The 2008 MFS Australian Women's Open begins on Thursday, with our hero Tiffany Joh in the field. But the 2009 Australian Women's Open looks a little dicey. And the 2005-06 Australian Women's Opens never took place.
It's a little surprising that country as golf-mad as Australia has had trouble sustaining some of its most important tournaments. The men's Australian Open has had issues of its own.
The problem for the women's tournament now is that title sponsor MFS - a financial services company - is having a major financial crisis (it always instills you with confidence to hear that a financian services company has screwed up its own finances, doesn't it?). MFS' sponsorship fees were already paid for the 2008 tournament, but it has two years remaining on its contract and almost certainly won't be able to fulfill that obligation.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on what comes next:
THE women's Australian Open is effectively up for sale this week after the near-collapse of its major corporate backer.
With the tournament's major sponsor, the MFS financial group, in huge financial trouble, Golf Australia has called in representatives from all of Australia's state governments to show off the event and make a sales pitch.
...
We've got some significant decisions to make over where we're going to be in the next few years," Hallam said. "We've got the options of going to another state. There's no question that women's sport at this elite level needs government support, wherever it comes from. It's wonderful to have this event in the sandbelt area, but these tournaments need money and they need investment."
GA has already struck a three-year deal with the NSW Government, which will see the men's Australian Open played in Sydney for the duration, but there is no such arrangement for the women's Open. Tourism Victoria makes a secondary contribution to this week's event, but GA would like Melbourne Major Events to take the Open on board.
"This is an international event that deserves support, and it's a very important event for promoting women's sport," Hallam said. "As a stand-alone women's event, it could be the most significant in the country."
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