Bjorn Again—Ryder Cup Captaincy Ahead?

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following excerpt from Brian’s Irish Golf Desk is used with permission. 

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

Courtesy of CallwayGolf.com

PAUL MCGINLEY FANS WILL BE appalled but Thomas Bjorn must be regarded as a likely candidate to skipper Europe when the Ryder Cup is played at Gleneagles in 2014. Judging by the blistering 62 he shot to win the Omega European Masters and jump to the top of the 2012 Ryder Cup qualifying table, the 40-year old Dane is playing well enough to make the 2014 team as a player. After all, his four-shot triumph over Martin Kaymer was his second win in a row and his third of the year.

Add to that the fact that he finished fourth in the Open and he fits the identikit picture of a Ryder Cup captain that McGinley and others declared as the standard when Colin Montgomerie was given the role two years ago.

Bjorn is very much a respected, current player but along with Darren Clarke, he is also the biggest threat to McGinley’s hopes of winning the ‘14 captaincy. The list of those likely to succeed Jose Maria Olazabal is not massively long but while it was always assumed that Clarke or Bjorn would do the job in the US in 2016, leaving 2014 to McGinley, that is far from clear cut with three years to go before the next home match.

One thing is sure, like Clarke and McGinley, Bjorn would have the respect of the young guns on tour, such as Rory McIlroy. The 22-year old opened with two birdies in Crans to top the leaderboard but then missed a series of chances on the greens and by the time he made back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th, Bjorn was out of sight.

“I’ve really gotten to know Thomas well over the years,” said McIlroy, who finished five behind in joint third after a 68.

“He was assistant at the Ryder Cup and when I played the Vivendi in 2009, he was the captain of the European team. To shoot a 62 is very impressive and I don’t think I could have done anything to beat that.”

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

The $48,000 Luxury Golf Folio

THIS ISN’T FOR EVERYONE. In fact, there are only 10 Luxury Edition Golf Folios created by artists Paul Skellett and Simon Weitzman. Based on the design of a 14th century medieval Bible, the Golf Folio is called “an epic body of artwork celebrating the game, the terrain and where it’s all going.” It can be yours for as little as $48,000.

With contributions from winning Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and more than 50 other golf course architects, golf coaches, other industry professionals and celebrities from various creative fields, the Golf Folio features 140 fine art pieces contained in 18 chapters. It’s bound in 400-year-old Russia Hide that was pulled out of black silt during a marine salvage operation.

Luxury Edition Specifications
Limited Edition: 10
Signed and numbered by: Artists and Colin Montgomerie
Size: 1.1 metre (w) x 0.4 metre (h) x 8cm (d)
Weight: 37.5 kilos/82.67 lbs.
Paper: 315gsm archive art paper
Pages: 140 pages hand torn edges
Binding: Bound in Russia Hide leather (400 years old)
Box: Oak slipcase
Extras to order: Personalisation of binding and content
Price: Starting at £30,000/$48,000

For the bargain hunters, there are 2,100 Collector Editions with 320 pieces of fine art available for the pre-order price of £350/$562.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Courtesy of Wonderland Publications)

Olazabal Is Right Man for Ryder Cup Job

I’M A LONGTIME ADMIRER of Jose Maria Olazabal, who is being reported as Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain, according to various media outlets. The official announcement is expected on Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

If Olazabal’s captaincy in any way mirrors his play in seven Ryder Cup appearances, Europe is in very capable hands. Olazabal was Seve Ballesteros’ other half of the most successful partnership in Cup history. Beginning in 1987, I watched Seve and Ollie beat the spikes off America’s best. The pair only lost twice in 15 matches. I didn’t like it one bit. But I always respected Jose Maria’s game. His driving could be suspect, but his iron game, chipping and putting were a thing of beauty. I’ve always thought of him as one of golf’s toughest competitors.

Olazabal also later formed a successful Ryder Cup partnership with Sergio Garcia. (If Garcia had Ollie’s grit, he’d have bagged a few majors by now.)

