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Cho Minn Thant, commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour, plays a shot during the pro-am ahead of the PIF Saudi International. Photo: Asian Tour

PGA and European golf bosses being ‘childish’ over breakdown of relationship with Asian rival, says Cho

  • Cho Minn Thant, the Asian Tour CEO, critical of behaviour shown by rivals as relationship completely breaks down
  • Remarks come days after DP World Tour boss Keith Pelley said he ‘had no relationship’ with the region’s main tour
Asian Tour

Officials from the PGA and European tours have been accused of acting like children in their dealings with the Asian Tour.

Days after Keith Pelley, the CEO of the European Tour, said his organisation “had no relationship” with its rivals in Asia, his counterpart in the region, Cho Minn Thant, said there had zero communication from the group over this week’s Singapore Classic or the Thailand Classic and Hero Indian Open that follow.

Cho told a small gathering of journalists at last week’s PIF Saudi International the DP World Tour had not even told his tour they were planning on hosting events in the region.

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“We had nothing directly from the DP World Tour they would be hosting events in Singapore and Thailand,” Cho said. “There was no courtesy advice as to what they were planning but, I guess, that is the nature of the relationship now.”

And he criticised the Europeans for not offering more spots to local golfers, with just one player from Singapore in the field at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was in their position, we’ve never done that as the Asian Tour,” Cho said. “Whenever we go to a particular country we respect the PGA or the national golf association and offer them 15, 20, 30 spots depending on how strong the association is.

“We’ve always done that with India, we’ve always done that with Singapore, we’ve always done that with Thailand, so not to see a Singaporean get an allocated spot at the Singapore Classic is very unusual.”

The breakdown in relationship comes as the European Tour, which has sided with the Americans in its battle against players who chose to join LIV Golf, increasingly strengthens ties with the PGA in the face of a revitalised opponent in Asia.

“The DP World Tour is clearly aligned with the PGA Tour, so they have their plans and either co-sanctioning or liaising with the Asian Tour is not part of their plans,” Cho said. “It’s unfortunate but like I said, it’s not as though we don’t hear about their plans through the grapevine.”

India’s Anirban Lahiri pracitces on the chipping area ahead of last week’s PIF Saudi International at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. Photo: Asian Tour

Partnerships between the PGA and DP World tours and golf bodies in Japan, India and South Korea, which demand those domestic governing bodies only work with the two bigger tours, have further eroded what little trust remained between the three main organisations.

Asked if he felt his two rivals’ behaviour was “childish”, Cho’s response was: “I’m sure it is, and the Asian Tour would never do that.”

Indian golfers could be the first to feel the impact of the new landscape, with places for the country’s players at the Asian Tour’s DGC Open in Delhi being reallocated as a result.

Cho also hinted the tournament itself could be put in danger, but said he was reluctant to punish players especially if they were not members of the Professional Golf Association of India (PGTI) going forwards.

“We haven’t decided what we’re going to do with India, but off the back of them not being able to co-sanction with us, and us having no relationship with them in India, we’ll certainly review that,” he said.

“We don’t want to disadvantage Indian golfers because of a decision that their tour has made, especially if they’re not members of the PGTI.”

While Cho said there was still “professional courtesy from my side and the Asian Tour”, he did not feel that it was necessary for his organisation to be as closely linked to the other two as in the past.

That feeling has been helped by the influx of capital from LIV Golf and the pathway the best on the Asian Tour now have to the LIV Invitational tournaments.

“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.”

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