India's Singh wants truce between rival tours in Asia

NEW DELHI - Twice Asia number one Jeev Milkha Singh would like to see a truce between the Asian Tour and its rival OneAsia so the continent can realise its potential as golf's next big market, the Indian said on Wednesday.

For the second time this year, the rival tours went head-to-head last week with Australian Scott Hend winning the Asian Tour's inaugural Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand while South Korean Choi Ho-sung clinched the Indonesia PGA Championship on the OneAsia circuit.

Singh was one of the four Asian Tour order of merit winners to tee off in Thailand and the Indian said he wanted the rival tours to reach a compromise.

"I just hope that compromise takes place for the betterment of the game in the region," Singh, an honorary Asian Tour member, said on the eve of the Panasonic Open India at the Delhi Golf Club.

"Because Asia is the market, I just feel that this is where golf is going to grow and get really big," said Singh, adding his primary loyalty lay with the Asian Tour.

"Asian Tour has been there for so many years. OneAsia just started. So the loyalty obviously stays with the Asian Tour. Asian Tour has given us a lot.

"Our job as players is to go out and make the most of it by playing," he added.