has been characterized as Asia trying to stem an "invasion" by the European and US
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PGA Tours, which recognize the vast commercial potential in this part of the world.
Both tournaments will go ahead with Asian Tour players receiving the lion share of spots, a situation
viewed as a compromise by some and a concession from Europe by others. "It has been agreed with
the European Tour that the Asian Tour will enter full fields [90 players] for both the US$1 million
tournaments," says Asian Tour chief executive Louis Martin. "This decision reinforces the Asian |
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Tour's objectives of creating playing opportunities for a broader spectrum of our playing
membership."
Martin has championed Asian golf since taking the helm of the player-led organization last year after
an acrimonious split from his former bosses at the European Tour. With more sponsors pumping
increasingly bigger amounts of money into golf, promoters are competing with each other to make
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their tournaments "the biggest and the best".
The schedule for the first half of 2005 includes 16 tournaments worth nearly US$14 million. By
comparison, the purses for the entire 2004 season totaled US$12.3 million. The second half of the
year is also looking financially healthy with the Singapore Open, backed by Sentosa Leisure Group,
returning in September after a three-year absence. The prize-money will be US$2 million, a record
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for a standalone Asian Tour event.
"The Singapore Open announcement was a tremendous boost for the Tour and the game in Asia,"
says Martin. "It reinforces the growing interest among our major sponsors and underscores the fact
that the Asian Tour has a unique appeal that can attract international corporations who are keen to
tie in their brand and marketing objectives with professional golf in Asia.
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"It will be interesting to see how other promoters and sponsors react to this announcement. The
Carlsberg Malaysian Open was previously the riches national Open in Asia but they were overtaken
by Volvo, who last November announced an increase to US$1.3 million for the Volvo China Open in
2005," Martin says.
"Now, the promoters and sponsors of the Singapore Open have topped that with their US$2 million
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prize fund. I believe some events would like the mantle of the richest."
Martin points to China, where the term "green opium" has been coined to describe the financial lure
of golf, as the country where prizemoney could reach record levels.
"The mind boggles at what could happen in China," he says. "There seems to be almost no limit to
what is possible. The economic power that China possesses is enormous. As the world's most |
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populous nation, there are tremendous attraction and benefits for corporations and sponsors to be
involved in professional golf there.
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