In golfing terms it’s been a good week for the Irish – a very good week indeed.

Ever since I sent a full glass of red wine spinning towards Shane Lowry ten years ago at a European Tour dinner, covering his previously immaculate white dinner shirt in a growing pink stain, I’ve counted him as one of my favourites.  His equable handling of the whole incident, without the merest flicker of annoyance, endeared him to me right there and then.  So, I was thrilled to see him celebrate victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first of this year’s Rolex series of tournaments.

Shane was that rare beast, a wire-to-wire winner, opening with a scintillating 62 and refusing to be deflected from his goal even after falling four adrift of Richard Sterne with a mere seven holes to play.  The confidence and natural buoyancy he possesses were washed away after the 2016 US Open where he failed to capitalise on a four-shot lead going into the final round.  Now they’ve come rushing back in full force with this victory.  With a cheque for more than a million Euros in his back pocket and a leap of 34 places in the world rankings to 41st, Shane has all but assured his appearances in the year’s majors and World Golf Championship events.  That’s a significant move after losing his PGA Tour card a few weeks back.

He and his coach, Neil Manchip, have worked their way out of a miserable 30-month spell and this win will long be remembered for the remarkable ELEVEN birdie 2s Lowry recorded at the sixteen par 3s he tackled over the week.  My outstanding memory of the tournament, however, will be his tee shot and 3-wood to the final hole, setting up that winning birdie.  Apart from the flawless execution of both shots it is everything that had preceded it for those two and a half long years that makes those shots so special.  Cometh the hour, cometh the man and, when he needed it, Shane conjured up the mental fortitude to prove to himself once and for all that he does possess that raft of elusive qualities which means you can win at the very highest level.

There is no reason why he can’t and won’t join that wonderful band of Irish major champions.  And, now, I think he believes that too.

Many years ago that most gritty and blunt of the leading coaches in the game, Pete Cowen, was coaching some promising Irish players.  When asked was there anyone, apart from McIlroy, showing any great talent, Pete gestured at Lowry.  “The fat one with the glasses.  He can play a bit.”  Some years later, after he’d won the Portuguese Open in 2012, Shane sent Cowen a message:  “Not bad for a fat boy in glasses.”

Seismic changes are afoot in the governance of the sport in Ireland.  The two oldest amateur governing bodies in world golf, the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) and the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union (ILGU) held an historic vote last Saturday asking for support from the clubs for the creation of a new body, Golf Ireland.  The months preceding the vote were filled with a plethora of meetings and roadshows up and down the country, educating and informing the clubs of the pros and cons and the aims and ambitions of the new body.  Two separate votes took place, the ILGU requiring 75% to trigger a constitutional change and the GUI needing only two thirds of the vote.

It was a nervy wait for the results, but it needn’t have been – the intensive homework done and the stellar communication conducted by both sides resulted in a very clear mandate from the clubs, 100%  in favour at the women’s meeting and 94% at the men’s.  [That’s the way to conduct a referendum! – ed]  A two-year transition period now commences and the actual birthday of Golf Ireland is scheduled for 1st January 2021.  It can only be good for the game, surely.

The two boards issued a joint statement:  “The result today indicates that members of both Unions are in support of creating a new organisation which will be built around promoting core principles of equality, diversity, inclusion and excellence.”

In the twilight of its existence the ILGU saw fit to honour two outstanding women for their longstanding and dedicated work for women’s golf throughout the land.  Both Roma English of Larne and Elaine Bradshaw of Clontarf and Kilkenny and an erstwhile Irish captain of mine, have been awarded Honorary Life Membership of the ILGU.  No two deserve this accolade more and it is a worthy recognition of all they have both brought to the game.  Congrats to you both!

Unbelievably, there was still more to come for Irish golf fans this week.  Step forward 21-year old Conor Purcell of Malahide, the first Irish winner of the Australian Amateur Championship in its 125-year history.  A Walker Cup hopeful, Purcell left college in the US to concentrate on full-time amateur golf this season and, ironically, this victory will bring him the opportunity of teeing it up in a couple of professional events over the course of this year.  The rollercoaster 36-hole final against Aussie Nathan Barbieri yielded 17 birdies between the pair and a nerve-jangling tie hole which the Irishman won with a solid par.

