SA golf still not in the open

Revelations that financial assistance from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews helped to preserve the Bell’s SA Open as a European Tour event holds worrying implications for South African professional golf.

Fact is that the Dunhill championship currently in progress at the Houghton Golf Club may well be the last time a local event is linked to a tour that carries the name “European” but which will not reach that continent until late March.

At the current rand/pound exchange rate – and who knows were it might go to? - a minimum prize fund requirement of £500,000 may well make being part of the European Tour prohibitive to local sponsors – especially when costs of staging their event plus appearance fees for major players are added into the equation.

The Dunhill championship has the advantage of a golfing benefactor in Johann Rupert, chairman of the Southern Africa PGA Tour, but a single South African tournament would prove to be far less attractive to international television broadcasters and touring professionals than when there is a package of two tournaments.

The “European Tour News”, official publication of the European Tour, has revealed that the SA Open was saved, in large part, thanks to a substantial injection of funds from the R&A.

It transpires that following a request from the SA Golf Association for financial assistance to ensure the continuation of the world’s second oldest Open Championship, the R&A agreed to make a substantial contribution.

In addition the prize fund was swelled by a contribution from the European Tour with Bell’s ultimately coming in as the title sponsor.

The fact that this funding was on a one-off basis makes it clear that the continuation of the SA Open as an event of international status remains under threat and if the Open were to disappear from the roster it could have an adverse impact on the Dunhill.

It makes you wonder whether local golfers – by way of voluntarily contributions or even a SAGA levy – should play a role in keeping South African golf on the global map?.