“IT SEEMS INCONCEIVABLE TO ME THAT THERE IS NO TOUR TOURNAMENT IN ANDALUSIA”.
He is one of only two Spanish tournament directors on the European Tour and also holds the position of deputy director of the European Challenge Tour. José María Zamora (Barcelona 1969, although he has lived in Malaga since he was a child), a man who knows the rules of golf and the intricacies of the major professional competitions like no one else.
-Are you afraid of being out of work given the shortage of tournament sponsors and the resulting suspension of Tour tournaments?
-In life nothing is certain, but I think I’m doing my job well. Currently, in addition to being Tournament Director of the European Tour, since August last year I am Deputy Director of the European Challenge Tour. This takes up a large part of my work and I have to say that, fortunately, there are days when I would need more hours to carry out all the projects we have.
-What is it like to be deputy director of the European Challenge Tour?
-Basically, in helping the director of the European Challenge Tour, Alain de Soultrait, in various projects such as new tournaments in new territories -Ukraine, China, Oman, South America-, visiting new courses, Challenge Tour regulations. The director is going to retire in a few years and a replacement will be needed.
-Are you still refereeing?
-Although it falls within my responsibilities, when you are a tournament director, there are many other aspects that I have to do in terms of marketing, public relations, negotiations, organization, etc., and having a chief referee in the field along with six or seven other referees, that section is very well covered and I can focus on other aspects of the tournament. We only referee full time at the Majors and the Ryder Cup.
-Spain has gone from having seven Tour tournaments last year to one this season. What do you think of this hecatomb?
-I think that seven tournaments was an outrage, an unsustainable situation, in the same way that I think that one tournament is too little. Even taking into account the economic situation we are going through, it seems inconceivable to me that there is no tournament in Andalusia. Probably one of the few tourist segments that work really well is golf, and if there is no tournament in Andalusia, it is proven that people will forget about this destination when they do not see it on television, and it is very likely that other destinations such as Turkey or Algarve, which have tournaments, will become more relevant and many people will choose to go on vacation there. It is essential to show the rest of the world that in Andalusia you can play golf in short sleeves in March and October.
-Are the tournaments perhaps too expensive for the times?
-You can invest as much as you want in tournaments. There are tournaments of one million euros in prize money that can be organized with 600,000 euros, so the return you get by showing the tournament four hours live for four days in a row around the world is certainly greater than the investment.
When organizing tournaments with budgets of ten million euros, there are other factors that companies take into account, such as brand image, giving value to their customers, etc.
-How many Tour tournaments will you direct this year?
-This year I will only do four tournaments on the European Tour because, as I said before, I have a lot of work on the European Challenge Tour. A couple of years from now we will have to decide whether to focus my career on the European Challenge Tour or continue as Tournament Director on the European Tour.
-Arab Emirates, China, India? Where is the future of the European Tour?
-I would like to say that the future is in Europe, but until a few years from now I think in Asia, in general, which is where the money and interest in big tournaments is. I think the Arab Emirates already has enough tournaments and a healthy competitive environment has been created among them.
-Could you tell us the most curious anecdote that has happened to you in your career in the Tour?
-A couple of them. In the 2006 Ryder (K Club) I refereed the singles match between McGinley and Henry and on the 18th green a “streaker” (naked person) jumped into the lake. I don’t think it was shown on TV. Another anecdote, on a golfing level, is that I made a hole in one on the 12th at Augusta.
-Do you think that the times when Spain hosted the largest number of Tour tournaments will return?
-I don’t think so. Tue we had our “bubble” at the tournament level, although I hope we get back to having two or three, which I think is where we should be.
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