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OneAsia's second event tees off in South Korea next week and despite the obstacles faced of launching a new venture in the middle of an economic crisis, golf's newest tour is delighted with its early progress.

Formed by founding members the PGA of Australia, China Golf Association, Korea Golf Tour and the Korea Golf Association, the series has a five-tournament schedule in 2009 which it hopes to increase to around 20 within two years.

"Our talks and our vision was about trying to create something that ultimately would allow the best players in the Asia-Pacific to stay in the region," PGA Tour of Australia commissioner Ben Sellenger told Reuters.

"So that our best players from Sydney, Delhi or Seoul don't get to a certain stage in their career and feel the need to move on to another tour.

"Realistically, this region deserves to have an elite golf tour that stand alongside the U.S. PGA and European tours... an alternative. Everyone knows it has room for one. Sure, some areas are really immature but they are coming along leaps and bounds."

The concept of an Asia-Pacific tour powerful enough to compete against the heavyweights of the United States and Europe took its first steps to becoming a reality in April when the series held its opening event with the China Open in Beijing.

The tournament was shrouded by a fair share of controversy with the Asian Tour demanding its own players boycott an event it had previously hosted, but OneAsia remains positive it can recover from this setback and continue to expand its schedule.

STEPPING STONE

Sellenger contends that OneAsia does not compromise any existing tours and should be seen as an addition to them, involving the bodies from individual countries in the region to work towards a unified goal of an elite tour.

"We may only have a few events now but three of the events are the national opens (China, Korea and Australia) of three of the biggest economies in the region," he added.

"A stepping stone to really ramping things up next year to 10 to 15 tournaments with over $1 million prize money each."

All very good in theory, but is it a good time to be entering a market suffering the effects of an economic downturn that has led to the loss of a number of events on the LPGA Tour while carmakers Buick and Volvo have also cut back on sponsorship?

"In terms of the timing of all this, it is difficult and I suppose one of the plusses is that it's not easy for anyone," Sellenger admitted.

"The other people seeking investment and those that would be seen as being in the same marketplace are struggling as well.

"What we hope to be creating is a new offering. Something different and all encompassing across the whole region. That has specific markets to attract top and local level investment.

"It doesn't change the financial crisis at the moment but it positions us well in terms of what we are going out with and speaking to sponsors about... trying to broaden their reach and offer more than they would get from other investments.

"However, we are finalising arrangements right now that will see us safely through until 2013."

Feted as future stars, Rory McIlroy, Danny Lee and Ryo Ishikawa will all be teeing off at the Korea Open and the ability to attract this level of competitor and prospect of gaining more world ranking points for events will also help OneAsia's cause.

(Source: Reuters)