The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) says it had nothing to do with the allocation of spots for Thai players for next month's Thailand Classic.
Pariya Junhasavasdikul.
The event, co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours, will be held at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin from Feb 12-15.
The Professional Golf Association of Thailand was responsible for selecting 16 local players to join the event.
It then gave the berths to players on the Thai PGA Tour and overlooked those on the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Some Thai players have complained that the move was unfair as players on both local circuits should be treated equally.
The Thai PGA has claimed the SAT, a major sponsor of the tournament, assigned it to exclusively manage the slots.
But SAT deputy governor Sakol Wannapong said yesterday his organisation was not involved in the allocation.
"We are neutral and had nothing to do with the allocation,'' he said.
Sakol said that he would hold a meeting between concerned parties on Wednesday to find a solution.
He admitted that it may be too late with just weeks before the tournament begins.
"The tours should work together for the sake of the players,'' he said.
Two-time Asian Tour winner Pariya Junhasavasdikul, who met Sakol on Thursday, said he was satisfied with the SAT's reaction and hoped the players from both tours would get equally fair treatment.
The Asian Tour said it was working with concerned parties in an attempt to end the conflict by next week.
With a total purse of US$2 million, the Thailand Classic is the most lucrative golf tournament in the country.
The 144-player tournament is the first European Tour event in Thailand since 2007.
The Thai challenge will be spearheaded by world No.38 and six-time European Tour winner Thongchai Jaidee.
Other Thai players include Thaworn Wiratchant, Prayad Marksaeng, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Prom Meesawat and Chapchai Nirat.
Meanwhile, former world No.1 David Duval is not ready to write off Tiger Woods, but he knows from personal experience how difficult it is to play hurt and without confidence.
Duval, in his new role as a Golf Channel analyst, will be among those closely following the progress of the 14-time major champion who will make his season debut at next week's Phoenix Open after enduring an injury-hit 2014.
Duval, the 2001 British Open champion whose career was curtailed by a bad back, believes it is hard to overestimate the toll that a loss of confidence can take on a golfer.
"Through everything I went through I realised the most important thing to protect as a golfer is your confidence and your arrogance, for want of a better word," Duval said. "You need to have 100 percent belief in what you're doing and think you're bulletproof out there."