The Asian Tour is hoping to add more lucrative events by June to help players qualify for this summer's Paris Olympics, the tour's head of international series told AFP on Wednesday.
Rahul Singh spoke ahead of this week's International Series Macau. There, players are chasing $2 million in prize money and all-important ranking points.
With just 60 players eligible to compete at the 2024 Paris Games, and most countries securing up to two spots, competition will be fierce until the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) is decided in June.
Saudi-funded LIV Golf has invested $300 million in the Asian Tour, which, unlike LIV, earns world ranking points, leading to the creation of the International Series.
More than 20 LIV golfers briefly traveled from Hong Kong for this week's event at the Macau Golf and Country Club, and Shin agreed that many were concerned about ranking points. .
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“You see it with the LIV players who are on the brink of qualifying for the Olympics and the Asian Tour players who are aiming to break into the top 60,” he said.
“Therefore, we are currently actively considering adding another International Series tournament before the June 17 deadline.”
Singh declined to say when or where the event would be held “because it hasn't been finalized yet”, but added: “We are actively working to make that happen and the Olympics are one of the driving forces behind that.” Ta.
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The Asia Tour only has two events scheduled between now and June, in Saudi Arabia and South Korea, with plenty of room for more.
Ko Taichi, the Asian Games gold medalist from Hong Kong, is one of the players who has made it clear that his goal this year is to qualify for Paris.
The 23-year-old, the 2023 Asian Tour Young Player of the Year, is just outside the top 60 in the Olympic golf rankings.
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“I think the International Series event is a great opportunity for me to break the top-60 benchmark given the strength of the field,” Coe said.
“This week is an opportunity to improve my game and move a little closer to my vision of playing in the Olympics.”
LIV players such as Anirban Lahiri are competing with Asian Tour golfers such as Gaganjeet Brar for a spot in India.
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Bouler, a two-time Macau Open champion and currently 50th in the OGR, could improve his ranking with a strong performance at his favorite course this week.
Lahiri is scheduled to play in the DP World Tour's Indian Open later this month, one of the few tournaments outside LIV that he will be able to play in.
He was scheduled to play in Macau, but was absent after contracting the flu in Hong Kong.
Other LIV stars, including major winners Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann, are playing in Australia before Christmas or taking part in Asian Tour events to protect their Paris quotas.
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