Restraint of trade case lands Asian Tour chief in court

SINGAPORE: Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han will appear in a Singapore court this week as a defendant in the next stage of a trial into a restraint of trade case brought by four golfers against his Tour.

Australians Terry Pilkadaris and Matthew Griffin, Dutchman Guido van der Valk and Malaysian Anis Helmi Hassan brought the case against the Asian Tour after they were suspended for refusing to pay a US$5,000 fine for playing on a rival circuit.

Griffin played in the Chengdu Open, Maekyung Open, SK Telekom Open and Indonesian Open on the Oneasia Tour between April and July 2010, with Pilkadaris playing in three of the events, Van der Valk two and Anis just in Indonesia.

The Asian Tour said previously that they were simply following their rules and regulations in suspending the quartet for failing to pay, adding that other Asian Tour members had agreed to pay and gone on to play rival events.

The golfers had applied for an injunction so they could carry on playing and avoid paying the fines before the case was heard, but the Singapore judge rejected their application in late 2010 and they paid up.

Pilkadaris, Griffin and Anis have since dropped out of Asian Tour.

Lawyers for the four golfers will be allowed to cross–examine Han in the hearing which begins today at the Singapore High Court and is expected to last three days.

The judge will review the case with a verdict expected later this year.

Pilkadaris, 38, is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour and last played on the circuit at the 2010 Selangor Masters. His world ranking is 530.

He and the other three plaintiffs argue that the penalty is unfair and they should be free to play on whichever Tour they wish without paying large fines.

“It costs me several thousand dollars to travel each week,” he said.

“Keeping in mind I only have a chance to earn money each week, golf is a very expensive sport to play. Most players ranked outside the top 100 in the world do not have sponsorship so all of these expenses are paid ourselves.”

While it is the players that have brought the suit, the case adds to the rivalry between the Asian Tour and Oneasia Tour, which was launched in 2009.

Han’s organisation, which has 26 confirmed events for 2012, have accused their rivals of stealing their events.

The Oneasia Tour, now boasting 14 events with a combined prize money of over Us$16mil for 2012, denies the claims.