HKGolfer
HK Golfer Local Scene: HK Seniors Amateur Close, Tiffany Chan Interview, LCS Championship
7+( 2)),&,$/ 38%/,&$7,21 2) 7+( +21* .21* *2/) $662&,$7,21 ISSUE 53
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JUNE 2011
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Melbourne's Sandbelt Ernie Els Interview David Cannon
Seve The Life of a Legend DISPLAY UNTIL JULY 15
US OPEN PREVIEW SPECIAL
contents
HK Golfer
Issue 53
June 2011
30 On the Cover:
Seve Ballesteros in full flight during the second round of the 1988 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Features
Plus…
24 | Remembering Seve
17 | The Aviator's Choice
The cover story, HK Golfer recalls the brilliance of Seve Ballesteros, the most charismatic and arguably most influential European golfer of all time. By Lewine Mair
30 | Life Behind the Lens
HK Golfer talks to David Cannon of Getty Images, one of the most experienced and highly regarded photographers in the history of the game. By Alex Jenkins
46 | Q&A: Tiffany Chan
Hong Kong's standout female golfer, still only 17, talks about the state of her game and her future goals. By David Cunningham III
50 | US Open Preview
Congressional Golf Club will present a daunting test when the best golfers in the world arrive for the second major of the year this month. By The Editors
54 | "Oor Wullie"
Our resident historian chronicles the life of Scotland's Willie Anderson, probably the best US Open player of them all. By Dr Milton Wayne
58 | Top 10 US Opens
An in-depth look at most memorable editions of America's national championship. By Mak Lok-lin
66 | Sandbelt Splendour
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There's no doubt Melbourne's Sandbelt region is home to at least a dozen world-class courses. We check out a select few. By Paul Myers
Originally made for pilots of the legendary spy plane, the masculine U-2 watch from Bremont enhances the English brand's credentials as an aviation specialist. By Ariel Adams
20 | Liquid Assets
The Yarra and Barossa Valleys are especially well suited to wine tourism – but if you can't be there in person, these new offerings from Watson's Wine Cellar can now be enjoyed in Hong Kong. By Robin Lynam
22 | Money Matters
A look into how setting up a trust structure can remove the need for a Will – and all the lengthy and expensive administration that comes with one. By Howard Bilton
72 | Making an Impression
Lee Westwood underlined his status as the best golfer on the planet with a brilliant final-day charge to claim his first Ballantine's Championship. By the Editors
76 | Q&A: Ernie Els
The South African, a three-time major winner, talks about the importance of decision-making in golf. By The Editors
78 | Global Tournament News
Reports on the latest professional golf news and world rankings. By The Editors
84 | Final Shot: David Graham
An interview with the outspoken Australian, a two-time major champion. By Paul Prendergast HKGOLFER.COM
HK Golfer
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION JUN 2011 • Issue 53
Editor: Alex Jenkins email: alex.jenkins@hkgolfer.com Editorial Assistant: Cindy Kwok Playing Editor: Jean Van de Velde Photo Editor: Daniel Wong Contributing Editors: Lewine Mair, Ariel Adams, Robin Lynam, Evan Rast Published by:
TIMES INTERNATIONAL CREATION
66 DE PA R T M E N T S 08
HK Golfer Mailbag
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Local Focus
12
China Focus
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Global Focus
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From the President
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Seniors Close
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Hong Kong News
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Social Scene
HK GOLFER is published by Times International Creation, 20/F, 28 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. HK GOLFER is published bi-monthly © 2011 by Times International Creation. Published in Hong Kong. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. PRINTED IN HONG KONG. 6
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HK Golfer Mailbag Why Baker-Finch?
I picked up an old copy of HK Golfer the other day and couldn't believe that Mak Loklin had chosen Ian Baker-Finch as one of the top ten worst major winners (Top 10 One Major Wonders, October 2010). From where I'm from, IBF is a legend, one of Australia's finest ever golfers. I'm still in shock. What does Mak have to say for himself? Disgruntled Aussie Sai Kung
Pining for Augusta
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Faye Glasgow's experience at this year's Masters Tournament in the latest issue [My Masters, May 2011]. Like every other golf fan I would truly love to visit Augusta one day to watch the championship – or better yet, actually play Dr Alister MacKenzie's masterpiece. Certainly, the chance would be a fine thing. At any rate, it was very interesting to learn that it is legal to buy tickets – or as Glasgow correctly points out, buy "badges"– from scalpers, as long as the transaction takes place a certain distance from the venue. While this isn't exactly an ideal scenario, it does at least suggest that the "hottest tickets in sports" can be procured by those – like me – who would be willing to shell out a pretty penny for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although I'm a Edinburgh University graduate, the Masters is for me the best tournament anywhere (with apologies to the Open Championship) and I wholeheartedly agree with Glasgow's summation: all golf fans have to go to Augusta at least once. Dr Terry Luk Pokfulam
Editor’s reply: When Mak's copy arrived in my inbox I was similarly surprised, DA. I remember how brilliantly IBF played en route to claiming the Open in 1991. But please note that Mak wasn't actually listing the worst major winners – rather, he was referring to those golfers who had failed to go on and achieve more after claiming their first (and only) major title. I don't think anyone can disagree that Baker-Finch struggled to reach anywhere near the same heights as that memorable day at Birkdale. Anyway, it's good to see that he has resumed playing again, albeit on a limited basis, with a recent showing on the Champions Tour.
Live Golf News @ www.hkgolfer.com The HK Golfer website www.hkgolfer.com now features live daily news stories from around the golfing world. Log in and find out the latest tournament results from the PGA, European and LPGA Tours along with web-exclusive feature news and reviews.
Editor’s reply: Don't waste your time with scalpers, Terry. While it is certainly true that Masters badges are obtainable through a number of different sources, by far and away the best route to go down is to travel with HK Golfer. That's right! We have teamed up with a respected international sports tour operator and will be arranging a trip to the Masters in 2012, which will include accommodation, transfers, entertainment and, of course, those precious Masters badges. Write to masters@hkgolfer.com for more details.
We Want to Hear from You! Have something to say about an article in HK Golfer or a topic affecting golf in our area? Send your thoughts and comments to letters@hkgolfer.com. Please also include your address, contact number, email and HKGA #. The winner of the best letter will receive a bottle of Champagne Louis Roederer courtesy of Links Concept.
