WEBVTT - Cho Minn Thant 0:00:06.040 --> 0:00:07.960 It see Son of a Butch podcast comes to you 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:12.360 every Wednesday. I want to thank everyone for listening. Listen. 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:14.000 We've had some really cool guests on. We're going to 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:16.840 continue to have more cool guests on. So if you 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:19.880 haven't gone back and listen to past episodes, there is 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:21.840 a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff that will 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:24.160 help your game, and a lot of stuff maybe you 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:26.680 didn't know about some pretty cool people that we've had 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.880 a chance to have on the pod. And this week 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.640 is just like the other weeks. Another good guest, Chowman 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:37.760 that the commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour UM. 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.400 I think one of the fallouts between all the stuff 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:43.200 going on in professional golf right now, with the drama 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:47.120 between the PGA Tour and Live UM, the DP World Tour, 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:50.960 the European Tour UM, they've had to change things and 0:00:51.280 --> 0:00:54.320 the Asian Tour is definitely now. I think the Asian 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:57.400 Tour is going to be on the rise. I think 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.480 you're gonna to see more players. UM look at Asia 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:04.120 as as a legit option. They've got their international series 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:09.080 which are kind of their version of elevated events. But um, 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:11.680 you know, Cho talks a lot about Tom Kim is 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:13.280 a product of the Asian Tour, and I think we're 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.640 going to see more players come out of that um, 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:18.920 out of that tour. So I was really excited to 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:22.120 get a chance to talk to Cho. But before we 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:24.440 get to that interview, let's take short break to thank 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.400 our partner for wellness. You guys have heard me talk 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.080 about it. I'm a big fan of their coffee, big 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:32.039 fan of the good stuff. I put it in my 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:35.280 coffee on a regular basis. The thing I like about it, 0:01:35.360 --> 0:01:39.479 no sugars, no artificial sweeteners. It's gotten me off dairy. Um. 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:44.800 I've quit putting sweeteners sugars in just the good stuff. 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:46.840 But I also put the good stuff, put a scoop 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:48.960 of that in my coffee. But I also put it 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:51.440 in smoothies and take it on the road with me. 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:53.640 And the other thing that I've been using are their 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.440 energy bites. UM. I keep them with me on the 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:58.800 golf course. UM. A lot of times when I'm out 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:00.680 on tour, I don't have a lot of time to 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:04.600 sit and eat. So these energy bites, a little coffee hit, 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.320 a little bit of energy. UM. All the good stuff, 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.079 all natural and UM. If you haven't given those to 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:14.200 try check those out. They've given me a special code 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.520 to share with somen of a Butcher listeners. You can 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:20.200 get off your order, plus free shipping and a free 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:23.399 starter kit worth thirty dollars for a limited time when 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:28.040 you visit for Wellness dot com slash podcast. That's spelled 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:32.160 fo r w E l l n e s s 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:36.280 dot com slash podcast and enter the code c H 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.560 three at check out. It's their best offer right now, 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:42.880 so give it a try. They even back every purchase 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:47.560 with a sixty day money back guaranteed. That's again the 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:52.799 code c H three at for Wellness dot com slash Podcast. 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:56.320 All right, so let's get straight to the interview with 0:02:56.480 --> 0:03:05.200 the Asian Tour CEO and commissioner. Show men. Thank all right, 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.240 um Joe, if someone had told you man, I've said, 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:11.119 there's a bunch of players as well. The golf landscape, 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.520 the tour landscape has really really changed. I know, the 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:16.200 Asian Tour has always been a huge part of the 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:21.440 professional game in How excited are you about the things 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:23.720 that are happening on the Asian Tour and what is 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:26.440 kind of the runway and the future that that you 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:29.440 think that you are Guys as a tour can provide 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:32.880 to golfers around the world. Well, I mean, first and foremost, 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:35.600 we're just delighted to be in this position. I mean, 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:38.960 two years ago, we couldn't play golf because in Asia 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:41.880 the borders were shut. Um, there was no telling when 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.760 they