Experiencing frosts, hail and copious rain here in the UK made it all the more heart-warming to witness last week’s golf from North Carolina and Florida.  Not only did we get to enjoy the sight of sundrenched courses, we were also able to get wrapped up in Rory’s first win for eighteen months as well as in the high drama of the 48th Walker Cup at oh-so-scary Seminole.

Let’s start with the Walker Cup – or Walkover Cup – as some rather unkind journalists dubbed it.  The GB&I team, so ably captained by Stuart Wilson, was not given much of a prayer by many commentators, but no one seemed to have told the away team that they weren’t supposed to be able to contend with the powerful, high-ranked American side.  With both teams ravaged by sickness and reserves having to be called into play, this became a war of attrition for the contestants in what will surely be remembered as the most physically and mentally demanding match in the series.

Seminole in its awful loveliness was a PhD of an examination paper with absolute precision required to hit and hold putting surfaces reputed to be running at 14 on the stimp.  At least at Augusta National you can often hold the heavily sectioned greens – you just won’t be that near the pin; but at Seminole you could be swept away into a treacherous bunker from which, sometimes, there was no escape.  It was riveting stuff and mentally challenging as a viewer, never mind a player.  It was awe-inspiring to see these amateur players cope with all that was thrown at them and the 14-12 scoreline in favour of the US side was indicative of just how good a tussle it was.

It was also refreshing to have a high level match that is definitely a sprint and not a marathon, as the rest of the top events tend to be and the pace of play, particularly from the players from this side of the Atlantic, was a joy.  I suppose it was unfortunate that the very first shot I saw of the whole contest was a poor bunker shot by an American player.  His reaction was to spit on the ground, hence he was referred to in this household from that point on as “the spitter”.  Ah well, I suppose if the No 1 ranked player in the world is unchecked in that behaviour we must expect others to follow suit.  I wish they wouldn’t though.

A little further north on the US eastern seaboard is the lovely and challenging Quail Hollow golf course in Charlotte, North Carolina, an opinion obviously shared by Rory McIlroy who notched up his third victory there on Sunday.  He loves the place but what he learned was that he loves, and needs, the noise and vibe of the spectators more than he realised.  Expect his post-pandemic performances to be much improved.

“I thought I’d like the peace and quiet when we returned but I missed the crowds,” he said. “I feed off the energy so much. I’m certainly glad that the crowds were back and I’m glad that I was able to get the job done in an atmosphere like that today. And I’m excited going forward now that we get to play in front of crowds like that. It was just an awesome experience to feel that again over the weekend.”

Pete Cowen, with whom Rory is now working, has made an immediate impact, encouraging a change of shot shape off the tee from a draw to a power fade.  It’ll take a while to bed down but validation of the work they are doing together will be a tremendous tonic for the Irishman and his trademark jaunty step is back out there on display for all to see.  Nice timing with three majors coming up in the next eight weeks or so.

News comes that the first of those majors, the PGA Championship, which is played over Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course and where Rory notched up one of his four major victories, will be a stern test of 7876 yards.  That is the longest course in major championship history and it makes me wonder where it’ll all end.  Seemingly the major defence against equipment that allows players in their 70s like Tom Watson to continue hitting the ball as far as when in his prime is to build greens with an abundance of sections and slopes and then shave them to within an inch of their lives.  That sort of approach necessitates skill in two departments alone – sheer brute force for driving and silky skills around the green.  We are in danger of completely losing the nuances of shot-making through the bag.  Varying trajectories, shaping the ball, half and three quarter shots are all in the endangered species category nowadays and the game is not improved because of it.  Somebody, please DO something!

It looks like my sorties to the US for the men’s majors are a non-starter for the second consecutive year but hope springs eternal that the Ryder Cup may signal a return of normal duties.  We shall see, but in the meantime I’m happy to unashamedly cheer my favourites on from the sidelines without the slightest responsibility to impartiality.  Good to know that some clouds do have a silver lining.

There’s nothing quite like witnessing a person’s life change for the better.  It’s uplifting, emotional and leaves you with the feeling that perhaps the world isn’t such a bad place after all when wonderful things can happen to wonderful people.  It certainly beats the unrelenting diet of dreadful global news that would make a saint despair.