Now 44 and plagued in recent years by injuries, the two-time Masters winner is primed for the captaincy. He was a vice captain for European captains Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie at the last two Ryder Cups. His record as a player and experience as a vice captain have earned him a ton of respect in the locker room.

“When Jose Maria conducts a team talk or motivational talk, everyone listens,” Lee Westwood was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

At the helm when Europe lost at Valhalla, Nick Faldo said competing on American soil presents additional challenges. (The 2012 Ryder Cup will be played at Medinah in Chicago.) Home-field advantage and course setup are huge factors.

“I think you need a big captain when you go to the States,” Faldo said.

Olazabal is the right man for the job.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Richard Carter, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Ian Poulter Visits ‘Fat Booth’

IAN POULTER HAD SOME FUN yesterday with the Fat Booth application and posted links to the photos on Twitter. It got a little crazy. Fat pics of Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Bubba Watson, Tiger Woods, Colin Montgomerie, Camilo Villegas, Rory McIlroy, LeBron James, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson turned up. Poults couldn’t stop himself. He was laughing his fat head off.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Visor tip to Golf.com.)

Colin Montgomerie’s ‘Blather’

I JUST READ JIM MCCABE’S piece titled, “Monty misses mark on European dominance.”

I don’t think the Golfweek senior writer is a fan of Captain Monty. Far from it. He begins:

At first, it felt like an unusual, late-season hurricane moving up the coast. But, no, the warmth was coming in from Hong Kong, delivered by Colin Montgomerie, a specialist in hot air.

The Monty quote that set McCabe off? This one: “We have always bowed to America’s dominance. But now we don’t just have Lee Westwood but also Martin Kaymer coming up, as well.”

McCabe suggests that Colin should run the dominance statement by Tony Jacklin, Sam Torrance, Mark James, Bernard Gallacher, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. He wants to remind Monty of 1985, 1987, 1989, 1995 and 1997, a stretch of five Ryder Cup wins for Europe in seven tries.

Lee Westwood ascending to No. 1 in the world ranking is a big deal, especially since he’s dethroning Tiger Woods. But guess what? Four Europeans (the same number as Americans) have held the top spot: Langer, Ballesteros, Woosnam and Faldo.

McCabe, in closing:

What is important is to brush aside Captain Monty’s blather about Europeans always bowing to American dominance and this changing-of-the-guard nonsense. It’s disrespectful to the dynamic Europeans who more than 20 years ago changed the face of world golf and made possible the opportunities and the riches that now flow to their countrymen.

Monty, he’s right. It’s expected that you would be walking on air after winning the Ryder Cup and considering the sensational year European players have had (two majors and a slew of other PGA Tour wins). But can you tone it down a smidge? It’s gotten a little too silly.

On the other hand, you served up a column for McCabe. For that, you are to be commended.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Monster/Flickr)

Graeme McDowell Etches Name in Ryder Cup History

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a regular contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following piece is excerpted from his blog, Irish Golf Desk. 

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

GRAEME MCDOWELL BECAME THE fifth Irish player to clinch the winning Ryder Cup point for Europe with a sensational 3 and 1 victory over Hunter Mahan in the final singles match.

The Ulsterman provoked a mass invasion of the 17th green he described as “bananas” as the American crumbled under the pressure in the decisive game of a classic Ryder Cup.

(Photo: Captain Montgomerie / Welsh Assembly Government, Flickr)

Two down and needing to win the last two holes to help the USA retain the trophy, the Bridgestone Invitational winner came up 20 yards short of the green with his tee shot, fluffed his chip in front of him and then failed to convert a 30 footer for par after McDowell had putted up to five feet from the fringe right of the green. But like Christy O’Connor Jnr and Philip Walton, he didn’t have to hole out for victory as Mahan conceded defeat.

Despite not being comfortable with his game all week, the 31-year old from Portrush showed just why he is arguably the gutsiest golfer on the planet as he withstood incredible pressure coming down the stretch when it became clear that Europe’s Ryder Cup hopes rested on his shoulders. Three up with seven holes to play, he lost the 12th to a par and the 15th to Mahan’s sole birdie of the day before producing the goods with an incredible birdie from 18 feet at the 16th.

