GOLF: Jon Swift
IT IS often difficult to get Brent Chalmers, tour director of the FNB professional golf tour, to be as moderate in his approach as to call a spade a shovel. He has never hesitated to say exactly what he thinks.
It is, in an era of sports administration doublespeak, an often admirable trait. And certainly there is much merit in Chalmers claiming Zimbabwe’s Nick Price as a South African for the coming circuit, which launches with the FNB Tour School at Crown Mines between October 30 and November 2.
The world’s pre-eminent player, holder of the British Open and US PGA double, was, after all, born in Durban and learnt the basics of his craft on the old Sunshine Circuit.
This has merit. Zimbabwe is again part of the tour proper and indeed opens the proceedings through the R350 000 Zimbabwe Open at Royal Harare between November 17-20.
Chalmers has doubtless had an extremely difficult job with the scheduling of this year’s tour. There is little doubt that Price will be in southern Africa between December 1-4 to defend his Million Dollar title at Sun City. And, if Price’s real pleasure is spending the Christmas period bass fishing in Zimbabwe and his itinerary of last year is anything to go by, he will play more than just the showpiece event.
He is also down to play — although not yet confirmed — as the jewel in the African side to face the Australasians in the inaugural Alfred Dunhill Challenge at Johannesburg’s Houghton starting on February 23.
“It is no coincidence,” says Chalmers, “that the Philips SA Open and the Lexington PGA have been scheduled for the two weeks prior.”
As two of the four R675 000 tournaments among the nine confirmed — the others are the FNB Players Championship at Durban Country Club on January 12-15 and the South African Masters at Lost City on February 2-5 — the Open and the PGA could well attract part of the overseas contingent here for the Dunhill Challenge.
And, even then, much depends on a threatened boycott of the event by the Australian anti-smoking lobby, something the sponsors reject in the light of their association with luxury goods rather than tobacco.
What remains to be seen is just how Price fits into this scheduling. For there is little doubt that whichever way you cut it, if he is to play in both the Million Dollar and the Dunhill Challenge, he will have to make two trips in his private jet. To do otherwise would entail a three-month stay away from the demands placed on him overseas. And even as the world’s number one on the Sony Rankings Price cannot afford that sort of luxury.
It is one of the intriguing aspects of golf that even the winner of a major title one week can miss the cut the next. In short, you have to tee it up to have a chance.
And while the laudible efforts of Chalmers and the PGA have ensured a growth of R650 000 for this year’s local tour, it still doesn’t add up to real money in the global scheme of things.
It’s not easy. Who, being of sound mind, would really want Chalmers’ job?