The KPGA golf's governing body in South Korea called for dialogue to solve the dispute (AFP)
South Korean golfers threatened Friday to boycott tournaments hosted by the OneAsia circuit in their country, in protest at its stricter qualification standards.
South Korean golfers threatened Friday to boycott tournaments hosted by the OneAsia circuit in their country, in protest at its stricter qualification standards.
"Many members support a proposal to boycott the circuit," said Park Kwang-Soo, a spokesman for the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA), adding that a campaign to collect signatures would be completed next week.
The petition for a boycott comes after the Korea Golf Association (KGA) announced it had toughened rules for South Korean events for the OneAsia tour, a rival circuit to the Asian Tour.
Previous tournaments held in South Korea drew up to 100 local golfers but under the new standards only 40 top-seeded players would be allowed to take part in this year's OneAsia tournaments, Park said.
"We would rather boycott OneAsia if it allows only few players to participate," he said.
The more established Asian Tour, worth almost 38 million dollars last year, is expected to host 27 of the Asia-Pacific region's most important golf tournaments this year.
The rival OneAsia tour expects to host 11 events, for a total of 13 million US dollars in prize money.
Three events will be hosted by OneAsia in South Korea this year -- the SK Telecom Open, the GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open.
If the boycott goes ahead, only foreign players will take part in these events, South Korean media reported.
The KPGA, golf's governing body in South Korea, called for dialogue to solve the dispute, saying that up to 70 South Korean players could participate in OneAsia tournaments.
"They are acting on misunderstanding and wrong information," KGA secretary- general Oh Chul-Gyu told AFP.
© 2010 AFP/sid
