denied that China golf has benefited from
the Asian Tour. Liang Wen-chong was invited
to play in The Masters, British Open and
World Golf Championships in 2008 through
his Order of Merit win on the Asian Tour,
while Zhang Lian-wei was invited to play
in The Masters in 2004. Between 2006 and
2008, Chinese players received an average
of 31 spots in Asian Tour-sanctioned events
in China, excluding the HSBC Champions,
where Chinese players receive nine spots
in this limited-field event. These spots no
doubt created the opportunities that allowed
a player like Liang Wen-chong to rise to the
world stage.
It should be noted that from 2004 to 2007,
six tournaments sanctioned by the Asian
Tour were played annually in China, while
five were sanctioned in 2008, which were
co-sanctioned and full-field events. This
contributed toward a cumulative prize fund
of $45 million that helped grow the sport
and the careers of Chinese golfers. In 2009,
the Asian Tour sanctioned the WGC-HSBC
Champions and the Omega Mission Hills
World Cup in China through our position on
the International Federation of PGA Tours.
Wu Ashun established himself on the Asian
Tour last year while a number of places are
given to Chinese players in the final stage of
Qualifying School every year. We will con-
tinue to engage the China Golf Association
for the mutual benefit of both the Chinese
players and our Asian Tour players.
He;and;his;World;Sport;Group;were;very
closely;involved;with;the;development;of
professional;golf;in;Asia.;Word;is;you;two
had;a;falling;out;a;few;years;ago;over;TV
rights.;Could;this;“bad;blood”;be;a;reason
for;the;aggressive;push;now;by;OneAsia,
which;is;also;the;brainchild;of;O’Brien?
KH;It is correct that, as a player, I worked
with Seamus O’Brien and his company,
World Sport Group (previously Asia Sport
Group), on the APGA, and that OneAsia is
his brainchild. The players broke away from
the APGA to form the Asian Tour because
they did not feel the management of the
APGA was acting in their best interest. We
also felt the TV platform was not correct
as we were paying broadcasters to air our
events, and there were other fundamental
differences. The concept of OneAsia was
then discussed in 2005, but the Asian Tour
did not agree with the proposed structure
because it had previously broken away
from a similar structure that hands over all
commercial and television rights to a sports
marketing group.
Han chats with players Unho Park of Australia (left) and
Mardan Mamat of Singapore.
GGP;One;of;the;national;championships;you;lost
to;OneAsia;is;the;Volvo;China;Open,;which
the;European;Tour;continues;to;co-sanction,
but;now;with;OneAsia.;What;impact;does
that;have;on;the;non-compete;agreement
and;relationship;between;the;Asian;Tour
and;European;Tour?
KH;OneAsia claims it is the alternative to the
European and U.S. tours, but why is it co-
sanctioning the Volvo China Open with the
European Tour? We have been in active
dialogue with the European Tour and Volvo
over the issue of sanctioning for the Volvo
China Open, and though disappointed by
the outcome for this year, we value Volvo’s
long-term commitment to golf globally and
understand the difficult decision that had to
be taken.
GGP;In;1995,;you;and;Seamus;O'Brien;were
part;of;the;team;that;set;up;the;APGA;Tour.
GGP;What;are;your;thoughts;on;the;China;Golf
Association;launching;a;new;domestic;tour?
KH;We support and laud this initiative, as it will
help raise the standard of professional golf
in China. At present, the Chinese talent at
the top level is very limited.
GGP;At;last;look,;your;2010;schedule;had
five;open;dates;and;only;10;non-co-
sanctioned;tournaments;with;an;average
purse;of;$350,000.;All;big-money;events
are;with;co-sanctioning;from;the;Euro-pean,;Japan;and;PGA;tours.;Can;the;Asian
Tour;survive;as;a;distinct;entity;without
outside;assistance?
KH;We let the market forces dictate how the
Tour will grow. There are several other tour-
naments being finalized that will strengthen
our 2010 schedule. With the future of the
world’s economy pointed toward Asia, other
international tours are inevitably looking
to partner with the Asian Tour to grow and
expand the game. The Asian Tour repre-
sents the cream of the crop in Asia, and it
is natural for other major tours to wish to
co-sanction with us. From a commercial
point of view, this holds tremendous oppor-
tunities and appeal to sponsors as we offer
a global reach through television and media
exposure. From a developmental perspec-
tive, our co-sanction initiatives have created
valuable opportunities for our players. They
allow our members, who represent over 30
nationalities, the opportunity to compete
against leading European and American
players, and give them the chance to gain
access onto other international tours.
With regards to the prize purse of Asian
Tour events, it is recognized that many of
our events are in emerging markets where
events are held to support the development
of the game. These events are supported by
a stable pool of sponsors that ensure the
long-term sustainability and commercial a