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Local Focus Hong Kong Senior Showdown This year's MacGregor Hong Kong Seniors Amateur Close Championship – a threeround event open to local residents aged 55 and over – produced a littleknown winner in Chu Koon-ching. Chu (left) had carved out a narrow one-stroke lead over Terry Collins (centre) heading into the final round and showed tremendous determination by firing a solid 73 over the scenic Clearwater Bay course to take the title. Hong Kong Golf Club member Tony Taylor (right), who finished second overall, carded the round of the week – a 71 – on the final day. Collins, the Hong Kong Seniors team captain, had to settle for third place, although he did have the consolation of claiming the 60-64 age division honours. – AJ Photo by Daniel Wong
China Focus Great Tour of China Former Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur champion Porani Chutichai has been the talk of the China LPGA Tour following backto-back wins on the fledgling professional circuit. The 25-yearold Thai star, pictured here in a promotional stunt at the Great Wall, followed up an eight-stroke victory in April's Yangzhou Golf Challenge by cruising to her second title in as many months at the Renji Golf Club in Beijing. Petite Porani, who stands five-feet one in her softspikes and originally hails from Chiang Rai, won the 2005 Ladies Amateur at the Hong Kong Golf Club, a year after finishing second to compatriot Nontaya Srisawang. – AJ Photo by Wang Shu/CLPGA
Global Focus Jumping For Choi Korea's KJ Choi became the first Asian player to win the PLAYERS Championship – considered golf's "fifth major" – following a sudden-death play-off victory over David Toms in mid May. Choi made a three-foot putt for par on the famous waterlaced seventeenth hole at TPC Sawgrass to seal the victory after Toms missed a short putt of his own. It was Choi's first win on the PGA Tour in over three years. The win netted the Korean over US$1 million and boosted his world ranking to fifteen. Toms earned redemption of sorts by claiming victory the following week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Texas. The win also secures his place in this month's US Open. – AJ Photo by AFP
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TEE TIME
The Aviator's Choice
Originally made for pilots of the legendary spy plane, the masculine U-2 watch from Bremont enhances the English brand's credentials as an aviation specialist, writes Ariel Adams CONTINUED OVERLEAF HKGOLFER.COM
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S
py planes are one of the sexiest things you never see. Soaring high above the clouds, manned aircraft, despite the now widespread use of 'drones', are still regularly used for information gathering missions. These jets come mostly from the Cold War era, and those still used today have been continually updated with the latest technology. One of the best examples of these is the famous U-2. First flown in 1955, the U-2 was designed to be flown at extremely high altitudes – around 70,000 feet on average, double the height of regular commercial aircraft. With a very long wingspan, pilots nicknamed it the “Dragon Lady” as it was a fight to fly at low altitudes but became vastly more nimble the higher they got. The U-2 is still very much in service and is flown by carefully selected pilots from an elite squadron. These pilots reply on extremely precise and highly engineered instrumentation to not only do their jobs but also to survive. It goes without saying that most pilots are serious watch guys. Recently, English watch brand Bremont released a collection in honour of the U-2 plane and the people who fly it. The collection includes two attractive standard models, a limited edition version, and a special limited edition version made exclusively available to members of the U-2 squadron. The latter set of pieces were actually made upon the U-2 pilots' request. After learning about Bremont's rich aviation history (the brand was formed by two former aviators), the pilots contacted the brand about the creation of a U-2 specific watch. Bremont eagerly accepted the challenge and, according to Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Cruz, Commander of the Ninth Operations Support Squadron, who was heavily involved in the U-2 watch's creation, the design process took more than a year. Together, they decided to build on the design of the Bremont Martin Baker watch – the case of which was designed to protect against extreme shock and g-forces. It was probably the most durable case the brand has ever made. At 43mm wide, the Martin Baker case and concept would serve as a suitable platform for the watch meant for U-2 pilots. It was already very durable and blended in flawlessly with the equipment and gauges the pilots were used to working with. Cruz indicated to Bremont that unlike 18
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previous timepieces made by other brands for the squadron, they wanted a watch that was mechanical and had the look and feel of the U-2 plane itself. If there is just one compliment you could offer to the Bremont U-2 watch it would be that the timepiece really does feel like an extension of the plane itself. A large part of this fact – in addition to the instrument gaugelike dial with U-2 branding – is the black case. Bremont uses an ultra-hard black DLC (diamond like carbon) coating on all but one of its versions of the U-2 watch. The result is an undeniably stealthy and military look that helps the watch feel like a piece of aviation equipment, much more so that the majority of other pilot watches out there. For shock resistance the U-2 watch case uses Bremont's Trip-Tick construction. The case can also be chosen in styles with or without a solid case back. An open case back allows for a view of the automatic movement, while a solid case back provides the watch with an incredibly high level of antimagnetic protection. Around the dial is an internal bi-directional rotating bezel – which is probably one of the best on the market as it uses Bremont's exceptional RotoClick technology. Inside the watch Bremont uses their decorated caliber BE-36AE automatic movement with a custom rotor. The base Swiss ETA movement provides the time with day and date, and is further enhanced by having a COSC Chronometer certificate ensuring accuracy. Out of the four U-2 models the most special is of course the Squadron Edition model offered only to U-2 pilots. It is very similar to the publicly available limited edition piece save for the presence of the special red crosses that are also present on the plane itself. These two pieces have “U-2” on the dial as well as a silhouette image of the plane. The standard models have cleaner dials and offer elegant designs that are purely instrumental in theme. While simple, the layout of the dial is very handsome and is a testament to Bremont’s good taste and poise. This model has a slightly different seconds hand and is available with or without the black DLC coating over the hardened steel case. The watches all come on soft calf leather straps as well as NATO-style military straps. Eye-pleasing, masculine, legible and durable, the U-2 watches encompass not only everything you want in a solid sports watch but also honours one of the most interesting spy planes every built as well as the brave pilots who operate them. Prices range from HK$31,700 for the U-2 in brushed stainless steel, HK$36,800 for the black DLC-coated model and HK$39,000 for the limited edition version. www.bremont.com HKGOLFER.COM
Stealthy and Stylish: the black DLC-coated version of the Bremont U-2 (far left) is priced at HK$36,800; the brushed stainless steel model (below) is priced at HK$31,700
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LIQUID ASSETS
Australian Rules
The Yarra and Barossa Valleys are especially well suited to wine tourism – but if you can’t be there in person, these offerings from Watson's Wine Cellar can now be enjoyed in Hong Kong, writes Robin Lynam
T
he Barossa and Yarra Valleys are two of the most important regions in Australia for the production of high quality wines, and both have a history of viticulture that dates back more than 150 years. Vines were first planted in the Yarra Valley in Victoria in the 1830s, and in the Barossa Valley in South Australia in the 1840s, but production in the Yarra entered a hiatus period in the 1920s before recommencing in the late 1960s. The Barossa Valley, by contrast, has produced wine continuously since the arrival of around 500 families of German refugees from Silesia in 1841. The Barossa was the cradle of the style of Australian Shiraz that has come to define the international perception of how Australian red wines typically taste, and remains a major producer in that and other styles. The best way to taste the wines from either region is on location. The Yarra and the Barossa are scenically lovely, well set up for wine tourism, and conveniently accessible from major Australian cities – Adelaide for the Barosssa and Melbourne for the Yarra. The next best way, though, is in the convivial surroundings of the HK Golfer office where a dedicated tasting team – slightly reduced from its normal number thanks to a pesky virus that indisposed senior management – pulled the corks on some recent additions to the Watson’s Wine Cellar list. The first glass of the evening was also the only white – the Rizza Riesling 2010 from Kaesler, one of the older Barossa estates, established in 1893, at HK$118 per bottle. Thanks to the region’s transplanted German heritage, there is a strong tradition of Riesling production in the Barossa, but I can’t say I’ve tasted many wines that really suggest that the region suits the grape. This sadly was not an exception. Insipidly sweet and one dimensional with an alcoholic content of eight and a half per cent, this had neither the richness of a seriously sweet Riesling dessert wine, nor the refreshing just off dry fruitiness of more modern German and New World Riesling styles. It might have been more palatable a few degrees colder, but really this seemed to be a party wine for the kind of party teenagers go to. On to the reds. The next three wines were also from Kaesler and the 2007 Old Vine Shiraz seemed to be a respectable but unremarkable South Australian Shiraz, although it did develop somewhat with exposure to air. Quite an alcoholically strong wine at a shade over fifteen per cent by volume, the palate was tannic and dominated by black fruit, and the wine still seemed relatively closed. It might well improve with keeping. 20
