Affluent middle-class in India can unleash huge drive for golf: Survey

A new survey has said that golf has a strong potential to grow "in the rapidly emerging markets" of Asia, including India.

According to the survey from accountancy and business consultancy KPMG, despite golf's focus being in Europe and the US, affluent middle-class population in Asia and South America can take the sport to the next level.

"The combination of significant media attention in Asia due to the success of professional golfers from countries such as [South] Korea, and an increasingly affluent middle class in populous Asian markets such as China and India, could unleash a huge drive in the sport," the BBC quoted KPMG's Andrea Sartori, as saying.

"Equally, South America and, more particularly, Brazil, which will host the 2016 Olympics, offers significant potential," she added.

The report also underlines golf's reputation as one of the most lucrative professional sports in the world - 62 players on the PGA Tour each won prize money of over a million pounds in 2009.

It also named American legend Tiger Woods as "the most marketable golfer of all time".

Woods is followed by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (joint second), Greg Norman (fourth) and Gary Player (fifth).