Have you ever been to a great party … no, not a great party, an unforgettable party, that becomes the benchmark by which all parties you attend in the future are compared? Once you’ve hit a high-water mark it’s pretty hard to top but it doesn’t stop you spending years staggering from one party to another hoping that one great night will be repeated. Over time, through fuzzy memories and exaggerated story-telling, the great party becomes legendary.
The ‘party’, in this instance, is the four weeks (spread across six weeks) of fantastic golf Australian fans of the game have been treated to. Not since regular appearances by Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer in the ’60s and ’70s have so many of the game’s best players been here to play in three Australasian PGA Tour events spread over six weeks.
Of course, the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne last month was the foundation by which two of these events – the Australian Open and PGA – played either side of the Cup, constructed their star-studded fields. The JB Were Masters this month has attracted European stars including World No.1 Luke Donald to add depth to it field.
The Open at The Lakes in Sydney kicked off the summer and benefitted from Presidents Cup players, especially the Americans, looking to avoid any long-haul jet lag and hoping to adjust to Australian conditions by playing here the week before. It certainly helped that US captain Fred Couples, who was part of the underdone American team rolled at Royal Melbourne in 1998, urged all his men to follow that pre-Cup routine.
Tiger Woods, despite his lengthy form slump, was the major drawcard in Sydney, with huge crowds following his every step. US teammates Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, David Toms, Nick Watney, Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan also added plenty of class. Of the locals it was a who’s who of Australian golf … Geoff Ogilvy, the defending champ, Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby.
The Australian PGA at Hyatt Coolum the week after the Cup featured more Presidents Cuppers like Day, Watson, Y.E. Yang, Norman, Ogilvy and Scott as well as some extras including Open champion Darren Clarke and exciting American Rickie Fowler.
With Donald and fellow Euro stars Matteo Manassero and Ian Poulter boosting the JBWere Masters in Melbourne, it’s no wonder this ‘party’ is one any golf fan would be saddened to see end.
With such a burst of starpower in one summer, what happens this time next year? Looking ahead, all I can see is a massive hangover on the horizon where the Australian Open and the PGA especially may not be able to maintain the momentum gained this summer. The Masters, which is owned by the International Management Group, won’t have as many problems as it has easy access to quality players and in recent years has been able to negotiate big appearance fees for major champions and top-10 players.
This post-Cup ‘party hangover’ won’t be a new phenomenon. Back in 1998, when the Cup was last played at Royal Melbourne, there was a massive build-up to the event and average golfers were inspired to dust off the clubs and head to the local course. But more importantly, the Tour didn’t grow on the back of the success of that Cup.
The 1999 Australian Open hosted the likes of Norman, Colin Montgomerie and Nick Faldo but none of the American stars who had played the Presidents Cup returned. In fact, the only two members of that defeated US team that has played an Australian Open in the past 12 years is Fred Couples and, as of last month, Woods.
As for the Australian PGA, it was floundering and in danger of dropping off the schedule altogether back then. The move to Queensland, and eventually its home today at Hyatt Coolum, saved the PGA Championship from disappearing.
The future of the PGA Championship is bright as its formula of attracting players to have a fun time at a resort location to end the year, plus the enticement of an appearance fee, has worked well thus far.
Of concern to me is how our oldest and most prestigious national title, the Australian Open, follows on from the high standard set this year.
Golf Australia, which owns the championship, cannot rest on its laurels. Yes, it has captured a naming rights’ sponsor for two more years but what makes the Open work well is depth in the quality of players in the event. Ultimately that is what attracts sponsors, TV viewers and fans. We saw the evidence of this last month.
Stephen Pitt, the CEO of Golf Australia, has done a pretty good job in the three years he has been in the top position and he recognises there is a challenge ahead to build on the success of this year’s Open.
“The bar is very clearly being raised for us, and the challenge will be to maintain some sort of growth to follow on from this year,” he says.
But I am concerned Golf Australia is going to continue down the path of offering very little prizemoney (in world golf terms) and rely on the world’s best players wanting to come and add their name to a coveted trophy out of some dedication to the history of the event.
“The feedback we get from players is that they’ve always wanted to play the Australian Open in particular, and that’s recognition of the status of the tournament. Now we’ve got to tap into that, give the players a good experience, and get them to come back,” Pitt adds.
With all due respect to Mr Pitt, if Golf Australia keeps offering a $1.5 million total purse for the Australian Open (unchanged since 2002) and keeps throwing appearance fees at a select number of foreign players looking to fill the pockets before Christmas, the Open could fail to register a pulse on the world golfing stage within a few years.
Yes, the bar has been raised and, appropriately, so should the prizemoney to at least $3 million, for future Australian Opens. After all, it will be competing against an increasing number of silly season events overseas that will target world top-20 players, including the best Aussies, by offering lots of guaranteed money for just showing up.
Now that the music has stopped and all the guests have left the party, the powers that be in Australian golf need to work out the best path forward for capitalising on the injection of interest in the game and then maintain that interest across the wider community. Big events, like we have seen already this summer, will translate into more people playing golf, which is what the game really needs at all levels.
If future tournaments in this country fall short of the now higher expectations of Australian golf fans, I fear our Presidents Cup hangover will require more than a Panadol and powernap to overcome.