I was doing a bit of tidying the other day and came across an edition of “bunkered”, Scotland’s only golf magazine, left by my sister on a previous visit.  I looked to see how old it was and discovered, rather irritatingly, that as far as I could see there was no date on it.  The cover merely states the issue number.  However, on flicking through it I ascertained that Dustin had already won the November Masters and we hadn’t yet reached the April one.  I rather like “bunkered” – some interesting opinions and in-depth interviews – although it still caters overwhelmingly for the male brigade in golf and is not quite yet embracing the sport in a 21st century manner.

My eye was caught, however, by an article about Blind Golf Scotland which was formed in the 1980s and it reminded me of Jane Connachan, one of Scotland’s best known and most successful golfers, who used to coach a number of blind and partially-sighted players around that time.  Perhaps she still does.  Jane, or JC as she was known to us on tour, was a child prodigy who took Scottish golf by storm as a 12-year old and represented her country at every level before ultimately joining the paid ranks.  At 16 she was the youngest ever Curtis Cup player and setting records was as natural to her as breathing.  She is still imparting her vast knowledge and experience to her devoted clients.

Over the years JC organised a few pro-am events and I signed up to play in one at Gullane.  The week before the event she rang me and asked would I play with a team of three of her pupils, all of them registered blind.  I said I’d be delighted to and she explained that we would be going off at the end of the field as we wouldn’t be too speedy.  I really didn’t give it too much more thought but it turned out to be a life-changing day for me in more ways than one.

On a cold, blustery day we teed off at the end of the field at Gullane No 2 course.  Each of my companions had a guide with them.  Surprisingly the guides weren’t necessarily golfers but they had learned how to steer their players round the course and more importantly how to set them up to aim.  They made all the decisions as regards club selection and when we got near the green they would estimate the length of the pitch or chip shot or putt – whatever it happened to be.

Obviously it was a round devoid of the usual “good shot” congratulations from all members of the group when someone connected really well or hit one close.  That wasn’t something I’d ever considered before and I found it very strange.  The guides had their hands full with their particular player and paid little heed to anyone else and for me it was almost akin to playing on my own because of the lack of interaction.  What it did give me, however, was ample time to study these wonderful players who were determined to try their absolute best on every shot.

As the round progressed I found myself drawn in more and more to helping the guides describe the shot required in greater detail.  Painting a picture of the shot facing the players and giving them a more vivid idea of the terrain facing them, particularly on and around the greens, seemed to help them perform better.  I learned that calling the other senses into play helped compensate for the lack of vision.  I’d get the player to listen and feel the swish of contact with the ground on a practice swing and then just ask him to recreate it.  Listening to the quality of the contact on a chip or putt heightens the sense of touch.  It was thrilling, thrilling stuff to see the joy on the player’s face as I described how a shot was drawing ever closer to the hole.

We ran out of light with three holes left to play and after being on the course for six hours.  Did we stop?  Of course not!  After all, I was the only one inconvenienced by the darkness!  We finally arrived on the last green and I could see the dining room packed with the other pro-am teams enjoying a fine dinner.  We were all frozen by this stage but one of our number (not me!) had a 12-footer for par, a rare beast indeed for a golfer of that handicap never mind one who couldn’t see.  He took on board all the instructions, rehearsed his putting stroke until it was just right and then calmly rolled it into the heart of the cup.  We jumped up and down on the green and hugged each other and those near the windows of the dining room whooped and hollered.  I don’t mind admitting I was misty-eyed, humbled by the never-say-die attitude and the pleasure that lit up the faces of all the players at even the most modest of successes.

When we finally walked into the dining room to join the others, the room rose as one to applaud these wonderfully gritty players.  They asked no quarter.  Once again I was surreptitiously reaching for my hankie.

I had a lot to ponder that evening as I thought back over the events of the day.  I learned so, so much but it was another decade at least before I realised that it was on that very day that I started honing my commentary skills for eventually covering golf on the radio – something I’ve now done for almost 24 years.  So, thanks JC for organising that pro-am;  thanks for fixing me up with such an inspiring team;  and thanks for the life lessons learned in that one round of golf.

