Money. It is the only possible reason for the powers-that-be to have selected Sunningdale Golf Club as the site of the Ricoh Women’s British Open. By staying relatively close to London they figure to draw the largest crowd possible. But I think it’s shortsighted and a big mistake. The very phrase “Open Championship” in Great Britain is synonymous with links golf. Why on earth would the event be hosted on an inland course? British golf fans are arguably the most knowledgeable in the world and will make a small trek to watch a major championship contested over a great site.

Look, Sunningdale is a wonderful course - of that, we have no quarrel. It is over 100 years old and has played host to many big events. But for this particular event to take it’s proper place in history, it should only be contested over a true links. If it’s a matter of none of the Rota for the Open Championship being available, then there are many magnificent links throughout England that could hold such a prestigious event. You can bet I have a few suggestions.

My number 1 choice for 2008 would have been, since they felt the need to stay in proximity to London, to go to the nearby South East coast and hold this contest at Royal Cinque Ports. This magnificent course is very close to Royal St. George’s and every bit as good. It’s only problem – if you want to call it that – that keeps it out of the Open Rota is the length, which tops out at 6,900 yards. Obviously, that would not be a concern for the ladies. And this will be the case for the rest of my suggestions as well.

Choice No. 2: Had the Open Championship not been played at Royal Birkdale this year, they could have gone down the coast 20 or 30 minutes drive and selected either Formby or Hillside to hold the Women’s Open. These two wonderful links are used for Open qualifying and would stand up well to any players in the world, regardless of the slightly sub-7,000 yard length.

Choice No. 3: The best course in the South West region of England is indisputably the East Course at Saunton. It is too great a course not to have a world championship on it. And it would draw from all over, including nearby Wales, which brings me to my final and best suggestion.

No. 4: How about a major championship in the Wales for a change? For goodness sakes, the Ryder Cup itself is coming to Wales in 2 years time. The Women’s Open ought to break new ground and try out Royal Porthcawl which is about 40 minutes drive from the Welsh capital of Cardiff. This links, the shortest of my suggestions at 6,740 yards from the tips, has held nearly every major competition in the British Isles below world championship level. There is not one thing about this place that wouldn’t suit the LPGA and LET to a tee.

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