It’s only Sunday and, uncharacteristically, I’m already pondering my blog topic for the Friday that this missive will be posted.  I have a busy week coming up, you see, and a wee trip to Norn Iron to fit in, so time for blogging will be very short indeed.

I can hardly believe that next week will be the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.  I have to admit that having the men’s four majors crammed in to a twelve-week period doesn’t sit well with me.  In a mere nine days time that’ll be the meat of the season over for me as far as men’s golf is concerned – and nine months to wait until we once again get a peek behind the scenes at arguably the most exclusive club in the world, Augusta National, when they host the 2027 Masters.

And don’t get me started on the women’s majors!  There are five of them in total.  The last scheduled tournament on the LPGA tour was the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the third of the five.  This week is the Amundi Evian Championship and in a couple of weeks  the AIG Women’s Open is at Lytham.  That’s three majors in a run of four tournaments – it’s just bonkers.  Scheduling gone awry in my opinion.

But back to Birkdale – always one of my favourite courses to play and commentate on.  There have been so many marvellous Open Championship moments there from Justin Rose’s scintillating fourth place finish in 1998, marking his swansong in the amateur game, to Jordan Spieth’s electrifying finish in 2017 of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par which completely demoralised the hapless Matt Kuchar.

However, my all-time favourite, unsurprisingly, was the 2008 edition when Padraig Harrington retained the Claret Jug that he had swiped out from under the nose of Sergio Garcia the previous year at Carnoustie.  The genial Irishman arrived at the Lancashire venue nursing a wrist injury and his practice rounds consisted of walking round armed only with a notebook, a putter and a few golf balls.  I was allocated his group on the Thursday morning when he was off really early and we all arrived at the course not knowing if he was going to be able to tee it up.

Believe me when I tell you there were gale force winds blowing and it was hard enough navigating the links with a microphone never mind a set of clubs.  I think that played into Harrington’s hands as the entire field struggled, with knock-down, windcheating half-shots being the order of the day, thus giving the defending champion an extra day of not too much pressure being put on his balky wrist.  His opening round of four over par, 74, did not leave him too far adrift thanks to the conditions and no one could touch him over the ensuing 54 holes.  The standout shot, of course, was the five-wood into that horror of a 17th green that set up an eagle and, ultimately, a four-shot victory.

Royal Birkdale always provided a great test for the best women players as well and it was there that a Swedish superstar laid down a marker that led to an outstanding career which included five LPGA wins, sixteen Ladies’ European tour victories and eight Solheim Cup team appearances.

I’m talking about Sophie Gustafson’s win in 2000.  I played in that championship and remember Sophie being aghast at the thought of the prizegiving and having to deliver a winner’s speech.  She suffered from a chronic stammer and the thought of speaking in public at that time paralysed her with, not just fear, but abject terror.  She enlisted the help of her pal, the talented Italian professional Federica Dassu, to deliver her words for her, which greatly surprised the waiting galleries as Sophie’s speech difficulties weren’t widely known at that time in the UK.

Over the unfolding of her marvellous career Sophie ceased shying away from public speaking, even doing a long one-on-one television interview to show fellow sufferers what was possible.  Talk about the mantra of “face your fears and do it anyway.”  Sophie walked the walk – and more importantly, in this case, she talked the talk.

Fourteen years later the diminutive Mo Martin of the United States won her only major with one of the most spectacular of shots.  At the closing hole she hit the pin with her three wood second shot from some 240 yards away setting up a winning eagle.

“I could hear it hit the pin from the fairway,” she said. “That was a pretty fun feeling. I think I still need to be pinched.”

I remember the shot for two reasons.  Obviously, it was because it was a brilliant golf shot under the circumstances but there was another reason as well.  I was in the commentary box when that shot was on its way and we were viewing it from a camera from behind the green.  I could see the lone figure of a photographer fifty yards or so directly behind Mo with his lens trained on her as she took her shot.

It was the one and only Dave Cannon – one of the most famous golf photographers in the world.  Think of the iconic picture of Seve celebrating his 1984 Open win at St Andrews – that was Dave, always going the extra yard to get that one picture, that one winning moment that no one else would think of.  He was the only one of the snappers to capture this 2014 championship-winning shot and swing – the others were following Suzann Pettersen and Shanshan Feng who ultimately finished an hour later in joint second place, one shot behind.

