TO merge, or not to merge . . . that is the thorny question facing delegates of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) as they converge on Kuala Lumpur today for a crucial meeting that could change the face of professional golf in the region.
For several years, officials of the PGA Tour of Australasia have been trying to convince their Asian Tour counterparts to join together and form a tour that - in terms of player strength and prize money - could potentially rival the mega-million dollar circuits of the United States, Europe and Japan.
At face value, there would appear to be much merit in a unification which, theoretically, would prove mutually beneficial.
After all, the Asia-Pacific region has the largest population base in the world, the fastest growing economy in the world . . . and arguably the largest corporate sector in the world.
Put all that together and you could end up with the largest professional golf circuit in the world, say the Australians.
Serious talk of a merger began in the early 1990s at a time when Australia's poor economy resulted in several of their tour's major sponsors, notably Japanese companies, withdrawing their backing.
