Bermuda Open entry fee row escalates

A row over the cost of entering the Bermuda Open Championship is threatening to overshadow the prestigious event, which tees off on Monday at Port Royal.

Three-time winner and senior professional Kim Swan, a former European Tour player and Port Royal’s current teaching pro, has criticized the Bermuda Golf Association for keeping the entry fee at $500, claiming the event’s lack of sponsorship ‘stifles the growth of the game’.

On a Facebook post, he added the cost of entering makes a ‘mockery’ of the name Open and is an insult to Bermuda’s professionals.

The BGA, though, has strongly defended itself against these accusations, telling the Bermuda Sun that Swan came to them with these concerns only in February and that his decision to go public is ill-judged and will do little to help attract the major sponsor they crave.

A field of around 36 will compete in the Open, which has a prize pot of $10,000 and a first prize of $3,500. In the absence of a sponsor, the majority of this is funded by entry fees. 

Golfers are coming from as far afield as Sweden, Australia and Germany to take on local players such as Michael Sims, Nick Jones and Terence Daniels. Bermuda’s Jarryd Dillas is also expected to tee it up.

Gary Venning, of the BGA, told the Sun: “People are coming here to have fun and we have one of our most senior pros in Bermuda detracting from and demeaning the event.” He added: “I don’t know what good that is going to serve.”

Swan wrote on Wednesday: “Sadly, the entry fee for the Bermuda Open remains at $500. A country’s National Championship in any sport should be the epitome of inclusive and not cost prohibitive. 

“As a three-time Champion of the Bermuda Open Golf Championship, I am sad that the entry fee for a professional and the absence of a sponsor will discourage participation in the Bermuda Open. The mindset that overlooks the cost for a working pro to play is most unfortunate and stifles the growth of the game.”

‘A mockery’

He went on: “The Tournament scheduled in Bermuda for next week in its present form is NOT The Bermuda OPEN. In fact it makes a Mockery of the name OPEN as it is NOT functioning as a National Championship. 

“It is cost prohibitive and insults professionals to invite them to your country to play for their OWN money.”

Venning, who took up his current position of Administrator at the BGA in September, responded by saying a major sponsor is hard to get and has to be ‘developed over a period of time’.

“The entry fee has been $500 since 2007 — right through the entire recession. It’s not like we’ve just come along and bumped it up by 20 per cent — it’s the same as it’s been for the past seven years. Our fee is in line with other national and international events.

“Our new committee was formed in January and we recognise there are a number of improvements to be made — but these things will take time.

“In the absence of a sponsor that is prepared to fund the pro’s purse, the revenue has to be generated by the entry fees. Someone has to pay for it and the majority of the entry fees is going to the pro purse.

“The big problem is we have to put up a minimum pro’s purse in advance — so we put up $10,000 with the aim of reaching that and going beyond it.”

He added:  “I just don’t understand where Kim’s  coming from. Sponsors are very hard to get —  and they have to see some return on their investment. If they are going to put in $20,000 or $30,000, they want to see some return. If it’s so easy, why hasn’t he gone out and got any?”

He admitted he was ‘upset’ by Swan’s comments but stressed he has no personal animosity towards a man he ‘respects as a player and a person’. He did, though, question why Swan, who has also stated his case on radio, is being so persistent with his public comments?

“I took over the position in September and I have had a lot of dealings with him from then, with his development programme among others things, and not once has he mentioned the Bermuda Open,” said Venning.

“He should have come to us in October or November with his ideas. He came to us at the start of February when all the flyers were already out.”

‘We need positivity’

A delayed meeting after the Bermuda Amateur Match Play saw Venning and BGA president Andrew Woodworth ‘listen to Kim and explain why we couldn’t change anything at such short notice’. Venning added: “Andrew Woodworth gave his vision of where he wants the BGA to go and we extended our hand of cooperation.

“Next thing he’s on Facebook. What good is that going to serve? We need positivity at this time. Does he really think this [sponsorship situation] is going to change between now and Monday?

“We really want to make this a good event and hopefully we can now put all this behind us and move forward to make Bermuda the quality destination that it is and have a tournament that we can all enjoy.”