The International Series, announced at the Saudi International last week, should not in any way be mistaken for the Super Golf League, which has gotten the PGA and the DP World Tours in such a tizzy.
When Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf Investments, first announced in November 2021 about the 10 events that would feature on the Asian Tour, offering between US$1.5 mil – US$2 mil prize purses, the Far East tour came under fire for ‘supposedly’ consorting with the enemy. Fact is, the DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley had even said that the Asian Tour had gone from being partners to competitors.
The PGA Tour and the global golf media immediately began to speculate that the Great White Shark was planning the resuscitate his pet project – the Super Golf League. Supposedly, now that he had access to extensive Saudi funds, he could succeed in luring some of the top players in the world. Most of the star players at the Saudi International, the likes of Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson, etc., were probed on the amount of money they were being offered to jump ship. Interestingly, they all remained tightlipped, citing the NDA they signed as their reason for not being forthcoming.
The way the other tours have attacked the Asian Tour with just plain vehemence is rather disturbing.
Asian Tour’s chief executive and commissioner Cho Minn Thant and Greg Norman at The International Series press conference at the Saudi International
Matters have become so bad for the Asian Tour that its exemption into The Open was not present at the 150th Open Championship at the Home of Golf. But as Asian Tour’s chief executive and commissioner Cho Minn Thant said, “We’re a resilient tour. We’ve got resilient players, and we did it the hard way. There are still opportunities for some of our players to get into The Open through various qualifying tournaments around the world, and we will have players play in the Open Championship, and they will have earned it.”
Cho’s firm and decisive comments say it all. He is clear-sighted on the path that the Asian Tour has chosen to take, and the other tours just have to accept it gracefully. One wonders whatever has happened to the world of golf diplomacy.
“We’ve been vilified as bad boys in the press over the last few months, and I really think it’s unjustified. Any tour that’s out there for the members has a responsibility to its membership to look at sponsorship and partnership opportunities to improve our Tour. Likewise, the European Tour worked with DP World in their sponsorship to title sponsor the Tour. I don’t see us working with LIV Golf Investments or any other promoter, any other sponsor throughout the course of the season as a bad thing.
“I’m out here to increase the number of playing opportunities for our members. I’m here to increase the amount of prize money that’s on offer. I’m here to improve the awareness and the experience for the fans of golf in Asia, and I think this is exactly what we’re doing,” he said.
Whether the tours on the other side of the pond like it or not, this massive injection of funds is a much-needed boost for the Asian Tour. Due to the pandemic, the tour hadn’t held any tournaments for two years. Players have had to resort to sourcing their income from other means, including turning teaching pros, and one player even becoming an Uber driver in the States.
The question that arises is why should any tour begrudge the opportunities that the Asian Tour players have now. The tour was always regarded as a stepping stone to the bigger ones in the U.S. and Europe. With this injection of funds, the investment increased from US$200 million to US$300 million; players are hopeful that as time goes by, the tour could stand on par with their counterparts.
The International Series has garnered a lot of interest from corporations who are excited about the opportunities that can arise from these tournaments. The Australian Hall of Famer has expounded upon this fact extensively.
“We’ve given another pathway. We’ve given another opportunity for corporations, players, everybody across the board to see that fair and equal competition is there to be had,” said the two-time Major champion.
Norman added, “If the LIV Golf Investments allows the Asian Tour to get elevated through the International Series, God bless competition, right? There’s not a human here; there’s not a CEO or corporation anywhere on this planet that hasn’t achieved certain levels without competition.
“Healthy competition is a great thing, right? So, as long as we do that in a respectful, healthy way, everybody will benefit. Every bit of the ecosystem for the game of golf will be the benefactor. Right now, there’s this new opportunity. Every institution should be embracing this new opportunity of unlocking the lost opportunity that’s been left sitting there for decades and decades and decades.”
According to commissioner Cho, the International Series will kick off in Thailand. The International Series Thailand will be played at Black Mountain Golf Club from March 3-6 for a prize purse of US$1.5 million. The next destination will be the Centurion Club in London in June.
Perhaps this US$2 million tournament in the U.K. has raised the red flag where the DP World Cup is concerned. It is a somewhat surprising venue, but as Norman and Cho indicated, it is part of their strategy to make the Asian Tour more of a global tour. A tour that is not geofenced. The Asian Tour is, after all, not limited to Asian players; players from around the world can qualify and play on the tour.
Cho indicated that The International Series would include venues in the Middle East, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Indonesia. However, no dates and golf clubs were confirmed. Not surprising since most of the countries named are still in the thrall of the pandemic. Travel, at this point, in Asia, is difficult.
Norman, the golf designer, has always been conscious of the opportunities in Asia. The former World No.1, who has designed golf courses throughout Asia, is aware that 60 per cent of all development today, golf course construction is happening in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific market.
“We’ve identified a new opportunity, and when you see those opportunities, we as stewards of the game have to open those pathways up even more. We believe in the partners that we’re associated with, the Asian Tour. We believe in the future of where the game of golf can go.
The market is huge, and it’s open for everybody, and we’re going to have these open pathways,” he said.
The million-dollar question of whether the Asian Tour is involved with the Super Golf League is still somewhat vague. For now, the focus is on The International Series. However, the Australian did not rule out any future announcements.
“From LIV Golf Investments, this is just the start for us. The 10-event series we’ll be starting is just the beginning. It’s the beginning of an exciting new journey. This journey is not a one-off journey. You want to sit back and see the evolution, and how this is all building out, it’s going to be an incredible one,” he concluded.
One can’t help but wonder if there will be a ‘Super’ announcement soon.
