Dollar soars, halting golf events in Thailand

Dollar soars, halting golf events in Thailand

BANGKOK (Agencies): Golf has become the latest victim of Thailand's economic crisis, with at least three Thai PGA Tour golf tournaments canceled after sponsors pulled out because of financial difficulties, a Thai PGA official said Wednesday.

Three tournaments with total purses of 5.5 million baht (US$181,800) were canceled and a fourth worth 1.5 million baht might also be pulled, said Thai PGA secretary general Pongnat Vatanasak.

"It is because of the economic situation. All the major sponsors have pulled out," he told Reuters.

The canceled events are the two million baht Volvo Thailand Masters, originally to be held in July, the 1.5 million baht PTT- Unocal Championship scheduled for this month and the two million baht Thai Airways International championship.

Thailand has already held three Thai PGA Tour tournaments this year.

Once one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, Thailand has just negotiated a $16.7 billion international bailout package to try and revive the economy, which has slowed to its lowest growth level in decades.

Survey

In New York, women are not only the fastest-growing segment of the golfing population. They also are more concerned with how they are playing than what they shoot, according to a new survey by Golf for Women magazine.

The survey, results of which will be released Sept. 8 at the PGA International Golf Show in Las Vegas, found that 75 percent of women golfers say their score does not matter if they hit the ball well.

Just 59 percent of the men surveyed said that playing well was more important than scoring well.

The survey, conducted with the National Golf Foundation through Chicago's Market Facts, Inc., also found that women generally use score as a measure of improvement and not for competition or wagering, and that 66 percent of the five million women who play golf do not maintain a handicap.

Questionnaires were mailed to 1,800 female and 500 male golfers, and the 56 percent response was deemed an adequate sampling for an error rate of plus or minus 1.7 percent.

The study found 62 percent of women golfers were employed, most in professional or managerial positions, and that many have realized the business advantages of the game.

"Many more women are playing golf and we suspect that it's helping them make major advances in their careers," said Golf for Women publisher Robin Domeniconi.

"Female golfers take their sport very seriously and their careers are obviously a priority," Domeniconi said. "Because they are spending more time on the golf course with their bosses, colleagues and clients, we want to know how it's helping them network or close deals."

The survey found 56 percent of the rounds played by women in the last 12 months were nine holes, compared to 21 percent of the rounds by men.

The women said they simply did not have the time for 18 holes and 51 percent of the women said they would play more if they could play 18 holes in four hours or less.

Recognizing the prevalence of nine-hole rounds, the USGA will require all clubs to issue an official nine-hole handicap index starting in January.

The survey also found that:

- 74 percent of women golfers have taken at least one lesson, compared to 46 percent of men.

- Women shot an average 18-hole score of 108.

- 42 percent of women say they play golf to spend more time with their families, while only 20 percent of men said that.

The biggest myth exposed by the survey was the notion that most women who take up golf quit for a year or more. Only 33 percent of women quit for a year or more, the survey found, the same percentage as men.

The most common reason why women took time off from golf were birth of a child (35 percent), lack of someone to play with (23), new job (19), health reasons (18) and expense of the game (10).