The growing PGA Tour push into Asia "is bringing an annual major golf event within Australian reach," according to Russell Gould of the HERALD SUN. Players would "happily make the trip" if the "three key elements of staging a tournament can be ticked off." Courses "are a tick and a spot on the calendar is manageable." The "biggest hurdle for event hopefuls to overcome is the apparent lack of available sponsorship dollars." The PGA Tour "continues to spread its wings" internationally, recently announcing an event in Korea with a prize money pool upwards of A$10M ($7.39M) will be added to the '17-18 season. That event will be played in a three-week "Asian Swing" with the HSBC Masters in Shanghai and CIMB Classic in Malaysia, both events which attract "stellar fields." A "snap poll of World Cup attendees showed an overwhelming willingness to travel to Melbourne annually" should the PGA or European Tours stage an event there. Marc Leishman said that it "should be part of future planning" for the PGA to have an event in Australia, particularly Melbourne. He said, "Yeah, well, it depends on the money I guess, the sponsors. You need more than one sponsor to put on a big tournament, the sponsors, the organizers. They decide where they are. ... If you can get some exposure around the world, there’s no reason why there couldn’t or shouldn’t be an event in Australia that’s on the PGA Tour" (HERALD SUN, 11/22).
