KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, SAUDI ARABIA | At the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia last week, one could not escape the distinct feeling of traversing through a divided world of haves and have-nots.
There was one group of players that had cash falling out of their pockets. These were the superstars of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, who play for millions week-in and week-out and turned up after accepting six- and seven-figure appearance fees. No wonder they looked as satisfied as a cat that not only got the cream, but also stored plenty in the refrigerator.
And then there was the other group. Counting their blessings to just be able to play tournament golf and saying shukraan (that’s “thank you” in Arabic) to everything happening around them. They were the professionals from the Asian Tour.
The big news for the entire golfing fraternity that lay east of the tournament site was the LIV Golf Investment and Asian Tour announcement of a 10-event International Series as part of the schedule each year for the next 10 years. Each tournament will have a prize purse between $1.5 to $2 million – loose change in American and European golf, but significant enough to excite professionals from more than 50 countries that make up the Asian Tour membership.
“I was speaking to my wife before coming here and I told her that this announcement will probably add 4 to 5 years to my playing career,” said India’s Shiv Kapur, a former board member and a four-time winner on the Asian Tour. “What it has done is made the Asian Tour a destination, and not just a pathway.”
Thailand’s promising star Phachara Khongwatmai agreed with Kapur.
“It is very difficult for many players from Thailand, Japan and other Asian countries to go out and play on other Tours,” the 22-year-old said. “Very few players, like Kiradech (Aphibarnrat) and Thongchai (Jaidee) have ventured out and succeeded on foreign tours. Of course, this is changing now, but a majority of our players still want to stay and play in Asia. It’s a great opportunity for them.”
Indonesia’s Danny Masrin said the COVID-19 pandemic was a killer blow not just for the Asian economy, but also for Asian golf.
“Damn this COVID. It’s been brutal,” he said. “I’ve known so many professionals in Indonesia, who had dreams of playing on the Asian Tour, and they have now given up the sport.
“To be 21 months without earning a single dollar when golf is the only thing you know, that is tough man. Many of them started teaching. The good thing is that the driving ranges and golf courses are now full and golf, as a sport, is booming. And these players who started teaching, they have told me they are never coming back to competitive golf because they are able to earn a steady income without having to worry about travel and schedule, etc.
“The International Series has the potential to reverse this trend.”
American Berry Henson, who is on the Asian Tour board, became an Internet sensation last year when he revealed how he was driving for Uber in Palm Springs, California, to supplement his earnings.
“As a board member, I am trying to talk as much as I can to the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour to invite them back to the table,” Henson said. “But I also know there are many members on the Tour who are happy that they now have all the spots in tournaments with very decent prize funds.
“I have been in Asia for the last 20 years, and I get the feeling that we have come out stronger after COVID than when we went into it. A deep investment like this is going to have a trickle-down effect on caddies, on golf courses, on coaching and I am so excited to see what happens to Asian golf in the next 10 years with this Saudi investment.”
South African M.G. Keyser shifted his residence in 2013 to Dubai to pursue his career on the Asian Tour. There were many like him who uprooted themselves from their home countries, and he feels they finally have a platform to make that decision worthwhile.
“Players like me, who moved to Asia and set up our base here, we have been loyal to the Asian Tour, and it is so gratifying that the International Series announcement now gives us an opportunity to make a decent earning,” he said. “Why should the Asian Tour explain their move to host tournaments in other continents? Golf is a global sport and we have global membership and I welcome the move to host a tournament fully sanctioned by the Asian Tour in England. It gives our members the chance to experience varied conditions and will make us better players.”
Kapur said he is thrilled with the decision to play at the Centurion Club, about half-hour north of London, in June.
“I know how difficult the conditions were for the Tour,” said the 39-year-old from New Delhi, who was the gold medalist at the 2006 Asian Games. “We were almost on the verge of finishing our reserves during the lockdown. None of the tours helped us then, and they are now getting jittery that we are having tournaments in their territory.
“The DP World Tour and the PGA Tour have events wherever their sponsors want to go and Asian Tour needs to do the same. We are thankful to LIV Golf and Public Investment Fund, and if they have business interest in certain parts of the world, we should be happy to go there.”
The International Series of the Asian Tour, not to be confused with the possible Super Golf League series events, starts with the first one in Thailand’s acclaimed Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin, from March 3-6.
Joy Chakravarty