OneAsia confirms SK Telecom Open in Seoul - ONEASIA

OneAsia confirms SK Telecom Open in Seoul - ONEASIA - Asia Pacific's professional tournament destina
Asia Pacific's professional tournament pathway opens third elite playing opportunity in Korea
SINGAPORE, 9 April 2010 - OneAsia - Asia Pacific's first consolidated professional
tournament pathway for elite golfers - today announced the newest addition on its 2010
schedule - The SK Telecom Open will be played from 20 - 23 May at the SKY72 Ocean Course
in Seoul, South Korea.
The tournament has long been one of the flagship tournaments in the Land of Morning Calm
and its addition to the circuit means that OneAsia will now boast three professional tournaments
in Korea.
“The SK Telecom Open is one of the jewels in the crown of professional tournament golf in
Korea and we see its move to the OneAsia schedule as an important part in building a path for
the development and growth of Korean golf,” said Song, Byung Joo, Tournament Director,
Korean Golf Tour.
"It is important that our top players are pit against the very best of what the rest of Asia Pacific
has to offer in order for them to grow individually as athletes - In the long term, this matures our
own domestic market as well."
Launched in 1997, the SK Telecom Open boasts a famous list of past winners including Korean
star K.J. Choi, who took the title in 2003, 2005 and 2008.
Korean Park Sang-hyun triumphed as tournament champion last year while other notable
names on the trophy include Thailand’s Prom Meesawat (2006) and Simon Yates from Scotland
(2004).
The tournament also hit the headlines in 2006 when American Michelle Wie made the cut to
become only the second female to play all four rounds in a men’s professional event in Korea.
Pak Se-ri from Korea was the first in 2003.
In line with its aim to maximize elite player opportunities across the region, the SK Telecom
Open - originally listed as the "Seoul Open" (June 17-20) - has been moved to the third week of
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OneAsia confirms SK Telecom Open in Seoul - ONEASIA - Asia Pacific's professional tournament destinat
May to avoid scheduling conflict with other existing tours across the region.
“The SK Telecom Open is one of the region’s standout tournaments regularly attracting world
class players," said Ben Sellenger, Chief Executive, OneAsia. "With a fantastic naming rights
sponsor like SK Telecom with the support of OneAsia and the Korean Professional Golfers'
Association, it has the potential to grow into one of the biggest and best events in the region.
"This will lay the foundation for delivering on OneAsia's ultimate goal to attract and retain the
best talent from the region and across the globe, and provide them with an alternative to play
solely in Asia, without compromising their development or careers."
Other OneAsia tournaments in Korea in 2010 include the 29th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf
Championship, which takes place two weeks prior to the SK Telecom, as well as the
Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open held in October.
The latter joined the OneAsia schedule in 2009 and was won by Korea's Bae Sang-moon, a
former winner of the SK Telecom Open in 2007.
In 2010, OneAsia will stage 11 tournaments in 2010 for a total of US$13 million in prize money,
ultimately seeking to provide players in Asia with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and
the European Tour.
The SK Telecom Open will be broadcast domestically on SBS, as well as internationally across
the OneAsia TV Platform. OneAsia continues next week in Suzhou with the US$2.5 million Volvo China Open at the
Suzhou Jinji Lake International GC in China.
The 2010 OneAsia tournament schedule has been updated here . - Ends
About OneAsia
OneAsia is a non-profit organisation developed to maximize elite tournament opportunities in
Asia-Pacific. The Founding members of OneAsia are the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf
Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia. The mission of OneAsia is not just to allow the region's best players to gain access to more events, but to ultimately provide them
with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and the European Tour, thus retaining the best
golfing talent in the region without compromising their development.
For more information, please contact:
Janice Lee Fang,
PR & Media Manager - OneAsia
DID: +65 6236 0362
Mobile: +65 8268 8155
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OneAsia confirms SK Telecom Open in Seoul - ONEASIA - Asia Pacific's professional tournament destinat
[email protected]
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