Thought for the Day
How can there be self-help ‘groups’?
That winning (or sinking) feeling
That was a very odd weekend of tournament golf the week before last, with more ups and downs than an express elevator at the Empire State Building. In the Fry’s.Com Open in America, Rocco Mediate had the lead, lost it and then staged a remarkable recovery to win by a stroke. In Europe at the Portugal Masters, Pablo Martin had the lead, lost it, got it back and then blew it again over the last few holes; while in Malaysia Padraig Harrington cruised to his first tournament win for more than two years, in the Asian Iskandar Johor Open.
And while it is good to see the genial Irishman back on the winner’s rostrum, let us not delude ourselves that this is a momentous win by anyone’s reckoning (apart from Padraig himself, of course, who has been scratching around various tours for that elusive follow-up to his triumph in the 2008 US PGA Championship). Trailing in the Dubliner’s wake at Horizon Hills G&CC were golfing titans such as Noh Seung-yul, Lin Wen-tang (second and third respectively) with Mardan Mamat in fourth and Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Scott Barr equal fifth.
As Harrington himself said, winning is always important but we should perhaps bear in mind that, although this victory is a notch or two above the monthly member/guest at your home club, it’s not exactly a fifth major.
In America, meanwhile, gallery favourite Rocco Mediate ended a much longer winning drought, setting up his first victory since 2002 by holing out four times during the tournament, once in each round. On Thursday he made a hole-in-one and in the next three rounds he holed out from 160 yards, 111 yards and 116 yards. Some times you just have to believe that the golfing gods have taken a particular shine to you and just allow yourself to be swept along by their munificence.
Alternatively, they can hit you repeatedly over the head with a mashie-niblick (something with which most of us are more familiar), as they did with Pablo Martin in Portugal. Having started the last day with a three-stroke lead he fell behind but once he had birdied the 12th he just needed to par home for his third European Tour title but then dropped shots at 13, 15 and 16 (one of which he got back with a birdie at the 17th) but drove into water for a double-bogey on the last.
With admirable honesty he said: ‘I choked, basically, meltdown – it was pretty clear. You could see it on TV I guess. I don’t know; what can I say after that? Very shameful.’
No, it’s not shameful Pablo, it’s just golf.
Jumping the gun
Within two hours of clinching that vital Ryder Cup singles point, Graeme McDowell was installed by at least one bookmaker as favourite for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But before we get too carried away by racing to the High Street to stick £100 on him to win we should perhaps consider the history of golf at this ceremony, which started in 1954.
To date, only two golfers – Dai Rees in 1957, and Nick Faldo, in 1989, have tasted victory, which is one less for our sport than for figure skating, which has seen three winners (John Curry in 1976, Robin Cousins in 1980 and Torvill and Dean in 1984).
Bear in mind also that during this period we have witnessed Tony Jacklin winning the Open and US Open titles within a year, Ian Woosnam lift the Masters and Sandy Lyle take both a green jacket and claret jug.
McDowell has had a superb season but let’s not hold our breath.
Give it the boot
Being lucky enough to not only live in Scotland but to also have an energetic wife and dogs, we often go, en famille, into the glens and hills for a bit of walking. This involves changing into our walking shoes at the back of the car but in all the years we have done this, no-one has ever complained or suggested that our action was in some way falling short of an accepted standard of behaviour or creating an eyesore for other, more sensitive souls.
So my question is a simple one – Who is it that gets insulted by seeing golfers change their shoes at the back of their car in the club car park and, more pertinently perhaps, isn’t it time they got a life?
Quote of the week
During the last quarter century, as we all know, greens have become more difficult to putt. The main reason, of course, is related to the solunar tables and the gradual warming of the earth’s atmosphere. Then of course, there’s the new multi-dimpled golf ball.
George Peper