GOLF: Jon Swift
IT is a distinct measure of the worth of the tournaments which now make up the FNB Tour that Ernie Els can fly into the country and fly out with the South African Open title and second spot on the Order of Merit after earning R118 500 for his victory at Royal
Brendan Pappas, a valiant second in the Open after matching Els with a closing round 66, was in first spot before the start of the San Lameer tournament now in progress with R46 720 more than Els in tour earnings.
The difference lies in the fact that Pappas had played 21 tournaments to earn the
There is much to be said for awarding Order of Merit points for the professionals who support the winter section of the main tour. It gives the rising players a chance to qualify for the bigger events.
There is less to endear the system to the public at large who, despite much effort by the PGA, continue to see the stretched version of the circuit as falling into widely differing categories.
It would be hard to convince the average man in the street that the South African Open was not the second tournament on the tour … or come to think of it, the first.
The opening tournament proper was the Zimbabwe Open which took place way back before the festive season and can logically only be held to have tenuous links with the rest of the
And then there are the three events linked — – in money as well as status — to the European Tour which have still to be played.
Unquestionably, in the eyes of the public and the minds of the TV schedulers, these are different in every respect from the normal tour and light years away from the winter
Pappas also finished runner-up in Harare, that time Nick Price beating him by a shot for the title and it is credit to his ability and the winter tour system that he has come through in such fine form.
It would be a retrogressive step to fragment the tour such as it is into its original segments. It would militate against players like Pappas coming through.
But to pretend that all the events are equal is trying to ignore a ratio of 20 to 1, something even the most amateur mathematician will be able to tell you is arrant nonsense … no matter how much hype and hyperbole are poured into the mix.