FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS WILL HOST THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEK, THE 6TH EVENT OF THE 2023 INTERNATIONAL SERIES. IMAGE: MATT HOOPER
22 AUGUST, 2023 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: THIS WEEK THE MAJORITY OF THE EYES OF THE GOLFING WORLD WILL, UNDERSTANDABLY, BE ON EAST LAKE FOR THE CLIMAX TO THE PGA TOUR SEASON, THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP. THE MASS GOLF MEDIA, PARTICULARLY THOSE BASED IN THE UNITED STATES, WILL ACT AS THOUGH THE WORLD OF GOLF CENTRES ON THE USA, AND NOT MUCH ELSE MATTERS OUTSIDE. OF COURSE, MANY OF US KNOW DIFFERENTLY, AND MANY OF US HAVE WANTED OUR SPORT TO MOVE AWAY FROM BEING SO US-CENTRIC. FEBRUARY 2022 SAW THE FIRST STEPS TAKEN TOWARDS CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF MEN'S PROFESSIONAL GOLF, AND THE ASIAN TOUR WAS AT THE HEART OF IT.
THE MODERN ASIAN TOUR AS WE KNOW IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1994, with the first season taking place in 1995. THAT FIRST SEASON SAW THE TOUR STAGE 18 EVENTS IN KOREA, PHILIPPINES, HONG KONG, MYANMAR, VIETNAM, INDIA, SINGAPORE, UAE, MALAYSIA AND THAILAND AND OVER ITS FIRST DECADE THE ASIAN TOUR WAS A TOUR ON THE RISE. SPANNING THE WORLD'S MOST POPULOUS CONTINENT, THE TOUR VISITED SOME OF THE GREAT EMERGING CITIES OF THE WORLD, AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EUROPEAN TOUR IT STAGED SOME HUGE EVENTS.
THE TOTAL PRIZE FUND FOR THE 1995 ASIAN TOUR WAS JUST $4.01MILLION, BY 2005 THAT HAD INCREASED TO MORE THAN $24MILLION.
IN 2005 THE ASIAN TOUR AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR CO-SANCTIONED THE CALTEX MASTERS, CARLSBERG MALAYSIAN OPEN, QATAR MASTERS, TCL CLASSIC, JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC, BMW ASIAN OPEN, HSBC CHAMPIONS, VOLVO CHINA OPEN AND UBS HONG KONG OPEN.
9 TOURNAMENTS IN 5 COUNTRIES ACROSS THE CONTINENT FROM THE FAR EAST TO THE MIDDLE EAST.
THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO TOURS WAS SO DEEP THAT MANY SPECULATED THEY WOULD MERGE TO FORM A SUPER TOUR TO TAKE ON THE PGA TOUR, AND ALLIED WITH THEIR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE SUNSHINE TOUR, PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA AND JAPAN GOLF TOUR, THAT WAS A VERY GENUINE POSSIBILITY.
THIS SEEMED EVEN MORE LIKELY WITH THE ADVENT OF THE ROYAL TROPHY, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY THE EURASIA CUP. THE RYDER CUP STYLE MATCH BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA WAS A FIXTURE ON THE TWO TOURS FROM 2006 TO 2018, WITH EUROPE WINNING 7 OF THE 10 EDITIONS PLAYED.
THEN IN 2010 THE ASIAN TOUR CO-SANCTIONED ITS FIRST EVER EVENT WITH THE PGA TOUR - THE CIMB CLASSIC IN MALAYSIA RAN UNTIL 2018, AND FEATURED THE 10 BEST PLAYERS ON THE ASIAN TOUR IN A FIELD DOMINATED BY PGA TOUR PLAYERS. ASIA WAS COVETED BY BOTH THE PGA TOUR AND EUROPEAN TOUR, AND THE WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS WAS ARGUABLY THE NUMBER ONE EVENT IN THAT SERIES FOR A DECADE UNTIL 2019.
JUST A FEW WEEKS AFTER RORY MCILROY HOISTED THE TROPHY AT SHESHAN INTERNATIONAL IN SHANGHAI, NEWS WOULD BREAK WHICH WOULD CHANGE THE WORLD. 800KM WEST OF SHESHAN INTERNATIONAL THE LITTLE KNOWN CITY OF WUHAN BECAME THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD, WITH THE FIRST CASE OF COVID19 RECORDED ON 17 NOVEMBER, JUST 2 WEEKS AFTER THE WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS CONCLUDED. WITHIN 5 MONTHS COVID19 BECAME A PANDEMIC AND THE WORLD SHUT DOWN.
