OTHER SPORTS

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour, answers questions about the new partnership with the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR and explains why it is the correct path to take.

You recently announced a new partnership with the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR. What was the rationale behind this decision?

While we had not anticipated this earlier in the year, as a result of the uncertainty surrounding LIV Golf’s future, we had to promptly look at all options in the best interests of the Asian Tour and our members. We were alerted to this just prior to the Singapore Open and since then it has been a very busy period of discussions and meetings that required our full attention. We needed to work quickly to find a solution which protected the long-term wellbeing of the Asian Tour. After evaluating several options thoroughly, we are confident that the decision we made is in the best interests of our members, stakeholders and partners. As we all know, sponsorship is the main factor which our Tour (and most other Tours) is built upon, and this is driven by market forces. We look back at the last five years as a very successful and important period of growth at the Asian Tour. The establishment of The International Series with LIV Golf has illustrated that Asian golf is vibrant and that there is a strong appetite for high level golf in the Asian region. The relationship provided our members with outstanding playing opportunities which is the foundation of the Tour and forms the basis of our renewed partnership with the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR.