Asian Tour loses flagship season-ending event

05-14-2009 | AFP

Its main sponsor Volvo pulled out blaming the political unrest in Thailand

Panama Star The season-ending tournament, first played in 2002, was not the richest on the Asian Tour but was seen as its premier event for Official World Golf Ranking purposes, with a minimum winner's point allocation set at 20.

Singaporean Lan Chih Bing was the defending champion.

Its demise is another blow to a Tour battling not just the global economic crisis but the emergence of the rival OneAsia Tour, which has taken over four events it used to run.

These include the China Open, an event sponsored by Volvo. Per Ericsson, president of Volvo Event Management, said the company had decided not to take up its contractual option to extend its Masters of Asia sponsorship for another year. "There is no single issue that has led us to take this decision -- more so a combination of factors," he said. "The current economic climate, the unstable situation surrounding Asian golf at present and recent unrest in Thailand all played a part."

He added though that Volvo "remains open to opportunities in Asia in the future".

"I would like to thank our partners for the opportunity given to us to develop the Volvo Masters of Asia.”