By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS
New Delhi : Thomas Bjorn may well be the right person to try and ensure a good and cordial relationship between Asian and European Tours. The big Dane took a firm step in that direction, first by shooting a four-under 68 that gave him a share of early lead in the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters at the Delhi Golf Club and then said a lot of nice things about Indian golf and players and the usefulness of good relations between European, Asian and Indian Tours.
Bjorn, who was elected European Tour’s Chairman of Tournament Committee, will be mighty pleased that the tournament is going fine, as he seeks greater co-operation between Asian and European Tours.
Bjorn said, “You know, you obviously hear a lot, and we’ve got three or four guys in Europe that are very well liked, Indian players and they have been shouting at us for years to come down here and now we’re here.”
Bjorn rightly said, “We need to build our tournaments in this part of the world. We want to have a great relationship with India and with the Asian Tour, and to build events like this is always going to take time. I think when you come from Dubai last week, you know, there’s certainly some differences in the way things are here.
“But you know, it’s all about time, and it’s all about seeing a place. We said a little bit the same thing when we went to China. It was such an emerging place. It was growing very quickly, and you know, this is the same. It grows, it grows every day, it’s buzzing, things are happening here, and it’s great to be a part of it.”
Considering the acrimony the tournament generated when it was first announced nearly six months ago it must indeed have been a big relief. Initially, when the European Tour seemed determined to go ahead all alone without Asian or Indian players, there was a fear that the divide between Asian and European Tours would become so big that it could only harm the game.
European Tour initially suggested they were in India only because of an invitation from India. That invitation was from Indian Golf Union and not the PGTI, which runs pro golf in India.
In the end wiser counsels prevailed and the event was co-sanctioned with Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) playing an integral part.
With 29 professionals and two amateurs, Indian golf did get its rightful share in the event, which also sees the top Asian Tour players.
Now that European Tour has seen the usefulness of having a co-sanctioned event, it will indeed be good to see it continue, not just here in India, but all over Asia.