KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Tour is looking to resume its 2020 calendar in September based on the forecasts and the current trajectory of gradual easing on social distancing measures across the region.
Asian Tour commissioner and chief executive officer Cho Minn Thant said gradual international travel clearance and also the ultimate lifting of quarantine periods would determine the ability to resume the full-scale tour.
Cho also revealed that the Asian Tour is vying to organise between ten to twelve events from September to December, adding that they could raise the number if the current Covid-19 situation improved.
“There is a prospect of the Tour traveling to China and culminating with a stretch which includes the Hong Kong Open and Mauritius Open in the later part of the year. During this period, if things go our way, there may also be a couple of new events which could be added to the schedule.
“As for the Asian Development Tour, we are targeting between six to eight tournaments with events in Thailand, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei while events in Malaysia are still pending,” Cho was quoted as saying in the Asian Tour website: www.asiantour.com.
The Shinhan Donghae Open in Incheon, South Korea, offering a total prize money of 1.4 billion Won is expected to be the first event to tee off from Sept 10-13 since the global Covid-19 pandemic forced the season to be suspended in March.
Meanwhile, Cho also revealed that the Asian Tour would improve its standard operating procedures to safeguard the well-being of all parties including the players, caddies, and fans when organising any event in the future in mitigating Covid-19 infections.
“There is no doubt there will be some compromises in the early events. These could be in areas that we have taken for granted for many years. If we need to minimise the number of foreign travellers travelling into a host country, we may have to do without private caddies, entourages, and support staff. It is possible that only players and essential staff are permitted to travel.
“If the hospitality marquee structures are not feasible because of the crowds that they attract, we may need to create other low risk opportunities for sponsors, such as an additional pro-am. But these temporary measures are necessary to ensure that we can resume our tournaments this year,” Cho added. – Bernama
