THE golfing schedule these days is so packed, it would make the appointment books of some of the great socialites look as empty as Old Mother Hubbard’s pantry.
In this chock-a-block calendar, you’ve got to get your oar in early so when news filtered through recently that the US PGA Championship, which has traditionally been the last major of the men’s season, was moving to May as of 2019, you could just about hear the pages of the diary being frantically leafed through.
In response to that announcement, the European Tour swiftly revealed that its flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, would be switching from its long-standing May slot to September in two
years’ time.
When sizeable events shift around, there is always a knock-on effect and Paul Bush, the chief operating officer of EventScotland, has wasted little time in making his feelings clear.
While the date for the BMW PGA Championship has not been unveiled, September 2019 is also the month when the Solheim Cup between the female golfers of the US and Europe takes place at Gleneagles.
Bush has moved to ensure there is co-operation and compromise. The Solheim Cup will unfold over the weekend of September 13-15 and, in these times of regular clashes in the fixture lists, Bush is desperate for a free run.
“I have formally written to Keith Pelley [the chief executive of the European Tour] saying you have to keep that week sacrosanct,” he revealed.
“The BMW PGA Championship and the Solheim Cup going head-to-head would be a disaster. I’ve raised this issue for the whole of September in 2019 because it’s important for Scotland and for women’s golf.
“For an event of the calibre of the Solheim Cup, I would hate to think that there would be a clash.
“We have raised this at the highest level. In these days of equality and diversity, women’s sport is so important. We don’t want a clash and we don’t need to have a clash.
“For women’s golf, I feel the Solheim Cup has greater capacity than the Ryder Cup (in Scotland in 2014) to make change.”
In the wider sense of the women’s scene, the 2019 edition of the Solheim Cup will try to build on the interest that was generated in Des Moines with official figures stating that a total of 124,426 came through the gates, a new record for the biennial event.
The Ladies European Tour is faltering badly, with tournaments dropping off the schedule at an alarming rate and leaving many of its members struggling to make a viable living.
The Tour does, however, retain its share of the Solheim Cup and last week’s showpiece certainly helped bolster its value.
With the main movers and shakers at the LPGA Tour and the men’s European Tour making it clear that they are keen to work together with the Ladies European Tour to aid its recovery, there are chinks of light and optimism.
“There’s been a fantastic response,” said Mark Lichtenhein, the interim chief executive of the Ladies European Tour who stepped in following the recent ousting of Ivan Khodabakhsh. “Offers from all parties, not just in golf. I think people have seen what a fantastic spectacle the Solheim Cup is.
“Over the next weeks and months we are going to be looking at all those offers of help and how we can move forward and rebuild our tournament schedule, particularly in Europe, so that we can make a bright future.
“We have a situation where so much sponsorship money goes into the men’s sport so it is only right that the girls stand up together.”
On the men’s front, meanwhile, Rory McIlroy will make his second appearance in Scotland this season having committed to October’s Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
Having pondered closing his season down due to an ongoing injury problem, McIlroy is in the field for this week’s Northern Trust Open as he builds towards the defence of his FedEx Cup title.
Speaking yesterday, McIlroy outlined his plans to compete in
all four of the money-soaked end-of-season play-off events while confirming he will be in Scotland for the Dunhill Links before taking time off.
“I’m not 100 percent,” said McIlroy, who also confirmed that he will keep his good friend, Harry Diamond, on as his caddie through the play-offs,
“But I’m at a percent where I feel like I can compete.
“You don’t get this opportunity to take a couple of months off and really work on what you need to work on in your game and your fitness. A real, proper off-season like every other sport has basically.
“That’s an exciting prospect for me, to be able to turn up for 2018 and be ready to go.”
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