Japan Golf Tour Organization official Kenji Tanaka said the organization is keen to increase its involvement in co-sanctioned events abroad but remains "opposed to any radical changes to Asia's organizational structure," according to Patrick Johnston of REUTERS.
The JGTO, along with the well-established China Golf Association, Korean Tour and Australian PGA has seen the golf market in the region "muddied by a turf war between the Asian Tour and OneAsia circuits over recent years."
The Asian Tour resumed merger talks with the European Tour last month, but Tanaka said that China, Australia, Korea, Japan and others "were better off running their own circuits rather than signing up to a single overlord." He said,
"It's necessary to have individual country tours because if there is only one tour, only a limited number of players can play that tour."
The JGTO "is the largest circuit in the continent with 25 events for the 2016 season, offering a wealthier prize pool and more tournaments than the Asian or OneAsia Tours."
Tanaka said that "his body would like to expand to 30 events with the help of the European and Asian Tours as well as the U.S. PGA Tour" (REUTERS, 2/2).
