This brilliant photograph shows the triumphant Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team the last time the matches were played on home soil at Nairn. Wishing the 2016 team play well and win the cup back at Dun Laoghaire, south of Dunlin Friday to Sunday this week. athe for at is 3 Foursomes, 3 Fourballs for the first two days and the 8 singles on Sunday.
Muhammad Ali apparently played golf only once. It was 1973, and Ali had just returned from a boxing training run on the Stardust Country Club golf course. A pro at the time, Brad Wilson, asked if he could take some photos of Ali swinging a club on the driving range.
Ali agreed.
“When Wilson handed Ali an 8-iron, the champ asked, ‘How ya hold this thing?'” “After putting Ali’s hands on the club in a baseball grip, the next question was, ‘What do I do now?'”
At Wilson’s encouragement, Ali took a swing and hit the ball 140 yards down the middle. He turned to his trainer, Angelo Dundee.
“Ali crowed, ‘How ’bout that Angie! You didn’t know I was a champion golfer, did you?’ Wilson actually felt that despite the unorthodox look, Ali’s swing had some desirable elements: good shoulder turn, flexed knees, led the downswing with hips and legs, right elbow close to the side, head down, right shoulder lower than the left, and eyes remain fixed on the ball.”
Ali hit a second ball down the range, and was impressed by his success.
“‘Look at that ball go! Nobody can knock the ball that far. Nobody but me, the great, the one and only Muhammad Ali!'” he yelled… “A crowd of people started gathering to watch, and that just fueled Ali’s stage presence.
“He suddenly jumped away from the ball at one point and raised both hands into the air and crowed, ‘Muhammad Ali is the world’s greatest golfer! Nobody can beat Muhammad Ali! Not Arnold Palmer, not Jack Nicklaus, not nobody. I’m gonna make ’em look bad, predict the score, how bad I’m gonna beat ’em, everything — just like I do in boxing!'”
So yesterday on Radio 5 Live we were treated to Peter Alliss in full flow. He spoke out again about the Muirfield not allowing women to become members. “If somebody wants to join Muirfield, you’d better get married to a member”.
“I may want to join the Womens Voluntary Service but unless I have a few bits and pieces nipped away on my body I’m not going to be able to get in’.
He then cited a conversation he had had with Muirfield wives a few years ago “Good Lord we dont want to be members. If we joined our husbands they would have to pay thousands of pounds for our entry fee and subscriptions. We can come and play and do what we want for nothing”.
Then, most tellingly, he articulated the root of the problem.
“I believe golf clubs were formed years ago by people of like spirit, doctors, lawyers, accountants to talk amongst each other and do whatever”.
In April he said “the fight for womens rights in golf has caused mayhem. It has buggered up the game for a lot of people. I’m told the Ladies Golf Union has lost 150,000 members since equality came in. Hundreds of women left when they were forced to go from paying half fare to full fare”.
Perhaps so. The Ladies Golf Union, which was no longer financially sustainable will merge with the mens R&A soon. With great change there will be birth pains, and those who do not want this change will head to the enclaves where golf continues as it did in the 1950s, but these clubs will become fewer and fewer and will eventually die out altogether. Not yet, but maybe in another fifty years.
What Peter Alliss is saying is that golf was just the means to bring together like minded people i.e. of the same social class into these clubs, to be together it was never about the sport itself. And the sport itself has suffered because of it, in terms of image and perception. Peter does long to retain golf the way it has always been, to keep the charm for those lucky enough to be socially acceptable to belong.
But in truth saying that equality for women has buggered things up for a lot of people means that people dont want to accept fairness. And in 2016 this does beggar belief. How long ago did this country have the suffragettes crying votes for women? Over a hundred years ago. It is embarassing to younger people who love golf that we’re in this position now.
Fifty six European tour players teed up at Walton Heath on Monday for the USGA’s sectional qualifier for the United States Open Championship at Oakmont in two weeks time.
The thirteen spots available to play in the championship were awarded to
Gregory Bourdy 67,68
Mikael Lundberg 68,69
Lee Slattery 69,69
Gary Stal 73,67
Alex Noren 69,71
Matthew Baldwin 70,70
Andrew Johnstone 68,72
Matteo Mannasero 72,69
Peter Hanson 71,70
Max Kieffer 73,69
Soren Hansen 67,75
Sebastian Soderberg 73,70
One of the Muirfield members, aged 81, who voted against the introduction of women members to their club has told The Scotsman “it wasn’t just about the women, we did not want the media telling us what to do”.
