Lloyd Saltman says £1m Challenge at Archerfield can be success

LLOYD Saltman, the Open Silver Medal winner in 2005, has admitted that a proposed tournament to be held in Scotland combining golf and gambling for a prize fund in excess of £2 million could be a "life-changing experience" for one of the lesser lights in the game.

The 'Cool Million Challenge', due to be played in August at Archerfield Links in East Lothian, is set to boast the largest winner's cheque in an unsanctioned event in the world this year yet won't boast a single player in the top 500 in the men's rankings. Instead, the field will be made up of a mix of aspiring young professionals, Senior Tour players and leading women professionals from both sides of the Atlantic.

It will see gamblers put up 50,000 to back a chosen player in a field of 60 that will compete over two rounds of stroke play, with the top 16 then playing straight match play to establish the champion. The 1m jackpot would be split between the gambler and the player, the terms of such an agreement being down to the individuals concerned. Backers of a player making the top 16 will get their 50,000 stake back.

"It is something different and if there are enough people out there willing to put up 50,000 to back a player then it could be a success," said Saltman, who is attached to Archerfield Links and, currently lying at No 857 in the world rankings, fits the criteria.

"You'd obviously need to have a lot of confidence in a player to put that sort of money on the table but it could certainly prove to be a life-changing experience for someone on the Challenge Tour, for example."

According to promoter David Copeland, an entrepreneur in the online gambling industry and a keen golfer, half the field has already been filled following widespread interest, though he won't be revealing any names until a month before the event on 3-6 August.

"This is not just about the backers using players as an asset," said Copeland. "Someone will be holing a putt to win 1 million – that will mean a lot to that particular person, both in monetary terms and also exposure."

On the decision to exclude the top 500 players in the world, he added: "That's where we felt par was and the key for the sponsors (gamblers] will be to try and find a dark horse, whether it is a young professional, a Senior Tour player or someone from the LPGA or the LET Tours."

The R&A, golf's governing body, declined to comment on an event that is believed to be the first of its kind in Britain, but one leading agent reckons "it will need to be looked at very closely" due to the gambling element.

Former Ryder Cup captains Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam, as well as Laura Davies, were some of the names being linked to the event but a spokesman for IMG, the management company for all three, said: "Neither we – nor our clients – know about this concept at this stage."