Rickie Fowler birdied the last four holes to come back from three down to halve his match with fellow rookie Edoardo Molinari and force McDowell to win his match to win back the Ryder Cup. And he did it in incredible style with a brilliant six iron to 18 feet at the 16th setting up a birdie that left Mahan needing to win the last two holes to give the USA a 14-14 tie that would have been good enough to see them retain the trophy.

His left to right putt tracked perfectly, falling into the hole on the last roll to crush Mahan’s will.

“That was absolutely amazing. That was bananas,” McDowell said. “The putt on the 16th was stuff I have dreamed about all my life.

“The US Open felt like a back nine with my dad at Royal Portrush compared to this. I was really nervous - there was so much pressure.

“The putt on 16 was massive, and these spectators are massive. I had to get the putt going on 16, and it was the biggest one I have hit in my life.”

Mahan was crushed by the defeat and barely capable of speech at the US team’s media conference.

“I’ve played with Graeme before. I don’t even know what day it was. But he didn’t miss a shot. I think it was alternate shot, and he played he played great today. Didn’t miss a shot. Hit a bunch of key putts, probably the last four or five holes, and you know, he … that birdie on 16, after I got it to one down, was huge. He played …. he just beat me today.”

Padraig Harrington, who lost 3 and 2 to Zach Johnson, could have found himself in McDowell’s position as he played at No 11. But he was delighted to finish on a winning team for the fourth time in six appearances.

“Every Ryder Cup’s the same,” Harrington said. “It’s phenomenal. There’s nothing like it in golf. That’s incredible.”

Montgomerie paid tribute to McDowell, saying: “Graeme McDowell was put there for a very good reason. He’s full of confidence and that showed. That birdie on 16 was quite unbelievable.

“I’m very proud. It’s a very proud moment for us all here in Europe. They all played to a man magnificently, they all gave 110 per cent and that’s all you can ask.”

McDowell added his name to the list of Irish Ryder Cup immortals at Celtic Manor.

1987 Muirfield Village, Ohio - Eamonn Darcy
1989 The Belfry - Christy O’Connor Jnr
1995 Oak Hill, New York - Philip Walton
2002 The Belfry - Paul McGinley
2010 Celtic Manor - Graeme McDowell

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

Ryder Cup Trash Talk: ‘Spank the Yanks’ Golf Promotion

THE RYDER CUP DOESN’T start for another eight days, but apparently Uncle Sam (above) has already arrived in the United Kingdom and made a guest appearance at Playgolf Academy to kick off its “Spank the Yanks” promotion:

Playgolf’s special “Spank The Yanks” offer means that any purchase of range balls or green fees made at Playgolf Manchester and London’s Playgolf Northwick Park during the promotional period of Friday 24th September and Thursday 30th September will be matched by Playgolf if the US team retains the Ryder Cup.

How It Works

Golfers simply keep their receipt, and present it to Playgolf if the US team retains the Cup. They will receive like-for-like for their purchase on the driving range and golf course. So, for example, if a golfer buys a bucket of golf balls or a round of golf at Playgolf in either Manchester or London (from 24th to 30th September), he or she can claim free range balls or a free round of golf if Corey Pavin’s US team thrashes Colin Montgomerie’s twelve Europeans.

Confidence in Monty’s Men

“We are so confident that Monty’s men won’t take a whipping from the Yanks this year that we’re willing to take the risk of paying out a small fortune to our customers if they do!” said Playgolf’s Craig Whitfield in a press release.

Whitfield also emphasized the win-win situation for golfers.

“If Europe wins the Ryder Cup, we will all be ecstatic, and if the USA beats the Europeans, golfers can claim a freebie from Playgolf and ease the pain of losing!”

I have to admit that it’s a clever promotion. You know what would be even more clever? If Playgolf made good on the offer no matter who wins.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image courtesy of Playgolf Academy)

From Parks to Molinaris: Golf’s Greatest Brothers

FRANCESCO AND EDOARDO MOLINARI will be the first brothers to compete on a Ryder Cup team since Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt represented Great Britain in the 1963 biennial matches. Francesco, 28, qualified on points, and Edoardo, 29, was a captain’s pick after a late-season run that included wins at the Barclays Scottish Open and last weekend’s Johnnie Walker Championship.

