Women on the up if they hurry up!
SO, THE men have decided that July is the time to bring the curtain down on the majors and August is now the month to play with Monopoly money, or FedEx dollars to use the modern parlance.
I’m sure I speak for most of us in thinking that, when it comes to the buck-laden FedEx Cup, we can probably contain our excitement.
What an opportunity, therefore, it presents for the women. In the past, the AIG Women’s British Open, which begins on Thursday at Woburn, barely got the chance to breathe for the close proximity of the US PGA. Now there is the welcome chance for it to develop its own slot in the spotlight.
Tomorrow, the R&A will launch a new era for the tournament, starting with a rebranding and change of name to the Women’s Open. Next year, they will be assuming sole responsibility, and they have already announced a 40 per cent increase in prize money.
Suddenly, the age of the R&A dinosaur is behind us. R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has been doing the job for four years, and it is clear in his words and actions that the women’s game has an advocate they can trust. Slumbers is not promising the moon, or parity with the men’s game anytime soon, if ever, but we can be sure he will not be living up to his surname, either.
Can the women take advantage? Can they grip the nation? They certainly can if they put their best foot forward. Think back to 12 months ago, and a victory for Georgia Hall that was unquestionably one of the golfing highlights of the year.
In Hall, Charley Hull, Bronte Law and Meg MacLaren, there is an exciting quartet, all under 25, who could do wonders for the women’s game.
But the women do need to help themselves. At the Evian Championship last week, rounds were taking almost six hours to complete — and this is not an infrequent occurrence. At the Senior Open, a threeball was taking four hours and 20 minutes.
The R&A will be wasting their breath and money if the women do not speed up. No golfer is interesting when they take six hours for 18 holes. Let us hope they seize the day, therefore, rather than seize up.