Will we have an Open next year?

BY Liz White | ALPG Tour | 2008 Women's Australian Open | General | 06 Feb 2008

Someone famous once said: “Build it and they will come.” So then what do you if those meant to keep the foundations strong, are looking decidedly shaky?

That is the vexing dilemma facing Golf Australia’s, Paul McNamee.

After staging what is arguably one of the most exciting and successful golf tournaments seen in this country for years, the Women’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath, McNamee is faced with the very real prospect of losing its major sponsor, MFS.

The financial services firm has been caught up in the global credit crunch and has been forced to sell off assets including a $409 million stake in its Stella Group tourism business. Shares in MSF have been suspended indefinitely and with a massive debt of $220 million due to be repaid by March, it’s a virtual certainty that the bean counters will run a line through corporate sponsorship.

Without MFS on board, the future of both the Men’s and Women’s Australian Open is in some doubt.

And that’s where the frustration kicks in, not only for Golf Australia but for fans too.

You got the sense walking around Kingston Heath at the weekend that the Women’s Major golf Championship is tantalisingly close to being resurrected. The same could be said of the Men’s tournament held in December at The Australian Golf Course in Sydney. It’s just a shame that it appears Lazarus is set to leave the building.

McNamee has been keen to put his own spin on the uncertainty. He is happy with both tournaments and is quietly confident if MFS do drop out, there will be someone to fill the void.

“We are in a much stronger position now than what we were 12 months ago, I am not afraid of the future of this event,” he said.

“I think we have put the tournament back on the calendar, we had a good first up effort at Royal Sydney (women’s) last year and I think it has come up a another notch this year, so we obviously have to be supportive of our major sponsor, but it is not a huge budget event and I think that whatever transpires, I think we are in a position to get ongoing support.”

If you look at the marketing of golf in Australia right now it is hard not to draw parallels with the state of Australian Tennis around 20 years ago.

At the last event staged at Kooyong, on some courts the ball boys outnumbered the crowd. In 1989, the tournament moved to a new home, Flinders Park. During that time attendance figures have almost doubled from 287,022 in 1989 to 554,858 in 2008.

It’s a remarkable growth that has been sustained by innovative attractions including the Garnier make over tent, the opportunity to play a Nintendo Wii tennis tournament and listen to some top line music acts.

McNamee, who once ran the Grand Slam event, makes no secret of the fact that he has taken a rather huge leaf, if not a tree, out of the Australian Open Tennis book.

At Kingston Heath, fans could indulge at the Myer Pamper Lounge, grab a free lesson with a pro on the driving range or sip lattes beside a four piece string ensemble. Judging by the queues for a free lashing of mascara and lippy it was very well received. There was even a fashion parade.

“We have really tried to create a sense of style about this event and what a marquee women’s event should look like,” he said.

Australia’s original golfing glamour girl, the US based Jan Stephenson, is excited about the future of the sport here.

“We’ve only had this tournament really successful in the last couple of years and the thing is you have to keep it like it is a long-standing event, because if you build the tradition of it, then maybe it can become a major on the LET (Ladies European Tour),” she said.

“But you have to start somewhere and I think they have done a good job.”

With the global markets in minor meltdown, attracting corporate sponsorship is extremely difficult but the promising sign for golf in Australia is last week’s announcement that NEC will back the Moonah Classic being staged at Moonah Links later this month.

If you were trying to sell the Women’s Open, the numbers look good. Attendance was up by 4,000 on last year’s figures. McNamee says he has his eyes set on a potential backer.

He hinted that the Victorian Government may like to stump up for the money now that it appears from 2010, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, will no longer be on their books. Government representatives were seen cruising the fairways and soaking up the atmosphere at Kingston Heath.

“We don’t want to presuppose what the Victorian Government will or won’t do, but we think this week has helped the case for celebrating this event and that this event has got some potential,” McNamee said.

Which brings us to another saying: “One man’s loss is another man’s gain.”

It’s fairly certain that’s what McNamee is banking on.