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The Stonehorse 2008 – a blend of Shiraz, Grenache a nd Mour ved re (wit h Sh ira z dominating) at a hefty sixteen per cent alcohol by volume – offered some spicy overtones and a bit of chocolate, and seemed to be reasonable value for an unpretentious easy drinking wine at HK$138. The final Kaesler wine, the Bogan Shiraz 2007, made from old vines and matured in French and American oak, is a little more of an investment at HK$318. It was in my mind too young to drink, but certainly has longer term cellaring potential. For the last two wines we switched to the Yarra Valley and things immediately began to look up. Prices also rose. Both were unpretentiously labeled as “Dry Red Wine” but the unassuming labels belied a couple of exceptional wines, with a distinguished history. Dry Red Wines Nos 1 & 2 were flagships for the resurgence of wine making in the region, and were first produced by Yarra Yering’s founder Dr Bailey Carrodus, in 1973. Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No 2 2006, fourteen and a half per cent alcohol by volume, has 99 points from Robert Parker and 94 from Australia’s James Halliday, and were immediately in another league to the Barossa vintages. A blended wine, this is still basically a Shiraz with just a touch of Viognier and Marsanne added. Watson’s have it for HK$498. Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No 1 2006, priced at $488 was opened a little earlier than the others and decanted, and by the time we got to it, seemed to have dissipated a bit. A Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Malbec, Petit Verdot blend with a touch less alcohol, it suffered slightly by comparison with Dry Red No 2, but remained a complex and satisfying wine. Definitely one to revisit. All Australian wine is at its most enjoyable drunk in Australia, but if for whatever reason you can’t go there a glass or two of Yarra Yering Red isn’t a bad means of consolation at all. There are great Barossa wines as well of course, but sadly not below the HK$400 mark. HKGOLFER.COM
MONEY MATTERS
Where There is a Will...
...there may not be a way. Howard Bilton explains how setting up a trust structure can remove the need for a Will – and all the lengthy and expensive administration that comes with one
I
t seems it is loony season in the courts of the United Kingdom ... again. A recent decision would seem to suggest that the UK is moving towards a civil law-type system which removes the right of individuals to decide who benefits from their estate on their death. Until now an individual could leave their property to whomever they wished without interference from the courts. It seems this is no longer the case. In countries which apply civil or Sharia law the state largely dictates what must happen to a person’s wealth after their death. Such laws can be generically described as “forced heirship legislation”. Provisions vary from country to country but in most civil law jurisdictions one third of the total estate must go to the surviving spouse, one third must be equally divided between children and a testator can do what he wishes with the remaining one third. Under Sharia law (applicable in most Muslim countries) there are even greater restrictions. The majority of each estate has to be divided into fixed shares amongst surviving relatives. Very little flexibility is allowed and there is very little scope for leaving bequests to non-relatives. Sons are favoured and must receive twice as much as daughters. Spouses are rarely considered. These laws would apply not only to residents and nationals of those countries but also to assets located in same – so beware if you have investments in countries which apply Sharia or civil law. In a recent case in the UK, a Mrs Melita Jackson left the vast majority of her estate to a group of charities and specifically excluded her daughter Heather from benefit. Alongside her Will Mrs. Jackson wrote a letter to her executors which explained her attitude to her estranged daughter fulsomely: I have made no provision in my Will for my only child and daughter, Heather Ilott, for the reasons stated below. My daughter left me on Sunday 19 February 1978 when she was only 17 years of age. Whilst I was still sleeping she crept out of my house during the early hours of the morning. I later discovered that she was living with a man named N Ilott. Mr Ilott’s mother had allowed my daughter to live with the family at Great Munden, Hertfordshire. In spite of all my efforts to reconcile with her she did not return home. My daughter asked that I contact her no more. I have only seen my daughter twice since she left home, on my 60th birthday and in May 2001. My daughter now has five children and I have not seen any of them since my 60th birthday. My daughter has been extremely deceitful to me and has told me a number of lies. Because my daughter left me without any explanation and has made no effort to reconcile with me I feel as though I have no moral or financial obligation to provide for her. My daughter has not been financially reliant upon me since she left home, although I did make gifts of money to her on her birthday and at Christmas up to 22
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and including her 21st birthday, although she refused to acknowledge any of the payments that I made to her. If my daughter should bring a claim against my estate I instruct my Executors to defend such a claim as I can see no reason why my daughter should benefit in any way from my estate bearing in mind the distress and worry she has caused me over the years. I have made it clear to my daughter during her lifetime that she can expect no inheritance from me when I die. My Executors should use this letter as evidence in any Court proceedings as they think fit. Despite the above, Heather successfully claimed £50,000 from the Will using a provision of English law which is normally applied when a dependent of the testator is left without financial support. The total value of the estate was £486,000 so she got over ten per cent. It seems the Court awarded this sum on the sole ground that Heather had five children and was living on benefits. Heather decided to appeal the case asking for more. This, it seems, was an error on her part as the charities who were losing out cross appealed and the High Court reduced her entitlement to zero. The Court of Appeal later reaffirmed the original judgment reinstating the £50,000 provision. This is a rather worrying development. There seems little reason why the Court should award her anything from the Will unless the UK agrees that testators are no longer free to do what they wish but must, under all circumstances, bequeath at least a portion of their estate to their children whether they like it or not. Remember, the Hong Kong courts are not bound to follow UK decisions but such decisions tend to be highly persuasive here so should be borne in mind. So will this decision HKGOLFER.COM
be applied in Hong Kong and can it be used by disinherited children to claim part of an estate? Probably. The solution is relatively simple: do not die owning anything of substance. There are many different ways of avoiding the often lengthy and expensive administration (the probate procedure) of a Will. Firstly, you can give all your money away before you die (in the UK you will have to do this at least seven years beforehand to avoid lifetime transfer charges), but many people find this unpalatable as they do not wish to be reliant upon others for their future upkeep. The second option: spend it all. This will be the most fun but many, unlike Mrs Jackson, want to leave something to family and children – and the timing is important: surviving for years after you've spent all your cash could prove problematic. The third – and by far the best – option is to transfer all substantive assets and wealth into a trust structure or equivalent which removes the need for a Will altogether. If these arrangements are structured correctly not only should this prevent claims against the estate arising (because there isn’t one to claim against) but it may also have substantial tax and asset protection
"The best option is to transfer all substantive assets and wealth into a trust structure or equivalent which removes the need for a Will altogether. Not only should this prevent claims against the estate but it may have tax and asset protection advantages." advantages. It will certainly allow for quick and easy administration of the estate, because you will have sorted your affairs out while you were around to do it. After all, you will know better than anybody else where your assets are and how they can best be transferred and at the least cost. Trusts have long been used for these purposes to great effect, and as long as they are both set up and administered correctly, can prove extremely effective in by-passing the provisions of civil and Sharia law (and now avoiding claims similar to this under UK common law principles). Howard Bilton is a UK Barrister, Professor of Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and Chairman of the Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong) Ltd, which specialises in international and offshore tax planning.
