The KLPGA Tour El Cru Pro Celebrity Tournament was canceled ahead of its opening. Last year, Yu Hae-ran is seen holding the trophy right after her victory. [Photo by KLPGA]
[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The Elkrew Pro Celebrity tournament on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, scheduled to be held for three days starting September 9, was canceled, with the organizer claiming that the golf course’s ‘gapjil’ (abuse of power) issue led to the contract termination.
The tournament was set to take place at Incheon Orange Dunes Yeongjong Golf Club with a total prize money of 700 million KRW, but the event was canceled after Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Construction, a subsidiary of the organizer Korea Technology, failed to pay the deposit to the golf course. The KLPGA Tour sent a brief notice at 7:30 PM on the 31st stating, “The tournament was suddenly canceled due to the organizer’s circumstances.”
Kim Yong-bin, chairman of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Construction, said on the 1st regarding the cancellation of the KLPGA tournament, “The golf course side made unreasonable demands such as full payment of the rental fee and advance deposit for food and beverage despite the insufficient preparation for the tournament.” He added, “Generally, 50% of the rental fee is paid in advance and the remaining 50% is paid after the tournament ends. We planned to hold the pro-am dinner at a nearby hotel instead of the golf course restaurant, but the golf course demanded an additional 12 million KRW plus a total of 500 million KRW in advance payments including rental fees and estimated food and beverage sales to compensate for their food and beverage revenue.”
However, there is also a claim that the contract was terminated because Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Construction repeatedly delayed paying the golf course rental deposit. The Orange Dunes Yeongjong Golf Club announced on its website on the morning of August 31, before the official cancellation announcement, that general golfers could make reservations on the dates when the Elkrew Pro Celebrity was to be held. Regarding this, Chairman Kim explained, “The golf course rental contract was made on August 30, and during the remittance process on the 31st, the golf course decided to accept general customers during the tournament period, which caused the contract to break.”
Established last year, the Elkrew Pro Celebrity gained attention for its unique format where professional players and celebrities formed teams to compete on the final day. Yoo Hae-ran (21) is the inaugural champion. This year, the venue was to be moved to Incheon Orange Dunes Yeongjong Golf Club, which has good accessibility to the metropolitan area, but the cancellation disappointed golf fans.
If the tournament is canceled due to the organizer’s circumstances, a penalty fee must be paid for contract termination, but a dispute between the organizer and the golf course is expected to continue for some time. If the organizer’s fault is recognized, they must pay 75% of the total prize money (525 million KRW) as a penalty. A KLPGA official stated, “We will review this internally.”
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