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The European Tour have called a Press Conference at their Wentworth Headquarters at 1pm on Tuesday 8 about the next Ryder Cup Captain for the match at Whistling Straits, United States in 2020.

It is widely anticipated that three time major champion Padraig Harrington will become European Captain, the only question is when.

Lee Westwood has expressed a preference to captain the team in Europe.

It will be interesting to see which way the decision goes. J P McManus, owner of Adare Manor in Ireland, is close to Harrington. He has invested heavily in upgrading the club in preparation for it to become a Ryder Cup venue and possibly step in if the venue in Rome chosen for 2022 is not ready. He may prefer Harrington to be captain at home.

Harrington is currently sidelined with a broken wrist and will re-start his season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.

Back in October Seve Ballesteros’ nephew Ivan shared this emotional story on LinkedIn.

“I seldom use social media. In fact, I barely post photos from time to time. But this occasion deserves few lines that I would like to share.

5th October 2008, exactly 10 years ago, we were supposed to take a flight that we never took. I still keep that boarding pass. Instead, we ended up in a hospital and Seve was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ryder Cup took place last week. Always fun to watch the great players that represent both teams, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the European Team for another victory. I watched it on tv and it was nice to see how people enjoyed the atmosphere and how Seve was remembered among other great players who have contributed to the growth of this competition. Like all the big sporting events, the Ryder Cup is full of history made by past and present champions.

It is hard for me not to remember Seve during a Ryder Cup week. It is hard for me not to remember Seve almost every day. To me, he was more than a godfather, an uncle, or someone I worked with. He was a mentor from whom I learnt many things. I travelled with him and I worked next to him from 1999 till his last days. I will always be grateful for his trust and for all the experiences and opportunities he gave me. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to show him my gratitude and personally thanked him for all those years and chances he offered me.

1993 was the first time he brought me to the Ryder Cup, The Belfry. Europe lost, and I still have the image of him crying like a kid, alone in his room and with his good friend Costantino Rocca.

In 1995, Seve took me with him on the Concorde and I traveled with the team to New York. I followed his last singles match in Oak Hill against Tom Lehman. He lost, but he lost with tremendous dignity. He played from every single corner of that golf course. Europe won.

Then 1997 at home, Spain, the first time the Ryder Cup took place outside the UK. Seve was the reason why the Ryder Cup left the British Islands for Continental Europe. And on this occasion, he gave me the opportunity of working at such an event.

The K Club, Ireland 2006, was the last time Seve visited the Ryder Cup. On Sunday that week, we were at the club house getting ready to go to the airport. Europe had already won the Cup again and I asked him: “Shall we go and see what is happening before we go to the airport?” We had some time to do so. “No, let’s go” he said. “I have nothing to do there. It’s better if we go home now.”

As we were leaving the club, walking across the parking, Paul McGingley came to him and said: ”Seve!, come with us!, this also belongs to you!”.

“No, no, no Paul, it’s ok. Thank you very much but you guys should go and enjoy it”. Seve replied. Paul McGinley shook hands with Seve and had very nice words for him. I witnessed a very special moment, to me that was the moment Seve said bye to this tournament.

But my thoughts now are more about how fast time goes and the things that can happen in a short period of time.

A day like today, 10 years ago Seve was diagnosed with cancer. A day that, unfortunately, many people experience when a relative or a close friend is given the bad news of a disease that has no cure. It is then a matter of time.

As I said at the beginning, on the 5th October 2008, I was about to travel with Seve to Germany. We were going to present a range of golf products under his name. Instead, it turned into a truly unpleasant day.

I remember every single detail and second of that day. His arrival to Madrid airport, his gesture of concern when I helped him to get into the car because his left leg was not responding, the entrance to the doctor’s office in the emergency room… and the communication of the diagnosis that the nurse gave me at the emergency gate, once the tests were over.

For three hours, I had been sitting in the hospital’s waiting room. Feeling impatient, after a while, I approached a nurse to tell her that we had to leave early to catch that flight to Germany. She looked at me and said: “Your uncle cannot leave today, he has a brain tumor.” I rapidly answered, probably without being conscious of the seriousness of the case. “And does he already know?” I asked. “Yes” she replied. “Can I come over to see him?” “Yes, of course, come with me.” She replied.

It has already been 10 years since that day, and since then, many things have happened.

I live now in Hong Kong, where I moved six years ago. Recently, while doing the groceries in a supermarket here, I found a bottle of an American beverage product with the image and brand of Mr. Arnold Palmer. It was nice to see how his brand and name are protected and proudly presented. At the same time, I felt sad to see what has happened with Seve and two international golf tournaments that were inspired on him. Not only inspired on him but he did put effort and work into them. Tournaments in which many good people and organizations were involved to make them happen from 2000 till 2013.

