Chinese golf tycoon Tenniel Chu has signed up as OneAsia’s secretary-general with a remit to expand the ambitious circuit, officials said.
Chu, vice chairman of the Mission Hills golf empire and son of the late David Chu, China’s “father of golf”, will work with national bodies, sponsors and resorts to add new events to the OneAsia calendar. “It is an honour to have Tenniel Chu join the OneAsia team,” Sang Y. Chun, OneAsia’s commissioner and chairman, said in a statement.
“Mission Hills and OneAsia share a common vision about the enormous potential of golf in Asia, and both are pioneers in elevating the status of the game in the region.” OneAsia has grown to 14 events this year since starting in 2009 as a competitor to the more established Asian Tour and says it is Asia’s most lucrative regional golf circuit.
“In OneAsia I see a platform that suits my vision for golf in the Asia-Pacific region,” Chu said.
“The collaboration of national amateur golf bodies and professional golf associations with an executive boasting world class broadcasting expertise and business acumen means all our stakeholders are taken care of.”
Chu’s family owns the giant Mission Hills resort in Shenzhen, southern China, which is described as the world’s biggest golf complex, and another on Hainan island.
Last year, he called for a cap on prize-money and appearance fees in China after rich, unsanctioned new events took the shine off other tournaments, including the World Cup at Mission Hills in Hainan.
“China has deep pockets but the last thing we want to do is to raise financial expectations to levels which are non-proportional to tradition and established events,” he told AFP in November.
