Not many straight putts in my wonky 15th century flat & playing this one reminded me of something ... Thank you Verne Lundquist for the words &
@TannersWines
for the hole 👍🍷.
#golfathome
@EuropeanTour
Got to admire the character of
@meg_maclaren
. Puts her head above the parapet in the cause of golf's pay disparity, cops flak, responds with maturity not malice, tees it up in the first men's/women's event, cards 65. Bravo.
Genuinely thinking of setting my alarm for 5:15 tomorrow morning, grabbing a bacon sandwich and a coffee, and heading out somewhere with long grass to pretend I'm watching the first shot at
@TheOpen
.
My mother's blissful ignorance of top-level golf's eye-watering prize money/on-going concern for Tommy Fleetwood's welfare remains steadfast. Asked me last night: "How's Tommy doing?" "In the top ten." "Oh good," she sighed with relief. "That'll cover the costs."
Terrific scenes at the campsite this morning after the weekenders arrived last night. Couples bickering. Fraught tent construction quarrels. Morning yoga session. Couple of blokes sat with a cuppa, watching it all unfold. Pure Carry On Camping.
"What do you think of the course, Greg (Norman)?"
"What I love about is where Saudi Arabia is taking golf."
Outrageous example of not-a-fuck-about-anything-but-dollar-signs.
Absolutely tremendous this. My old history teacher just bossed Millionaire. Probably lifts him ahead of Paul Bracewell as most famous product of the place.
Outstanding. Love the business of truffling for winners & it's not the money. It's the reasoning, the research, the reward of spotting something and digging a bit deeper to double check. This was all of that. Just fantastic.
In the debate on whether to back someone if they've done well at the Masters, there's a player at the Heritage whose first 5 wins came the week after a major, including 2 here!
T12 at Augusta. His finishes in those majors before he won a week later: 13-28-17-17-14
Cink or swim?
Raising a glass to Jock MacVicar, the Scottish contingent & the memories. He left folk better off for having chuckled away at something or another. That's the way to do it, I reckon.
2020
@LETgolf
schedule released today and it's a terrific boost for the players. 24 events, 15 in Europe, record total prize fund. Remarkable shift in momentum for the circuit.
Good start to Open week. Met an elderly Australian couple at Dundee station who've just flown in. A week at the Open followed by a cruise home via Iceland, Greenland, Canada, NYC, Panama Canal, Easter Island, Peru & Tahiti. They win best journey home from
@TheOpen
.
What an Open. I came to Belfast in January, sensed the atmosphere & knew there was no way I wanted to miss it. Same month I stuck a few quid on Lowry. Best two decisions of the year.
Morning walk around Portrush. Only fear regarding the Open here is that anyone engaging in chatter with the locals might find they miss the golf. Encountered three people and heard each one's golfing life story. Tremendous stuff. Thought I could talk.
@VisitCauseway
Sad news of Peter Alliss. His Desert Island Discs worth listening to. Includes an excellent description of his first brush with the yips, all told in typical Alliss fashion (15:40). Clipped words, rich detail, alive to the absurdity.
Last Feb I went to Nepal & met a girl who lives in a small room in a greenkeeping shed & loves golf. A year ago today the story came out. What's happened since is a bit nuts (see below). Here's the story -
Someone should pay this man to roam the world putting smiles on faces & ice cream in hands (eventually). Never seen one man provide so much easy happiness.
1999 - Paul Lawrie wins Doha, posts a low R4 at Carnoustie and waits to see what happens next.
2018 - Eddie Pepperell wins Doha, posts a low R4 at Carnoustie and waits to see what happens next.
Well done
@meg_maclaren
. In contrast to all the "where's the line?" fury I say well done for deciding on one. Sure a lot of thought went into it, a lot of wariness, a lot of knowledge that brickbats would fly your way. You had skin in the game & most commenters don't.
Isn't that the truth? Going to miss Kate's delighted cackle when learning what the Scottish lads had been up to the night before, the eager cricket chatter & the down to earth responses to the daftest questions. Love an enthusiast and she was all that x
When
@meg_maclaren
suggested golf make an effort supporting/funding/promoting women's golf she was told by many it made no business sense. Imagine adjusting the perspective & viewing it as a business opportunity.
Standing in for
@BenColeyGolf
this week. Probably the first & last time Patrick Cantlay is likened to a sort of Mr Darcy. "He’s cut an oddly grumpy figure this year, looking rather like a Regency-period gentleman in reluctant attendance at a ball."
Irish Open ticked off, Scottish Open to come and then the Open next week. Royal Portrush course guide here with a little hint to bagsy a back row seat in the stands to the left of 13/right of 17.
Charley Hull's year started with a win (on the LET) and ends with a second in the most lucrative LPGA event ever. Think 2020 has big potential for women's game in the UK. Not just the possibility of LPGA involvement in LET but the definite of the International Crown at Centurion.
Profiles unearthed plenty of useful nuggets so far and here's the US Open edition for
@Betfair
. Who's excellent in California (and who isn't?). Who starts poorly? Who ends that way? Who finds this championship too much of a puzzle?
What all those new mum books don't tell you: how in weeks 10 & 11 you'll pick up your clubs again, run from a burning building & win the
@RICOHWomensBrit
.
@Beany25
on her return to
@RoyalLythamGolf
.