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cover story David Cannon/Getty Images
Open Champion: Seve celebrates holing the winning putt at St Andrews in 1984 24
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Seve
Remembering
Lewine Mair recalls the brilliance of Seve Ballesteros, the most charismatic and arguably most influential European golfer of all time
I
t was prior to the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews that Seve Ballesteros did an interview with the BBC’s Peter Alliss, during the course of which he quoted his old friend, Roberto De Vicenzo, the great Argentinean player who won the Open Championship in 1967. Ballesteros, whose own sentences had often been as original as his shot-making, had revelled in the way Vicenzo couched his advice. “You have good times and bad times” Vicenzo told him, “and when the bad times arrive, you put up your umbrella and wait for the rain to stop.” For two and a half years following that fateful day when he collapsed at Madrid's Barajas airport and was diagnosed with a brain tumour until his death last month, Seve's umbrella was firmly up. He had been staying indoors at his home in the pretty northern Spanish village of Pedrena and had not ventured out other than for his latest chemotherapy treatments. In all, he had four operations, with the last of them involving a draining of fluid from the brain. So many incursions took their toll but this great champion was better than most had anticipated when he gave his first public utterances at the beginning of May 2009 following initial surgery. “I have had a lot of luck,” he said of his then state of health. “I’m alive, I can do things, I can speak, I can reason.” Among the ‘things’ he undertook was to become the patron of the Spanish Ryder Cup bid for 2018, laying out his views on what a successful bid would mean to his country. Yet the Spanish hierarchy did not push for anything in the way of a regular statement from their country’s golfing hero. As time wore on, the last thing they wanted was for people to accuse them of using Ballesteros’s illness as their trump card. Mind you, they probably never needed to do such a thing in the first place. To no small extent, Seve Ballesteros was Spanish golf. It was mostly down to him that Spain has become such a force in the golfing world – and mostly down to him that golf captured the imagination of so many youngsters in the 1970s and 1980s. Not just in Europe but all over the world. When Phil Mickelson opted for a Spanish menu at his Champions’ dinner at this year’s Masters, it had nothing to do with the fact that Seve had called his dog "Phil Mickelson" after the canine version had made its boisterous arrival a day or so after the American won his second Masters. Instead, it was out of deference to the effect the Spaniard had had on his career. HKGOLFER.COM
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"Just being back at Augusta reminds me of when I was tenyears-old and watching Seve win in 1980" – Phil Mickelson
he had that putt at the eighteenth which, with a lovely touch of theatre, took forever to subside. But arguably the most famous moment of the lot was his shot from the car park in the 1979 Open at Lytham. On a day when he used his driver nine times but hit only one fairway, he had knocked his tee-shot at the sixteenth under a blue car – and somehow qualified for a free drop which paved the way for a birdie and a three-shot win over Jack Nicklaus. Not everyone approved but Seve deflated the critics with much the same touch of mischief that fuelled his more logic-defying shots. To his way of thinking, it was less a matter of his ball being in the wrong place than the cars. “But then,” he mused, “I suppose they’ve got to park them somewhere.” When the dashing Spaniard captained the European Ryder Cup side of 1997, he was at his incorrigible best. Though he purported to have faith in his men, he could not begin to hide the fact that he would sooner have played all the more difficult shots himself. There was a typical instance as Colin Montgomerie and Langer arrived on the last tee with a one-hole lead against Jim Furyk and Lee Janzen. Montgomerie hit into the trees on the right and, when he and Langer arrived at the ball, they found their captain lurking in the shadows and assessing the situation, first from one angle and then from another. He began to explain to Langer how he could hit under this branch and around that tree trunk but, as he
AFP
Ryder Record: Captain Ballesteros and Colin Montgomerie at the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama; never one to shy away (above), Seve and partner Jose Maria Olazabal give their side of a dispute with Paul Azinger and Chip Beck during the 1991 match at Kiawah Island (right)
“Just being back at Augusta,” said Mickelson, “reminds me of when I was ten-years-old and watching Seve win in 1980. That was when I said to my mum, 'I want to be like that and I want to win that tournament.'" Ballesteros, of course, won three Open and two Masters titles between 1979 and 1988, all of which furnished him with a rich seam of upbeat thoughts as he neared the end of his life. “Thank God,” he said earlier this year, “that I have lots of positive things to ponder.” He chuckled even at his reputation for being able to win “from places where it was impossible.” Sometimes, as he would approach his drive in some far-flung outpost – such for example, as behind an out-of-the-way wall on the eighteenth at Crans-sur-Sierre in 1993 – he would revel in hearing people say, ‘Which way is he going to go…This way or that way?’ On that afternoon in Switzerland, he invented a shot which arrived at the entrance to the green to pave the way for an improbable birdie. It wasn't quite enough to win but it is widely considered the most outrageous escape in European Tour history. Most of his favourite moments, it has to be said, coincided with the favourite “Seve moments” of others ... In the 1983 Masters, there was that little chip he holed from the back of the final green to tie up that year’s championship after having duffed the shot at his first attempt. In the following year’s Open at St Andrews,
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looked across to Montgomerie for support, so Langer seized the chance to chop out sideways. Following the Ryder Cup, Ballesteros said he had plans to resurrect his own golfing career. It was a tall order and, as things turned out, his play became ever more erratic and with it his personal life. He and his wife, Carmen, parted company though, in fairness to Seve, it can never have been easy marrying into a banking family whose idea of a high flier had nothing to do with a wedge struck from the rough. A lon g not to o d i ssi m i la r l i ne s , t he aristocrats who still hold sway in pockets of Spanish golf took a long time to embrace their champion. Ballesteros already had a couple of majors under his belt when he was up at the Pedrena Golf Club one day and a couple of regulars asked what he was doing in the lockerroom. "You’re not a member are you?” they chorused. By all accounts, the incident cut the player to the quick. It was in the year before he was taken ill, at a press conference on the eve of the 2007 Open at Carnoustie, that Ballesteros opened his heart to the UK press and public, both of whom had embraced him from the first moment he arrived on British shores.
