WA likely to retain major international golf tournament in 2017

The Lake Karrinyup tournament has been a feature of the WA sporting scene across the past four spring and summer periods, with February’s instalment co-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australian Tours.

Fears were raised about the future of the tournament this week when there was no mention of Perth on the lucrative European Tour’s program for the first four months of 2017.

But The Sunday Times understands a WA event is likely to be inserted into one of two yet-to-be-filled slots next February or March.

The most likely scenario would have the tournament played from February 16-19, enabling European Tour players to come to Perth from the relatively close-by Maybank Championship Malaysia – as they did in last year’s schedule – before going on to Johannesburg.

The other vacant slot from March 9-12 could also work for WA from a geographical standpoint, wedged between events in Pretoria and India.

Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett this week said negotiations between Tourism WA and the respective golfing bodies were ongoing.

“We’re looking at that at the moment,” he said.

“I’m optimistic. But it depends on signing up the PGA both in Australia and Europe, and it also involves getting leading golfers to participate.”

Tourism WA declined to provide details about the state of negotiations when contacted by the Sunday Times, with a spokesperson saying only they were “very confident about the future of international golf in Perth”.

Then world No.21 and eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen was a star attraction at last summer’s Perth International, but the event with a $1.75m prize purse struggled to draw other big-name players.

The European Tour is likely to confirm the additions to the early part of the schedule in the coming weeks, with the full year’s program to be unveiled in November.