“I don’t think I have to tell you who his [Edoardo’s] partner will be in the fourballs or foursomes,” said Colin Montgomerie, the European team captain.

The Molinaris are just the latest brother act to make a splash in professional golf. They have three European Tour wins between them, which means they’ll need to rack up a lot more titles before they catch many of the following brother tandems.

(Image: 1961 PGA champion Jerry Barber was a short-game wizard.)

Lloyd and Ray Mangrum
Hailing from the pre- and post-World War II era, the Mangrums have the most wins, 41. Lloyd, the younger brother, was a great player, winning 36 titles, including the 1946 U.S. Open in a playoff against Vic Ghezzi and Byron Nelson. Nelson called Mangrum, a Hall of Famer, the best forgotten golfer. Ray won five times between 1936 and 1946.

Jay and Lionel Hebert
With five PGA Tour titles apiece, the Heberts didn’t come close to the Mangrums. But they did something only one other brother act (that I know of) has done: they both won majors. The younger brother, Lionel won the PGA Championship in 1957. Big brother Jay won the PGA in 1960. How cool is that? Jay, I’ve been told, had a picture-perfect golf swing.

Willie and Mungo Park
Willie Park Sr. won four Open Championships from 1860 to 1875. Mungo, his younger brother, won the Open in 1874. And Jr., Willie’s son, won it twice. Talk about keeping it in the family.

Harry and Tom Vardon
The great Harry Vardon, the namesake of the Vardon grip and Vardon Trophy awarded annually to the PGA Tour player with the lowest scoring average, won the Open Championship a record six times. His older brother Tom played in the Open Championship (but never won) and later went to America to take a job as a club professional.

Lanny and Bobby Wadkins
Lanny, the younger Wadkins, had a Hall of Fame career that included 30 wins, one major and several Ryder Cup appearances. Bobby won once on the European Tour and twice on the Japan Golf Tour, but never won in a long PGA Tour career, racking up six runner-up finishes. He’s won four times on the Champions Tour.

Jerry and Willie Barber
Jerry was a great putter who won seven times on tour, including the 1961 PGA Championship, during which he made 120 feet of putts on the last three holes to tie Don January. Then he beat January in a playoff. Jerry also played on two Ryder Cup teams. Willie, his less-famous brother, was a club professional and very good player who once joined yours truly for nine holes in the California desert.

Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt
Bernard had more than 30 professional wins and played on eight Ryder Cup teams. His brother Geoffrey joined him on the 1963 team, but they didn’t play together in any matches.

Camilo and Manuel Villegas
Camilo, of course, is the rising star who has three PGA Tour wins. Manuel is his baby brother who teed it up with Camilo at the St. Jude Classic and has played sporadically on the Nationwide Tour.

MORE BROTHERS

Following are the 12 brother combinations who have won on the PGA Tour. Four of the seven Turnesa brothers won on tour, as did three Smith brothers, of which Macdonald was the star. (The year of first official victory and career wins are in parentheses.)

Alex Smith (1906/2)-Macdonald Smith (1924/24)-Willie Smith (1899/1)
Tom Kerrigan (1920/4)-George Kerrigan (1922/2)
Al Espinosa (1924/8)-Abe Espinosa (1928/3)
Lloyd Mangrum (1940/36)-Ray Mangrum (1936/5)
Jim Turnesa (1951/2)-Joe Turnesa (1924/15)-Mike Turnesa (1931/6)-Phil Turnesa (1932/1)
Lionel Hebert (1957/5)-Jay Hebert (1957/5)
Dave Hill (1961/13)-Mike Hill (1970/3)
Don Massengale (1966/2)-Rik Massengale (1975/3)
Joe Inman (1976/1)-John Inman (1987/2)
Danny Edwards (1977/5)-David Edwards (1980/4)
Curt Byrum (1989/1)-Tom Byrum (1989/1)
Brad Bryant (1995/1)-Bart Bryant (2004/3)

−The Armchair Golfer

(Sources: PGA Tour Media Guide and Wikipedia)

Will Padraig Produce the Goods?