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Though there had been times when he had pointed an accusing finger at the golf-writing corps, saying that they had put too much pressure on him, he had no complaints that day. Instead, he thanked them for writing fine stories and giving him headlines all over the world. “I thank you,” he said, “for making me look big.” He wanted his audience to know that he felt he had made a mistake in giving his teenage years so wholly over to golf, while he also said he was sorry for “the odd spot of bother” he had caused along the way. It was so disarmingly done that you had the feeling that if Jose Maria Zamora had been in the room, he would have forgiven him at once. Zamora was the referee on whom Ballesteros had launched a physical attack three years before because of what he saw as a couple of unfair warnings for slow-play. Seve had been similarly forthcoming on the subject of his illness, never sparing his interviewers the grim truth of what he was facing. Prior to last year’s Open at St Andrews, his favourite golfing place on earth, he described himself as having arrived “at the twelfth hole ... There is always a beginning and an end and this is the difficult thing when you see the end coming.”
"I would like to see a major championship played some day with no fairways. I would have a very good chance to win" – Seve Ballesteros
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When the dashing Spaniard captained the European Ryder Cup side of 1997, he was at his incorrigible best. Though he purported to have faith in his men, he could not begin to hide the fact that he would sooner have played all the more difficult shots himself.
Seve in Hong Kong bushes. A penalty drop, a couple of swipes from the jungle, a pitch and two putts later the grand master was marking down a triple bogey eight. To Dom Boulet, the Hong Kong professional and TV commentator who played on the Asian Tour during the 1990s, Seve was simply the greatest. "He was my idol, no question about that," says Boulet, a two-time HKPGA champion. "I remember playing in a tournament in Japan and our lockers were side by side. I was nervous just putting on my spikes in his presence. "Seve really was different. At the 1991 Johnnie Walker Classic in Bangkok I was in the players' lounge and Greg Norman walked in. A few of us Asian Tour pros were like, 'oh look, there's Norman'. But when Seve walked in everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. That was the aura he had. That's what made him so special."– Alex Jenkins
In the rough: Seve at Clearwater Bay
AFP
Ballesteros played in three Hong Kong tournaments – all during the latter stages of his career – but the SAR didn't prove to be a happy hunting ground for the swashbuckling Spaniard. His Hong Kong debut came at the 1993 Kent Hong Kong Open at Fanling, where he finished some way behind eventual winner David Frost. Dr Brian Choa, chairman of rules for the Hong Kong Golf Association, witnessed the occasion. "He was hitting the ball beautifully on the range but struggled on the course," Choa remembers. On the second day, Seve came to his last hole – the tenth of the Composite Course – needing a birdie to make the cut. He hit his approach to around fifteen feet and then canned the putt to do it. I was impressed with his determination to make it to the weekend instead of just running away." Seve's second appearance at the Hong Kong Golf club followed three years later at the Alfred Dunhill Masters. Once again, he failed to light up the Composite Course, ending the event some distance behind the champion, fellow tournament drawcard Bernhard Langer. But Grant Dodd, a former tour pro from Australia who played a practice round with the five-time major champion earlier in the week, has fond memories of the experience. "It was an ignominious introduction," Dodd explains on his blog. "I became so entranced by a conversation with the great man on the sixth hole that I forgot my golf clubs, leaving them 250 metres behind on the tee. "Embarrassing moments aside, what I remember most was a bunker shot played on the ninth hole. Seve had short sided himself, on the downslope of the greenside trap, pitching to a tight pin with the green sloping away from him, out of grainy, stony sand where the ball sat down. "I'm not sure that I could have kept it on the green. Needless to say, I was more than interested to watch what he could conjure up out of his mythical bag of tricks. "He made a pass at it like Tiger teeing off with a driver on a parfive. The ball came out in slow motion, seemingly on time delay, spinning like a whirling dervish. It landed a foot over the lip, took once bounce and stopped on a dime six inches from the hole. "I turned to playing partner Peter Lonard, and appreciative, raised eyebrows met simultaneously. Words were unnecessary. From such moments legends are born. In this instance Seve's was merely further entrenched, laser-etched into the cortex for perpetuity." Ballesteros' last appearance in Hong Kong came at the 2000 Star Alliance Open, which was played in wet and windy conditions at Clearwater Bay. The then 43-year-old claimed he enjoyed the picturesque layout enormously but his game wasn't firing on all cylinders and he finished on a total of three-over-par 283, fifteen shots behind Arjun Atwal, who captured his third Asian Tour title. Indeed, the last hole Seve played in Hong Kong was one to well and truly forget. After hitting a decent drive down the fairway of this sweeping par-five, Ballesteros fanned a four-iron way right into
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Happy Days: Seve with fellow Open champions Gary Player, Tony Jacklin and Lee Trevino pose on the Swilcan Bridge at St Andrews (left); sharing a laugh with World Match Play champion Ernie Els at Wentworth in 2003
He also mentioned the loneliness that goes hand in hand with being confined to home. His children, though they are based in Madrid, came to visit and so did his brothers. For the most part, though, he was on his own, with dark winter evenings asking the most difficult questions. “So tough,” he said, simply. Yet on almost every occasion that he has felt that he might be sounding just too morose, he did something to save the situation. For example, when he told Ken Brown of Ryder Cup and now commentary fame, that he could no longer drive his Lamborghini or his Ferrari because he had lost seventy-five per cent of the vision in his left eye, he seized the moment to use TV as a medium for selling the vehicles. “If anyone has some spare sterling and would like to buy one or the other, come and see me in Pedrena,” he advised cheerfully. Seve would get away with anything – and everything – simply because of who he was. Namely, to use Gary Player’s words, “the most charismatic man ever to play the game”. Even the caddies, to whom he has given plenty in the way of abuse across the years, vie with one another to tell proudly of their experiences at the Spaniard’s hands. “It’s not your fault,” Seve once said to the fellow who had just handed over a wrong club. “It’s my fault. It’s my fault for listening to you." Peter Coleman, a member of the Caddies’ Hall of Fame, will never forget that occasion when Seve advised, “You’re the worst caddie in the world.” “I know,” returned Coleman. “ How do you k now?” prob e d S eve , menacingly. “Because you told me yesterday,” said the caddie. HKGOLFER.COM
The Ballesteros File BORN: April 9, 1957 TURNED PRO: 1974, aged 16 EUROPEAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT WINNER: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1991 EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 1986, 1988, 1991 INDUCTED INTO THE WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME: 1999 PROFESSIONAL VICTORIES: 91 FIRST VICTORY: 1976 Dutch Open LAST VICTORY: 1995 Spanish Open RETIRED: 2007 DIED: May 7, 2011 Won five majors (The Masters in 1980 and '83; The Open Championship in 1979, '84 and '88). In those five victories, he trailed after 54 holes four times. He peaked at the other majors with a third-place finish in the 1987 US Open and a fifth-place finish at the 1984 PGA Championship. From 1980-87, he had a brilliant run at Augusta, with two victories, two second places, a tie for third and a fourth-place finish (plus two missed cuts). His first win at Augusta made him the first European and youngest player to win there. Tiger Woods displaced Ballesteros as the youngest winner in 1997. From 1986-89 Seve had five stints as the number one player in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was ranked number one for a total of 61 weeks.