Thanks to the delights of Facebook Live, Conor’s parents Joey (long-time professional at Portmarnock) and Mary were able to watch the trophy presentation from their home in Ireland.  With brother Gary, a tennis professional based Down Under, on the bag it was a real family affair, albeit they were separated from each other by thousands of miles.

It would appear that the future of Irish golf is in good hands on all fronts and once again this small island is teaching us all how it is possible to punch above your weight time and time again.

 

 

 

 

I was at a funeral in Dublin on Monday, to say goodbye to Colm Smith, who was the very best of friends.  Maureen and I first met Colm many years ago when we were playing junior golf and he was working for the Irish Independent, in the far-off days when papers covered the full gamut of golf, big and small, female and male, amateur and professional.  Colm, who was a good tennis player, also covered rugby – he was on the Lions tour of South Africa in 1974, a life-changing trip – and when he became the Indo’s golf correspondent, he and Dai became good friends.  So we go back a long way.

At first, when I was trying to think of Colm-related anecdotes, all I could see was a series of snapshots from all over the golfing world, of Dai and me with Colm and Helen, his second wife, who died five years ago, laughing, with Seve; with the Christy O’Connors, Padraig, the mighty Mary McKenna, Irish golfers of every generation; with Maria Acacia and her team in charge of press rooms at Valderrama and all over Europe; with Charlie Yates at the press parties at the Masters at Augusta; drinking Guinness at The Goat in Dublin, vinho verde in Portugal with golf writing friends; at home…..the list goes on and on.  But I’m not the one to talk to about the golf writers’ home internationals because I only played the once – when they were desperate for an extra bod and even a woman would do.

Then Mo reminded me that one year at the Masters she had gone to the Saturday night party, when we sailed up Magnolia Lane as welcome guests, invitation to the fore, as Colm’s date – Helen was at home in Ireland working.  I’d forgotten that we wandered in to the locker room and mooched about taking in the atmosphere, peering at the immaculately polished shoes, even, scandalously, having a go with Jesper Parnevik’s ultra weird putter du jour.  Can’t really believe that Mo, a pro, would have sanctioned taking another pro’s club out of his bag without permission but we treated it with appropriate reverence, honest Jesper.

That might have been the year that I nicked an Augusta National glass from the bar, smuggling it out in Colm’s jacket pocket.  That was probably when the barman, who didn’t miss a trick, said, “I sees you but I ain’t telling.”  Good man and I’m sure he’s long retired now.  I don’t usually steal things but that glass has pride of place on my shelf – yes, miraculously it’s still intact.  I have no idea what its function is – apart from looking decorative – because it’s a bit small for wine and a tad too big for port but I love it and love the fact that Colm was happy to do the needful.  I’m sure that if I’d asked Charlie he’d have given it to me but where’s the frisson in that!

The day that Dai died Colm had flown over from Dublin to see him and it was a real comfort to have him there.  I’ll never forget Mo, Colm and me standing in the garden at St Giles Hospice, laughing our legs off because I’d just revealed Dai’s last word to me – SHUSH……No one will believe this I’d thought, before realising that, on the contrary, everyone who knew us would.  It was, I have to confess, perfect.

RIP dearest Colm and condolences to your family and many friends.

Life and golf go on and the Maguire twins, two of Ireland’s finest, are in Marrakesh for LET Pre-Qualifying B at Amelkis GC.  If they get through that, they’ll play in the final stage later this month.  Good luck to them but whatever happens, they’ll be okay.  They’re smart women as well as good golfers and we’re lucky to have them.

Finally, this being the time of year it is, Mo and I would like to wish our reader(s) a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and say thank you so much for reading.

I couldn’t resist putting this picture in.  Maureen’s post box collapsed recently and at my suggestion she’s been using a plastic box for the time being.  Unfortunately, the lid doesn’t fit too well and it couldn’t cope with all the rain we’ve had recently, so the mag emerged a little the worse for wear.  Well, a lot the worse for wear, its contents a mystery, shredded beyond comprehension.

 

 

This is as close to feeling like JK Rowling as I’m ever likely to get.  It’s a dreich ole day and I’m sitting in a local coffee shop awaiting a steaming latte. The rain is pounding off the glass roof and streaming down the windows as I type away and I am glad to have escaped the baltic conditions of our house.  You see, the man came to service the boiler yesterday and well, broke it.  Not a cheep out of it and with temperatures plummeting, the desire to walk the streets with my laptop seeking warmth and coffee has surfaced with a vengeance.