ALL GOLF TOURS PAUSED. FOR THE EUROPEAN TOUR AND ASIAN TOUR THIS WAS A DISASTER, LEAVING THEM BOTH IN A PRECARIOUS FINANCIAL POSITION. WHEN WE LOOK BACK ON HOW THE LANDSCAPE OF MEN'S PROFESSIONAL GOLF CHANGED, THIS MOMENT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO IT. JAY MONAHAN AND KIETH PELLEY WERE KEY FIGURES IN RE-STARTING PROFESSIONAL GOLF IN JUNE 2020, AFTER 3 MONTHS OF LOCKDOWN, AND IN NOVEMBER OF 2020 THE TWO WERE ABSOLUTELY FRONT AND CENTRE OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH WOULD CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF BOTH THE EUROPEAN TOUR, AND ASIAN TOUR.
"The European Tour and PGA TOUR today heralded a significant new era for global golf with an historic announcement of a Strategic Alliance.
The landmark agreement will see golf’s two major Tours explore all facets of collaboration, working together on strategic commercial opportunities including collaborating on global media rights in certain territories.
This will come through part of the agreement which sees the PGA TOUR acquire a minority investment stake in European Tour Productions (ETP), the European Tour’s Media Production company, which produces and distributes content internationally.
The Tours will also work in partnership on a number of other areas including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships. Further details of these areas will be announced in due course.
One element of the partnership which can be confirmed today is the fact that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will take a seat on the Board of the European Tour." 27 NOVEMBER 2020 (EUROPEANTOUR.COM)
WHILST THE PGA TOUR AND EUROPEAN TOUR WERE UP AND RUNNING WITH THEIR SEASONS, MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESCHEDULED AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES ANNOUNCED, THE ASIAN TOUR REMAINED IN LOCKDOWN. IN FACT, THE ASIAN TOUR STOPPED ON MARCH 8, 2020 AND DID NOT RESUME UNTIL NOVEMBER 25, 2021.
627 days, 0 TOURNAMENTS.
IN THAT TIME THE PGA TOUR PLAYED 67 TOURNAMENTS, AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYED 56 TOURNAMENTS, AND THERE WERE 6 MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A RYDER CUP.
THE ASIAN TOUR WAS ISOLATED, AND ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE.
THE TOUR MANAGED TO RESTART IN NOVEMBER 2021, BUT ITS FUTURE SEEMED BLEAK.
30 YEARS AGO GREG NORMAN DEVISED A PLAN FOR A WORLD TOUR, TO BE BROADCAST ON FOX IN THE US, CONSISTING OF 8 EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD FEATURING FIELDS OF 40 PLAYERS. A FIERCE BACKLASH FROM THE PGA TOUR EVENTUALLY SAW IT COLLAPSE BEFORE IT GOT OFF THE GROUND. SINCE THEN THERE HAS BEEN MANY IDEAS FOR A WORLD TOUR, INCLUDING THE PREMIER GOLF LEAGUE BACKED BY THE WORLD GOLF GROUP OF INVESTORS. THEN IN THE SPRING OF 2021 THERE WAS MUCH SPECULATION ABOUT A 'BREAKAWAY' SUPER GOLF LEAGUE, BACKED BY THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND OF SAUDI ARABIA. SEVERAL OF THE WORLD'S STAR GOLFERS WERE RUMOURED TO BE APPROACHED, AND SOON IT BECAME CLEAR THAT GREG NORMAN WAS HEADING UP THE NEW ENTITY.
LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS WAS ESTABLISHED, AND FOLLOWING A FAILED BID TO TURN THE EUROPEAN TOUR INTO THIS NEW LEAGUE, THE STARTUP BEGAN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE ASIAN TOUR, WHICH LED TO THE SAUDI INTERNATIONAL BECOMING THE NEW FLAGSHIP EVENT OF THE ASIAN TOUR FROM 2O22. AT THE 2022 EVENT GREG NORMAN, ALONGSIDE ASIAN TOUR COMMISSIONER
Cho Minn Thant, UNVEILED THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES, A 10-EVENT SERIES OF PREMIER EVENTS ACROSS ASIA-PACIFIC, THE MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE. WHEN ASKED ABOUT LIV GOLF'S PLANS FOR A LEAGUE, THE ASIAN TOUR COMMISSIONER CONFIRMED THAT HE BELIEVED IT WAS THEIR PLAN TO LAUNCH A NEW LEAGUE. WITHIN A MONTH THE LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES WAS LAUNCHED, AND THE FIERCE BATTLE BETWEEN THE PGA TOUR, EUROPEAN TOUR AND LIV GOLF BEGAN. THE ASIAN TOUR, NOW IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LIV, WERE SEEN AS A RIVAL, NOT THE PARTNER THEY HAD BEEN FOR MANY YEARS.
