29 Apr 2010

OneAsia Tour blames smear campaign for Korean snub

6:18 am on 29 April 2010

OneAsia Tour organisers says a boycott by South Korean golfers is misguided and provoked by parties with "conflicting commercial interests" .

The tour's chief executive Ben Sellenger told Reuters the Korea Professional Golfers' Association decision is a blow but Korean events will go ahead as planned with local players involved.

Sellenger says the the boycott's based on a lot of misinformation and it seems a small number of senior, vocal players have led it.

OneAsia had initially faced a pullout by local players in South Korea but the decision by the KPGA to snub all the events on the fledgling tour is an embarrassing setback.

The row erupted after South Koreans expressed their unhappiness at the number of spots available to local players at next week's Maekyung Open and other events in the country.