Last Sunday a dream came true for Sophia Popov as she held off everyone and everything (including her own doubts and questions) in the final round of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon.  She is the first women’s major winner of this strange 2020 season; the first German woman to become a major champion; the third German player (after Bernhard Langer and Martin Kaymer) to hoist a major trophy.

Nothing has come easily to the 27-year old American-born German.  Turning pro in 2014 she gained her LPGA card for the following year but was soon struggling with a myriad of health issues, lacking energy and stamina and losing 25 pounds in the process.  It took almost three years and a great deal of her own research to arrive, finally, at the diagnosis of Lyme’s disease.  Strict attention to her diet and fitness has helped her regain her strength and control of her life but it seemed as if playing on one of the major tours might well elude her.  She played on a number of mini tours but suffered a huge disappointment as recently as last year when she missed out on her LPGA tour card by one stroke at the Q-series.

She almost gave up but family and friends persuaded her to keep going and with commendable resilience she turned her attentions to the Symetra Tour for 2020, judging this main feeder tour to the LPGA as her best opportunity to get back to where she felt she belonged.

And then Covid happened.  And the Symetra Tour, like almost all sporting organisations, closed down.  And we were in to lockdown.

I think at this stage, if it had been me, I might have thought the universe was trying to tell me something.  But Sophia Popov, thankfully, isn’t me, and I, unfortunately, am not her, which is why I’m sitting here blogging and she, I hope, is with all her loved ones in Heidelberg (or her American home in Arizona) having a riotous, week-long party to rival that of Shane Lowry.

During the lockdown period there was one small tour that kept its doors open and kept giving players the opportunity to compete – the Arizona-based Cactus Tour.  Several of the LPGA players availed themselves of the chance to try and retain a little bit of sharpness in their games and it was against this backdrop that Sophia recorded her first professional victory of any sort – and she didn’t stop at one win either!  In a little under four months she had three wins and a host of other high finishes.

Popov exited lockdown and turned up at the first tournament on the new, revised LPGA schedule in Toledo, Ohio, not as a player but as a caddy for her great friend and European Solheim Cup star, Anne Van Dam.  Assessing the course and risks with a caddy’s eye, as opposed to that of a player, really helped her with her course strategy, she said.  She realised that often her aggressive attitude was a little gung-ho and that playing the percentages may serve her better.  What a lesson to learn a month before a Women’s Open!

At this point fate intervened to provide a rare helping hand.  So many overseas players did not travel to the States for the resumption of the tour that a spot opened up for Sophia in the Marathon LPGA Classic, so this time she was inside the bubble as a player, not a caddy.  A top-ten finish, her first ever in an LPGA event, earned her a cheque for a little over $27,000, her biggest-ever payday but more importantly she secured exemption into the field at Royal Troon two weeks later.  Then she made what seemed to some a strange decision:  she elected to stay in the States to play in a Symetra Tour event instead of going over to Scotland in plenty of time to prepare for the first major of the year.  She admitted she was utterly focused on the Symetra Tour and achieving a top-five ranking at the year’s end to regain her LPGA tour card. The AIG Women’s Open was a “bonus event” for her.

As it happened, a second-place finish, which meant another week at the sharp end of a tournament and a late arrival at Troon, with time for only one practice round added up to her own personal recipe for success.

It just goes to show that winning and being in the mix at any level is a great habit to acquire.  It armoured Sophia to deal with holding a 54-hole lead in a major for the first time in her life;  it gave her the confidence to play down the stretch like a seasoned veteran; and it gave her the courage to seize this stupendous opportunity with both hands.

Sophia’s bank manager will be very happy.  Her winner’s cheque of $675,000 is six times more than she has banked in the whole of her career but the “add-ons” are exceptional, not least membership of the LPGA Tour and unlimited choice for the next few years to play wherever she wants.  The winnings are great but the benefits are priceless.

