I have been at the Senior Open at Sunningdale this week. Framed and on the wall in the pro shop is a precious scorecard a beautiful round of 66 round the Old Course played by Bobby Jones before competing in The Open.
Today in a glass cabinet they also had Bobby Jones famous putter Calamity Jane. Wondrous.
UPDATE 2024: On May 25 2024 Grayson Murray ended his own life. Sincere condolences to his loved ones.
PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray took to twitter on Friday with a description of the mental difficulties he has encountered playing the PGA Tour. 27 year old Grayson won the Barbasol Championship in 2017 and has made $3.68 million in five years on tour but is currently on a medical exemption due to injury.
I won’t call his twitter post a rant. Rather it is an insight into the mental health challenges of young players in professional golf. Grayson is single and travels on tour without a coach.
“I’ve played the last five years on the PGA Tour. A lots of ups and downs, mostly downs. The tour lifestyle is like being the keys to a Ferrari at 22 and being told to go full throttle”.
He talked about the financial strain of mintaining a tour career when you’re not winning every year. He then revealed that he is an alcoholic, on probation by the tour, after an incident in a hotel bar. If there is another incident, apparently, he faces a $20,000 fine.
This is the most stunning,statement. “I’m a f…ing alcoholic who hates everything to do with PGA Tour life”.
He states that he hasn’t been supported by the PGA Tour – in 5 years he’s never had a request acknowledged other than “we will get back to you”. Grayson says they’re more interested in promoting their top players than helping me with my issues”.
He concludes by saying “I hope not only the PGA Tour steps up in areas they need to step up but also hope people are held accountable in their roles”.
The PGA responded with the following statement:
“We can unequivocally say thatthe PGA Tour is a family and when a member of that family needs help we are there for them. That has been the case here and will continue to be”
There was an outpouring of support from the twittersphere, notably from fellow professionals.
Steve Elkington said “it took a lot to write this.The Tour has a massive blind spot, I’d like to help if needed”.
2018 European Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjorn, who I watched playing wonderfully well this week at Sunningdale, has also highlighted the need for support for younger players. He has talked about his own battles with depression in 2003 (after he nearly won The Open) and 2010. He said “I was close to giving up the game.Mental health in young people is something we need to address . Over analysing can lead to negative thoughts.An over active brain is not great for sport.
“I used to blame the game for how I was feeling, you end up hating golf. But this is your life and I found a way to love the game again”. Thomas Bjorn has co-written The Mind Game about mental aspects of the game,
Clearly this is a huge subject affecting professionals from Tiger Woods downwards.
It is right that Grayson spoke out so that we all know, and the Tour can be pressed to do something urgently.
Brilliant Dutch golfer Anne Van Dam had a treat when her sister Helen met her following her the Aramco Team Series London. She flew her home to Holland in the 737 she normally pilots for KLM Airlines.
News this afternoon from the Spanish Golf Federation that Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the Olympic Games Golf event starting on Thursday at Kasumigaseri Country Club after testing positive for Covid. Then news that Bryson Dechambeu has also withdrawn for the same reason. He will be replaced by Patrick Reed.
This is another roller coaster for US Open champion Rahm whoo had tested positive after leading the Memorial tournament in May. He was tested three times after competing in The Open and the third test proved positive. He has also been double vaccinated.
Social media reactions reached into their hundreds quickly. Most of which was negative. For example:
“Something isn’t right with all this” “Test him again!” “These tests aren’t legit”. “It’s fishy, the tests are BS” and so on.
Rahm will be replaced with Jorge Campillo. He issued the following statement.
Wish them both a speedy recovery, should they have symptoms.
Apart from the remarkable fact that he has won two major championships on his debut, here are a few randoms. Collin is a Taylor Made player but he has a Titelist wedge which pays homage to his love of breakfast cereal.
His girlfriend Katherine Zhu was a collegiate golfer at Pepperdine University who understands the game.
“We met in college and just clicked. It’s crazy because I won my first college tournament that next week and we’ve done pretty good since – it’s really fun.