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interview
Life Behind Alex Jenkins talks to David Cannon, one of the most experienced and highly regarded photographers in the history of the game
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avid Cannon has had an affinity with sports photography for as long as he can remember. When at boarding school during the early 1970s, his walls weren't plastered with magazine cut outs of scantily-clad women, the subject matter of choice of his peers. Rather, English footballers and Tony Jacklin – the nation's golfing hero of the day – took pride of place because, he says, "nothing in the world beats a great sporting image." Despite this, it took a while before Cannon considered turning his photography hobby into something more permanent. His first love was playing – not photographing – golf and during his late teens and early twenties he entertained thoughts of making the switch from amateur to professional. "I was off scratch [handicap], and at the time there were only 90 scratch golfers in England," he remembers. "I came up through the system with people like [former Ryder Cup captain] Mark James and Sandy Lyle ... then [Nick] Faldo came along and blew past everyone." A few good finishes in the English Amateur Championship weren't enough to convince Cannon that he could make the move to the paid ranks a successful one however, so he decided upon the next best course of action. "I never studied photography at university," he says matter-of-factly. "I was at a loose end but had a contact at a news agency in Leicester and got lucky. They offered me a job and I went from there. My first assignment was a rugby match and I was told to sit in the corner and just take pictures. Imagine my thrill when I saw one of them appear on the back page of the Sunday Express newspaper the very next morning. That really got me going." Cannon's big break came when he joined Allsport, the sports photography agency, in 1982. Covering mostly football (he describes the 1986 World Cup in Mexico as one of his best-ever experiences), he also shot the Olympic Games and, with increasing regularity, golf. "In those days the seasons were better – the Ryder Cup would be the last golf event and I could then go straight into the football," Cannon says. "That's impossible now. The golf season is 11 and a half months long." Graduating to the role of leading Allsport's golf division, the entirely selftaught Cannon was by now a shareholder in the agency. Working at all the game's biggest tournaments was something he relished, which is why when Getty Images bought Allsport in 1994 (which netted Cannon a tidy sum in the process), it didn't take long for him to decide his future. "I could have walked off into the sunset with the money I made from the sale but what would I have done then?" he says. "My life is photography and I truly love golf. I've kept going and it's been brilliant. I've never looked back."
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the Lens
Century Seeker: Cannon will cover his one hundredth major championship within the next two years HKGOLFER.COM
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Premier Events: Cannon got lucky at the 1986 Masters - he chose to follow Nicklaus (right) rather than Ballesteros down the closing stretch, which proved to be the right course of action as the Golden Bear secured one of the most famous wins in championship history; match play events, like the 2010 Ryder Cup (below), are special, he says
You've just returned from the Masters. Everyone wants to play Augusta but what's it like to photograph? It's difficult [photographers, like spectators, aren't allowed inside the ropes at Augusta] but it's the best place in the world because there's nobody – no mess – in the background which can spoil otherwise great images. There aren't a lot of TV crews following the groups, no buggies, scorecard carriers or writers getting in the way. Writers have a massive habit of wondering aimlessly into our backgrounds [laughs]. Augusta is brilliantly designed and the natural slopes there lend themselves to good photography and good viewing for the galleries.
Some of your most famous images were taken at the Ryder Cup. Where does that event rank among your favourites? I love all the match play events – the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup ... the Solheim Cup, when it's been played in Europe, has been really good too. My Ryder Cup pictures all seem to be based around Seve [Ballesteros] and Olly [Olazabal]. But the Walker Cup has to be one of my absolute favourites. It was always my ambition to play in it, but obviously I didn't get that far. It's full on – 36 holes a day for two days – and you get to see all the young guys coming through. Of the top 40 British and American players in the world right now, probably 38 have played in the Walker Cup. Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler have all played; Lee Westwood would be the exception. One of the great moments was Gary Wolstenholme beating Tiger Woods on the first day at Royal Porthcawl in 1995, despite Wolstenholme being 60 yards shorter off the tee than Woods. Tiger then did him 4&3 the next day. Great stuff.
David Cannon/Getty Images
Does that mean it's harder getting good pictures at St Andrews, which is pancake flat? St Andrews is the worst, apart from the seventeenth and eighteenth holes. I rarely walk further than the first two holes and the last two holes at the Old Course. There's the lack of elevation, the limited access – photographers have to stick to the sides of the double fairways – and it's also the messiest. There are three different TV broadcasters – the British crew, the Americans and the Japanese – so you can have up to as many as six mobile cameras following the action in the fairway and they can – and do – get in the way. This along with a lot of signage – the Open is the only major
that has advertising boards – makes it harder for photographers. Despite all this, I do love the Open. Turnberry is the best course on the rota to shoot at by a mile; the scenery and the famous old lighthouse make it a great place to shoot.
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"My life is photography and I truly love golf. I've never looked back."
What are you looking for with action images? The facial expression is vital. You have to focus on the eyes and forget about any other part of the body – the first thing anyone looks at are the eyes of the subject. Clean backgrounds are important too. You don't want in-focus ropes or odd people in the background, which is why Augusta is so good. If there are crowds then they need to be far enough back that they're blurred. Most of my favourite golf photos are from the 1980s and 1990s when the players didn't wear hats or visors. Headgear can create shadows on the face, but more importantly it takes away from the personality of the players. Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Faldo – all those guys looked great without a hat. But it's a fact of life – [advertising on hats] is where the money is. If a player is making a charge on the final day, do you stay with the leaders or go ahead and follow the guy making a move? It's very difficult to determine. Like at the Masters this year, do we follow Tiger who was an hour ahead or the others? At the majors we have four photographers and as I'm the senior guy it's my call where we go. At Augusta there was three of us with Tiger on eighteen – and that meant we were quite exposed. But we got lucky. Nobody eagled the thirteenth, which was my worry, and it all worked out. In the old days I would cover tournaments on my own, which was obviously far more difficult. At the 1986 Masters, when it was Seve and Nicklaus I thought 'Oh my God, which way do I go?' I ended up going with Nicklaus, which was the right decision luckily. HKGOLFER.COM
You've shot a wide range of sports – from the Olympic Games to football. How does golf rank in terms of difficulty to photograph? Well, football [soccer to our American readers] is the hardest of the lot because it's completely unpredictable. It's not like American Football for example, where you know the team is almost guaranteed to kick on the fourth down. In football the action is all over the place. It's a bit easier now with 'follow focus', which has revolutionized sports photography, but I'd still back British [sports] photographers against anyone in the world because most of the top guys have shot football. Golf is obviously a lot more static but it can be physically hard due to the all walking.
