Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Spring 2015 | Page 30

THREE MORE YEARS AS
OPEN SPONSOR
By Tony Dukin
When Isuzu Trucks recently committed to a further three
years as sponsor of the Queensland Open, those associated
with top-level golf in the state considered Brisbane Isuzu
dealer principal Alan Newcombe as a saint.
After all, until Isuzu Trucks came on board three years ago
there was no sponsor. And because there was no sponsor the
Queensland Open had not been staged for five years.
Now, with the event moving to The Brisbane Golf Club for at
least the three-year term of the new commitment from Isuzu
Trucks, the Queensland Open is heading down the path of
once again being an iconic state sporting event.
But while Alan Newcombe and his company willingly accept
the plaudits for assisting in its re-birth, the man himself
deflects any saintly affiliations with the Open. He does,
however, admit to royal and ancient connections. Ask Alan
of which golf club he is a member, and he will say Redcliffe.
Then, he adds proudly, ‘and St Andrews’.
And, as fate would have it, the day after announcing the
three-year sponsorship extension he was on a flight to
the Old Dart on his annual pilgrimage to St Andrews, the
undisputed home of golf.
The story of how Alan Newcombe first played the Old Course,
and how he became a member of the club, is an intriguing
one. And such is his passion for the game and its history, he
delights in relaying that experience. It started when he won
a trip to the UK with Isuzu in 2003 and subsequently took
some time out to visit the legendary Scottish golf course.
To his surprise and delight, the annual Alfred Dunhill Links
Championship was being played there at the time.
“I was totally gobsmacked by the pomp and the ceremony –
it was one of the most captivating environments I had ever
experienced,” he recalls. “The event is a two-man fourball,
where an amateur is teamed with a professional. Right there
and then I declared I would move heaven and earth to one
day play in that tournament.”
And play in it he did, but only after Australian golfing legend
Jack Newton had used some influence. “Initially I was told
that I would be number 760 on the wait list, which meant 759
amateurs would have to withdraw before I scored a start,”
he said.
“That was a setback. But at the time my company was one
of the sponsors of the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic and

30 Q Golf Spring 2015

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not being one to hold back, I asked Jack if he could help.
As a former runner-up in the British Open he still had some
influence over there and was able to pull strings and my
name suddenly shot to the top of the waiting list.
“Then, exactly one month out from the tournament in 2005,
I received a call from the club and told I was in the field. It
was the most amazing news, and the most unforgettable
experience followed.”
Over the week of the event, mixing with the rich and famous
of golf, Alan had what he described as ‘absolutely the greatest
golfing experience of a lifetime’. He stayed at the Old Course
Hotel, played the St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie
courses as he and his professional partner, Jay Hansen of
Sweden, finished ‘in the higher end of the second half of
the field’.
But, more importantly, playing off a six handicap at the time
he had nine pars on the Old Course which included a careerbest lob wedge to the famous Road Hole 17th that won
acclaim – by applause – from a gallery of close to 100.
The 2005 visit made him determined to return, and also
become a member of the St Andrews Golf Club. Again some
influence had to be used and in 2012 he was invited to be a
member of the most respected golf course in the world. Every
year since he has visited ‘his’ club, and each time he plays
the Old Course. And his most recent tee time was Thursday,
September 3, just 10 days after the final round of this year’s
Isuzu Queensland Open.
A member of Redcliffe Golf Club for the past 30 years, Alan’s
passion for golf is the chief reason his company is major
sponsor of the Queensland Open. “Obviously sponsorship is a
two-way street and Isuzu Trucks is delighted with the benefits
and exposure we receive from the event,” he said.
“But it is also about giving back to the community, and being
involved in something with a high profile, is entertaining,
popular and enjoyable. The Queensland Open is all that, and
more. “Our three-year extension is reflective of our keenness
to build some consistency with our sponsorship and our
company will continue to be involved with the event for as
long as we can.”
Golf Queensland chief executive Lindsay Ellis says the support
from Isuzu Trucks has enabled Golf Queensland to move
into a different space in respect of income sourced from
sponsorship. “We have never had that kind of sponsorship
previously and are now generating more sponsors across the
board, chiefly because of Isuzu Trucks,” he said.