were going to open again. So to be in 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.880 this position, having restarted our tour in November of last 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:51.360 year with nineteen months of no golf is remarkable. I mean, 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:55.240 we restarted the tour in November of last year, and um, 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:58.080 up until now, we've played nineteen events. We're going to 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.200 finish the year on twenty one events, and um, it's 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:04.920 a great position to be in without knowing where we 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.160 were going to be, um eighteen months ago. So really 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:10.920 really happy and probative where we are right now. You know, 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:13.280 the global pandemic that everybody went through, I don't think 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.280 people realized that a lot of it was dependent on 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:18.680 where you were living. Obviously we were living in the US. 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:21.800 The PGA Tour was one of the first professional sports 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:25.719 organization globally that started back up. But in Asia, I 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:29.680 mean a lot of uh, what was happening in in 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:34.480 Asia and people's daily lives were just really really decimated 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:37.040 by the pandemic. And I think you know, I lived 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.120 in Florida through the pandemic, and you almost didn't think 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:43.520 there was um a global pandemic going on because we 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.640 stayed open. We were working. But in Asia, I mean 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.200 for a tour like the Asian Tour, which services so 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:53.400 many players around the world, Um, it must have been very, 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:56.479 very different. How did you all manage the fact that 0:04:56.560 --> 0:05:00.920 you had, effectively for almost two years close the door. 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:03.200 I mean it was tough. It was really tough for 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:05.480 our members who didn't know when they were going to 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.200 tee it up. And let's not forget golfers their profession. 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.160 They didn't have a job for two years. Um. And 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:14.320 the word you use right, they're decimated is probably the 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:16.520 best word to describe it. I mean, we traveled to 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:20.520 eighteen different countries on the Asian Tour, and without being 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:23.880 able to access those countries through air travel, there was 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.640 no way we were going to be able to run tournaments. 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:29.359 So I mean, even today you have Hong Kong and 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:33.719 China still without borders fully open. We still can't operate 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.520 in those two markets, and we're lucky to be doing 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:41.000 so in Thailand, in Taiwan, um in the countries that 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:43.120 we've we've been able to play in. So yeah, I 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:45.880 mean it's it's it was tough, but we're out of 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:48.719 it now and flying. The Asian Tour were started in 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:53.960 nineteen was the first full season in the time between 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:58.040 when the Asian Tour started versus today in two Um, 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.480 what role do you think the Asian Tour has played 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:04.920 on the global stage of professional golf? I mean, obviously, 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:08.040 the PGA Tour is has been the holy grail of 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.720 professional golf. Every golfer around the world over the last 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.760 twenty five years, that is not from the United States. 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:17.360 I mean, everybody in the US wants to play in America, 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:20.640 so that was always the goal. But for outside of America, 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:23.720 the goal was to try and find a pathway. And 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.680 I've I've heard you in interview say your job is 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.719 the Asian Tours to provide a pathway to further the 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:34.720 careers of golfers in Asia and and around the world. 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:39.559 But where and how did you all get to where 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:42.000 you are today, to where you are now. One of 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.480 the six tours that are part of that international um 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:49.080 professional golf, you know, federations around the world, the PGA Tour, 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.240 the DP World Tour, all the different tours, what what 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:55.560 how did you guys get there? Well, I think go 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.880 One of the main misconceptions about the Asian Tour is 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:02.240 that it's just the Asia players, and that's not correct. 