What's in the (camera) bag? All my equipment is Canon. For a regular tournament I'll carry two bodies – the EOS-1D Mark IV and the EOS 5D Mark II – and three zoom lenses, usually a 16-35mm, a 70-200mm and my 500mm, a big long lens. It's a bit different at a major. I'll carry three bodies (adding another 1D Mk4) as well as a 300mm lens. Sometimes I'll also carry a15mm fisheye. At the majors I have a runner to help lug the equipment around and send back memory cards to the media centre for uploading. Runners have other uses too – I remember making one lie on the ground at Augusta so I could stand on his backside to get a bit more height. The Pinkerton guards didn't take too kindly to that one. Course photography is a different story. I'll only use my 5D because it's a full frame camera and the file size is bigger. I only use fixed focal lenses – ranging between 14mm and 135mm – because the quality is a bit better if the light is a little suspect. When shooting courses I nearly always use a monopod: it's much more flexible than a tripod. At tournaments I only shoot JPEGs; I don't have time to process RAW files and tinker about with them in Photoshop. I can take upwards of 3,000 frames in a day – and if I was shooting RAW that's enough to fill up a laptop. I do shoot RAW files for the course photography however. I can be at a course shooting for a couple of days and then spend another couple of days editing all the pics.
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What's been your worst moment shooting golf – ever run out of film or had a memory card corrupt on you? Nothing like that, thank goodness. I've missed a couple of pictures just through bad luck. At the 1992 US Open at Pebble Beach I was walking back to the clubhouse after following Faldo for most of the day. I got to the media centre and heard everyone laughing at something on the TV. I couldn't believe it. Faldo was climbing up a tree looking for his ball, yelling 'Where's Jane?' Missing that left me feeling pretty bitter. The other time was at the [football] World Cup in 1986 in Mexico, the England-Argentina game and Maradonna's 'Hand of God' moment. I was at the other end of the pitch. But having said that, of the 60 photographers at the right end, only one guy got the shot. Not much I could have done about that one. How do you determine your schedule? Majors are number one, then it's Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and the top European Tour events – the PGA Championship and the Dubai World Championship. I also do the 'Desert Swing' because it's early in the year: new players on tour and some of the players have new [sponsorship] contracts and are playing with new equipment. You're also guaranteed good light. When you go past the majors I'm looking for courses that'll give me nice pictures. I go to Bay Hill, not because the course is that great – it's stuck in the middle of a housing estate – but the sixteenth tee there is set up like a studio. It backs on to a lake and there's no advertising in the background – it offers up great images.
Snapper's Specials: The Englishman's most recognisable images include this one of Seve and Olazabal at the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island (above); "I just love this shot of Jesper Parnevik (top right), his eyes are amazing," he says; prior to shooting golf full time, Cannon got this magnificent shot of Carl Lewis (bottom right) at full pelt during the 1984 Olympic Games 34
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Who are the best players to work with? Ernie Els – I've known him since his amateur days. Nick Price is an absolutely amazing guy as well. Among the current crop, Rory [McIlroy] is brilliant, as are Luke Donald, Paul Casey and [Ian] Poulter. That's the beauty of shooting the Walker Cup – you get their trust when they're young and they know you're serious. There are very few what I'd call difficult players. Golf is definitely the best sport in that regard. Care to name any of the difficult ones? [Laughs] Lanny Wadkins was a tough bugger. It's funny. My son went to college with his son and are good friends – and Lanny has been nice as pie ever since. I told him once that he'd been pretty nasty and he laughed, saying: 'I know, I hated photographers'.
Film versus digital – is there any debate? There's no debate now. The thing is you can do so much more to a digital image. But it still comes down to the bottom line: you need to expose the image properly in the first place. If you don't expose it correctly you're losing information in digital; in film you're losing detail. I don't think the technical taking of images has changed, but there's no doubt that 'follow focus' has helped significantly. You have to know the capabilities of your equipment. The new generation of cameras are just ridiculous; they're a massively powerful computer in your hands. Understanding the settings is crucial. You can put so much into a camera – like saturation settings – to help you save time. The best thing about digital cameras however is their performance in low light. When Faldo beat [Scott] Hoch in the play-off at the 1989 Masters it was really dark and I got nothing, but I know that if I was using a digital camera I would have got a great frame. I still find it amazing to look at the back of the camera and see the image HKGOLFER.COM
immediately; at Augusta in the old days it could take up to a week before I saw the results. What tips would you give young enthusiasts wanting to follow in your footsteps and make a career out of golf photography? Number one: love golf! You have to have a passion for golf that is unrivalled. You need to love sport in general, because that helps when you talk to golfers; most of those guys follow sport and talk of little else. You also have to have
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the most amazing amount of dedication. A lot of our general sports guys hate shooting golf because they go to a tournament for a week and don't get a great picture. You can go months without getting a great picture, so patience and a strong knowledge of golf is vital. Then you need to work on your backgrounds. It's often said you need to fill the frame but some of my favourite pictures show the course that's being played on. After all, the beauty of golf is where it's played.
"Most of my favourite golf photos are from the 1980s and 1990s when the players didn't wear hats ... headgear takes away from the personality of the players."
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Cannon's Top 10 Courses
Luscious Landscapes: "The beauty of golf is where's its played," says Cannon. Turnberry (main) and Cape Kidnappers (right) are two of his favourite courses to capture 36
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1 Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand 2 Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand 3 Turnberry, Scotland 4 Muirfield, Scotland 5 Sand Hills, USA 6 Tralee, Ireland 7 Old Head, Ireland 8 Royal Dornoch, Scotland 9 Hirono, Japan 10 Emirates, Dubai HKGOLFER.COM
"Cape Kidnappers is a truly staggering course to photograph but you've got to shoot it from the air to really give it justice ... I think the light in Britain is still the best but New Zealand is very close ... One course that very nearly made this list is Blue Canyon in Phuket, which I really enjoyed ... I haven't travelled to China as much as I would like but I have visited Spring City in Kunming and thought that it was excellent ... I've been going to the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai since 1989 when they first played the Desert Classic tournament. Back then it was just one square kilometer of green in the middle of the desert; but such has been the rate of development there, it now looks like it's in the middle of Hong Kong." To see more of David's beautiful course photography his much heralded book Golf Courses: Fairways of the World (Rizzoli, 264pp) is available through numerous online retailers, including amazon.com for US$25 excluding shipping. David has just completed work on a new title, which focuses on the great courses of the British Isles, and will be available in the coming months.
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Numero Uno: This shot of Ballesteros (which also graces the cover) was taken during the second round of the 1988 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and is Cannon's favourite action image - "Seve in full flow - that's how I will remember him," he says
"The new generation of cameras are just ridiculous; they're a massively powerful computer in your hands ... But it still comes down to the bottom line: you need to expose the image properly in the first place."