At this point it’s worth a nod to the inimitable Dame Laura Davies who was so entertaining with her commentary throughout the week.  Laura was not a member of the LPGA tour when she won the US Women’s Open in 1987 and there was no provision for major winners to be offered automatic membership of the tour.  This caused the LPGA a bit of a headache as they certainly did not want the winner of their national Open potentially having to attend the end of season qualifying school.  I seem to remember that Laura had said she would not be going to the Q-school so it was over to the tour to make the next move.  They took their time but the rule was born that stated any major champion not already an LPGA member would be offered membership accordingly.  So many over the years have benefited from this “Davies rule” and Sophia Popov is a welcome addition to that list.

Finally, you will have noted, no doubt, that Sophia has dual citizenship – of Germany and America.  I was heartened to see a German flag opposite her name in the US tournament lists as I’d love to see her in the next Solheim Cup – wearing yellow and blue, of course.

What a joy it is to welcome top-class women’s golf back to these shores.  There are a couple of huge events coming up for the women’s game starting this week with the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies’ Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club near North Berwick.  After that, the (hopefully) securely bubbled tour will head westwards to Royal Troon for the newly named AIG Women’s Open – formerly the Women’s British Open.  I must admit I’m not a fan of the decision to drop the word “British” from the title.  I get that the R&A steadfastly protect “The Open” from having an adjective sneaked in there.  It was, after all, called exactly that from its inception in 1860, but that is not the case with the female equivalent and, to me, dropping the word “British” robs the title of some of its gravitas.  It makes me think of a club event, not one of the world’s premier women’s golf championships.  Be that as it may, I’ll be glued to my TV screen nonetheless.

The Ladies’ European Tour (LET) players are champing at the bit as the last tournament on their 2020 schedule was a whopping five months ago.  Were it not for the timely intervention of Justin and Kate Rose, supporting wholeheartedly the fledgling idea of tour player Liz Young to provide some of the LET members with competitive play, it is conceivable that none of the European Tour players would have hit a ball in anger for almost half a year.  Ring rusty doesn’t begin to describe it.

As it turned out, an amazing collective effort from event managers, sponsors, clubs, players, the tour and, of course, Justin and Kate, resulted in The Rose Ladies’ Series, an eight-week run of ten competitive rounds, each on a different course.  It seems, however, that nothing runs smoothly for the women and the final round over Wentworth’s famed Burma Road course had to be abandoned because of a wildfire that originated on Chobham Common.  The club was more than willing to conclude the golf the following day but with the blaze raging well into the night that proved impossible and reluctantly the round had to be abandoned.

As Justin Rose said, “Our mission was to serve the ladies and provide an opportunity for them to play and sharpen up for their respective seasons. So the last thing we want to do now is create a burden for them having to fit in the final round at a later date.”

Always thinking of the players, Rose is a gold medallist off the course as much as he is on it and how fortunate are we in our sport to have a supporter of his stature.  Thank you Justin.

The LPGA players on the other hand, have two full-field events under their belts – both won by Danielle Kang, a member of the defeated US Solheim Cup team on her last visit to Scotland.  No doubt she will be attempting to create happier memories on this visit to the land of the home of golf.  There is no question that she is the form horse at the moment – her last seven outings have yielded three victories, one second-place finish and two thirds and she is the highest-ranked American player at No 2 on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Major winners litter the field – Ariya Jutanugarn, Hannah Green, I K Kim, Anna Nordqvist, Lydia Ko, Morgan Pressel, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang, Angela Stanford, Catriona Matthew, Georgia Hall, Laura Davies and current AIG Women’s Open holder Hinako Shibuno mean this will arguably be the strongest field ever assembled for a Ladies’ Scottish Open.  All I want to do is jump in my car and hurtle up to The Renaissance Club but, alas, when Christina Kim feels the need to travel in a full hazmat suit, the world is telling me that that is definitely not a sensible thing to do.

Next week is the first time a women’s professional major will be held over one of my favourite courses, the links at Royal Troon. The club has already hosted the Open on nine occasions, most recently that thrilling tussle between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson in 2016.  The resident pro is already warning that the course is playing much more difficult than for the men four years ago so it’s a given that the whole range of skills of these top players will be tested – another feast for those of us who love the women’s game.  And another feast through the medium of a screen as opposed to having the joy of being able to attend in person.

