| TALES FROM THE BOX
From
Jug to Cup What’s in a beard? Has the guard changed? What value experience? Just a few questions that have floated across the mind of Julian Tutt as we say goodbye to the Open Championship and head forth to the Ryder Cup.
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Thomas Bjorn and his splendid whiskers (this page); is Lee Westwood (opposite) deserving of a wildcard pick from Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley? 34
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he beard issue is an intriguing one. To an “old blazer” like myself, beards are redolent of a bygone era, when Edwardian gentry would have a “loader” for their matching pair of Purdeys, as they slaughtered thousands of pheasants in a day, regaled in Norfolk jacket and plus fours, while the ladies lounged in their long, billowing dresses under a sizeable bonnet and handsome parasol. For the young sports stars of today though they are suddenly trendy again, and a badge of office. At The Open Championship at Hoylake they appeared to be spreading like Topsy. The quality of the grooming though seemed to have a significant impact on performance. Poor old Ernie Els was just into the designer-stubble stage when he missed a putt from nine inches on the opening hole and then missed the anger-inspired backhanded flick coming back. Dustin Johnson sports an immaculately manicured creation that looked as though it might get up close and personal with the Claret Jug, but his Sunday efforts were reminiscent of a 1960’s hippy after too good a night out; all that was missing was the flower-power shirt. Marc Leishman (65), Shane Lowry (65) and Thomas Bjorn (67) all had their best rounds on the final day having
clearly gained strength over the week. Lowry’s hirsute growth does a remarkably good job of disguising the Irishman. Weeks before I’d sat opposite him in a hotel bar without recognising him. Bjorn’s splendid whiskers really do bring to mind the 1920s. With crown, orb and sceptre he would be an ideal candidate for Hollywood’s next biopic of King George V. But what may seem like an act of rebellion merely becomes a sign of conformity, a marque of the tribe, a select band of gladiators for which HKGOLFER.COM
entry and membership is a prized possession. I am, of course, merely extremely envious, both because I was never nearly good enough to join the tribe, and because my previous efforts at growing a beard have left me looking like a billy goat with alopecia. Of much greater significance is the question of whether or not the tribal elders have been forced to make way for the young bucks. Sunday at Royal Liverpool was really all about Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia, although the BBC Director couldn’t resist showing every dying ember of Tiger’s ugly slide into oblivion. Okay, I exaggerate for effect, but it was a performance that the “old” Tiger wouldn’t have recognised. It was only last season that he was winning five tournaments on the PGA Tour and anyone writing him off just yet would be either very foolish or perhaps blessed with remarkable foresight. By the time you are reading this he may have won the US PGA Championship but my gut instinct is that, while he may well win more tournaments, his major tally will remain at fourteen. I say this for two reasons. Firstly, it appears that the overwhelming confidence that once suffused his game has gone, a victim of a turbulent few years, and secondly because his driving is of the military variety. When he won at Hoylake in 2006 his long iron play was imperious. He didn’t try to overpower the course, merely go with the flow. This year, McIlroy’s driving was so long and so straight that he simply flew all the hazardous revetted bunkers that so often meant a dropped shot, if found. Jack Nicklaus always reckoned the driver was the most important club in the bag, closely followed by the putter. McIlroy is the same. When his driver is working the game looks very easy indeed and the rest flows like a Mozart symphony building to a dramatic climax. Who knows whether the old guard has handed over the baton just yet? Any of the top veterans are capable of their day in the sun, as Tom Watson continues to prove, but there’s no question we are into an exciting new era. Fowler arrived on the scene with a flourish of trumpets, but for a while was better known for his flashy outfits than for winning golf. According to Butch Harmon, his coach of the past year, having sorted out his marketing the 25-year-old has matured into a serious golfer with serious ambitions. He has absorbed Butch’s instruction remarkably quickly and now looks ready to tackle the likes of McIlroy head on in what could be the riveting rivalry of the next decade. Only a few weeks before The Open, Fowler was involved in a brutal car crash that could easily have been fatal, but he walked away with just a few stitches in his scalp. Such sobering experiences can have a rapid maturing effect! HKGOLFER.COM