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a regular contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following piece is excerpted from his blog, Irish Golf Desk. 

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

DESPITE HIS ERRATIC FORM over the past two years and his less than stellar recent record, it was no great surprise to see Pádraig Harrington named as one of Colin Montgomerie’s three Ryder Cup wildcards. The Scot is impressed by many things but major winners come top of the list for a man who never managed to get over the line in a grand slam event in an otherwise impressive career.

“No American wants to play Padraig Harrington. I can assure you,” Montgomerie said at Gleneagles on Sunday.

Edoardo Molinari’s brilliant victory in the final qualifying event, the Johnnie Walker Championship, made him an automatic choice for the captain, who also named foursomes specialist Luke Donald as one of his picks to the detriment of Paul Casey and Justin Rose.

(Photo: Padraig in step with Bradley Dredge / Ciarán Bohane, Flickr)

Experience is key in the Ryder Cup. So is putting. And Harrington fits the bill on both counts as far as Montgomerie is concerned. The skipper warned us in May that he might need to add experience to the nine automatic qualifiers:

“It will be very interesting to see who actually comes through and makes the team on merit and that allows me, as Corey said, for the makeup of my team to see who can fit in with that; whether I have a very experienced team and I can go with some rookies, or I have a very inexperienced team and have to some experience. All depends how the qualifying system works.”

The ball is now in Harrington’s court following his jaded performances at The K Club and Valhalla, where he managed just two halved matches from nine starts. Like Ian Poulter, who was a controversial wildcard in 2008, he will be under pressure to produce the goods.

His back is against the wall, but as Montgomerie said on Friday last: “Pádraig, when his back’s to the wall, has done awfully well in the past.”

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

Rory McIlroy Wants Tiger Joust at Ryder Cup

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a regular contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following piece is excerpted from his blog, Irish Golf Desk. 

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

RORY MCILROY WOULD LOVE a singles showdown with Tiger Woods in October’s Ryder Cup. Recovered from his US PGA disappointment, McIlroy said: “I’m sure we’ll probably see him in Wales. I would love to face him. Unless his game rapidly improves … I think anyone in the European team would fancy their chances against him.

“There are a lot of American players playing better than him at the minute but it’s always an advantage to have Tiger Woods in your team.”

US skipper Corey Pavin hinted Monday that he would be handing Woods one of his four wildcards on September 7.

McIlroy said: “I think he’ll [Pavin] pick him. I don’t think it would go down too well in the States if he wasn’t picked.”

When asked about the pros and cons of picking Woods, Pavin said: “Well, he’s the No. 1 player in the world. Obviously I’m considering him highly, no doubt about it. He’s playing better. I think we have all seen that and he wants to play, he wants to be a part of the team. But it’s going to be my judgment whether I pick him or not. I don’t think there’s any cons.”

Padraig Harrington will need a Ryder Cup wildcard and Pavin knows that Colin Montgomerie also faces some tough wildcard choices.

Referring to his dilemma over Woods when asked about Harrington, Pavin said: “I guess you can flip that question around to someone on our side, too. Golf is a funny game. The game goes away, comes back; it waffles.

“I think Pádraig is a great player. The guy’s won three major championships. He would be a very good pick, but I don’t pick for that side. So it’s a tough choice for him.”

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

(Image: Chase McAlpine/Flickr)

Whistling or Dire Straits for Harrington’s Ryder Cup Hopes

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh, a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a regular contributor to The Irish Times and Golf Digest Ireland, writes about the dilemma of five-time Ryder Cupper Padraig Harrington.

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

PADRAIG HARRINGTON ADMITS THAT this week’s US PGA is his last chance to avoid the need for a Ryder Cup pick. The Dubliner plans to skip the final qualifying event at Gleneagles to play in the clashing FedExCup play-off tournament in New Jersey in two weeks’ time. And that means he must grab a top-four finish at Whistling Straits to ensure that he is not relying on one of skipper Colin Montgomerie’s three wild cards on August 29.

