Thought for the Day:
If you tend to fall asleep watching TV, why not have all your clothes made from blankets?
A few post-Open thoughts
On day one Henrik Stenson and Tiger Woods complained about mobile phone use by the galleries and Woods lodged an official complaint with the R&A. On the final day Rory McIlroy had a guy removed from the course on the 16th. He coughed on Rory’s backswing and had apparently followed him all day, trying to put him off. There were numerous other incidents of raucous or unacceptable behaviour. After the last Open at Hoylake, in 2006, the R&A banned mobile phones (but allowed them again from 2012 onwards). Are all British golf fans getting coarser or is it something peculiar to Liverpool?
On the same day that Rory lifted the claret jug, his ex-squeeze Caroline Wozniacki also won – in her case the Istanbul Cup tournament – beating Italy’s Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-1.
GolfWeek reported that American players tweeted details of their food when they got back home from the Open. Zach Johnson’s message, accompanied by a pic of fast-food burger and fries, was: ‘Back in the best country in the world… first meal. Keeping it American.’ Do we not have rubbish American fast food here? And what is it with the Americans constantly insisting they live in the best country in the world – who are they trying to convince?
Worst news of the week concerned the death of Bob Torrance. Despite his intimidating growl he was a warm, gentle man but quite possibly the most indiscreet person in golf, having no filter between brain and mouth, especially when journalists were present. It pleases me that in all the years I heard him express honest opinions that would, nevertheless, have seen him crucified if published, the golf writers kept an unspoken pact of silence to protect the man from himself. He never went to media training so we unofficially censored him. Nevertheless, I hope one day to be able to print at least some of his opinions on Tiger Woods.
Hostage to fortune
In January last year I wrote the following, shortly after the announcement that Tom Watson would be the American Ryder Cup captain for this year’s clash, at Gleneagles.
‘Almost immediately after his appointment, Tom was asked his opinion of Tiger Woods, having been scathing in his criticism in the wake of Tiger’s marital problems. Both men say there will be no problem and Watson went on to say that Tiger will be in his team. To make such a call almost two years in advance, especially considering Woods’ pretty shabby record in the competition, seems odd. And it won’t go away. In every press conference between now and Gleneagles he will be asked about Tiger.’
On the 24th of July this year, in a conference call with journalists, Jack Nicklaus said: ‘If I was captain, I would be hard-pressed; I don’t care what he does between now and then. If Tiger wants to play, I would certainly choose him. My guess is that Tom feels pretty much the same way. Tom would certainly like to have Tiger on his team, and I think anybody in their right mind, unless he just doesn’t want to play or doesn’t think he could play, would choose him.’
It seems almost sacrilegious to argue golf with two of its greatest ever exponents but they’re talking nonsense – both saying, in effect, if Tiger wants in, he’s in. Of course, with the recurrence of his back problems it’s becoming a moot point but it was ridiculous for two intelligent men to suggest that the only criterion to decide whether Tiger made the team was whether or not he chose it.
Oh no, not another one
There are strong and persistent rumours that the major tours on both sides of the Atlantic, and the US PGA, are about to announce that there will be a Ryder Cup for seniors, starting next autumn in America. The major difference between it and the existing competition is that each team would have 10 players, not 12, meaning they would compete for a total of 20 points, not 28.
I cannot understand the thinking. It would be, at best, a pale imitation of the real thing. The Presidents Cup is now 20 years old, meaning it has been staged 10 times but can you recall one memorable moment? The only reason the Americans persist with it is that it’s the only team competition for pros they seem able to win. And here in Europe the Seve Trophy is just as forgettable. All common sense, rationality and logic suggests this is a poor idea, which probably means it is bound to get the go-ahead.
You think you’ve got troubles?
Jim Furyk last won in 2010. Since then, he has led a tournament seven times after 54 holes, so that’s seven mornings he has woken up and thought: ‘Shoot a half decent score today and I’ll be standing on the winner’s rostrum again (or something similar). Not once has he converted that last day advantage to victory. Immediately after The Open, where he finished fourth, he led the Canadian Open by three strokes going into the last 18 holes but ended up losing by a stroke to South Africa’s Tim Clark.
It’s the sort of run of performances that could put a body into a bad mood.
Dammit
This week’s US PGA Championship was going to set a new record, as being the first golf event to have every one of the world’s top-100 players in the field. Dustin Johnson’s decision to take an indefinite leave of absence from the PGA Tour, and Tiger’s probably non-involvement through injury, have scuppered that prospect. The best laid plans…
Quote of the Week
As every golfer knows, no one ever lost his mind over one shot. It is rather the gradual process of shot after shot watching your score go to tatters, knowing that you have found a different way to bogey each hole
Thomas Boswell
Despite the distance form your base, thank you so much for providing such an efficient service and repairs to my trolley. IIt looks and feels like new!
Linda