What did you think of The Match?  The Tiger versus Phil shoot-out in Las Vegas (where else?) for a winner-take-all $9 million dollar purse?  Did you rejoice when televisual technical difficulties meant the pay-per-view idea had to be abandoned and live, free, streaming occurred at the eleventh hour?  Why, joy of joys, we were even able to watch it here in England on Sky.  Are you holding your breath waiting to see if there will be sequel, a Match No 2?

Frankly, I thought this attempt to move golf into the entertainments and gambling industry, with only a small, select VIP audience present at Shadow Creek Golf course, was ill conceived and a new low in the coverage of our sport.  Two sportsmen at least a decade removed from their primes is not the stuff of the box-office and, with woeful performances from the pair on golf’s greatest stage, the Ryder Cup, still fresh in our minds, (a combined zero points contributed to the US cause at Le Golf National), is it any wonder many of you probably weren’t even aware The Match was taking place?  Believe me, you missed nothing.

Of course, various charities and the foundations of the two protagonists will benefit and golf is prodigious in its support of good causes, but don’t let that cloud the issue.  It is difficult to see this contrived spectacle as anything other than a crass lining of the pockets of two individuals, already fabulously wealthy beyond the imaginings of most of us.  They both still crave the limelight their golf no longer merits.  This is a match best forgotten.

By contrast, I well remember the early TV matches between The Big Three – Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player – and the excitement with which we followed every shot.  This was promoting golf at its best – players at the peak of their skills, fire in their bellies seeking victory and grace and good sportsmanship in defeat.  The banter between them was uncontrived and we had the feeling we were simply eavesdropping on a match between three giants of the game.  And, as well as tussling for bragging rights and a financial pot, all three were invested in bringing the game to more and more people and showcasing the sport in the best possible way.

There is much talk at the moment about the declining interest in golf compared to other sports. We live in an izzy-whizzy, fast-paced, low-attention-span, instant-gratification world and golf is deemed to be too slow, too ponderous and too boring to engage the masses.  This is partly responsible for the simplification and streamlining of the rules from next January onwards; the introduction of new formats such as Golf Sixes on the professional stage; and the emphasis that nine holes is fine and we all have time for that, if not for a full round.  These are laudable schemes and will, hopefully, help to attract new players and new fans.  After all, every sport must be prepared to adapt or die, but, please, please do not underestimate the masses.

We do not need to dumb golf down to the lowest common denominator thus losing so many of its nuances and challenges.  There has never been anything much wrong with the game itself and it will continue to beguile and enthrall future generations but only if those of us who play it are more welcoming, accommodating and modern in our approach.  We need to eradicate intimidating golf clubs, pompous attitudes and ridiculous dress rules – some of the real reasons the sport isn’t growing as it should.  The game is fine….it’s some of the people who play it who are not.  As with most things, balance is the key.

So please, no more Tiger-Phil match-ups outside of regular tournament play.  As he so often does, Rory McIlroy summed it up succinctly, “If they had done it fifteen years ago, it would have been great, but nowadays it’s missed the mark a little bit.”  Quite.

Now, time for another latte.

 

Well, well, well.  Dame Laura Davies is going to be one of Europe’s vice-captains at next year’s Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.  I confess I nearly fell over when I heard that.  And I laughed.  Laura, for whom everyone in golf should be thankful, for her skills, her personality, her longevity, her individuality, the sheer sense of fun she brought – and is still bringing – to a game that too often tries to take itself too seriously.  The same Laura who played in 12 Solheim Cups, starting at the beginning, in 1990 at Lake Nona but who year in, year out, swore that she had no interest, ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER, in ever being captain.  Not for me, she said, not my bag.

And as for being in a supporting role, as a vice-captain, dishing out bananas, nuts, sandwiches, cold towels, hand warmers, water, sympathy, advice, plasters, whatever……well, NO WAY.

And now, here she is, on Catriona Matthew’s support team, alongside fellow vice-captains Suzann Pettersen and Kathryn Imrie, saying:  “I’m delighted and honoured to have been asked to be vice-captain for the first time by Catriona.  She sent me a text message when I was doing commentary at the Ryder Cup and I thought, ‘Ah, I wonder what this will be about’.  Sure enough, she asked me if I would do it and I didn’t even have to think about it.  I want to be part of the team and I hope that I can make a positive contribution and help in any way that I can.

