We’ve been bowled a yorker that’s taken the middle stump

CHO MINN THANT, Asian Tour commissioner and CEO

For Indian professionals keen to make a name in international golf after graduating from the Professional Golf of India (PGTI), the Asian Tour is the first stepping stone to bigger challenges. With at least 15 players with full playing rights and many more from the PGTI getting into Asian Tour events on country spots, the suspension of the Tour due to the pandemic has hit Indian pros hard. Asian Tour commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant, who is based in Singapore, spoke on the challenges and the road ahead. Excerpts:

In the aftermath of several events cancelled or postponed, what are the plans of restarting the Tour?

There are complications when it comes to a Tour like ours resuming play. It is much easier for Tours which operate predominantly out of one country to restart sooner. Even with a number of international players, they can enter a country and plan for a quarantine period and remain there to play the rest of the season.the first would be the lifting of lockdowns and movement restrictions, second would be the resumption of business, and third would be the resumption of international travel.

How does the Tour see the pandemic affecting player earnings and are steps afoot to soften the blow?

The Asian Tour is dependent on tournaments being staged. From a membership perspective, without any tournaments there is no opportunity for our players to earn pay cheques. The most important task right now is to balance the survival of the company against the welfare of our membership.

The Asian Tour’s roadmap in the coming years?

Ironically, we were looking forward to a solid season in 2020 to build on for future seasons. To borrow a cricket phrase, we have been bowled a yorker that has taken out the middle stump. One thing that has come forth is the solidarity and collaborative efforts of all the Tours.