Opinion | The search for a sponsor goes on
At least the Hong Kong Open has Jimenez in the line-up, but one big name is not enough to keep a tournament buoyant
The good news is that golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez will be returning in October to defend his title at the Hong Kong Open. The bad news is that the tournament is still being called the Hong Kong Open.
The announcement of the return of Spaniard Jimenez, loudly heralded by organisers this week, overshadowed the fact that Hong Kong's oldest professional sporting event has still not been able to attract a corporate sponsor, leaving its financial future on shaky ground.
It was felt bringing the tournament forward from December last year to October would make the event more attractive as it now falls into this season's Race to Dubai - the European Tour's lucrative money list championship which ends in the Emirates state.
The Hong Kong event is now one of the last stops before the finale in Dubai and in theory it should be a must stop for the top golfers on the European Tour as they bid to secure their spot within the top 60.
But with our paltry prize money of US$1.3 million, the leading players can afford to ignore Hong Kong to play in other tournaments which offer far more prize money, like the four-tournament Final Series ending in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The Final Series includes the US$7 million BMW Masters and the US$8.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions, both in Shanghai, as well as the US$7 million Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya.
Compare what is on offer in these events with what Hong Kong can scrape up and it is obvious our event has lost its lustre. In addition, Hong Kong clashes with the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Kent, England, which will be a major draw for the best on the European Tour. On the PGA Tour, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open offers almost five times the prize money of our event.