Thought for the Day
Burn the candles, use the nice cutlery, wear the fancy clothes. Don’t save them for a special occasion; today is special
One last hurrah
While it is true that sport is a wonderful irrelevance, those of us who watch it do so because of the supreme ability of its participants, and their capacity to produce drama, excitement and fabulous storylines. There are many possible narratives in any sport, and we see them all in golf at one time or other.
For example, there is the young tyro who comes out of nowhere to assume his place at the top of the heap in an astonishingly short time, and two seasons ago that was Jordan Spieth who, for an 18-month period looked unstoppable and almost unbeatable. Then there’s the two great champions slugging it out toe-to-toe, both playing at or near their best and fighting each other to a standstill. The famous Duel in the Sun in 1977 at Turnberry, when Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus threw their very best at each other for four consecutive days will always be, to my mind at least, the greatest major ever played.
And Jack Nicklaus was also part of another great thread of narrative – that of the ageing champion coming back from the land of has-beens. He did it in the 1986 Masters, at a time when just about everyone except the man himself thought his major winning days could only be seen in the rear-view mirror. He also did it in the best possible way, coming from some distance out of the pack on the last nine holes with a run of scintillating play – others did not fall back, Nicklaus won it with the sort of dramatic flourish that was comparatively out of keeping with his usual victories. Typically he either led from the front or was well up the leaderboard throughout the tournament but this week he just floored the accelerator over the closing stretch.
In January 2015 we saw another back-from-the-dead victory when Padraig Harrington won the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour. It was his first win of any sort since he took his third and last major victory at the 2008 PGA Championship. It is not uncommon for golfers to experience a bit of a slump after winning a major, especially if it’s their first, but Padraig had won three in 13 months, so his subsequent winless run lasting seven years was a bit surprising, to say the least. And now, at the age of 45, he’s done it again, triumphing in the Portugal Masters just two weeks ago.
The win would have been deeply gratifying, I’m sure and the nature of it even more so. He shot a six-under par 65, a bogey-free round, to pip Andy Sullivan by a stroke. For a man with three majors under his belt this may seem somewhat anti-climactic but trust me, after an extensive drought any win is precious. Having two Opens and a US PGA Championship to his name puts Padraig in rather exalted company, alongside the like of Henry Cotton, Hale Irwin, Nick Price, Payne Stewart and, for my money at least, the most under-rated golfer of all time – Billy Casper. Because he’s in his mid-40s, a year younger than Jack Nicklaus when he troubled the top of a leaderboard for the last time, we cannot reasonably expect Padraig to reel off another string of victories, especially in majors, so we can only hope that he truly savours this one.
Resurrection again
This weekend in America saw another golfer who is approaching veteran status lift the trophy. Australian Rod Pampling took his third PGA Tour title, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, at the age of 47, a full 10 years after his last victory. This alone would be cause enough for celebration but I have always kept an eye on this particular Aussie’s career ever since he established a unique record in the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie. This was the Open of Van de Velde’s meltdown and Paul Lawrie’s triumph. As for Rod, with rounds of 71, 86 he remains the only golfer to have led The Open after the first round to then miss the cut – something for which he should be proud.
Quote of the Week
As far as swing and techniques are concerned, I don’t know diddly squat. When I’m playing well I don’t even take aim
Fred Couples