It’s coming up to five weeks since I took a tumble when out power-walking and broke my right shoulder so, as Dad would have said, society has been on short ration for the last month. It’s not been a particularly pleasant time – who knew growing a new bone could be so painful? – but last week saw a trip to Lichfield to visit the sister and have a much needed change of scene. I got out for a few walks for the first time with either hubby or Patricia running interference on my right side. It was lovely to feel slightly part of the human race again.
It won’t surprise you to learn I’ve spent a fair degree of time in front of the television and have been consumed by the golf over the last couple of weeks. Firstly, there was the heartwarming story of Paul Waring, from up the road in Bromborough, rounding off a magnificent season with victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. This has assured him of a PGA Tour card next year at the grand old age of 39 and new vistas, opportunities and challenges are opening up for him at a time when many in other sports would already have hung up their boots and racquets.
Also scooping up one of those golden tickets that provides a tilt at glory Stateside is 22-year old Tom McKibbin from Rory’s club, Holywood in Norn Iron. He’s at the other end of his career from Paul but earned his chance with ten top ten finishes and it was a timely birdie at the final hole of his 2024 campaign that inked in his name on the tenth and final card on offer. What other sport gives two competitors separated by seventeen years of age such incentives?
By the way, Paul McGinley, former Ryder Cup captain, tournament winner and consummate student of the game, rates Tom McKibbin very highly indeed. He thinks the sky’s the limit for the young man so I’m expecting him to make quite a mark in America, How long, I wonder, till American commentators are dubbing him the “next Rory”?As for the real Rory, it was an emotional one who rounded off his year with his fourth worldwide win of 2024 securing the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, one of his favourite places. This assured him of his sixth Race to Dubai order of merit title rivalling the one and only Seve Ballesteros, an achievement that obviously meant an enormous amount to the Irishman. How lucky the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) is to have Rory as an ambassador. His support of his home tour has been unswerving and his has frequently been the voice of reason during the grubbiness of the money-grabbing of the last two years in the sport.
I’m certainly not in agreement with him in everything – the reduction in field sizes and the lack of a cut in some tournaments goes against the grain with me but how refreshing to hear him declare he “would pay to play in the Ryder Cup”. This was in response to the news emanating from across the pond that the American team will most likely be paid in the region of $400,000 each to don the red, white and blue in future matches. There’s a vote due sometime soon at a players’ meeting so let’s see what happens.When you are striving to climb the greasy pole of success in any business, it is frequently a case of fractions that decides the outcome. I was keeping a weather eye on the final qualifying school in Spain, a tortuous examination of six rounds of golf that would eventually award the top twenty finishers and ties full playing rights for next season’s DP World tour. With one round remaining I had two of my horses still up there with a great chance of success.
I had become invested in following the fortunes of Eddie Pepperell because he’s the third wheel in that wonderful podcast “The Chipping Forecast”, alongside Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter. Although I’ve never met Eddie I have had the pleasure of working with both Andrew and Iain and so I feel I know Eddie at least a little through them. Heartbreakingly, he doubled his 15th hole in the final round and came up one shot shy despite a closing birdie on the 18th. Sometimes there are just no words……..
My second horse in the race was young Irish amateur Max Kennedy, who shot a magnificent closing 64, birdieing five out of his last six holes. Alas, it was too little too late and he, too, finished one shot away from arguably the biggest celebration of his life. In all, 21 players earned their cards. The rest didn’t but, depending on where they finished, some opportunities should open up. Max has just announced he will turn pro and compete on the Challenge Tour next year where he has a full card.

Not in the least bit despondent to miss out on a full DPWT card, Max Kennedy is excited to begin his professional career next season on the Challenge Tour. [DPWTQS]
Condolences to his friends and family.