PETER DAWSON, the chief executive of the Royal Ancient Golf Club, has warned the BBC its future broadcasting of the British Open is at risk if it continues to scale down its live golf coverage.
From next year the BBC will screen only six days of live men’s professional golf. The corporation has a contract to show the British Open live until 2016 but, speaking at this year’s venue of Royal Lytham St Annes, Dawson made it clear there is no guarantee of that agreement being extended.
“Certainly,” replied Dawson when asked if the BBC’s gradual withdrawal from golf was a concern to the RA. “We have had that conversation with the BBC. They know we have got our eye on them. It hasn’t just been in golf but with the likes of tennis as well.
“You have to stay in practice and keep up with advances in technology. You need to be in practice to do it well. We obviously want the Open Championship to be seen by as many people as we can. The BBC know they need to get off the financial plateau they are on with the Open Championship by the next time it comes around. Who knows who will be on the scene then?”
Dawson proceeded to volunteer ESPN – which holds a US broadcast deal with the RA – as a potential rival to the BBC. Contractual talks are due to get under way between the RA and the BBC about 18 months before the present deal ends.
For now the Open is placed on a B section of listed events earmarked for free-to-air coverage. Others alongside them, such as the Ryder Cup and domestic Test cricket matches, have only highlights coverage on terrestrial television.
Dawson took a swipe at the BBC’s policy of using retired sports people to present golf. “It does seem rather unusual,” he said. At the recent Masters the former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan made a statistical blunder when interviewing Tiger Woods for BBC television.
The RA reports strong advance ticket sales for this year’s Open, despite the competition of the Olympics in London. July will mark the 11th playing of the championship at Lytham St Annes and the first time since 2001. It is hoped an increase on the aggregate 180,000 attendance from 11 years ago will be secured.
“That would be a good achievement in an Olympic year for London,” Dawson said. “We thought there would be some effect but we are not seeing it in ticket sales at this point. Corporate hospitality is storming along, it is well up on last year. Corporate sales are stronger than they have been.”
The RA will, however, delay announcing this year’s Open prize fund. “I wouldn’t expect a significant increase on it but there certainly won’t be a reduction,” the chief executive said. “I don’t see the need to make already generous prize money outrageously generous in these times.”
Dawson reiterated his personal stance that the respective tours in Europe and the US should make it public when players are punished for bad on-course behaviour. Tiger Woods again generated unwanted attention at the US Masters for swearing and kicking a club, the former world number one has previous for spitting on courses.
“It is a rather unedifying spectacle, there’s no doubt about that,” Dawson said. “I am on record as saying public sanctions would not be a bad thing and that they would be more likely to lead to a correction of bad behaviour.”
Former British Open winner Ben Curtis ended his six-year wait for a US PGA Tour tournament win at the Valero Texas Open at the weekend.
The 34-year-old survived a mid-round wobble to win by two strokes from fellow Americans Matt Every and John Huh after shooting an even-par round of 70 at TPC San Antonio.
Guardian Service