This will be the second of golf’s majors to be played without fans or fanfare, following in the wake of last week’s PGA Championship at Harding Park.  I don’t suppose Collin Morikawa cared a jot about the lack of atmosphere and paucity of watchers and perhaps the champion at Troon won’t either.  The winning moments will be captured for the millions of viewers worldwide and digitally enshrined for posterity.  It may well be a dream come true for someone but it won’t exactly be the picture they have nurtured and imagined in minute detail over the years.  But will that really matter?  Somehow I don’t think so, and I for one am delighted that Scotland is stepping into the spotlight for the next couple of weeks in support of the women’s game.  Nothing could be more fitting for the Home of Golf at a time like this.

It’s been quite a year!  Twelve months ago the cheers of Ole, ole, ole were ringing out around the Golf National Golf Club near Versailles as Europe romped to a terrific Ryder Cup victory.  April meant Augusta in the spring sunshine and the extraordinary 15th major win for the injury ridden Tiger and then……. well, then July and the Open at Portrush – for me, arguably the absolute pinnacle of all my years of playing, watching and working in golf.  But the game has kept on giving and last week Europe squeaked home in the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, against the US, by the narrowest of margins.  Ole, ole ole indeed.

That was the 16th edition of the Solheim Cup and between us Patricia and I have been present at 14 of these encounters.  Our roles have altered over the last 30 years.  Patricia has morphed from a supposedly unbiased, sensible, considered golf writer for the Times into a bona fide European supporter, actually (whisper it quietly) sporting a Scottish ginger wig one day.  Of course, that WOULD be the day she chose to drop in to the TV compound, popping in to the BBC production office to say hello to Peter and Jackie Alliss.  I, meanwhile, have moved from being fellow tour player and friend of the players to broadcaster, member of the back room team and then back to commentator.  My own blue and yellow wig is not far away, I think.

You have to accept that at the moment Europe and the US are not exactly the powerhouses of women’s golf.  That accolade lies a little further east but you don’t necessarily need the best teams to get the best contests and I don’t agree with those who say the Solheim Cup is no longer relevant.  The BBC highlights programme peaked at over 650,000 viewers.  Add in Sky’s live coverage averaging 250,000 and that’s considerable interest for what some commentators have called a second rate contest.  And let’s not forget the 90,000 spectators actually at the match.

I confess I still find it difficult to get past the R&A’s decision to remove the Open, the Women’s British Open, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup from terrestrial TV.  Obviously none of us was party to the behind-the-scenes discussions that took place but the net result is golf on television is only available to those who can afford a hefty monthly subscription.  Those people tend to be avid golfers and already hooked on the game.  Slim chance of inspiring interest in non-golfers.  Funny way to “grow the game” isn’t it?  If the R&A felt the BBC coverage of the Open was tired and dated, why not make more stringent demands on the Corporation?  Was it REALLY only ever about the money on the table?

I’d like to emphasise here that I think Sky do an excellent job but their reach is small and I don’t believe that is good for golf.  It certainly won’t help the Ladies’ European Tour who will be desperate to capitalise on this great win in a very uncertain commercial climate.

One of the downsides to doing a highlights programme is that I do not get much of an opportunity to get out on the golf course during the matches.  I’m buried away in the TV compound commentating from a TV monitor.  I do, however, get to sit next to Peter Alliss for a straight eight to ten hours and I can tell you that is never dull!  I do, occasionally, escape to do a small piece to camera with Eilidh Barbour, our presenter, and it’s great fun getting prepped for the camera by one of the make-up artists.  They are magicians!

Opportunities to bump into old friends from tour days are therefore limited but a great week came to a perfect conclusion for me when I spotted a familiar figure as i was leaving our hotel on the Monday morning – the always elegant Swede, former European Solheim Cup captain, Lotte Neumann.  Lotte had been supporting the team all week and was looking forward to a few rounds of her own in Scotland.  She was off that day to play at St Andrews and had Muirfield on the list for later in the week.

I came away reflecting yet again on all that golf has given me across most of my life – competition, fun, friendships, principles and a living, to name but a few things.  All I really want is for others to have a chance to know and love this game as I do and it’s imperative we keep striving to be all-inclusive and welcoming.  Time to ditch the exclusivity label that sticks to our sport and the outdated views that hold us back.  Time to welcome all with arms outstretched.