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.600 I mean, we operate in the Asian region, that's our 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.280 bread and butter. But anyone who wants to come to 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:11.360 qualifying school, anyone who qualifies from any different any nationality, 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:13.520 can come and play the Asian Tour. And we've seen 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:17.080 the Asian Tour as a pathway to the European Tour 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.120 in the past, all the way up to the PGA Tour, 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:21.840 and I mean it's it's I mean quite easy to 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:23.800 look back on the names that have come through the 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:26.800 Asian Tour. I mean if you look at Cameron Smith 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:30.160 and he came through the Asian Tour very recently, I'd 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:33.040 say within the last ten years, where um he went 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.480 to corn Ferry Qualifying School, didn't make it through, came 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.200 to Asian to a qualifying school because that was the 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:43.200 next available qualifying school on the calendar. Played a stellar 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:46.560 year in Asia, got into the cimb Classic, which was 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.080 co sanctioned with the PGA Tour, at the time and 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:51.440 then worked his way through by coming top five and 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:53.560 top tendeth and then he got his PGA to a 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.520 card and he's number two in the world today. So 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:58.679 I mean that's a perfect example of a guy coming 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:01.200 through the Asian Tour, spending a bit of time they're 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:05.200 honing their craft and then getting a good break by 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:07.720 playing well and moving their way up. Yeah. I think 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.240 you know, the list is long and distinguished of the 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:14.160 players that have come through UM the former European Tour 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:17.600 which is now the Deep World Tour, Sergio Adam Scott, 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:20.520 you know, Trevor Immelman, Justin Rose. I mean, those type 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.920 of players. But I think people forget sometimes that when 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:26.080 they arrive. I guy like Cam Smith, who's the current 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.320 Players Champion, the current Open Champion, and like you said, 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:31.840 the number two ranked player in the world. You forget 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:35.760 that coming from Australia, the pathway wasn't always if you 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:38.640 were outside the US. UM. Yes, a lot of players 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:41.640 came through the European system. The Ryder Cup we got 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:44.240 to see them do that, but there have been loads 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:47.680 of players UM that have come through UM Asia and 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:49.560 and and it is and I think a lot of 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:53.280 the players coming from Australia have been able to use 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:56.360 the the Asian Tour as a springboard to try and 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:00.360 get to the next level exactly. I mean Australia aphtically 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:02.559 is very close to Asia, but there's a lot of 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:04.439 guys who come out of college in the States as 0:09:04.440 --> 0:09:07.360 well and want to take the path list traveled. UM, 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:10.160 you have guys like David Lipsky, Kurt kid A Yama 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:13.000 I'll come through our system, perform well on the Asian 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:15.960 Tour and then work their way up. So uh yeah, 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:19.040 it's great to see these guys performing on the world stage. 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:21.640 And most recently Tom Kim, I mean, I mean what 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:24.320 a story. I mean, three years ago, the guy came 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:27.600 to Asian to a qualifying school and a sixteen seventeen 0:09:27.640 --> 0:09:30.760 year old exactly and didn't even make it through. He 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:34.200 didn't get through to UM the Asian Tour, so he 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:36.920 had to play on the Asian Development Tour. He won 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.760 three times on the Asian Development Tour, and I mean, 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:42.040 let's face it, these guys are playing for sixty to 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:46.480 seventy thousand dollars a week on that tour, trying trying 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:50.040 to make a living. So he's gone through uh the 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:53.600 ad t come onto the Asian Tour one twice, gone 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:56.400 through a pandemic where he couldn't play the Asian Tour, 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:59.320 but he played back home in Korea on the Korean Tour. 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.760 One order of Merit, came out to the Asian Tour 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:05.520 when we restarted one R order of Merit, and he 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:09.160 is where he is today. You've mentioned the Asian Developmental 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:11.800 that started in two thousand and ten. What was the 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.719 imparticipatory but around why you wanted to do that. You've 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:18.800 got the Asian Tour, but was the idea based off 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:22.840 of the PGA tour model to PGA Tour Um Canada, 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:26.720 PGA Tour Latin America, PGA Tour China to have a 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.440 way for players to say, Okay, right now you can't 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:31.640 play the Asian Tour, but we're going to talk to 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:35.080 me about why you guys did that and how successful 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.560 that has been and and and has that helped you 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.679 get players