Vying with Parky for top billing

 World Matchplay Championship:'Tiger smiled that smile and hugged his mate. And for a moment there, it was like 1977 all over again'

As kids growing up in Britain in the 1970s, the only time we got to witness genuine glamour was on Michael Parkinson's late night chat show, and at The World Matchplay. Both have been a pale imitation of their heyday for some time. Now Parky is calling it a day, having announced that this season's series will be his last. As for the Matchplay, HSBC will walk away as headline sponsor after this year, leaving a great event to an uncertain future.

It is hard to imagine now, but back then Parkinson was unmissable, the finale of a familiar Saturday evening routine. At a time when there were just three channels to watch, a typical BBC Saturday night went like this: Bruce Forsyth's Generation Game, Starsky and Hutch, Match of the Day and then, if we'd been good, or our parents were asleep, we got to watch Yorkshire's finest duel with Gregory Peck or David Niven or Jimmy Stewart. His studio was a stop off point for a seemingly endless conveyor belt of Hollywood royalty.

We watched eyes wide, staring at these extraordinary creatures as if they'd landed from another world. They had an aura and a rarity value that is impossible to replicate today.

In the intervening years, Parkinson has evolved into an extension of the PR industry: Ben Affleck plugging his new film or Madonna talking earnestly about the need for her latest album. It was always thus, but the selling process seemed less naked and no doubt we've grown more cynical. But the theme tune can still evoke clear memories: a time when TV was a shared experience.

Likewise, since it began in 1964, a feature of the Matchplay was its power to attract the very best players in the world. Arnold Palmer, a good friend of event founder Mark McCormack, won that first event. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman; like Parky's velour armchair, the fairways of Wentworth welcomed the genuinely great and the impossibly glamorous. For a week in the autumn every year, Surrey was the centre of the world.

The history of the Matchplay is littered with memorable moments. Gary Player coming back from seven down to beat Tony Lema at the first extra hole in 1965. A fan throwing Nick Faldo's ball back on to the green against Graham Marsh or Seve Ballesteros' five wins. Following the young Ben Crenshaw around the course was to be in the presence of film star charisma: his face wasn't just tanned, he was golden.

The Matchplay benefited hugely from the lack of competition in television. In the pre-Sky era, the BBC enjoyed a British monopoly in televised golf enabling it to pull in high audiences and create a feeling of community among viewers. For 40 years, the Matchplay has had Peter Alliss at the mike for hour upon hour with only a handful of games to talk about. Few things evoke the end of summer as hearing Alliss' views on the architectural shortcomings of the big house just off the 17th green.

Over the last 10 years, golf, like every other aspect of business, has been affected by globalisation. With this trend has come fierce competition for the Matchplay. Most obviously, the development of the Accenture WGC event, launched in 1999, has made Wentworth's Matchplay suddenly seem very colloquial.

Although lacking in colour or heritage, its $8million purse, and the heavy world ranking points available, have ensured the Accenture draws the talent. And Tiger Woods' Target World Challenge also attracts a high class field. The first prize of $1.35 million is more than than that on offer for any of the four majors and second only to The Players' Championship. No golfer leaves with less than $170,000.

Against this changing backdrop, HSBC came in as headline sponsor in 2003, adding to the list of former partners such as Piccadilly (1964-76), Colgate (1977-78), Suntory (1979-90) and Cisco (1991-2002).

HSBC upped the prize money to £1 million to the winner, increased the field to 16 players and offered European Tour ranking points for the first time. Most interestingly, a qualifying system based primarily on performances in the four majors was introduced, the intention to restore the event's pulling power. It was a bold and imaginative plan, but ultimately failed in its objective.

The bank has cut its link halfway through its intended 10- year contract, saying it preferred to put its marketing spend behind its event in China. The question remains who will come in to replace it.

The World Matchplay has always had a special place within IMG, McCormack's management company.

The agency owns the event and many of its players traditionally appear, a feature that has attracted criticism as "jobs for the boys".

McCormack, who died in 2003, offered his own response in a 1997 Golf Digest interview: "We created the event, we put up the prize money, we made an arrangement with the golf course to stage it, and we have provided the British golf public with a great occasion for 34 years," said McCormack. "What have we done wrong? The fact that a lot of our clients happen to be playing in the World Matchplay - well, they deserve to be playing".

It's ironic that IMG's greatest client should play a part in the event's fall from grace. Tiger Woods has appeared just twice, in 1998 and 2006, his absence sending a clear message about the place of the Matchplay in the new world order.

His 2006 appearance was a disaster, falling 4 and 3 to Shaun Micheel in the first round. But his initial visit to Wentworth in 1998 offered a glimpse of what might have been. The final between Woods and Mark O'Meara went down the 36th hole, with the wily O'Meara sneaking a putt to claim the trophy. Tiger smiled that smile and hugged his mate. And for a moment there, it was like 1977 all over again.

2006 Paul Casey

2005 Michael Campbell

2004 Ernie Els

2003 Ernie Els

2002 Ernie Els

2001 Ian Woosnam

2000 Lee Westwood

1999 Colin Montgomerie

1998 Mark O'Meara

1997 Vijay Singh

1996 Ernie Els

1995 Ernie Els

1994 Ernie Els

1993 Corey Pavin

1992 Nick Faldo

1991 Seve Ballesteros

1990 Ian Woosnam

1989 Nick Faldo

1988 Sandy Lyle

1987 Ian Woosnam

1986 Greg Norman

1985 Seve Ballesteros

1984 Seve Ballesteros

1983 Greg Norman

1982 Seve Ballesteros

1981 Seve Ballesteros

1980 Greg Norman

1979 Bill Rogers

1978 Isao Aoki

1977 Graham Marsh

1976 David Graham

1975 Hale Irwin

1974 Hale Irwin

1973 Gary Player

1972 Tom Weiskopf

1971 Gary Player

1970 Jack Nicklaus

1969 Bob Charles

1968 Gary Player

1967 Arnold Palmer

1966 Gary Player

1965 Gary Player

1964 Arnold Palmer