Golf chief irate over report Jakarta prize money report

Golf chief irate over report Jakarta prize money report

Agencies, Beijing

Asia's golf chief conceded on Friday that he was powerless to
help nearly 80 professionals kept waiting for almost a month for
a reported million dollars in prize money from last month's
Indonesia Open golf tournament.

Asian Tour chief executive Louis Martin said he was at a loss
to explain why promoter Parallel Media Group (PMG) allegedly
failed to hand over the money after the Indonesia Open.

"It's extremely embarrassing," Martin was reported as saying
by AFP.

"We really can't do anything. We rely on the honesty and
integrity of the promoters we work with."

He added that he would hold talks with European Tour chief
George O'Grady later on Friday.

Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, who won the event on March 27,
is owed US$166,660 and another 78 players are also waiting for
money.

Martin was particularly incensed at the reported failure to
pay the top prize money to the Thai.

"When he (Thaworn) won he said it was fantastic because he
could use the winnings to buy a house for his mother," said
Martin at the ongoing Johnnie Walker Classic here.

"The players are asking me about it every day, and I don't
blame them. The guys who won 5,000 or 10,000 desperately need the
money -- that's what it's like for the players who are at the
bottom."

Martin also rejected a reported statement from PMG president
David Ciclitira that he had paid most of the money to the
European Tour, which co-sanctioned the Indonesian Open, and that
the rest would be paid next week.

"It's pretty irrelevant because he's been saying that for four
weeks," he said.

"You can't just pay some of the prize money because which
players should we pay it out to?"

PMG's PR and media manager and managing director did not
return calls from The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The Indonesia Open, played at Cengkareng Golf Course in West
Jakarta, was the first European Tour sanctioned event in the
country. As well as Thaworn, major competitors included
Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Asia's top player of 2004
Thongchai Jaidee.

It was a crucial tournament for players such as Montgomerie as
they tried to make the top 50 on the PGA tour in order to qualify
for April's Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

Players also took part in coaching clinics and a gala dinner
to benefit victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami in Aceh and North
Sumatra.