KEY POINTS:
The prospect of a One Asia PGA Tour in 2009 - and a fundamental change in the European Tour - means a decision will have to be made about a place for the New Zealand Open.
That decision will be made by European Tour bosses whose base will shift to Dubai from Britain. In 2009 the world's richest tournament, the US$10 million Dubai World Championship will be played in late November and a new global property company associated with the Tour will develop new tournament venues around the world. The European Order of Merit will be renamed The Race to Dubai and the Tour wants the schedule to start at the beginning of the calendar year, not the previous November as at present.
At The Hills a couple of weeks ago, promoter Bob Tuohy said the New Zealand Open would be played in November 2008, probably miss 2009 altogether, and then shift to a date in January or February 2010. Hopefully that means the 2008 New Zealand Open will be among the first events in the first Race to Dubai - if the Tour allows one more year of pre-Christmas tournaments. The arrangement for the New Zealand Open with the European Tour still has two tournaments to run.
But it's not difficult to see that if the overflowing European schedule (55 events in 52 weeks) has to be condensed into 11 months culminating in Dubai, then the Tour will be tempted to drop the two events in Australia and New Zealand.
It would be great to maintain an association with the world's second richest PGA Tour but I fear New Zealand could not afford it. The European Tour's move to Dubai is a serious attempt to challenge the US PGA Tour's domination and to try to attract American stars and therefore the prize money in regular Tour events is likely to balloon to a point where, sadly, the New Zealand Open won't be able to compete.
That's where the One Asia Tour could be a godsend. So far the Japan Tour and the Australasian Tour have signed up to the concept. But the Asian Tour, which has tournaments in 15 countries, presents challenges. Many events are co-sanctioned with Europe and sponsors will be loath to give up that exposure.
The ideal would be for the One Asia Tour to have weekly tournaments, starting in Australia and New Zealand in January, culminating with a Championship in Japan in mid-November. One Asia would be not far below the European and US Tours, offering at least US$1.5 million each a week.
The key will be a lucrative television deal, which is very possible as more than half the world's population will be in its catchment.
The good news is that virtually all the events would be in prime time here. And it will be a great launchpad for young Kiwi players.
It would be sad if the New Zealand Open lost its association with the European Tour but it would only be a fact of economic life. The One Asia Tour will hopefully be a welcome substitute.
