Scots must dig in to win Ryder Cup

Mike Aitken, The Scotsman, 21 December 2000

One of the pledges made by Scotland in the submission to win the 2009 Ryder Cup match was a commitment to back a long-term programme of professional events in the build-up to the contest against the Americans.

It’s understood that this plan will ensure support for at least five tournaments each year - one on the European Tour, one on the Seniors, one on the Ladies’ European Tour, a Mastercard event and the Scottish PGA Championship.

While financial backing in the wake of a successful bid will stretch from 2001 through to 2015, it may be the Scottish Executive will need to show their willingness to support golf even before the announcement is made in February about which country has won the right to host the Ryder Cup.

It did not escape the attention of those involved with the Scottish bid that Wales tried to make a pre-emptive strike last week when the principality decided to revive the £400,000 WPGA Championship of Europe at Royal Porthcawl, near Bridgend, on the Evian Tour as part of their Ryder Cup bid.

Here was evidence of the Welsh being ready to back words with deeds and show concrete support for tournament golf at all levels, regardless of whether they’re awarded the Ryder Cup or not.

There’s also talk that Wales will host a lucrative new tournament on the European Seniors Tour in 2001.

While Scotland can take heart from the presence of three events on the European Tour - Loch Lomond, the Scottish PGA and the Alfred Dunhill - which will deliver £6 million in prize money next season, it’s clear the country must do more to back a strategy which supports every facet of professional golf.

The announcement of two new tournaments in Scotland on the Evian Tour was undoubtedly a boost. That said, on the European Seniors circuit, it’s worth pointing out that the Scottish Seniors Open at Dalmahoy has yet to find a backer for 2001. The event only continued this season thanks to sponsorship from The Scotsman.

If no new sponsor was found before the end of January, it would not look good for the Scottish Executive had they done nothing to support this £100,000 tournament when the Welsh were already spending four times as much on a women’s event.

In such a tight race for the Ryder Cup, Scotland needs to take more of a pro-active approach in promoting all aspects of professional golf, or else run the risk of finishing second best.

Happily, the Executive are aware of this situation and the Scottish Seniors will not be allowed to lapse. Moreover, it may not be too far in the future before the Senior British Open, which has been a fixture at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland since 1995, returns to this part of the world.

Last held in Scotland between 1987 and 1990 at Turnberry, I understand the event could return to the Ayrshire links, or another seaside venue, after the current agreement with Portrush ends.

Incidentally, a decision on the choice of country for the 2009 Ryder Cup will be made in February, in spite of growing speculation that a final choice might be put back until the autumn of 2001.

The only aspect of the process which could now hold up the final choice is an operational consideration rather than one involving a prolonged assessment of the three different submissions from Scotland, Wales and the north-east of England.

For example, the PGA needs to block book hotels in each of the competing regions for 2009 before officially identifying the successful candidate.

However, my information is there’s no chance of the selection being kept back until next year’s match against the Americans at the Belfry in September, when the successful venue for 2009 is due to be declared.

Some of Europe’s 270 tournament professionals, or at least those who can tear themselves away from family duties or last-minute Christmas shopping, will attend a meeting at Wentworth today designed to force the European Tour to open up their books and explain how they spend their money.

A number of leading golfers, including major winners Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros, believe the Tour should be more accountable to the players and want their own accountancy firm to examine where the cash is going.

Ken Schofield, the executive director of the European Tour, says he has nothing to hide and is willing to appoint external auditors. However, the Scot is much less keen to grant unrestricted access on the grounds that it might breach confidentiality and harm the Tour’s ability to improve prize money.

Although Schofield has done an outstanding job in growing the Tour - prize money has increased from £611,000 in 1975 to £40 million this year - this request for greater transparency is being viewed in some quarters as the beginning of a power struggle.

For example, there’s a school of thought that the leading foreign players regard the Tour as too British and want to see more influence given to the game on the continent.

More immediately, though, the questions are about money - why, for example, the Tour only made £50,000 from a £15 million TV deal and why the profit on sales of nearly £47 million was just £850,864?