Lots of fine words about today's LET/LPGA news but my favourite from a player,
@LizYoungGolf
: “Put simply, I can actually have a career in golf again. I don't need a part-time job. It's transformed morale."
via
@ForbesEurope
In 2011 Sophia Popov was 1st group out in R1. Only about 5 of us following so I got chatting with her parents & when she made birdie I showed them she was top of the LB. Understandably they were tickled. Been chuckling all week that the tickled rating must now be off the scale.
.
@MikkoIlonen
has announced his retirement from tour golf today. Inspiration to his countrymen; more of them on the ET this year than ever before. Had a great night out with his fans at the Open in 2014.
I know Tiger Woods stuff is easy to reel off but ... after his MC at the 2006 US Open he won 20 times in 36 starts, ending with 2008 US Open. Normal golfers don't win three-balls that often.
Slightly madcap 24 hours. Started it at home, sleeper train to Carnoustie, 18 holes with the terrific
@HullCharley
& team, then headed north to Aberdeen. Love how
@mrewanmurray
was paying attention 😂
In London, working all day yet fancy making the first tee time tomorrow morning? The Caledonian Sleeper: departs Euston at 21:15 tonight gets into Carnoustie 06:23, Sandy Lyle biffs the first shot at 6:35.
Breaking news for Newcastle United fans. The manager's already lining up his summer plans if there are no new signings. He's in the third group out at
@StaysureTour
Q School.
My golf (and life) caddie for the day, Koulagen. "Sir, believe in yourself. You must always believe in yourself in this world. And don't go down the right. There's a nasty ditch down there."
Saw a tweet earlier about Annika Sorenstam & prompted a dig down into the database to recall her record. Safe to say there was a hint of authority about her golf.
From Oct 2001 she ...
- made 110 starts
- finished top three 73 times
- which included 48 (FORTY EIGHT) wins
Finca Cortesin's hills are still a theme with an American lady hauling herself up the slope from the 1st just astounding all who overheard her, even though she didn't quite understand why. "Oh my god," she gasped. "The muscles in my fanny have not been tested like this in years."
Wildcard chatter. Europe needs a man who can go head to head with the hottest player in America & beat him. Experience of beating Team USA in a big match handy. You free at the end of the month
@RichardMcEvoy79
?
Glorious morning at the start of the white cliffs. Strange business major championship golf. Lots of chatter, loads of build up, then poof, only a handful in it. Bit like Christmas. 90% anticipation, 5% tearing at wrapping paper, and before you know it a last Baileys and bed.
Gone a bit nuts with the filter but only to emphasise just how much fun thrashing a ball at
@CStrettonGC
was today. No better place to smack two decent shots into the wind & be nowhere near a short par-4 green.
Sensational scenes this morning in Portstewart. A real buzz and all the buses full. How to get to Portrush? Sod it, thumb a lift. And the lovely Wilby and Sadie obliged. Even went out their way to help. What a week this is.
Also just been reading stuff like "makes a mockery of the pick system". What would actually make a mockery of the system would be making the captain select his picks based on someone else's strategy rather than his own.
Found this last night. Windy Friday at the 2010 Open and one of the great phone-calls -
@DaveTindallgolf
: "I've been walking round the campsite for 15 minutes and I can't find the tent. I think it's gone."
The Mystery of the Eagle-Albatross start. Not much mystery in reality. Just two good people & the hard work of
@Kstupples
. One time Sunningdale resident Agatha Christie would have loved unpicking the story, however, & so did I. Great fun for
@NCG_com
.
Disappointing but not surprising that the wider sporting world is so apathetic to a British woman hunting a major title & it's beyond a sexist thing. Plenty of otherwise strong advocates of women's sport uninterested.
Mel Reid on the state of women’s professional golf in Europe. Think it’s good & healthier the brutal realities are discussed. It needs saying. Keeping it in-house (eg response to last summer) have done & do no good.
If you think a R3 cut of 24 is too severe this week on the
@EuropeanTour
this is a stat: in the 21st century only twice in 825 strokeplay events did a player win from outside the top 24 with 18 holes to play (54 & 72 holes).
Destination: Northern Ireland's first Open since 1951 and first time on the Birkenhead-Belfast ferry. Liverpool looking a little Manhattan-like as we crawl up the Mersey. Enjoying the road/sea trip with
@JamesNursey
. Giddy about the week ahead.
Terrific stuff from Garrick Higgo. Makes it consecutive wins for my
@Betfair
European Tour ew column. Hope Max Kieffer wins soon. What a fortnight from him.
The great thing about golf is you can play on the same stage as the stars and recreate their brilliance with a lay up, near shank and failed sand save.
Who's the cut-making machine? Who struggles in R1? Who struggles in R1 *and* R2? Who likes a Ross test? All these and more. PGA Champs profiles for
@Betfair
.
In pitching Suzann Pettersen into the crucible of transatlantic team competition from 18 months of maternity leave,
@beany25
completed one of the sport’s great captaincy coups. Now she gets a second go. via
@forbes
Spanish promoters Deporte & Business have reversed a decade-long (national and continental) trend to put on three LET events this year. Big fillip to the players.
How up for this Open are the locals? Yesterday was unusually busy. How busy? One merchandise shop which took £48,000 on the first Sunday last year took £164,000 yesterday.
Arrived in the Seychelles & already one of my favourite golfing adventures. Utterly nuts at times. Little 19-seater plane flew us over a shoal of whale sharks on our way to Praslin.
@StaysureTour
@MCBTourChamp
concludes this week at
@constancehotels
Lemuria.