to the actual Asian Tour. I mean absolutely, 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:44.160 I mean it was a it was a thing that 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:46.800 we created to support the guys who didn't come top 0:10:46.840 --> 0:10:49.520 thirty five at qualifying school. I mean, paying your two 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.960 thousand dollars to come to Qualifying School, seven hundred guys 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:55.600 playing for thirty five spots. I mean outside of that, 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.600 if you don't make the grade, what do you do? Um, 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:01.720 So we decided to put on the Development Tour strictly 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:05.680 not not for profit. We're not making money off those events, UM, 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.480 and the players, i'd say, aren't making that much money 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:11.280 on that tour either. But at the end of the tunnel, 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:12.800 if you come top ten on the A d T, 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.599 you have your Asian Tour card, and I guess the 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.440 Asian Tour card is more valuable than ever now. And 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:20.640 I mean that's what we're seeing with qualifying school going 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:25.160 into three. Um, just off the back of what we're doing, uh, 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:27.520 and where we are right now, the Asian two Qualifying 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:31.840 School is completely fully subscribed and we have a reserve 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:34.600 list of about a hundred and twenty players just hungry 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:36.920 to get onto the Asian Tour. So that's testament to 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.600 how far we've come. You mentioned, um, the Asian Tour 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:43.600 places in so many different countries. UM, I think it 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:49.040 is very much. Um. The European Tour has kind of 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:52.959 evolved and changed. Um. There I started working on the 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:56.000 European Tour with players in the early two thousand, two 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.680 thousand one, two thousand two, and there were so many 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:02.160 more tournaments in Europe then there are today. There are 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:04.199 a lot of tournaments all over the world that are 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:07.520 European Tour events, a lot of tournaments in the Middle East. Um, 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:11.440 how have you all managed to keep the Asian Tour 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:14.160 in Asia. It's not like there's an Asian Tour event 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:16.319 in the United States. It's not like there's an Asian 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:19.040 Tour event in South Africa. I think it's one of 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.880 the cool things about the Asian Tours. It has kept 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:25.439 a lot of kind of I get not so much 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.000 to eat those but the feel of you're going to 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:29.920 play in Asia, because a lot of times now guys 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:31.760 are going to play in tours and you're like, we're 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:34.160 playing on this tour, but we're in this location and 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:36.680 it doesn't feel the same. I mean for us, I 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:38.960 mean the bread and butther is Southeast Asia and we 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:44.359 don't even have that made many tournaments in North Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore. 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:47.880 I mean, that's that's where we play, UM, and it's 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:51.520 it's exotic, the foods, great, the destinations, a great um 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:53.800 for our players to see um and it's just a 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:56.080 great place to be. The atmosphere on the Asian Tour, 0:12:56.160 --> 0:12:58.840 it's it's not like the PGA Tour. It's not like 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.440 the PGA of the European Tour. We stay in the 0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.520 same hotel, we traveled together. It's a it's one big 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.920 family in the hospitality. Weekend week Out's fantastic. So let's 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:10.880 take a short break and we will be back right 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:16.200 after this. All right, let's get back to the interview 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:22.880 we just um believe tour was just in Bangkok. Um 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:26.320 as the guy that's running the Asian Tour, um, you 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:30.199 mentioned to me that the crowds there were off the charts. 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:34.720 Um that for for an Asian tournament in Asia. I mean, 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:39.120 and the PGA Tour has played in Malaysia, they've played 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:41.840 in various ways. But to see those crowds last week, 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:46.720 it just shows you how much Asian golf and and 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.079 it does have a fan base. Now sure, I mean, 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:53.760 I think that was quote unquote Asia's major last last week. 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:55.599 I mean the caliber of players that we had that 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.080 um Brooks kept. You had Dustin Johnson, you had Phil 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:01.960 Nichols and Cam Smith. The list goes on. I don't 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:04.240 think we've ever had a tournament with that many high 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:09.200 caliber players play in Asia before. Um. We've had Tiger Com, 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:12.240 We've had a Honeycom, We've had a few players come 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.160 for the Thailand Golf Championship, but to get this amount 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.360 of high quality players has never been seen before. And 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.480 the proof was in the crowds that turned up last week. Um. 