Zhu admitted their relationship is “very competitive” when they hit the course together with Morikawa adding: “Always, we never let each other win.
“I think she beats me on probably 70 per cent of our chipping competitions. It actually makes me a better player. What’s great about her is that we’re always competing.
“To have her around [on the PGA Tour] on off weeks when no one’s around, she can always bring a wedge to the course and we can always do something fun.”
His iron play this week has been stellar, but he says he loves the creativity of hitting shots high, throw a narrow window and making up shots around the greens. A natural linksman, even if oops, in his winner’s speech he forgot it’s balled The Open, and called it the British Open. He’ll learn!
He played TV host Jimmy Kimmell at Super Mario Golf recently
Collin goes to Tokyo as a member of the United States Olympic team.
Here he is leaving the UK on his way back to America with some extra luggage.
Nice tribute from pilots at nearby RAF Manston as two World War II spitfires flew over the course.
Another plane has been circling over the course all week. It’s the aerial cameraman from Sky Spiorts. While some of the overhead shots are good, the plane is so noisy. It has, in particular, been driving the marshalls on the 5th hole mad. Although I think drones are super dangerous near airports, in controlled circucmstances they are effective and would have been better here than the incessant all day noise of the plane.
A week ago, at the Scottish Open, Collin Morikawa was pranked by the European Tour media team, and now he’s leading The Open
After a tumultuous week at The Open, Bryson DeChambeau said this
For the fourth year Women and Girls in Golf Week will return from August 16-22. This will take place at the same time as the AIG Womens Open at Carnoustie. This successful week online aims to promote female participation in golf at all levels. Look out for the #whyigolf hashtag on social media and englandgolf.org/whyigolf. Women will be encouraged to share their stories via videos and Instagram stories.
This year there will be a different focus each day on: careers in golf indistry, volunteering, health and wellbeing, competing, role models, newbies and join the club. The event has huge support from multiple organisations and manufacturers within golf.
Lauren Soray, Women and girls manager at England Golf says:
“Telling stories of women and girls in golf brings their experiences to life and helps destroy negative stereotypes that belong in another era. The sport is far more modern and progressive in its outlook. It’s been great to have so many positive contributions from men in the game who see that golf is a game for everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or ability”.
Fine words, but the words “background” or “circumstances” would have made the sentiment even more complete. Because until golf is available, without question or comeback to someone of any background or circumstance, it will always be perceived by people outside the game as elitist and not for them. These worcs are very important.
While we’re used to galleries of 100,000 a day, 32,000 fans a day have been glad to get in at all, even though its been stop start with the covid and security checks. But there’s definitely been a difference this year.
Very few international broadcast staff and press are here. I saw some from Ashai TV from Japan and Golf Channel in America have about 20 staff. We’re used to fans coming from all over the world, and American supporters in particular. Apart from the players and their 4 person support teams I’ve barely heard an American voice.
Which sort of exposes just how posh Royal St Georges is. The members and their “lady wives” have been visible but generally there have been more posh people here in one place than you would see see in an episode of Made In Chelsea. The voice, which commands authority, has been heard a lot this week. But it is a posh venue, The club was in established in 1887 as an extension of a London’s gentlemans club and it’s only been six years since women members have been allowed. There is a long waiting list for membership, although if you buy a house on the Lord North’s estate, you are awarded restricted playing rights at the club.
Indeed I remember coming down to RSG to watch the final of the Amateur Championship, the year Trevor Immelman was in the final. And I remember sneaking into the clubhouse to use the facilities, because I needed to, and shifting out quickly before a man told me off. I just accepted that that was the way it was.
I notice that the R&A are planning to review all the applications for the 150th Open at St Andrews so that people from every demographic and geographic are represented. Good idea. But this year’s Open has been uniquely English. Within the roars of the excited, passionate, smaller galleries there has been the occasional “Yaaaaaah, go Raaaaaahm”
Though not all the English people present are posh, or abide by dress rules…
golfweloveit 