Tour may never be the same post-Brexit, says Dredge

By European Tour player Bradley Dredge

From the moment the news of the Brexit vote filtered through to the Gut Larchenhoff Club in Germany on Friday, there were a lot of ­questions being asked in the locker room at the BMW ­International Open.

With so many different nationalities involved at a European Tour event, not just with the players but also among the caddies and operational staff, there were a wide variety of questions but very few answers available about how the UK’s decision to leave the EU will affect day-to-day life on Tour.

The basic aim of all of us players is not going to change because we will still be trying to get the ball into the hole in the least number of shots we can on the course. But the rewards on offer to us had changed overnight.

On the downside, the 10 per cent fall in the value of the pound means that during the upcoming fortnight back in Scotland, the £10 million up for grabs at the Scottish Open and The Open Championship is going to be worth less for non-British players.

That will also be the case with the Paul Lawrie Matchplay at Archerfield in early August and the British Masters at The Grove in October.

However, they are the only ­tournaments left on the schedule for this year where we are paid in sterling because at the Dunhill Links at St Andrews we are paid in US dollars.

And it did not take long for all of us to work out that as well as that, the value of the €2 million (£1.66m) prize money that we were playing for on Sunday had increased by 10 per cent, as will be the case at the French Open this week and on all our other trips in Europe. And when we head to places like China and Dubai later in the year the dollar prize funds there will be worth more when converted into pounds in the bank accounts of those of us ­players from the UK.

What we cannot forecast yet is whether sponsors of tournaments will think about changing the value of the money that they put into events.

But it is not just the cash that we earn that is going to change in the wake of the Brexit vote. There also looks certain to be adjustments in the ease of travel between tournaments especially when it comes to joining queues at airports.

As members of the EU, we Brits have been able to travel freely in Europe throughout my career but now, as ­outsiders, we will have to get a ­Schengen visa and join the much slower immigration process suffered by the likes of the many South African and Asian stars who play alongside us.

And in reverse, presumably all the European players on Tour will ­presumably not just have their ­passports glanced at when they land at Heathrow in advance of next year’s PGA Championship at Wentworth or Liverpool for The Open at Royal ­Birkdale.

That is just the tip of the iceberg that could emerge for the 500 people who are working in various departments at every tournament.

What, for instance, is going to happen to the small army of staff that BMW bring with them from Germany to Wentworth every year?

And what about our physio truck that has to cross borders almost every week of the year as it goes from ­tournament to tournament to provide the massages and other treatments that keep our swings in the smoothest of rhythms.

It is manned by a variety of ­individuals with a variety of passports. How are they going to get smoothly through border controls when they have to join different queues. It’s the same for our tournament referees and office personnel.

And on a similar front, we do not know how it’s going to affect the trucks used by the club manufacturers who park next to the range each week to repair or replace our equipment.

Are there going to be new rules introduced on the type of cargo those trucks can carry and what they have to declare, and how long it is going to take to get customs clearance? And the same problems could face the ­lorries carrying the equipment for the coverage of our events on Sky TV.

On another front, I am going to be looking out for how Brexit is going to affect my ownership of a holiday home in Spain. I am still based at my home in Wales but during the winter months tend to spend more time out there because it’s far more conducive for the practice that I put in every week when I am not at tournaments.

Flying in out and out of Alicante has never been a problem in the past for me as an EU citizen but at some time soon am I going to need a Schengen visa to go out there?

And in reverse, what problems at border control are Italy’s Francesco Molinari and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen going to face because they are now living full-time in London.

One thing I feel is for sure: over the coming weeks, months and possibly  years, new situations, not mentioned above, will arise on a regular basis.

Tagged Bradley Dredge, Brexit, European Tour, Thorbjorn Olesen