a $200 million, 10-year investment in 10 premier events is a game-changer for the asian tour and it’s australian chief
by kent gray
cho minn thant’s feet had barely touched the ground as the new head honcho of the Asian Tour, much less settled under the metaphorical table, when the world shifted on its axis. ▶ Between his July 1, 2019 ascension to the role of CEO and Tour Commissioner, and the time when the COVID-19 outbreak collectively sent the world into lockdown, the Australian had overseen just 18 events. The Asian Tour ‘shutdown’ signs went up immediately following the Bandar Malaysian Open on March 7, 2020, leaving Cho virtually powerless to do anything. ▶ “We played the Malaysian Open and were scheduled to play an event in Bangladesh the next week and the Hero Indian Open the week after that so we had to abruptly cancel two events right off the bat,” he recalls. “Honestly, we thought the pandemic would probably last four to six months… ▶▶▶ 38 golfdigestme.com | december 2021
