ANOTHER week, another Tartan Tour press briefing and, yes, even more bacon rolls for those bottomless pits in the golf-writing profession.
Yesterday at Dundonald Links, Brian Mair, the PGA in Scotland secretary who has been beavering away at a furious rate to bolster the domestic schedule, unveiled another hefty addition to his war chest as he completed a month-long series of significant announcements.
Hard on the heels of profitable deals with Paul Lawrie and Virgin Atlantic, a new three-year contract with Palmer & Harvey - one of the UK's biggest wholesalers - has been agreed for the firm to sponsor the £50,000 P&H Championship at Dundonald. The 54-hole event, which will raise the curtain on the Tartan Tour's order of merit, will be played at the end of April and, in an enticing move for those who are not full-time campaigners, three separate prize funds will be on offer for the leading club pros, assistants and seniors in the field.
Having staged the British Club Professionals' Championship and numerous European Tour qualifying school stages in recent years, Dundonald Links, which has thrown its hat into the ring for the Scottish Open, continues to mature as a tournament host.
"This is a great fit for Dundonald," said Guy Redford, the Ayrshire course's director of golf. "We want to be recognised as a tournament venue and we have aspirations for hosting more."
The financial fillip provided by the P&H deal continues the Scottish PGA's cash clamber. Five years ago, Sandy Jones, the PGA's chief executive, declared that his ambition was to see the Tartan Tour reach the £1m mark in prize money by 2014. Given the overall purse in 2009 had dropped to £500,000, it was a big ask but, in a recovering climate, Mair is slowly getting things moving in the right direction again.
"I reckon we will be disappointed if the total fell shy of £700,000; that's what we are aiming for this year," said Mair. "There definitely will be an increase in the prize fund against last year. As far as reaching £1m someday? There's nothing wrong with having aggressive targets but we'll see what the future brings. We have a long term plan and we're moving in the right direction."
The season-opener at Dundonald provides a robust start to the schedule and will be swiftly followed by the flagship Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles seven days later.
With a vast array of one-day Pro-Ams spread across the length and breadth of the country, a new Senior Tour, a young professionals' scene and a five-event Ladies Tartan Tour, the 2014 season on the home front looks to have a healthy glow.
Meanwhile, Scott Jamieson, the Glasgow golfer who won on the European Tour last season, has signed a deal to be represented by Chubby Chandler's International Sports Management. The 30-year-old joins a stellar stable which includes the likes of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke.
"It is great to join such a successful stable and I am very excited for the year ahead," said Jamieson.
TARTAN TOUR SCHEDULES
Virgin Atlantic Order
of Merit Series
Apr 28-30 The P&H
Championship, Dundonald Links
May 5-7 Gleneagles Scottish
PGA Ch'ship, King's Course
Jun 16-19 The Paul Lawrie Golf
Centre Northern Open, Murcar
Jul 29-30 East 36-holer,
Duddingston
Aug 5-6 Deer Park Masters,
Deer Park
Aug 25-26 Central 36-holer,
Hayston/Cawder
Aug 30-31 Kerr Investments
Pro-Am, Dumfries & Galloway
Sep 16-18 Paul Lawrie
Invitational,
Deeside Paul Lawrie
Ladies Tartan Tour
Apr 14-15 Fairmont St Andrews
May 8-9 Murcar Links
Jun 18-19 Dundonald Links
Jul 25-26 Macdonald Cardrona
Sep 10-11 Marriott Dalmahoy
Young Professionals'
Order of Merit Series
Jul 1-3, Scottish Young
Professionals' Championship,
West Lothian
Aug17-18 Shotts Young
Professionals' Championship,
Shotts
Sept 21-22 Sandy Pipey
Masters
Royal Dornoch Seniors'
Tour
(in aid of Bernard Gallacher Defibrillator
Campaign)
May (tbc) Fourball event, Falkirk
Tryst
Jun 23 Fourball event,
Buchanan Castle
Jul 22 Stableford event,
Arbroath
Sept 9-10 Scottish Seniors'
Strokeplay Championship,
Marriott Dalmahoy
Aug (tbc) Strokeplay event,
Glasgow Gailes
Oct 6 Stableford event,
Kilmarnock
Barassie
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