Open championship plan to beat recession

R&A to subsidise cost of golf club

parties making trip to Turnberry

FROM TODAY'S SCOTTISH DAILY EXPRESS

By JOCK MacVICAR

Golf club members are to be offered money to watch Padraig Harrington attempt to win the Open for the third time in a row at Turnberry from July 16 to 19.

In an unprecedented recession-beating move, the R&A yesterday revealed that to entice more spectators to the south Ayrshire coast venue, they will pay £250 towards the cost of a coach or coaches from Scottish clubs and those in the north of England.

"We are encouraging golf clubs, as a club, to come to the Open, to bring the juniors and ladies and make it a day out," said director of championships David Hill (picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency) at Turnberry.

"The R&A will pay £250 towards the cost of a coach and we will be contacting clubs later this week with the details.

"We're asking them to bring 30 people but if they want to bring six coaches, that's fine. In a period of recession we are trying to reach out to the golf clubs."

The organisers are also laying on a fleet of buses to transport the many Harrington-supporting spectators expected to arrive from Ireland from the ferry ports at Stranraer and Troon.

The championship is returning to what R&A chief executive Petew Dawson described yesterday as "the most scenically attractive links in the world" for the first time since Nick Price won in 1994, overhauling leader Jesper Parnevik with a 50ft eagle putt holed on the 17th green in the final round.

And, on past experience, Turnberry, because of its more remote location, attracts the lowest gates of any Open venue.

While courses like St Andrews draw crowds in excess of 200,000 for the Open week, Turnberry last time had a total gate of 115,000.

At a cost of £800,000, the road system in the area has been improved, easing the bottleneck at Maybole which caused so man y problems 15 years ago, depriving Turnberry of the 2004 Open.

However, as with all other sports, these tough recessionary times are to the forefront of R&A minds.

"Corporate hospitality is 15-20 per cent down in line with all UK sporting events," said Hill. "Everybody has suffered from that a little bit and it reflects the world we are currently in."

DAWSON SCOTCHES RUMOURS THAT ROYAL

TROON HAS BEEN PUT ON OPEN STANDBY

Peter Dawson has dismissed as "media hype" speculation that Royal Troon has been put on standby to stage the Open this summer.

Because of the major renovation work being carried out at Turnberry Hotel and a change of contractors last month, there were rumours the task would not be completed in time.

But the R&A's chief executive said: "Putting Royal Troon on standby has absolutely never been discussed."

David Spencer, CEO of Turnberry Hotel's new Dubai-based owners, Leisurecorp, guaranteed that although a second phase of the overall $28million renovation will not be carrried out until the winter months of 2009-2010, the hotel will be opened on time.

"It will be ready before the Open championship comes to Turnberry," insisted Spencer.