South Korea will host a new event on the Asian Tour next year, as interest continues to grow in the sport there.
The inaugural Tani Asia Open will tee off at the Tani Country Club, Sachun City, in April. Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han said the event, which could include 60 players from the Korean PGA, would provide a further catalyst for the growth of the game in Korea and across Asia.
"Over the past few years, Korea has produced world-class golfers," said Han. "The birth of a new tournament in Korea reflects the growing strength of the game in this country. It will also be a great opportunity for the Korean players to test themselves against the finest players from Asia."
It comes after the announcement last week of the inaugural Queen's Cup, to be held at the Santiburi Samui Country Club on the Thai holiday island of Samui this August. However, the Asian Tour has faced a number of problems this year.
It lost its flagship Masters of Asia event when Volvo pulled out, blaming, among other things, political unrest in host country Thailand. The Tour also saw the Jaidee Invitational succumb to the global economic crisis when Raimon Land withdrew.
Several events in the region have also been taken over by the rival OneAsia Tour. Tani Resort Inc chairman Kim Sung-Soo said the new tournament will coincide with the launch of the golf club, which is scheduled for completion next March.
"The goal will be to establish the Tani Asia Open as one of the biggest Asian Tour events in Korea," said Kim.
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