“The Solheim Cup has always held a very special place in my heart, right from the first one in 1990.  Many of my fondest memories have been made during the Solheim Cup and I’m hoping that this one, at Gleneagles, will be the best yet.”

DLD, like all champions, is as stubborn as all get out, so perhaps we could do worse than put Catriona in charge of the Brexit negotiations, or similar, if similar exists, given that she obviously has diplomatic skills and persuasion of the highest order.

“It really was a no brainer,” Matthew said, though she wasn’t sure that Davies would accept the offer.  “I’m delighted to have Laura alongside me on the journey to Gleneagles.  She is hugely respected by the players and has a great sense of humour, which will bring a bit of levity.  Her experience speaks for itself.  She has played in 12 Solheim Cups, on both winning teams and losing teams, she has won 87 titles around the world and been the lynchpin of the Ladies European Tour for the last 30 years.

“The players that will be in the team have such respect for her that if any of them need a question answered, they will listen to Laura.  I couldn’t ask for anything better than to have Laura, Kathryn and Suzann at my side as vice-captains and their combined experience will be a great asset for our team.”

They all have quite a job on their hands as Juli Inkster, US captain for an unprecedented third time, will be leading a team intent on winning the trophy for the third time in a row.  The good news is that Europe have never lost in Scotland.  There was the ground-breaking, golf-shattering victory at Dalmahoy in 1992, an upset of epic proportions; then the under-water win at Loch Lomond in 2000; so the pressure is on at Gleneagles.  If it’s wet, Europe should be okay.

It was pretty damp and dreich at Dalmahoy, where no one noticed as Davies and her teammates tore a multi-major American team to shreds – I exaggerate a little but not by much and at this remove it’s hard to convey just what an upset it was.  Foinavon anyone?  (Grand National 1967, odds of 100/1.)  It was in that sort of league.  Loch Lomond was just ridiculous, with delays that favoured Europe in the end and a determination by both sides to finish the contest despite conditions that really required snorkels and flippers.

Anyway, perhaps Laura has decided that she’d like to be Solheim Cup captain after all and has taken the first step over the sidelines, showing willing at last despite years of denial.  Everyone’s entitled to change their mind.  Go Laura.

At the other end of the spectrum there’s Leona Maguire, who’s at the beginning of her professional career after a glittering amateur career.  She just missed out on her LPGA card after a Q-School that took gruelling to another level and she and her twin sister Lisa will be having a go at the LET Qualifying School next month.  In the meantime Leona, who represented Ireland at the Rio Olympics, is a KPMG 20×20 ambassador, starring in an edgy ad campaign to promote the 20×20 initiative, which aims to have 20 per cent more media coverage for women in sport, 20 per cent more female participation in sport and 20 per cent more attendance at women’s events by 2020.

The twins are friends and admirers of Katie Taylor, the boxer, who lost in the quarter-finals at Rio when one of the favourites for gold but learned from that disappointment, turned professional and became a world champion.  Life and sport rarely run smoothly and Leona said, “I learned as much from how Katie handled that loss, which was probably one of the biggest moments of her career, as I learned from watching all her victories down the years.  Her class and all the hard work she has done make her an incredible role model for anybody in Ireland, not just for girls in sport but for life in general.”

I’m watching the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 cricket from Antigua (where the sainted Sir Viv Richards was one of the spectators).  It was disappointing that the Windies, who’d looked dangerously good in earlier rounds, didn’t give Australia much of a game but for a while India against England was shaping up to be a much tighter affair. In the end, India didn’t have a big enough total to defend and England batted well to win by 8 wickets.  I love the intensity of the players, the commitment and concentration, the different shapes and sizes, minnows like Bangladesh and Ireland playing their hearts out, former England men’s captain Nasser Hussain and former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop commentating and critiquing without a hint of hauteur, just enjoying the contests and the cricket.

To finish, I include a picture of my mate Sue, who earlier this week sent her drive sailing over the dreaded dip at Whittington Heath’s 2nd hole.  Not so long ago she despaired of ever making the carry again but Mo gave her a brief lesson,  in the park, without a club and voila.

Sport really is for all.