Later on I asked Dave why he was where he was. He replied that after all the years of traipsing round at championships he had developed a very acute radar of where he felt he needed to be at pivotal moments.  Sometimes, he said, it didn’t pay off but more often than not it did.

How cool it was to watch simultaneously two people at the top of their games in two different professions.

I wonder what Royal Birkdale has in store for us this year.

 

 

There are times – many times – when I wish that I could pull a mini Mary McKenna out of my pocket and use her expertise.  In the olden days it would have been for her to hit an exocet of a 2-iron through a Ballybunion breeze (aka near gale) to the heart of a distant green that I could never reach; nowadays it would be for her photographic skills.

I was trying to snap the hordes of happy bees on the sister’s majestic lavender but made a very poor fist of it with my ageing i-Pad.  Still, lavender at its summer best is always a treat, hence its appearance here, with no apologies.

The two main differences between me and McKenna were – still are – talent and application.  The former will take you a long way at a certain level but to be up there with the very best you need the latter in bucketloads.  Application on its own will also take you a good distance and it and perseverance and resilience are very useful skills if you want to be a professional golfer – or anybody in any walk of life, really.

This is a recurring theme as the regular reader will know only too well and there was a prime example of all those virtues at the BMW International Open in Munich, one of the European (DP World) Tour’s premier events. The crowds were terrific, which was testament to the growth of German golf over many years and they had a few locals to cheer on, albeit not quite at the sharp end of the proceedings. Bernd Wiesberger, who finished third, is close but as an Austrian not quite close enough.

It looked for all the world as though Hennie Du Plessis was going to break through for his first victory in Europe after a wheen of second places. He dropped a shot at the17th, a fiendish par three and parred the last, a par five of the risk-and-reward variety – i.e. there’s water lurking for the wayward – for a round of 66, six under par. Surely his total of 17 under par would be enough? However, as he waited with his family, excited anticipation started to turn to real anxiety.

Out on the course (where else?), another South African was threatening to spoil the Du Plessis party and sure enough he did. Michael Hollick, a 39-year old rookie still feeling his way around an unfamiliar European schedule, finished birdie, eagle to snatch the trophy and leave Du Plessis – and himself – in a state of disbelief.

Four years ago, Hollick put the clubs in the cupboard and started coaching and did a full year of that before being tempted back to competitive tournament play and now this. “I had two perfect 5-irons on 17 and 18,” he said, “so couldn’t ask for much more really. It’s amazing. I started the season nicely here but the first year is tough. It’s all unknown, you’re playing your heart out to keep your card and give yourself a chance next year but here we are. I’ve just given myself and my family such a good opportunity, so really looking forward to it.”

Eugenio Chacarra, the young Spaniard whose confidence has yet to take any sort of hit, was attempting to join Seve and Sir Nick as the only players to win three consecutive European Tour events but he missed the cut. However, he still finished top of the Tour’s European Swing, to snag a bonus of $200,000, among other things. What’s more, that very week, his sister Carolina kept the family name at the top of the leaderboard by winning the Hulencourt Women’s Open in Belgium. She’s a rookie also playing on the LPGA after succeeding at both Q-Schools in December.

It’s been a great few weeks,” she said. “Life is treating us amazing. My brother is my inspiration and to see him win gave me lots of momentum to keep going and try to win myself. I’m very happy. I’m super excited for the next month, to play in two majors. I can’t wait to be there.”

Well, she’s competing at the Amundi Evian Championship this week high above Lake Geneva and will also be playing in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes, less picturesque but unquestionably one of the great golf courses, one of my favourites.

Let’s hope Carolina gets to a great age and is still in love with golf. Today (Friday 10th July) Bridget Jackson, the pride of Staffordshire (other places may try laying claim but we’re not letting her go), is celebrating her 90th birthday. If there’s anything Bridget doesn’t know about the game, it’s unlikely to be worth knowing. She’s been at or near the top since she won the British Girls’ in 1954, played in the Curtis Cup and became an administrator of distinction. I’m not going to list her achievements, mainly because I don’t have the room but also it’s not necessary: it’s her essence that is the key. Simply, Bridget is brilliant; she is the best. Thanks for everything.

Now, you’ll have noticed that there’s been no mention of football this week but I just have to say that I doubt England have ever had a better result than their 3-2 victory against Mexico in Mexico City. It was a match that had everything; you really could not have made it up; thrilling did not do it justice. Beyond brilliant. Who knows if they’ll beat Norway but that should be another cracker. Off to watch France against Morocco.

Viva el futbol.