Confessing he could be in dire straits instead of Whistling Straits on Sunday night, Harrington said: “It’s very precarious. No one who doesn’t qualify automatically deserves to be in the team. If you don’t make it on merit, you are asking for a little bit of a favour.”

Ian Poulter sparked a massive controversy two years ago when he decided not to travel to Gleneagles despite the fact that he could still qualify for the team. It was alleged that Poulter had been given “the nod” by skipper Nick Faldo, who later handed him a captain’s pick.

But Harrington will have safety in numbers this time as Paul Casey and Justin Rose, who are also outside the qualifying places, also intend to skip the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in favour of The Barclays.

Harrington said: “It is a very awkward situation, there’s no doubt about it. I saw the last time round that one of the players [Poulter] didn’t come to play the last event and I thought he should have. Now I am in the same situation because I have a Special Olympics clinic at The Barclays and I don’t want to let them down.

“I have talked to some of the other guys who will be looking for a pick and they are all saying they will be playing The Barclays. So at the moment I am committing to the Special Olympics and I’m going to try and qualify this week and have nothing to worry about.”

Seventh in the race for four places from the World Points List and just over €13,245 behind Miguel Angel Jimenez in the battle for the other five places from the European Points List, Harrington knows he needs a massive week in Wisconsin.

“The goal is to get in on the world ranking points because that ends in a week’s time. Even if I pass Jimenez in the money, he can jump by me in the last event in Gleneagles so the goal is to play well this week and sort it out.”

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

(Image: Mike Davis/Flickr)

Monty, King of Qualifiers

WHETHER ABOUT THE U.S. OPEN or The Open Championship, there have been several qualifying stories in the last day or so. Some are inspirational. Some are heartbreakers. Normal fare for Open qualifying.

One stands out for me, though. If I had a Yonex visor like Colin Montgomerie, I’d tip it to ol’ Monty. He played like a madman to get into the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. As Colin said, at his age (46) it may be his last chance to tee it up on the Old Course for an Open.

Montgomerie had a 36-hole qualifier at Sunningdale on Monday. After an opening round of 69, the European Ryder Cup captain needed a low number in the afternoon round to secure one of 10 spots available to a field of 96 European Tour players who had not received automatic berths. The old boy put up an 8-under 62, tying the course record. “My best round of golf in a long time,” Monty said after birdieing five of the last seven holes.

It must feel good to get the magic back, even if just for one round. Not that I would know. It will be Monty’s 21st consecutive appearance in The Open Championship.

U.S. Open Qualifying

Some of the notables who did or didn’t make it into the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

In
Tom Lehman
Davis Love III
Ben Curtis
Brian Davis
Stuart Appleby
David Frost
Erik Compton
Ty Tryon

Out
Justin Rose
Rickie Fowler
Tom Kite
J.B. Holmes
Rocco Mediate
The Haas family
Lee Janzen
Corey Pavin

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Steve Bailey/Flickr)

Colin Montgomerie and the Birds

Bird #1: Isn’t that Colin Montgomerie?

Bird #4: Colin who?

Bird #2: Colin Montgomerie, you Dodo!

Bird #4: Hey, watch it.

Bird #3: That’s him.

Bird #1: Remember when Monty said the belly putter ought to be outlawed?

Bird #2: Oh, yeah. Now he’d putt with a rake if it helped him make more putts.

Bird #4: So would I.

Bird #2: Please.

Bird #3: What’s he waiting for?

Bird #1: The Ryder Cup. And to turn 50, I think.

Bird #4: Can we go follow Ernie now?

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: camflan/Flickr)

Seve Ballesteros Backs Spain’s Bid for 2018 Ryder Cup

SEVE BALLESTEROS PLAYED ON eight European Ryder Cup teams and was captain of another squad in 1997. Even though I rooted against him (national allegiance), there’s zero doubt that he was a spectacular match-play competitor, amassing a Ryder Cup record of 20-12-5. Only three European players have won more Ryder Cup points: Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie.

