The future of the $2M Hong Kong Open "will be in jeopardy if the government takes back part of the Fanling Old Course as recommended by the Task Force on Land Supply," a senior golf official warned. The flagship event at the Hong Kong Golf Club is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours as "one of the prominent tournaments in the region but the recent saga on the land use problem will affect its future status." Hong Kong Golf Association CEO Danny Lai said, "It will definitely cast doubt on the future of the Hong Kong Open if part of the Old Course is taken away by the government. Although the Hong Kong Open will not use the eight holes of the Old Course as part of the competition, the area does provide the essential supporting services" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 1/1).
Over half of the total tickets for this year's Rugby World Cup in Japan "have been sold," a source said on Monday. Over 1 million of a total 1.8 million tickets available for the 48 games over 12 venues have been sold. The local organizing committee "is aiming to sell out every match, with the remaining tickets to be put on sale this month." Sales began in Jan. '18 (KYODO, 1/1).
ONE Championship "is seeking closer ties with Korean athletes and conglomerates" including LG Electronics after it decided to host an event in Seoul in December, the organization's chair, Chatri Sityodtong, said. ONE recently signed a contract with Yoshihiro Akiyama, "a former UFC fighter who is better known as Choo Sung-hoon in Korea." Sityodtong said that the deal was "obviously relevant to his company's entry into Korea, a country which still lacks world-class promotions despite its long history of martial arts" (KOREA TIMES, 1/1).
The exhibition match between Floyd Mayweather and young Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa "ended up in a lopsided win by the American" in Monday’s year-end event by Japanese MMA promoter Rizin. Mayweather: "It’s all about entertainment." He "may have used" the word "entertainment," but Mayweather "clinically destroyed Nasukawa" during the bout (JAPAN TIMES, 1/2).