What the ‘L’ to write about this week?   I didn’t have to pause long in my deliberations.  There’s one ‘L’ this particular Irishwoman wishes to celebrate and that’s Leona, Leona, Leona!  Leona Maguire, one of only two Irish players on the LPGA tour, recorded her highest finish on that circuit, finishing runner-up in the Lotte Championship played at Kapolei in Oahu, Hawaii.  She pocketed just under a cool $126,000 for her 21-under par effort, a lovely boost for any bank balance but particularly for a player still technically in her rookie season.

Leona’s early introduction to the game and speedy rise through the amateur ranks to the No 1 position in the world has been well documented.  She attended Duke University in North Carolina along with her twin sister Lisa.  Both were very academic, as well as being talented golfers and while those four years cemented Leona’s desire to stay in the playing arena, Lisa, shortly after turning pro, decided it was not for her.  Now 26 years old, Leona has matured from a shy, home-loving Co Cavan girl into an articulate, confident athlete who is inspiring others with her exploits.

Just take a look at the company she is keeping.  Last week, alongside her in second place were three other players, Inbee Park, Sei Young Kim and Nelly Korda, respectively the second, third and fourth ranked players in the world.  Out in front in Hawaii, and by some distance, was the former world No 1 Lydia Ko, who won for the first time in three years.  These women have ten majors between them as well as a gold and a silver Olympic medal.  Leona is not out of place and I think she has the confidence to know she has the game to take her where she wants to go.

We all have heroes who have inspired and motivated us.  For inspirational, mind-blowing achievements Leona need not raise her eyes from her own Emerald Isle.  Katie Taylor took the boxing world by storm, winning gold at the London Olympics and becoming world champion at two different weights.  This sport takes a special type of courage as you can be seriously, physically hurt any time you take to the ring.  Ditto for Rachel Blackmore who a week or so ago became the first female jockey to win the Grand National – and this only a couple of weeks after being leading jockey at Cheltenham.  Phew!  What ever made me think golf was hard?  There’s definitely another dimension to those two sports.  And I tremble at a three-footer – what a wimp!

Ireland has a great deal of good golf to look forward to over the coming months.  Excitement is already mounting at the opportunity to see, not just home-grown players but some of the best internationals from both the men’s and the women’s games compete in the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management  (phew, a bit of a mouthful!) at the end of July.  The event is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, the LPGA and the LET and will be held over the Galgorm Castle and Massereene courses.  We have seen men’s and women’s events run alongside each other before but this is a first for the northern hemisphere.  The 144 men and 144 women will split a total purse of $2.35 million, competing for two equal prize funds.

Fingers crossed that Covid restrictions will have eased enough to allow the golf fans to pour in through the gates.  This tournament really matters, with world ranking points, Ryder Cup points and Solheim Cup points on the line and we already know the magic that can be created on a golf course by the presence of a vast, knowledgeable (and partisan) Irish golf crowd.

Golf in Ireland is in a good place when we have the likes of Niall Horan, the founder of Modest! Golf Management, at the helm.  He is passionate about “providing opportunities for all and ensuring golf is a game for everyone”.  Superstars from other industries who fall in love with our game increase the reach of our sport massively and we are so lucky to have him driving the equality ship and keeping Ireland in the global golf conversation.

A parting shot, however.  Don’t think that it’s necessary to have a Rachel, Katie, Leona or Niall to light a fire in someone’s life.  Of course they’re invaluable but we can all do our part, however humble, to inspire others.  Let’s just start with a welcoming attitude, a few kind words and inclusion for all.  That way we can help lots of others enjoy this great game.

Our golfing pals in the south of Ireland are champing at the bit -nay, frothing at the mouth, some of them, at still not being allowed back on their golf courses.  So thank goodness they had some homegrown talent to follow from their armchairs last week.

First up was Olivia Mehaffey who, for a large part of the final afternoon, was in with a realistic chance of winning the second edition of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.  With Brian McKinley, a regular Augusta National Golf Club caddy who had steered Jennifer Kupcho to victory in 2019, at her side Olivia looked very much at home on the rolling green swards of Augusta.  Ultimately she ran out of steam and a double bogey at the 12th meant she missed a play-off by two shots, eventually finishing ninth.  It was a creditable performance and she now joins that very, very exclusive club of players from the Emerald Isle who can say they were in contention for a title over the back nine at Augusta.

