Seoul: Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han on Tuesday said he is ‘aghast’ at the European Tour’s ‘invasive action’ after it announced a new $2.6 m event in South Korea.

The tournament is co-sanctioned with the Korean PGA but not with the Asian Tour. In less than a month, the European Tour has unveiled plans for a second major event without the backing of the Asian Tour.

“The European Tour continues to proceed on its expansion programme to colonise Asia with the announcement of a Korean event without the official involvement of the Asian Tour,” said Kyi.

“This represents the European Tour’s blatant disregard towards the Asian Tour, which is the official regional sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia.

“This invasive action clearly goes against the principles of the international federation of PGA Tours, whose main goals are to promote cooperation between tours through the joint sanctioning of significant competitions.” (AFP)