Raking it in the Ryder Cup way

Boston is preparing for the biggest sporting event in its history. With a projected injection of $150 million into the local community, the Ryder Cup at Brookline on September 24th to 26th will outstrip even the 100th staging of the Boston Marathon in 1996.

This represents an astonishing turnaround in only 10 years. When Christy O'Connor Jnr, among others, spiked US hopes of regaining the trophy at The Belfry, none of the major American networks was prepared to pay for the transmission rights, which eventually went to the USA Network for a give-away $200,000.

Now, NBC are only too delighted to pay $13 million for the rights - an increase of 189 per cent on the fee for the Oak Hill staging in 1995. As it happens, they have re-sold the rights to the Friday broadcast to the USA Network, but they will provide nearly 17 hours of coverage on Saturday and Sunday.

Even more significant is that eight advertisers are paying $2 million each to sponsor the broadcast. This contrasts sharply with NBC's miserable experience at Kiawah Island in 1991 when, having paid nearly $2 million for the rights, its two major sponsors, IBM and General Motors, pulled out. And no replacements were forthcoming. "We took a pretty significant bath," recalled an NBC executive.

Nowadays, the Ryder Cup is known in the US as golf's ultimate cash cow. It has already been documented how the event is set to generate gross revenue of $63 million for the PGA of America, compared with $28 million four years ago. Corporate business alone will generate $32 million.

Of the gross takings, the entire $13 million in TV revenue goes to the PGA of America, less $2.6 million (20 per cent) which, by agreement, goes to the USPGA Tour (not the most astute deal ever struck by former Tour commissioner Deane Beman). The estimated $50 million generated by the event itself - five times the take from the 1988 US Open at Brookline - will be split between the PGA of America and the host club, after expenses.

But expenses will be considerable. Upwards of $40 million will be paid for items, ranging from the building of car parks to overtime for policemen and repairs to the course after the crowds have gone. Steve Bailey, a financial columnist for the Boston Globe, estimates that when all the bills are paid, the PGA of America and The Country Club will split up to $12 million between them.

Demands from the corporate sector have been huge. And in the American way, companies who were unable to gain access to official tents or tables may find they can still gain a part of the action. So-called "pirate hospitality" outfits have been marketing tables of 10 on sites just outside the Country Club grounds.

With champagne receptions, four-course silver-service lunches, bar, parking and Ryder Cup tickets, the price is $89,500 including hotel accommodation, $69,500 without. Depending on your perspective, the Ryder Cup will reveal the best or worst side of American life. And that's before the first ball is struck.

"I think he'll be a more relaxed putter, enough so that his old yips will disappear." - Johnny Miller on Tom Watson's prospects as a newcomer to the US Seniors Tour.

Ten years ago, Robbie Moore won the Lord Mayor's Cup at Clontarf GC as a five-handicap member of Howth. This week, at the fifth attempt, he qualified to challenge a top-quality tournament field, including the holder, Billy Andrade, in the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey GC.

"I have no intention of trying to play the tour: this was simply something I had to prove to myself," said a delighted Moore, who emigrated to Canada in 1990 from Raheny, Dublin. But he believes the exposure could lead from his current position as an assistant at Deer Ridge GC, Toronto, to that of a fully-fledged club professional.

"The reaction has been terrific," he added. "Friends and associates out here all rang to offer their congratulations." But they suspected he would do well, given that he shot rounds of 67 and 68 (seven-under-par) last month, to claim top prize of $6,000 - the biggest of his career - as winner of the Ontario Assistants' Championship.

Moore first attempted to qualify in 1995, but he found the two stages extremely difficult to crack: the Canadian process would certainly appear to be more testing than, for instance, is the case for the Irish Open. In the event, he eventually qualified for Glen Abbey by shooting a three-under-par 69 last Monday at the nearby Brantford club.

"It's been an education, the way I've been treated on the practice ground this week," he went on. "Equipment reps have already given me three dozen golf balls and four gloves. And I was told I could have an additional $1,000 if I used a certain type of driver, but I'm staying with the one I have."

So, now. Sometimes your golfing dreams do come true.

This day in golf history: On September 11th, 1974, the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame was opened in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Its first members were: Patty Berg, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Francis Ouimet, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Harry Varden and Babe Zaharias. The Hall of Fame has since found a new home in the World Golf Village, near St Augustine, Florida.

In brief: The MS Society of Northern Ireland will benefit from the proceeds of the Darren Clarke Perpetual Trophy tomorrow, when 30 club teams from both sides of the Border compete at Malone GC. Maria Kinney of MS tells me that Zane Scotland, the remarkable English teenager, will be there to present the prizes.

Quality players don't tend to hand matches away, even before they reach maturity. Royal Dublin's Noel Fogarty discovered this to his cost in the fourth round of the British Amateur Championship at Royal St George's in 1959. That was when he was one up with three to play against a promising young American named Jack Nicklaus, only to lose on the 19th.

So, it was something of an achievement for Eoghan O'Connell to halve with Phil Mickelson in the 1989 Walker Cup. And it was a superb effort of Philip Walton's to beat Jay Sigel in the same tournament at Hoylake six years previously.

Foursomes have been a far more productive area, as a Clonskeagh reader, Kevin O'Kelly, reminded me in a letter written in the wake of last month's USPGA Championship at Medinah. He pointed out that Ireland's Jody Fanagan had gained the distinction of foursomes victories over both Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.

He and Padraig Harrington beat Woods and John Harris by 2 and 1 on the second day of the 1995 Walker Cup at Royal Porthcawl. And the Milltown player partnered Noel Fox to a 4 and 3 foursomes win over Garcia and Olle Sanchez in the European Amateur Team Championship at Portmarnock on Saturday June 28th, 1997. Which, of course, will be something to tell his grandchildren.

Teaser: In individual strokeplay, A, who had holed out, demonstrated to B, whose ball was just off the green, how he should play his chip shot. What is the ruling?

Answer: B incurred no penalty as he did not seek advice. A incurred a penalty of two strokes for giving advice to B. As both competitors had not completed the hole, the penalty would be applied to the hole being played.