SINGAPORE (AFP) - The Asian Tour has rejected appeals from four Australian golfers and banned them for the rest of the season after they played on the rival OneAsia Tour at the Volvo China Open.

Jason King, Chris Gaunt, Brad Kennedy and Ashley Hall were also hit with a maximum US$5,000 fine.

They were penalised for opting to play the China Open without getting an official release from the Asian Tour, of which they are members. All other Asian Tour players, except those who qualified through the European Tour, boycotted the event amid an ongoing row over OneAsia's emergence.

"The Tournament Players Committee (TPC) has turned down the appeals made by the four players in relation to the disciplinary action handed to them for their participation in the Volvo China Open," Asian Tour chief Kyi Hla Han told AFP.

He said it was in line with their members handbook, adding that players were fully aware of the consequences of playing without an official release.

"Prior to the Volvo China Open, 14 Asian Tour players were also randomly invited to participate in the event, without any attention to normal Tour protocol or ranking of the players," he added.

"None of these Asian Tour players accepted the invitation.

"The TPC's decision is taken in the greater interest of the majority of the Asian Tour members."

The new OneAsia Tour, formed by the China Golf Association, Korean Golf Tour, Korean PGA and the PGA Tour of Australia, aims to create a new force in world golf.

But it is opposed by the Asian Tour which has accused it of stealing its tournaments, including the China Open which it used to co-sanction.