DESPITE THE PROTESTATIONS AND CRITICISM FROM MANY OF THE PGA TOUR PLAYERS AND THE MEDIA, THE LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES GOT UNDERWAY AT CENTURION CLUB IN JUNE 2022, AND COMPLETED ITS FIRST SEASON AT THE END OF OCTOBER. THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SERIES EVENT TOOK PLACE IN THAILAND AT THE END OF MARCH 2022, AND ADDITIONAL EVENTS WERE PLAYED IN ENGLAND, SINGAPORE, KOREA, MOROCCO, EGYPT AND INDONESIA BEFORE THE END OF 2022. THE EVENTS CARRIED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PRIZE MONEY THAN REGULAR ASIAN TOUR EVENTS, BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL 2023 THAT THE SERIES REALLY ATTRACTED STRONGER FIELDS, HELPING TO ELEVATE THE ASIAN TOUR.
IN FEBRUARY THE EVENTS IN OMAN AND QATAR SAW BROOKS KOEPKA, SERGIO GARCIA, JOAQUIN NIEMANN, LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN, JASON KOKRAK, GRAEME MCDOWELL, JED MORGAN, MATT JONES, SCOTT VINCENT, CHARL SCHWARTZEL, BRANDEN GRACE, PETER UIHLEIN, CARLOS ORTIZ AND CHASE KOEPKA ENTER. WITH LIV GOLF NOT YET ELIGIBLE FOR OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING POINTS IT BECAME CRUCIAL FOR ALL OF THEM TO PLAY IN THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES TO MAINTAIN A RESPECTABLE RANKING, IF THEY HAD HOPES OF QUALIFYING FOR THE MAJORS.
EVENTS IN THAILAND AND VIETNAM ALSO ATTRACTED A SMATTERING OF LIV GOLF PLAYERS, BUT LAST WEEK AND THIS WEEK IN THE UK HAVE SEEN THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES ATTRACT ITS STRONGEST FIELDS YET. THIS WEEK SOME 16 LIV GOLF PLAYERS (A THIRD OF ITS MEMBERSHIP) WILL TEE IT UP ON THE TORRANCE COURSE, PRODUCING ITS JOINT HIGHEST NUMBER OF OWGR POINTS, CRUCIAL NOT ONLY FOR THE LIV GOLFERS, BUT PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY TO THE WIDER ASIAN TOUR MEMBERSHIP.
THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP IS ALSO OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES TO QUALIFIERS FROM THE PRE-QUALIFYING EVENT, AND TO LOCAL AMATEURS, AND THIS WEEK COULD BE LIFE-CHANGING FOR MANY.
SO IN THE ABSENCE OF THE PGA TOUR OR DP WORLD TOUR COMING TO THE RESCUE, THE ASIAN TOUR IS NOT LIKELY TO REGRET ITS DECISION TO FORM AN ALLIANCE WITH LIV GOLF. ITS TOTAL PRIZE MONEY NOW STANDS AT MORE THAN $28MILLION, LESS THAN 2 YEARS AFTER IT DIDN'T PLAY A SINGLE TOURNAMENT FOR 18 MONTHS.
WHATEVER YOUR THOUGHTS ON LIV GOLF, ITS LEAGUE AND THE WAY IT HAS GONE ABOUT RECRUITING GOLFERS FROM THE ESTABLISHED MAJOR TOURS, YOU CANNOT CRITICISE THEM FOR SAVING THE ASIAN TOUR. YES, GREG NORMAN AND THE SAUDI'S SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR THEIR CRUCIAL INVESTMENT INTO THE TOUR WHICH SPANS THE WORLD'S MOST POPULOUS CONTINENT. THE WORLD OF MEN'S PROFESSIONAL GOLF IS CHANGING, AND ASIA IS GOING TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF IT, AGAIN.