Bjorn’s splendid whiskers really do bring to mind the 1920s. With crown, orb and sceptre he would be an ideal candidate for Hollywood’s next biopic of King George V. Hoylake was a tremendous Open, with the likes of Garcia and Fowler making for a gripping last day despite McIlroy’s big lead. It was a shame that we didn’t see McIlroy throw his victorious ball into the galleries at the end, but sadly the BBC Director was too busy showing us shots of the adoring crowd. Am I alone in wanting to see the combatants and their every move and gesture, or is there a huge groundswell of demand for shots of packed stands of applauding punters? There was no question of a Garcia choke this time, although his challenge did end when he very uncharacteristically left his ball in the greenside bunker on the 15th. If there is any justice in this world he will eventually win a major, but then so should Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood. Monty does now have his two senior majors (and well done him) but as Butch Harmon pointed out to him, Nicklaus still considers his major haul to be 18, despite having won a slack handful on the Champions Tour. (In fact, if you check out his website, he claims 20 majors, including his two US Amateur Championships. The Seniors Tour hardly gets a mention). As I write Monty has just finished a very distant second in the British Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl, a mere 13 shots behind Bernhard Langer. The German’s extraordinary, dominating performance led Monty to claim that this would be remembered as one of the greatest displays of golf ever. His comments may have been tinged with a hint of hyperbole in the immediate aftermath of battle, but you get his drift. Tony Jacklin, who was commentating on Sky Television, suggested (with all his invaluable experience as a Ryder Cup captain) that Paul McGinley should give very serious consideration to selecting Langer as a wildcard for this year’s edition at Gleneagles. He feels that Langer’s experience and current form would be a tremendous asset to the team. Personally I reckon they’re all in cloud cuckoo land! With about five weeks to go until the team is selected the top nine are McIlroy, Dubuisson, Donaldson, Stenson, Garcia, Rose, HK GOLFER・AUG 2014
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Ryder Cup captains of past and present: Nick Faldo and Tom Watson
Ryder Cup captains are always quick to point out that they don’t hit a shot and that it’s all down to the players to win their matches, but recent history would suggest other factors matter too. outmanoeuvred by a canny Paul Azinger. Almost for the first time the Americans performed as a team, while the Europeans wallowed in a rudderless ship. Before the competition began, Azinger and the whole US team appeared on a riotous stage at a street party in downtown Louisville, to the delight of the assembled masses. The Americans had become European in outlook and vice versa. Captains do matter, which is why the PGA of America have appointed Tom Watson this time. They’re fed up with losing and want a proven, hard-nosed champion to take the Cup back to America. As things stand now, Mickelson is just outside the top nine automatic places, and Woods is miles away. Presumably Watson will pick Mickelson, but what of Tiger? Nicklaus thinks he must be picked. McGinley says the competition would be better for his presence. Watson havers. It’s no secret that there is no love lost between the two men, the captain having been quite outspoken about Tiger’s behaviour in the past and there are rumours (possibly unfounded) of a greater rift dating back many years. Previously it has often been a team of eleven plus Tiger Woods and his security entourage. Nonetheless, Watson is there to win the Cup and if he thinks Woods will add strength to the team he will surely pick him. The question is, will he think that? Tiger is old guard, sometimes has a beard of sorts, and oozes experience. Would you pick him?
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Kaymer, Bjorn and Donald. If that remains unchanged, McDowell, Poulter and Westwood are the obvious captain’s picks. Beyond them, there’s a case for Stephen Gallacher (a lone Scot on home soil), Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jimenez (a senior who’s only just outside automatic selection) and perhaps even Robert Karlsson who’s coming right back to top form. I’ve always been a great admirer of Langer, and his longevity at the highest level is remarkable, but I’ll wager he’s not even on McGinley’s radar. Assuming they haven’t qualified and they still easily could, I suspect McDowell and Poulter will be automatic choices. Westwood will give McGinley a bigger headache. His Ryder Cup record is outstanding and his experience would be invaluable. However, to beat a strong American side you need men in form. Would Gallacher, or Jimenez or Molinari or Karlsson bring home more points? The captains are always quick to point out that they don’t hit a shot and that it’s all down to the players to win their matches, but recent history would suggest other factors matter too. At Oakland Hills in 2004, the Texan Hal Sutton appeared on the first tee wearing an enormous Stetson, having stated in gungho fashion that he was putting the best two players in the world together to lead his team. Ken Brown and I went to watch the opening skirmishes close up from the clubhouse. Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington walked early onto the tee together, happily chatting away while they practised their putting. Tiger Woods then appeared on his own and walked over to chat to the Europeans. His partner Phil Mickelson pitched up a minute later and studiously ignored everyone. After the best two players in the world were beaten in the morning, Sutton put them out together again in the afternoon in the firm belief they couldn’t possibly lose twice. They did. Sutton just ignored the fact that they were like oil and water. His opposite number Bernhard Langer hardly put a foot wrong throughout the campaign, getting his pairings spot on, which lead to a record win on American soil. Admittedly he was blessed with a strong, in-form team, but then so was Nick Faldo at Valhalla four years later, and he was totally out-thought and 36
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