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:24.920 I mean, you can't expect crowds that that you see 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.000 weekend week out in America. But for Asia, what was 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:32.000 present at stone Hill last week was incredible. Um. And 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:36.280 people flew in from Singapore, they flew in from Taipei, 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:38.520 they flew in from the Philippines, and it was just 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.640 a great week for them. Yeah. I mean I was 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:43.280 at the event in Bangkok, and you know when you 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:44.960 watch I think a lot of people when they watch 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:47.520 golf on TV and they see golf tournaments where they 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:49.800 don't see a lot of people, they don't realize one 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:54.560 how popular golf is in America, how popular the PGA tourist. 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:58.040 But I was saying, you know, DJ Brooks are the 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.280 players that I worked with. We were all saying the 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.880 crowds were very similar to what you see in Abu Dhabi. 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:05.880 You see in Dubai, which are some of the big 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:10.680 flagship events on the European Tour. Um. You mentioned the 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:13.760 vibe on the Asian Tour. One of the things I 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.080 think is is great about the Asian Tour is you're 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:19.240 pretty much guaranteed, although you're guaranteed it's going to rain 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:21.640 every day, you're guaranteed that you're going to be playing 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.680 golf on at an Asian Tour event in the sunshine, 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.000 in good weather. I think that's also a huge, huge 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:31.000 part of the draw for players wanting to go out 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.520 and and try and play in Asia. Sure. And the 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:36.360 connectivity as well. I mean playing in Bangkok, playing in 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.560 Kuala Lumpo, are playing in Singapore, there's direct flights from 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:42.760 every capital city, um. And it's it's just easy to 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.480 get to. It's a great week that's not too stressful, um. 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:49.440 And it's just an enjoyable atmosphere. So I mean we 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.440 get that type of comment from a lot of guys 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:57.760 that come and visit. We're I mean in professional golf 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:02.960 is a business, um, the business community and and the 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:06.120 partners that you all have, UM, where do you all 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:10.080 find them? And what use the typical partner that you 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:12.200 will have at the the Asian Tour that wants to 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:16.640 be a part of sponsoring a tournament and sponsoring the tour. Well. 0:16:16.720 --> 0:16:19.560 I think this is where we we are greatly different 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:22.200 to the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. A 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:25.560 lot of our tournaments, which are long established tournaments, are 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.600 put on by people who just love golf. It's not 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:32.800 a corporate exercise. It's not for branding, it's not for hospitality. Uh. 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:36.560 They are just individuals who love having golf uh played 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:38.720 in their country at their golf course, and they just 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:40.880 put it in the year in, year out. Um. Some 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:43.840 of our tournaments have been going for twenty thirty years. 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.120 Even pre Asian Tour, they used to put on tournaments 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:49.960 for their domestic circuits and it's just a love for 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:52.880 the game. UM. I mean what we've seen this year 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:58.000 is another dimension where the International Series has come on board. UM. 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:00.840 The destinations that we're going to, the support that we're 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.800 getting from Live Golf, UM adds another layer to the 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:07.200 Asian Tour. Uh. That's that's part of our fabric. Now 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:11.840 you mentioned, um the Asian Tours relationship with Lift Golf. Obviously, 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:14.560 the PGA Tour just signed a I believe a thirteen 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:17.840 year deal with DP World, the former European Tour, their 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:22.080 strategic alliance. Was that something that you looked at and said, okay, well, 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:26.520 in order for us to continue to try and stay, um, 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:30.800 keep pace with what's going on around the world globally. UM, 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:34.119 the decision to choose Live as a partner. You mentioned 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:40.080 the International Series. Um, obviously there is so much toxicity 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:44.320 and professional golf right now. That decision to to do that, UM, 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:47.959 I'm guessing that wasn't a an easy decision, not a 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.359 decision that you took lightly. I mean, like we weighed 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:53.280 up the pros and contents, but at the end of 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:56.679 the day, it was so heavily waited towards going with 0:17:56.800 --> 0:18:01.000 Live that it was not a difficult decision in there. UM. 