That said, the Captain of the club has called for an extraordinary committee meeting tomorrow to discuss the fallout from the decision, not least the massive loss of £45 million revenue to the local community following the R and A’s decision to withdraw the club from the Open rota. Gullane and neighbouring The Renaissance are interested in replacing Muirfield.
Rory McIlroy has spoken out on the decision “I think it is bad for golf’s image. We are trying to break out of this stuffy old image and move with the times. We’re trying to do things to make golf faster, cooler and to include more people. It’s not right to host a major at a place that does not allow women”.
To this the club member retorted that he plays in The Masters at Augusta National which only has two female members..
The Royal and Ancient have said about Royal Troon, which is also going through a consultation process on the subject, while still hosting this year’s championship, that “we must give them time and space to carry out their review. They are aware of the R and A’s views and the consequences of a vote against allowing women members”.They also confirmed that there was no decision not to include the Trump Turnberry on the rota.
Royal Troon only require a 50% vote and have 38 members under the age of 30. Scottish Golf, the national body for the amateur game in Scotland, have said they are looking to move all their tournaments away from male only clubs.
Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett have both spoken out about their fears about the zika virus in Brazil which may overshadow their participation in this summer’s Olympic golf event.
On Friday over a hundred scientists signed a letter to the World Health Organisation urging it to exert pressure on the Olympic authorities to postpone or move the games from Rio de Janiero.
Rory said that although he was thrilled to be competing for Ireland, he had been reading a lot of reports and “it might be worse than they’re saying and I’m monitoring the situation”.
Dann Willett said that as it stands at the minute everything should be OK for him to compete for England but if there was a subatantial risk to his wofe and infant son he would withdraw.
Currently Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Vijay Singh have withdrawn citing the health threat as the readon, Louis Oosthuisen and Charl Schwartzel will also not be competing.
Now looks likely to happen at The Open at Royal Troon. He has withdrawn from this week’s Memorial Tournament and is doubtful for the US Open at Oakmont.
He has just received $2.5 million from one of his sponsors, Muscle Pharm, who have terminated his contract early.
Final qualifying for non exempt players takes place at Walton Heath today. Those Europeans already exempt are:
Ben An, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Daniel Berger, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Paul Casey, Darren Clarke. Jamie Donaldson, Matt Fitzpatick, Sergio Garcia, Branden Gracen Retief Goosen, Tongchai Jaidee, Martin Kaymer, Soren Kjeldsen, Russell Knox, Anribarn Lahiri, Shane Lowry. Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Andy Sullivan, Jaco Van Zyl, Berndt Weisburger, Danny Willett, Chris Wood.
Danny Willett said after the presentation by Chief Executive Keith Pelley
“the tour is like a massive family so to be recognised like this is very special. It’s not just winning The Masters it’s everything that goes with it. It’s a great honour to receive this”.
A great win for Chris Wood who came from 3 shots behind overnight to score a final round outward nine of 29 including 4 birdies and an eagle at the 4th. He had a wave of momentum driving him through an up and down back nine which caused him to play the 18th hole conservatively, laying up with two wedges to secure the win.
The tournament itself lacked the big names after Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose pulled out. Five years ago seven of the top ten in the world played, this year there was only one. The mention by European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley last November that this was no longer the tour’s flagship event seems to have had an impact, although sponsors BMW have assured the future of the event. It now seems that it’s all about Dubai.
Against the background of the dispute over Wentworth Club – talks are still ongoing about its future – and the Residents Committee asking the European Tour for £300,000 for use of the roads on the estate last week – the tour offered £100,000, whether the championship will stay at Wentworth is debatable. Former Chairman of the European Tour Board of Directors Neil Coles, the only European to win on tour in six different decades, has had his honorary membership of Wentworth Club rescinded. As has former European Tour Chief Executive Ken Schofield.It may not be long before the European Tour decants from its headquarters there.
Chief Executive Keith Pelley has said
“a sweeping change is coming to the European Tour in the next couple of years”.
He says that the tour will be transformed by 2018. He wants more playing opportunities, more tournaments over €7 million and with “players first”, a travel friendlier schedule.
As a championship host at Wentworth last week, I had a sad feeling that it could well be the last time the event is held at Wentworth. I hope I’m wrong.
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