R&A voice concern over future of BBC as a major player in golf

A DRASTIC reduction in its coverage of live golf and the decision to use a cricketer as part of its team at The Masters earlier this month has left the R&A “concerned” about what may lie ahead in its long-standing relationship with the BBC.

As from next year, the cash-strapped corporation will stop showing live coverage of both the PGA Championship and the Scottish Open, leaving the Open Championship and the Women’s British Open as the only annual events that will be shown from start to finish live on terrestrial television.

The BBC still has a contract for The Masters but that is now for only the final two days, with Sky having the rights to show all four rounds of the first major of the season. The R&A’s current deal with the BBC, which has covered The Open for more than 50 years, runs until 2016, so talks over a new contract are still some way off, but R&A officials have admitted they will be monitoring the situation to ensure the world’s oldest major remains the showcase sporting event viewers have come to expect.

“It is a concern,” admitted R&A chief executive Peter Dawson at yesterday’s Open media day at Royal Lytham, this year’s venue, when asked about the channel cutting back on its live golf, having also announced recently that it was relinquishing its rights to show live horseracing on terrestrial television. “They have to stick at it and keep up with advances in technology so we have got an eye on that this year.” While both Dawson and Jim McArthur, the R&A’s Championship Committee chairman, said they had no complaints about the BBC’s coverage of the Open, they did concede that it had been puzzling to see Michael Vaughan, the former England cricket captain, as part of the channel’s team at Augusta National.

Vaughan was used by the corporation to interview players as they came off the course and admitted himself that he’d had a stinker on the final day, when he suffered a backlash from fans over his handling of an interview with Tiger Woods.

“That seemed rather unusual, to be honest,” admitted Dawson, who, in contrast, said he still believed that Peter Alliss was an “asset” to the BBC. “Some enjoy him and some don’t, but he still has the odd gem in there and, in the US, they think he is the god of the profession,” he added.

As the countdown to the 141st staging of the event started in earnest, bad behaviour by players on the course, the prospect of history being made in July by a player using a long or belly putter to claim the Claret Jug and slow play were also on the agenda in Lancashire.

The subject of bad behaviour was raised on the back of Woods kicking his club in anger and swearing during The Masters. Dawson responded to that by repeating a personal belief that he believed public sanctions would be his preferred choice of addressing such issues but said the R&A will continue to use the policies of both the European Tour and the PGA Tour for the event, which means any punishments will be unpublished.

“It is unedifying, there’s no doubt about that,” said Dawson of Woods’ spitting, something that landed the American a fine from the European Tour during the Dubai Desert Classic last year. “Both Tours know our views on bad behaviour on the golf course, but it is a matter for them.”

One major has already fallen to a player wielding a long putter – American Keegan Bradley in last year’s USPGA Championship. On that matter, Dawson reported that there have been occasions in professional events recently when more than 20 per cent of the players in the field have been using either a long or belly putter.

He also said discussions are currently taking place between the R&A and the USGA to see if action should be taken over the use of such implements, but, even it that were to happen, it will be 2016 at the earlier before it could be implemented. “There’s no doubt that there has been a considerable upsurge in the last 12 months in particular and we are very concerned about it,” Dawson said. “Talks between ourselves and the USGA, in fact, are ongoing at an intense pace but no decision has been taken yet.

“However, it is being looked at more from the Rules of Golf, more from a method of stroke – that is, you are not allowed to push, scrape or spoon – rather than the length of the club angle.”

When Bobby Locke lifted the Claret Jug at Lytham in 1952, he was reprimanded by officials for slow play when he took three-and-a-half hours for one of his rounds. Yet the players in this year’s event will be set a target of four hours and 30 minutes when they play in threeballs on the opening two days.

Both McArthur and Dawson admitted that slow play is an ongoing concern for the R&A, not just in events like the Open but also at club level. “I think amateur golf is worse than the professional game in many ways and that is working its way down to local membership. We need to find a way of improving that,” said McArthur.

Dawson added: “I think people are playing far more fourball golf and that is very significant in terms of slow play at club level. It takes forever, especially when people insist on holing out.”

This year’s event will be the 11th Open Championship at Royal Lytham, where Bobby Jones was the first winner in 1926, and has since had Locke, Peter Thomson (1958), Bob Charles (1963), Tony Jacklin (1969), Gary Player (1974), Seve Ballesteros (1979 and 1988), Tom Lehman (1996) and David Duval (2001) follow in his spikemarks.

A number of changes have been made to the course since Duval’s triumph 11 years ago, notably the addition of new tees at the seventh, tenth and 11th holes that have stretched the course from 6905 yards to 7086 yards.

“The challenge will be there for the modern player, but it is still very much Lytham,” said Dawson, who reported healthy ticket and hospitality sales and is expected to announce a prize fund similar to last year’s £5 million last year closer to the event on 19-22 July.