Two tours clash over scheduling
Asian Tour golfers will not play in the Indonesian Open as a result of scheduling deadlock between the Asian and European Tours.
The tournament clashes with a new event on the Asian Tour - the Amby Valley Masters in India -which also begins on March 2, but was announced two months before the Indonesian Open.
The Asian Tour have even postponed an event – the Myanmar Open from February 23-26 – to make room in the schedule, but that time-slot is filled by the World Golf Championship matchplay event in California, which features on the European Tour.
Negotiations have taken place between Asian Tour chief executive Louis Martin and his European Tour counterpart George O’Grady without resolution.
An irate Martin, annoyed by the meddling of European Tour promoter Parallel Media Group, says it has been left with no option but to withhold co-sanctioned status.
He said: “It’s just an insult what the European Tour and Parallel Media Group are planning, and it is completely out of order in fostering good relationships between the two tours.
“Unfortunately, George is relying on the honesty and integrity of their Asian partners, Parallel Media, but unfortunately I don’t have the same confidence.
“I don’t want to ever fight with George as I have faith in him, but he’s being misled and being fed incorrect information.
“The Asian Tour has been in constant fights with Parallel Media ever since they were signed on by the European Tour in March 2003 as they seem to go ahead and do their own thing without any concern for the long-term promotion of golf in the Asia region.”
The two tours have had co-sanctioned events for almost a decade and without a compromise being reached, doubts exist as to the future of this agreement.
Martin asked what the response would be if the shoe was on the other foot.
“Can you imagine the media feast if the Asian Tour went ahead and announced the staging of an Asian Tour event in continental Europe?” he mused.
“If they don’t go ahead and move the Indonesian Open, I hate to think of the ramifications.”
The two parties are also in dispute over the Singapore Masters (March 9-12), the sustainability of which Martin questions.
He said: “As far as the Singapore Masters is concerned we’ve got no guarantee of any long-term commitment, nor do we know who the sponsor is or what is the prize money. All we’ve been told is that Parallel Media have guaranteed the prize money - and this is a company that took seven weeks to pay the players after last year’s Indonesian Open.
“But the sooner the European Tour and the Asian Tour can get together without their partners, Parallel, the better it will be for everybody involved in golf.
“Ultimately, our responsibility is to our members and we will do what we feel is right for the benefit of the Asian Tour.”
The European Tour have made no comment on the matter.
