There was no pre-arranged toll of the death knells when the final winning putt was holed in the last of the Murphy's Irish Opens at Fota Island on Sunday evening, but, as of yesterday, it is an event without a sponsor. PhilipReid reports

Indeed, there is a growing feeling that the sponsorship structure will have to be changed, with more associate or, as the Americans would say, "presenting" sponsors, if the tournament is to keep a foothold in the summer schedule and hold on to one of the European Tour's prime slots.

The ownership of the Irish Open has reverted back to the PGA European Tour and that, in many ways, is a good thing.

It means the Tour has a special interest in ensuring that the future of the tournament, one of the oldest in golf, is safeguarded.

An indication of how much the event means to the Tour, in fact, came last week when as high-powered a delegation as it is possible to get - featuring Ken Schofield, executive director; George O'Grady, deputy executive director; Richard Hills, assistant to the executive director; and Keith Waters, director of international policy - met Murrays Consultants, the event managers during Murphy's tenure as sponsors.

"We came to a very good understanding on the way forward," said David Linnane, the tournament director.

Linnane insisted the meeting was highly constructive. "We've heard the term used before about the Irish Open that it is very much the people's tournament.

"It has got an atmosphere, one unlike any other in Europe, and we have always known that the players like the tournament but, what we weren't sure about, but do know now, is the European Tour like the tournament."

The fact remains, however, that, as of now, there is no title sponsor in place to follow on from Murphy's, who have ended their nine-year association for business strategic reasons.

And Linnane, charged with the task of finding a new sponsor, admits that "the day is going quite fast, or relatively fast, where there are €5 million sponsors standing around in the wings waiting to throw the money at it . . . . . the day of the philanthropist sponsor is gone."

Which is why Linnane, of Murrays Consultants, envisages a change in sponsorship strategy.

"In talking to a number of potential sponsors, the ones who wouldn't come to the table as title sponsors all came back and said they would like to be involved at a lower level, as associate or presenting sponsors.

"There is going to be more of that in golf in general and, certainly, that is what we would feel in regard to our own Open."

As far as securing a title sponsor is concerned, Linnane, who claims there is one, and possibly a second, interested party, said: "We might know next week, or we might know in two weeks, but it will be the end of August before we announce something and that is for no other reason than contracts have to go to lawyers, etc."

For the European Tour, the news that a sponsor had been unearthed would come as good news. Although it is believed that one of the French tournaments will next year be upgraded to a €4 million event - and apparently has its eyes on the date currently occupied by the Irish Open - there are a number of tournaments in England which have no sponsors, or are in the final years of sponsorship.

These include the British Masters, the English Open, the Great North Open and the B&H International - so it is very much in the Tour's interests for the sponsorship situation with regard to the Irish Open to be resolved sooner rather than later.

And, although Murrays have been endorsed by the European Tour to find a new sponsor, you can be sure that the Tour would not turn up their noses should another party come in with a company willing to be title sponsors.

Linnane acknowledged this point, the so-called "finder's fee". He said: "Yes, we've been endorsed by the Tour, and that is important, but the door has been left open for someone to bring sponsorship to the table on which they will be paid commission or whatever."

One envisages an increased role for Bord Fáilte in any new deal, with Public-Private Partnerships seen as increasingly important.

However, it remains to be seen just how much more they would be willing to commit.

Linnane, for one, believes that a change in sponsorship strategy is required to protect the "essential core" of the tournament.

"We could strip out a lot of coasts and downgrade it, but we don't want to do that.

"The Irish Open has set a certain standard and we want to continue that.

"It is a national title and, as we have seen at Fota Island for the past two years, it still manages to draw the crowds.

"We have had incredible interest from potential sponsors, because you don't get an international event based in Ireland becoming available all that often."

While the sponsorship situation is effectively the €4 million question, the other question mark hangs over where the Irish Open - for there can be no doubt it will survive - will be staged next year.

There is a belief that Portmarnock, the traditional home of the tournament for much of the 1970s and 1980s, would again be interested in playing host to the event, but Linnane claimed that there is less pressure on actually securing a venue as there is on securing sponsorship.

"We do have a number of venues that will take the tournament on a commercial deal," is all that he would reveal.

As of this week, though, the Irish Open became a tournament without a title sponsor.

In securing a successor to Murphy's, it appears that a strategic review of the sponsorship package - entailing more higher profile associate sponsors - will be required to avoid a downgrading of the championship, a tournament with a rich history.

It is to be hoped, for the sake of Irish golf, and what the tournament means to the public and players alike, that its future is as safe as we would be led to believe.