(Photo: Seve Ballesteros, center, with nicely dressed people associated with Spain’s Ryder Cup bid.)

Now as Spain’s official bid patron, Ballesteros is once again exerting his influence in the Ryder Cup arena. His homeland hopes to lure the prestigious event to Madrid for the 2018 matches.

“Being a part of this bid is a huge honor for me,” Seve said at a March launch event in Madrid. “I believe Madrid is more than able to organize this magnificent event. I have great memories of the 1997 Ryder Cup in Valderrama and I hope we all see this great competition in Spain in 2018.”

At the event, Ballesteros also unveiled the official Ryder Cup Madrid 2018 logo, which depicts the sport of golf combined with the colors of the Community of Madrid. The campaign tagline is “Todos Juntos, All Together.”

In addition to Spain, other candidates for hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup are France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Sweden.

Ryder Cup Notes

• In terms of turnover (events that change venues), the Ryder Cup is the world’s third-largest sporting event behind the World Cup and Olympics.

• The Ryder Cup is the largest international golf tournament.

• The 2018 matches will be the 42nd event in more than eight decades of competition.

• The 2006 Ryder Cup pumped 240 million euros into the Irish economy.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Brought to you by YourGolfTravel.com and ARMCHAIR GOLF STORE.)

Tom on Tour: Monty Gives Away Same Golf Ball Twice

The media fly. Tom drives. The media sleep in hotels. Tom sleeps in his car. The media sit in the media center. Tom walks the course. It’s the PGA Tour, seen and written differently. Following is an excerpt from Tom’s e-book on the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

By Tom Collins
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

AFTER COLIN MONTGOMERIE, AKA “Monty,” tapped in for his bogey, we were all treated to a nice long wait on the 12th tee. I have no idea why—perhaps all of the players were trying to hit the par-5 in two. The group in front of us hadn’t even teed off yet. Monty walked over to a volunteer and asked if he could sit down in one of their chairs. When he sat down—after making a painful sound—he let out a deep sigh.

“You know, I always wanted to be a marshal.”

The volunteer with the “Quiet” sign just looked at him, as if to say, “Yeah right.”

But Monty sounded nostalgic, like that really was his lifelong wish. A ball fell out of Monty’s pocket, which prompted the young guy next to me to spring into action.

“Monty, you lost a ball.”

“No I didn’t, I just made a bogey.”

“No…out of your pocket.”

“Oh, so I have. Here you are.”

Monty tossed the guy the ball, and then continued to stare at the pond.

I looked over the man’s shoulder, and saw that Monty was playing Pro V1x’s. Perhaps he wasn’t playing Balata balls along with a lot of the other players because he wasn’t exactly the longest on tour. Another man next to us with a beer in his hand—who must’ve been a friend—started chuckling.

“Well, you just got a ball from Colin Montgomerie. Now you can check that off your bucket list. That ball can go right alongside your hole-in-one ball at home.”

“Actually, I don’t even want it. Do you think it would be rude of me to throw this in the water?”

Now I know Monty’s gotten some bad press over the years, but a ball from a player is a ball from a player. I jumped in, if only to change the subject.

“Did you hear Monty say he always wanted to be a marshal?”

“Yeah. What a dickhead comment. That volunteer should’ve beaten him over the head with that ‘Quiet’ sign.”

Monty had sounded sincere, but then again, how ridiculous would that be to have Colin Montgomerie drive up to you on a cart and bark in your face to speed up play? Then he’d REALLY be a jerk. Moments later, Monty stood up to get his driver. Monty asked the caddie for another ball, and the caddie asked where the hell his first ball went.

“Oh, I gave it to that lad over there, in one of my more generous moments.”

The guy who had been the recipient of this generosity—in a jerky move of his own—motioned to Monty.

“Here, you can have it back.” He tossed it to Monty.

“No, please take it. I get them for nothing.” Monty threw it back.

Tom Collins is a former caddie who is following the PGA Tour in 2010. Learn more about his original e-books at TheReluctantJamBoy.com.