Irish Open seeks new date and more cash
The car giant are also bidding to gain title sponsorship of the prestigious event for another five years. The car company's executive chairman Gerard O'Toole is already contracted to a third sponsorship of the tournament at Carton House in 2005 but admitted last night that: "three years isn't enough, you need five or seven years to build a heritage.
"I'm going to make a decision in the next six months about whether or not we continue for a longer term. My genuine wish is that we will continue for more that three years. I've just got to make some commercial decisions halfway through next year."
He accepts the two biggest challenges facing the future of the Irish Open are maintaining the prize fund and securing the most suitable possible date. "Prize money is a key issue," he agreed. "The whole cost of everything in this country is just phenomenal. It's just one of those things and if you don't like it, don't do it. If you can't afford to do it and it's breaking your back, then you can't afford to do it because you've got to do it with a full heart and a full commitment. First and foremost, it's an Irish tournament. Therefore, we as an independent Irish company have full ownership of it. While a wider Nissan involvement would be important, if it were to happen, it would be in terms of generating extra funds for prize money and whatever else. While the prize money is now near enough to e2m, other tournaments are moving away from that level of investment.
"I will be making special representations to see if there is a role for a wider Nissan Europe in terms of being involved in the tournament. I don't think its prestige is being lowered per se because the prize fund has fallen behind a few others. Obviously, these hard nosed, professional people will go where the money is. In that sense, it is more difficult to attract the people you need.
"On the other hand, the European Tour would insist its heritage, the fact that it's been here since 1927, has had so many prestigious winners over the years gives it an aura of its own. That's on one side of the equation. On the other, money is a pretty key issue."
Regarding the timing of the event O'Toole accepts that the week after the British Open is not a positive. "We are in discussion with a view to changing the date. There is one week that is very much on the agenda, one that is well before the Open, at the right time of year, even before the European Open."
That means moving into May when it can be assumed the British Masters, Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe and the Volvo PGA Championship will not be pushed from their customary slot. So the most vulnerable would be the BMW Asia Open which took place on May 13-16.