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:03.760 I think had we'd stayed aligned with the PGA Tour 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:06.159 in European Tour, we would have always stayed defeated to 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:09.600 it to the European Tour, where in this case we're expanding, 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:12.800 we're growing as fast as we want to grow, and 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:16.320 where true partners would live. So, I mean, if if 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:19.400 our players want to go out there and play other tours, 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:21.800 they're welcome to do so. If they want to play 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:23.960 on the Asian Tour and try and get into the 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:26.800 Live Tour and work their way up, then that's also fine, 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:30.919 and we're not restrictive on our members on where they 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:34.000 can play and where they can't play. When when Lives started, 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:37.320 there were a lot of players from Asia that a 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:41.560 lot of golf fans in America hadn't heard of. But 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:46.040 for you, as someone you know involved with the running 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:49.440 of the Asian Tour, it must have been heartening for 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.320 you to say, okay, these are This is an opportunity 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.800 for players that we see all the time play in 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.960 Asia get an opportunity to play on a bigger stage. Sure, 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:01.240 it's been a big, huge, it's been a huge bonus 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.520 for us to see our guys progress into the live invitationals. 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.400 This year. We get five to six guys in every 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:10.400 single field of the eight tournaments that are being held 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:12.960 this year, so it's exciting. It's great for them and 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:16.240 it's been a huge learning experience for them as well. 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:19.720 I mean, you look at Saddam from Thailand, who's played 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:22.240 i'd say every one of these live events. I think 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:24.800 the experience on live enabled him to play well in 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:28.080 the Open Championship finished a credible eleventh place that the 0:19:28.080 --> 0:19:31.600 Open Championship at St. Andrew's. I mean that, I mean, 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:37.240 that's proof proof in the pudding right there. Believe question 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:41.840 the PGA Tour question, you know, showing your opinion. How 0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:47.160 powerful is the PGA Tour and how powerful have they 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:51.280 been up to this point. I mean, growing up as 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.560 a golf fan, the PGA Tour is what you wanted 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.080 to watch. That's where you wanted to be anyone with 0:19:56.160 --> 0:19:59.879 aspirations of becoming a professional golfer. That was the typodies 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:03.040 everyone that everybody wanted to play the PGA Tour. But 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:05.440 I mean, I think there's a shift now where there's 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:09.920 an alternative and people are starting to realize that maybe 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:12.600 the PGA Tour isn't the center of the universe. There's 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:15.560 other ways where you can play top professional golf, and 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:19.359 there's other places you can play um and I'm glad 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:22.040 that the Asian Tour is a viable option for players now. 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:24.480 I mean, I find it really interesting that that right 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:29.360 now things are so polarized. It's like you can't before 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:32.880 the PGA Tour without being against Lave, You can't be 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:36.399 four lived without being against the PGA Tour, and you 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.640 mentioned that, you know, growing up, that was the aspiration. 0:20:40.040 --> 0:20:42.679 Do you think that there is a way that we 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:47.000 get to a point where the public and the fans 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:50.000 hopefully can get to a point to where they're a 0:20:50.000 --> 0:20:52.720 fan of professional golf, Because I think a lot of 0:20:52.720 --> 0:20:56.440 people when when Live happened, UM, a lot of people 0:20:56.960 --> 0:20:59.840 I thought, well, the PGA Tour is professional golf, and 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:02.200 there were tours all around the world. I mean I 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:05.520 I were I started working with my my coaching career, 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:10.439 UM started on the European Tour, and the holy the 0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:13.800 holy grail of being in Europe was you knew that 0:21:14.040 --> 0:21:18.560 if you wanted to have a career, have a long career, 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:24.480 and have a financially secure future, you had to get 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:27.199 to the p g A tour. Top fifty was the 0:21:27.200 --> 0:21:29.680 holy grail, right if you were in Europe, you got 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:32.800 in the top fifty. That got you into Players Championship, 0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:35.480 That got you then into the w g CS. It 0:21:35.560 --> 0:21:38.600