Golf Fix: 100th South African Open

IF YOU’RE A GOLF nut who can’t get enough golf on the tube, my tip is the 100th playing of the South African Open, this week’s event on the European Tour and Sunshine Tour. (The PGA and LPGA tours, of course, are idle. The Asian Tour is playing its season finale, the Black Mountain Masters, which is televised throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.)

Played at Durban Country Club, the South African Open field includes South African golf stars Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman and Louis Oosthizen, the current British Open champion. Thursday’s first round was delayed by heavy rain and will resume on Friday.

Dating back to 1903, the South African Open is one of the world’s oldest golf championships. (The oldest, of course, is the British Open, or The Open Championship, as non-Yanks call it.) Gary Player has won his homeland’s tournament 13 times. Player’s first victory came in 1956, the last in 1981. Fellow South African Bobby Locke won nine times from 1935 to 1955. Els has four South African Open titles. Goosen, Immelman and Clark have two wins apiece.

Els assessed his year and chance this week in his online diary.

“I came out of the blocks pretty fast and won twice in March during the Florida swing,” Ernie wrote, “but after the US Open my game went off the boil and it’s been a struggle to get things back on track. But, as I’ve said in my last few updates, during the last month or so there have been signs that the hard work I’ve put in has started to pay off. If I can roll the ball well on the greens this week, then I can finish the year on a high note and hopefully win my fifth national championship.”

2010 South African Open TV Schedule

All U.S. TV coverage is on Golf Channel.

Friday, 12/17
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET

Saturday, 12/18
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET

Sunday, 12/19
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Harry Lime/Flickr)

Whiskers Predicts Tiger’s Return

THERE AREN’T MANY Tiger Woods fans who are more devoted than Whiskers. In fact, it’s fair to say that Whiskers is the most extreme case of Tiger worship. It’s a simple explanation. Whiskers always watches golf when Tiger is playing. And, as ARMCHAIR GOLF has learned in prior interviews, Whiskers never watches golf when Tiger isn’t playing. Not even the Ryder Cup.

With the revelations about Tiger and his indefinite leave from the game, it was a long and disturbing off-season for Whiskers. In a recent telephone interview with ARMCHAIR GOLF, Whiskers answered questions about Tiger’s return to the game. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well. 



Q: What did you think about Johnny Miller’s recent comments on Tiger?

WHISKERS: Meow meow meow meow meow. 

Q: Well then, who do you listen to?

WHISKERS: Meow. 

Q: Fair enough. Let me ask you the question that’s on everyone’s mind. When do you think Tiger will return to golf?

WHISKERS: Meow meow meow. 

Q: No, that won’t happen. The Accenture Match Play is this week. Tiger’s not entered, although he did play in it last year. He lost to Tim Clark.

WHISKERS: Meow. 

Q: Phoenix?

WHISKERS: Meow. 

Q: Well, that’s next week, and Tiger hasn’t played there since 2001. Maybe another try?

WHISKERS: Meow meow. 

Q: Um, sorry, Whiskers, but I really don’t think he’ll be at the Honda Classic either.

WHISKERS: Meow meow meow meow, meow meow? 

Q: Yes, you’re absolutely right. I did ask you for your prediction, it’s just …

WHISKERS: Meow meow meow meow. 

Q: The Puerto Rico Open! Are you just reading down the list of tour events? Whiskers? Hello? 

−The Armchair Golfer

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

(Image: Lauryn/Flickr)

Tom on Tour: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

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 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

By Tom Collins
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

(Note: Last week at the Northern Trust Open Tom added a “Tim Clark’s Posse” t-shirt to his wardrobe. The following occurred on Sunday at Pebble.)

OUT OF NOWHERE, a girl with blonde hair and sunglasses approached me from the right.
“So you’re a member of Tim Clark’s Posse?”

“Yeah. I was at Riviera last week, and I met this guy Billy—”

“Yeah, Billy! He sent me a picture with his little girl standing next to Tim’s bag. It was so cute. Oh, I’m sorry…I’m Candace, Tim’s wife.”

“Oh, wow. Really nice to meet you. I’m Tom.” We shook hands.

“I love that you’re wearing that shirt. You’re the first person I’ve seen with it on this year. I need to get a picture of us together. Um, excuse me, sir?”

The volunteer in front of us turned, confused.

“Yeah?”

“Could you take a picture of us?”

“Well…I don’t know…I don’t really want that camera taken away from you…or me to be kicked out.”

“Oh, well don’t worry about it. Come on, Tom. Um…oh! I see another member of the posse over there. He won’t care.”

She introduced me to a guy standing near us named Gabe, who also had a PGA Tour lanyard on. After the photo, we walked up to the green together. I gave her my card.

“Hey, do you think you could e-mail me that photo? I promise not to spam you.”

“Oh, no problem.”

“So you’re headed to the Accenture next week?”

“Yep. And depending on how far Tim gets, we may or may not be headed to Phoenix.”

“Anything I should know about Tucson or Phoenix before I go?”

“Um…well, the weather is just like this, but it really does get cold at night, so bring a jacket. And people in Phoenix party hard.”

“Yeah…I promised myself that for just one of the days in Phoenix, I’d park myself in the grandstand on 16 and drink all day.”

“Definitely go for it. You and 50,000 others will be doing the same thing.”

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