Golf: Jon Swift
It is one of the inevitable facts that, having placed the focus on making the FNB Tour part of the European Circuit, that the major focus on professional golf will centre on three weeks in February.
In truth, there is little else that the South African PGA could have done but to piggyback the European Tour if tournament golf was to survive in this country. The distances alone – even without the Disney- like disappearance of any real value that the rand might once have held – make this so.
The money elsewhere is just too big for this embattled economy to compete on equal terms in all but the three showpiece tournaments.
For it is in the R3,375-million MTN- Mercedes SA Open at beautiful Glendower, the R3,15-million Dimension Data Pro-am at the Lost City and the R2,25-million Alfred Dunhill PGA at Houghton that now properly define the tour proper.
And even then, these do not add up to major tournaments likely to attract the big names. Yes, there are three back-to-back events and, to paraphrase the old song, the living for professionals in this country using real money is both cheap and easy. But coming to South Africa is a long way from home.
We are quite likely, if no appearance money changes hands, to see the same crop of players riding just below the cusp on the European tour as we did last time out.
True, Ernie Els will doubtless start at least two of the big three and rekindle the interest anew, but one man never makes a tournament on his own.
This, in many ways, does the rest of the tournaments – and their sponsors – an injustice, for none of the other four events on the roster is worth less than half a million.
But we are faced with the prospect of the old faithfuls, and the stay-at-home pros shooting it out for the titles which carry, in some instances, less by way of a winner’s cheque in dollar or sterling terms than would be the case on one of the satellite circuits abroad.
It is the price we have had to pay in this country for competing against the attractions elsewhere.
This will show in the coming week when the first of seven tournaments which make up the tour proper after the break ffrom the Nedbank Million at Sun City, a sojourn in Zimbabwe and the priceless victory in the World Cup by Els and Wayne Westner at Erinvale before the festive season shattered the illusion of a cohesive circuit.
The “opener” is the R750 000 San Lameer SA Masters where Westner will defend the title that led the way to his order of Merit truimph last season. Westner’s biggest potential rival is the seemingly ageless Mark McNulty, winner of three European titles last time round,
McNulty and Westner have stayed loyal to the roots they sunk into the professional game on the local tour and have it in them to make the tour take off. But, it must be said, this is a big task.
The tournaments
Jan 16-19 SA Masters, San Lameer R750 000
Jan 23-26 Nashua Wild Coast Challenge, Wild Coast Sun R750 000
Jan 30-Feb 2 FNB Players Challenge, Durban C R750 000
Feb 6-9 MTN Mercedes SA Open, Glendower R3,375-million
Feb 13-16 Dimension Data Pro-am, Lost City R3.15-million
Feb 20-23 Alfred Dunhill PGA, Houghton R2.25-million
Feb 27-March 2 Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic, Swaziland R500 000