Only nine players have made the cut in both editions of the ANWA and while Olivia finished in the middle of the pack last time out this was a very different experience for her.  Playing this iconic course with that level of adrenalin running through you will provide you with an experience money can’t buy and hopefully she will enjoy the benefits of that in the future when she turns professional.  Meanwhile, golf-mad Japan celebrated the victory of their own Tsubasa Kajitana, who recovered from the trauma of a double bogey at the 17th, first of all making and then winning the play-off with America’s Emilia Migliaccio.  It was a good watch.

Switching to watch the women’s professional game provided me with a brand new experience.  An Irish player was at the head of affairs in a major in the early part of the second round!  Leona Maguire was centre stage in the television coverage doing her thing and looking very much at home.  I think this is the first time an Irish woman has led a major.  I know Steph Meadow finished solo third in the 2014 US Women’s Open the week after she turned pro but If memory serves me correctly I don’t believe she actually led at any point.  I’m happy to be corrected on that.

Leona fought like a tiger to keep in touch but lost too much ground in the latter part of the second and then third rounds to mount a serious challenge at the end.  In fact, Steph, her fellow Irish international, closed with a magnificent 67 to best her by a couple of shots and finish in the top 20.

There was no one, however, who could live with the very special and supremely talented Thai sensation Patty Tavatanakit who led from start to finish.  Not even the fast-finishing former world No 1 (and favourite of this blog) Lydia Ko could derail Patty’s inexorable march to her first LPGA win and first major title.  Ko’s performance had Europe’s former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn taking to social media to urge folk to turn on their TVs to watch the Kiwi.  Nine under par for eleven holes stirred thoughts of a “59 watch”, but an “ordinary” finish of seven pars and one birdie “only” added up to a 62.  It was incredible stuff and testament to all the hard work Ko and her coach Sean Foley have put in.

To avid golf fans Patty T, as she is known, is not a completely new name.  She was a three-time winner on the Symetra Tour in 2019 and coincidentally was the low amateur at that year’s ANA Inspiration.  This was the second occasion in her fledgling rookie year in which she had teed it up in the last group on Sunday.  Last time she blew out early but not this time.  Having led since Thursday and started the final round with a five-shot lead, she avoided looking at leaderboards and so was largely unaware of Lydia’s charge that at one stage got her to within two.  Had the tournament been played out in front of a normal major gallery, it’s likely the attendant, excited buzz through the desert air would have alerted her to Ko’s phenomenal charge.  We’ll never know if that would have thrown her off a little.  As it transpired, she was able to deal with everything the week threw at her and her work with Vision54 coaches Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson equipped her with the mental skills to prevail.

Patty looks the real deal in every way.  She hits it miles, is good through the bag and putts beautifully.  Bogey-free in the final round of a major at the age of 21 is impressive and she knows now she can close it out on the biggest stage.  I wonder, just wonder – and I don’t say this lightly – if we in the women’s game are witnessing the arrival of our version of Tiger Woods?  Let the major count begin?

These are exciting times for women’s golf.

The incomparable Inbee Park strolled to her 21st LPGA victory at the Kia Classic last Sunday.  She was expecting to be a little rusty as it was her first competitive play for three months but she opened with a 66 and never looked back, cruising to a five-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson and Amy Olson.  In doing so Park broke the run of three consecutive American victories on the LPGA tour – the Korda sisters, Nelly and Jessica, and Austin Ernst had ascended to the top of the podium in the first hatrick of starts – and at No 2 in the world rankings she looks set to challenge again for her spot in the South Korean Olympic golf team.