As people pay tribute to Seve, and remember his relationship with the Ryder Cup, and how much he had contributed to golf in Europe, these two events that were undoubtedly part of his legacy – The Royal Trophy (www.theroyaltrophy.com) and the Seve Trophy – are currently not being held. After several years, nobody has said anything about it, and I feel in the obligation of at least, refreshing people’s mind. Especially today.

I cannot hide my sadness and I must say the European Tour, during the last days of George O’Grady as CEO, acted in a very disappointing manner regarding The Royal Trophy, alluding “fundamental differences of policy with the promoters”. Interesting explanation. That is not exactly what Mr. O’Grady personally said to me on a phone conversation that I still remember extremely well.

Twitter is a powerful tool, I use it sparingly and carefully because people do listen. There was a spoof account, which highlighted the worst things about retailer W H Smith. It was usually about bad carpets and Easter merchandise being displayed before Christmas but I sent them a photograph of something which was clearly not right.

W H Smith has a huge magazine section, part of which was titled MENS INTERESTS. And all three major golf magazines were placed there. So any woman who might want to read about golf to take up the sport for the first time was sent this message. It’s a single sex sport, according to W H Smith.

A couple of months later and I took another photograph which looks like this.Golf is now a GENERAL INTEREST.

We all need to be proactive about the wrong messages being sent out about golf. Now about that Nationwide TV advert…

Ask any non golfer what they remember about golf last year and they will probably recount one of two things. Either about the Ryder Cup – not about the match itself but about the poor spectator who got hit. Or about the picture above. That does get them talking, usually to describe it as an “obscene amount of money”. Remarkably The Match is back for 2019 and for the year after that.

I watched The Match, on November 23rd, right to the bitter end which was 2am London time. “Do get on with it” I complained as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson went on in darkness to the 22nd hole until finally Mickelson won nine million dollars for a match which was scrapily, poorly played and most of all it was boring. The miked up conversation between Tiger and Phil was bland and banal.There was nothing remotely interesting. I was longing to hear something even slightly bitchy, such as what was heard on camera once after they had played together and the players and caddies shook hands and there was a comment “be sure and wash your hands now”.

It was all 15 years too late. If this had been 2003 when both players were at the peak of their powers it would have been fascinating. But now you wanted it to be Rory and Dustin or Jordan or Justin. But it wasnt just about golf. It was all about the gambling, something Mickelson is something of a poster boy for. Apparently over a million subscribers in the United States paid $19.95 to see the pay per view broadcast and all of them got their money back when the streaming failed due to technical glitches. The pay wall was removed and everyone could see The March for free.

It seems that the Thanksgiving Day celebrations will include The Match with Phil and Tiger for the next two years, but probably in a revised format. Looks like they will each choose a younger team mate and play against each other for another nine million dollars, this time to be split between each other.

A golf writer’s young son wrote this essay about The Match for school. It sums it all up.

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Bought the new issue of Golf World today and towards the back was the new ratings for the Top 100 Courses in England.

Starting at Number one, the Old Course at Sunningdale,  I read through the top fifty and I was like an annoying 13 year old in my mind as I ticked off the courses. Been there, played there, seen that, over and over again. By the end of the top fifty there were only six courses that I hadn’t visited St Endoc, Siloth on Solway, Beau Desert, Aldeburgh, West Sussex and Royal Ashdown Forest.

When I considered this it was quite something. It was recognition of how deeply committed I have been to golf, all my life. About 1982 I got hold of a paperback copy the Telegraph Directory of Courses of the British Isles by Donald Steele I became fascinated by it. I wanted to go see these places. And as soon as I was old enough so I did. Whenever there was spare time, off I went. And remarkably, it was all OK. Rarely did anyone say “you can’t do that, you’re female”. Well except that one time, at Royal Cinque Ports when the greenkeeper gave me a ride back to the clubhouse on his tractor after a pompous old army colonel in the halfway hut said “For Godsakes woman what are you doing in here? I can see you are a right pain” Ah, the charmers of the Halford Hewitt match. But apart from that what a joy it has been to see and play and visit the best of the best, it is part of my soul.

It’s unheard of. This year’s Open at Royal Portrush was sold out by last September for all four championship days. The R&A – anticipating a huge influx of spectators for the first playing in Northern Ireland since 1951 – made a decision to make this an all ticket event, nothing on sale at the gates. The downside of this is that the tickets were snapped up very quickly and now the only days available are the Sunday to Wednesday practice days.

