Vousden on Lineker, Match Play and Powerful Sports Stars

Thought for the Day
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you

Lineker out of line
Immediately after The Open, Gary Lineker had a pop at the R&A, accusing its officials, in effect, of being arrogant, patrician snobs. In an interview with the Golf Paper he said: ‘I think the R&A have always been very difficult to deal with. They live in a world where it seems they feel they are superior beings.

‘They are old school. They are born from an era which gives them entitlement which the rest of us aren’t. I felt that pomposity when I got the job [as presenter]. Now they have taken the Open away from the BBC for a few pence extra. For me that is going to be a very damaging decision for golf. It’s a shame because the sport is struggling as it is. It’s badly run.’

With regard to the snobbery, I see what he means but think he’s mistaken. There’s no doubt that the blazered officials of the R&A meet a certain stereotype – middle class, often public-school educated and showing that smooth urbanity often evident in those who come from a more privileged background. It is difficult to think of one official I have met who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps from an unpromising start or background. But that doesn’t mean they are ill-mannered, aloof or behave as if they feel a cut above the hoi polloi. I have always been struck by the fact that, irrespective of whether I like them or find them personable, their undoubted commitment to golf, and their desire to always work for the betterment of the game is very evident. I don’t always agree with the changes they make but that’s a different issue entirely.

As for TV rights for The Open going to Sky, that’s regrettable but unavoidable. The Beeb was warned that all the while it kept losing golf events such as the Ryder cup and BMW Championship at Wentworth, its ability to continue presenting the sport would be diminished. It was given a few years grace to rectify its ever diminishing coverage but could not reverse the trend.

When you look at the governing bodies of just about every other major sport – a corrupt and malodorous FIFA, an Olympic governing body that seems incapable of acting on questionable blood tests and an English Cricket Board that sacks the country’s most successful batsman without ever giving an adequate explanation, for example – we are extremely fortunate in golf to have the R&A.

The perils of match play
Nearly all of the reasons why television broadcasters dislike match play were on show in Aberdeen last week, at the inaugural Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play, held over the excellent links at Murcar. How many people, for example, do you think would have tipped Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand to emerge successful from a field that included numerous battle-hardened Tour pros such as the in-form Raphael Jacquelin, David Howell, Robert Karlsson and local favourites Marc Warren and tournament host Paul Lawrie? His win was particularly impressive because, three up with four to play in the final he then lost 15, 16 and 17 to be hauled back to all square, and halting that kind of momentum from an opponent can be a mighty task.

Despite that kind of performance, the TV companies dislike match play largely because relative unknowns can often prevail because, as we all know, on a given day any golfer can beat any other. Remember when the World Golf Championships events were launched in 1999 with great fanfare and Jeff Maggert and Andrew Magee, neither of whom, with respect, is a titan of the game, played out a nondescript final that attracted very poor TV ratings (Maggert prevailed 1-up after 38 holes). Eighteen hole match play is a sprint in which one bad hole doesn’t have to ruin your chances. But in 72 hole stroke play the cream usually rises to the top. There’s also the fact that, in a four-and-a-half round of golf, players actually spend about 11 minutes hitting shots. So when we reach the final, an awful lot of air time is spent watching golfers walk, talk to their caddies, toss grass in the air and think about what to have for dinner.

It is why the US PGA Championship switched to stroke play in 1959 and sadly, why we will never again have a match play major.

Federer beats Tiger
As reported in the International Business Times, the London School of Marketing prepared a power list of the most marketable sports stars in the world and despite his awful run of form, especially in the majors, since 2008, and unsavoury revelations about his personal life, Tiger Woods remains the biggest attraction in golf. But he’s not number one in all sports – that accolade goes to Roger Federer. Three golfers appear in the top-10, the other two being Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy but there’s no room for Jordan Spieth. The full top-10 list is as follows:
1. Roger Federer
2. Tiger Woods
3. Phil Mickelson
4. LeBron James (Basketball)
5. Kevin Durant (Basketball)
6. Rory McIlroy
7. Novak Djokovic
8. Rafel Nadal
9. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Cricket)
10. Cristiano Ronaldo
The researchers looked at stars’ income from sponsorship (not prize money), the percentage of total income it amounts to and their ‘brand value’. It also considered their profile on social media. Around £500 million annually is spent by companies on the top-100 sports stars but this still only represents about a quarter of their total income.

Quote of the Week
There is no movement in the golf swing so difficult that it cannot be made even more difficult by careful study and diligent practice
Thomas Mulligan