With seven majors tucked away in her back pocket and increasingly hampered by injury in the lead up to Rio in 2016 things did not look good for Park.  Despite barely playing in the months before the Games, Park found herself qualified for the team but there were increasing calls for her to stand down and cede her spot to the next in line, her good friend So Yeon Ryu.  This is where we witnessed a little of the ruthless streak required by all winners as Inbee stubbornly refused to bow to outside pressures and she went on to make her debut in the Games in the most unpromising of circumstances.  Four days later we had witnessed one of golf’s great comebacks as Inbee, almost Buddha-like, serenely navigated her way to the gold medal which she had targeted months beforehand.  It has, so far, been the pinnacle of her career.

It’s safe to say that Inbee “gets” the Olympics, something not shared by all professional golfers, particularly the men.  She has long declared that were it not for the Olympics she might not still be playing.  The 32-year old has not hidden her desire for a second gold medal and, despite the ANA Inspiration, the first of the women’s majors, taking place this week, making sure of being in Tokyo is uppermost in her mind.  “I am pretty much eligible for pretty much anything in the game of golf,” said Park.  “Plus, I am defending champion of that event and I’m not qualified. It’s just a very different approach. … It’s getting close. I wouldn’t say I’m safe, but I’m getting close.”

Like all South Korean golfers Inbee has been inspired throughout her career by the legendary Se Ri Pak, whose 1998 wins in the McDonald’s LPGA Championship and the US Women’s Open sparked in her own country a tsunami of interest and investment in golf in general and women’s golf in particular.  That interest hasn’t abated one iota in the last 23 years and there are currently eight Korean players in the top 20 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.  Competition to be in Japan is fierce but if Inbee’s Kia Classic victory is anything to go by she won’t give up easily on her dream of a second consecutive gold medal.  It makes for a fascinating few months ahead.

This week sees the second edition of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.  Cancelled last year because of  COVID-19 it has been a long wait for these women, many of whom share the dream of competing in the final round over the famed Augusta National golf course.  Indeed, many have delayed a move to the professional ranks just so they can tee it up this week.  Eighty-two players will play the first 36 holes over neighbouring Champions Retreat in Augusta with the top 30 playing the final 18 holes at Augusta National.  When Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced in 2018 that the club intended to stage this new women’s event it was with the stated ambition “to inspire greater interest and participation in the women’s game by creating a new, exciting and rewarding pathway for these players to fulfil their dreams”.

Well, they couldn’t have hoped for a better inaugural event.  Captivating the attention of millions, the final round had everything.  The final pairing of Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi went head to head over the last nine holes, Kupcho battling a severe migraine but somehow finding the resources to be five under for her last six holes and snare victory.  The effervescent Fassi, displaying great sportsmanship and joie de vivre, certainly gives the lie to the old saying that no one remembers who is second.  We were treated to fabulous skills by these two young women who now both play professionally on the LPGA.  I wonder if they realise just how much they have inspired young amateurs who dream of following in their wake?  I’m sure in the next decade or so we’ll hear female champions citing that round of golf as their first exposure to the game.

Augusta National may have been expecting a slow burn of an event with the necessity of a few years of play under their belts before the tournament would grow into itself.  Well, they had a firecracker of a debut and, handled correctly and in that inimitable ANGC way, the trend could well be steeply upward as opposed to gradual.

To round off this week’s musings on women in the game, I’d like to say how pleased I was to see Michelle Wie West take to the competitive fairways in the Kia Classic for the first time since she became a mum.  Patricia and I first saw her as a precocious 14-year old in the Curtis Cup at Formby in 2004.  I had rarely seen a female strike a golf ball as she did and part of me can scarcely believe that seventeen years later she has only a lone major to her name.  Copious injuries alongside growing up in a goldfish bowl with your every move dissected does not make for an easy life and it is impressive how Michelle has always behaved with poise and grace when under fire.  She admitted that when she knew she was going to have a daughter a new goal began to form in her mind.

“That’s when I started to think, ‘You know, I kind of want to (play again). I want to show (my daughter) in real time that I can, that I play golf’. It’s one thing to have her watch YouTube videos. It’s another thing to have her watch me with her own eyes.  Seeing me go out there, work at it hard, and try to lead by example.

“That moment that Tiger had with Charlie [in the PNC Championship], that is the first thing that popped into my mind. That’s been a huge motivation and that’s been a new dream of mine.”

Welcome back, Michelle.  Who needs a sackload of majors to be a winner?