Disappointingly it seems that secondary ticket sites like Viagogo and Stubhub have bought up tranches of tickets with them now on re-sale at inflated prices. £80 tickets on sale for over £300. People buying these tickets are likely to be stung twice because the R&A have made it clear that spectators with tickets bought from secondary ticketing websites will be refused entry.

So what to do if you really want to go? Yesterday I received an email from The Open marketing department offering the prize of two season tickets for the winner who sent them the most original video of them celebrating winning The Open.

All very well. Until it dawned on me that I was one of the 15% of golfers who wasn’t actually eligible to enter the competition because by nature it was male only. No woman has ever competed in the Open Championship so how could a female celebrate winning it. The brief was to be as creative as possible. So, I thought, who was the most creative golfer ever to play in The Open? Not Mickelson, not Seve – I summoned on the man’s powers…

What would Maurice Flitcroft do?

See my post “Everyone’s Got To Start Somewhere” (April 2018). He was a master of disguise. Maurice Flitcroft wouldnt let a little thing like being barred by gender stop him, he would video himself on his mobile phone, landscape only please celebrating the winning putt – in drag. So for the 15% of golfers like me that’s your option to try and win tickets this way.

For the sensible, there are a couple of other options to see The Open live. Firstly, join The One Club and apply on the waiting lists. Or if you are inclined there are volunteering opportunities with Volunteer Now, from Tourism Northern Ireland – apply now on tourismni.com.

Let’s hope the R&A reconsider and go back to selling tickets on the gate next year, to make the championship open again, and most of all let’s not see a ballot system like the All England Club have in place for the tennis championships at Wimbledon.

Here’s my own copy of the big tome of the new Rules of Golf, which I have read. Unlike Rory McIlroy, who says “I don’t know many,  that that’s why the  Rules Officials are here”.

But Bryson de Chambeau has been out practice putting with the flagstick left in the cup even for 1 footers. Interesting that amongst professionals at this week’s Tournament of Champions in Kapalua in Hawaii quite a few admit that they are not sure what’s in the new rules and they will have to learn, They’re professionals – in any other job you would be expected to read and abide by the staff handbook – Guess that these days they think that updating their Instagram accounts is more important to their job. So the PGA Tour have put up a poster in the locker room, for those with a low attention span.

H Here’s a summary of the main rules. This overhaul is long overdue to speed up and modernise the game to make the rules simpler and less petty.

There are lots of the new rules that I find more agreeable, Rule 19.3 where, for a 2 stroke penalty, you can get relief from an unplayable lie in a bunker. 16.3 which allows a drop within a club length of an embedded ball. And most of all changing the daft old rule that when a ball was hit out of bounds back to the tee you had to go. Players are now allowed to drop near, but not closer to the hole, where the original ball came to rest, within bounds for 2 shots. Rule 13.1c allows the repair of spike marks at long last, but not aereation holes.

The rules deal with some drama on the course. I remember watching this on TV at the 1985 US Open when TC Chen took a sand wedge off the green and did this.

The new rules acknowledge that a double hit is nearly always accidental and there is now no extra penalty.

Also, those who break a club in anger or for any other reason, can play on with that club and not have to play with another club instead. For example a punished putter replaced with a 1 iron now the angry player can continue with the mangled club. All in the spirit of speeding up play.

It will be interesting to see on a professional level what happens when rules officials get called in to decide about players accidentally causing the ball to move, which now does not attract a penalty as long as the ball is returned to the original spot. There is a world of difference between what Dustin Johnson did in the 2016 US Open, who was just away with the fairies in my opinion

and what Mickelson did in the 2018 US Open, which he referred to using the rules to my advantage…This is not what the rules were intended for to be used to make a point to the USGA about the condition of a championship course and to bring a dramatic climax to a personal 25 year battle to win the US Open. he failed so he stuck it to them.

With a dramatic birdie on his final hole at East Lake Justin Rose tied for 4th and pulled off winning the season finale FedEx Cup and a $10 million pay day. After a struggling back nine where he dropped three shots, it all boiled down to 18.Justin said he had been waiting for a break all day and made the swing of the week off the tee. He narrowly escaped the top of the bunker and got onto the green with his second shot. He said that he clicked back into gear and knew what he needed to do in the nick of time..

Justin reflected on his bumper year when he also became World Number One as mikestone achievements enich rewarded his consistency, as something to take huge pride in. Woods could have also won the FedEx Cup if the birdie had not gone in, and that would have given the US team huge momentum going into this week’s Ryder Cup. Instead, honours even.

He said “I’m sure ai’m not going to be the most popular guy for making birdie at the last but hey, Tiger’s got enough money”.