The Greatest: Seve Ballesteros Severiano Ballesteros was without a doubt the favourite and most inspiring subject in my career as a golf photographer. During my 30 years walking the fairways, there have been only three golfers – Seve, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods – who each and every day I went out to shoot would give me a memorable photograph to capture. Whether it was a smile, a scowl, a serious moment or a great action image, it did not matter. The eyes told the story – the unrivalled passion for the game of golf. It's a passion I share every day of my life, and I very much miss Seve being around as a person, let alone as a subject. I actually met Seve in 1976, three years before I picked up a serious camera for the first time in my life. I was lucky enough to have drawn Seve as my professional in a proam at my home club, The Leicestershire Golf Club. I was the "young buck" of the club, a county golfer playing off scratch; he was the almost unknown brother of Manuel, a regular player on the tour. I remember that day so well, from the moment Manuel introduced us and I was greeted with that incredible smile, a smile that unbeknownst to me I was going to be privileged to capture on film in the years to come. Two months later, he played that memorable chip shot threaded through the brown, lightning-fast bumps and hollows between two treacherous bunkers from left of the green on the eighteenth hole at Royal Birkdale to secure second place in the Open to Johnny Miller. This shot announced Seve to the world of golf and showed his creative genius that to this day has not been rivalled in the game. Tiger can and has played incredible golf shots, but I see no comparison to Seve for the ability to shape and pull off shots of unthinkable genius. Such a sad day. Knowing Seve and his determination, he will not have given up lightly. Hopefully now he will have found his peace and will be charming the world up there with the greatest smile a photographer could ever photograph. How lucky and extremely privileged I was to have known him as a player and subject, but most of all as a friend. The split seconds of his life that I have been able to capture on film are moments of the career of a genius in a sport that I love.– David Cannon
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From the President My year-long tenure as president of the Hong Kong Golf Association is coming to an end and I would like to take this opportunity to talk about an eventful and successful past twelve months. Firstly, the Hong Kong Open, which will be sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by UBS in December. The 2010 edition of the tournament once again provided great drama, with England's Ian Poulter playing some truly excellent golf to hold off the new European star Matteo Manassero and US Open champion Graeme McDowell. The outlook for the 2011 event looks especially promising following the announcement that the Mega Events Fund has earmarked HK$8 million for use in promoting the tournament. This is excellent news and we can once again look forward to seeing some of golf's most famous names teeing it up at Fanling. The development of junior golf has long been a key issue for the HKGA and I am delighted to report that the 2010-2011 season has seen some outstanding performances by young local players. It is no coincidence that junior golfers were selected for the international teams sent to the Eisenhower and Espirito Santos Trophy events in Argentina. Youth also formed the backbone for the Hong Kong team sent to the Asian Games event in Guangzhou, which was the first time the SAR had ever been represented at this particular event. Liu Lok-tin followed on from his success at the Hong Kong Close last year by winning the Hong Kong Open Amateur Championship in fine style at Clearwater Bay. In doing so, he became the first local golfer in history to hold both titles, which is a magnificent achievement.
Shinichi Mizuno is another young player with enormous potential. He showed tremendous character in winning this year's Hong Kong Close title, which came two months after a solid performance at the UBS Hong Kong Open, where he was the only amateur golfer in the field. He played very well there too, just narrowly missing the cut. Tiffany Chan, who features in this issue of HK Golfer, has continued her excellent run of form and is developing very well. Her list of achievements is really too long to include here but I would like to wish her and all the junior golfers who will go on the annual summer tour of the United States the very best of luck. Under the guidance of National Coach Brad Schadewitz I'm sure we'll hear of many more fine results by our young players in the near future. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank EFG Bank for their continuing generous sponsorship. As a result, we are now able to provide more training and tournament participation opportunities for young golfers in Hong Kong. This is obviously crucial to the development of golf in the city. Thanks, too, to all the golf clubs for their cooperation with the HKGA. Without their generosity our squad players would not have achieved such good results. Whether it's the use of the clubs' practice facilities or being able to secure tee times for national team training, their help and understanding has proved invaluable, as has the support of all the volunteers and staff at the HKGA. It is greatly appreciated. Finally, I would like to welcome the incoming president David Hui. I wish him all the success in presiding over the HKGA in the months ahead. 窶年ing Li President HKGA
Hong Kong international Jason Hak claimed his second victory at the prestigious TaylorMadeadidas Golf Junior at Innisbrook hosted by Sean O'Hair at the end of April. Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the 54-hole tournament is one of the most important on the junior golfing calendar and featured a 210-player field comprising players from 28 states and nine different countries. Hak, who made headlines around the world when he became the youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event when he achieved the feat the 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open aged 14, started the final round three shots off the lead. But three early birdies over the 7,277 yard Copperhead Course enabled him to surge up the leaderboard and record his second victory. "I stayed very patient this week and today my putter gave the great start I had with birdies on the first, fourth and sixth holes," said Tsim Sha Tsui-born, Florida-based Hak. "It feels like home at Innisbrook every time I play here, I love this course." 42
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Charles McLaughlin
Hong Kong's Hak Repeats Florida Success
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Dominant Debutant
Little-known Chu, a self-proclaimed 'social golfer', claims Seniors triumph at Clearwater Bay following stellar showing
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hu Koon-ching sprung a major surprise by holding off a number of seasoned players to win the MacGregor Hong Kong Seniors Amateur Close Championship in early May. Chu, who was making his debut in the event, put in a nerveless display at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, his three-round total of 221 (11-over-par) giving him a three-shot win over the fast finishing Tony Taylor. Terry Collins, the international seniors' team captain and one of the favourites for the championship, placed third, a further three shots adrift. "To be honest, I don't normally like to play in competitions; I'm really a social golfer," said 57-year-old Chu, a member at Mission Hills Golf Club in Guangdong. "In fact, the only reason I joined this time was because Iain Valentine [the chief executive of the Hong Kong Golf Association] asked me to play." Valentine had seen Chu perform in the qualifying tournament for the Mizuno Gateway to the Open event at the Hong Kong Golf Club a few months previously and, impressed with his game, suggested he join the field at the Seniors Close. Chu agreed and within days had joined the HKGA. This championship was the first HKGA-organized tournament he'd ever participated in. As a result of his fine display, Chu – who is a pleasingly quick player with an unorthodox but repeatable swing – is in line to earn a place in the national seniors' squad. "I really didn't think about any of this before I signed up for the championship," said Chu, who swung his first club in 2001. "But I'm very glad I entered."–Alex Jenkins
Final Standings MacGregor Hong Kong Seniors Amateur Close Championship Clearwater Bay G&CC, May 4-6, 2011 1 2 3 4=
7 8 9=
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Chu Koon-ching1 Tony Taylor Terry Collins3 Donald Moore2 Peter Reed William Chung Pang Yat-wai Lee Kab-soo Fursy Chung Matajiro Nagatomi Monotobu Yanai Martin Clinch*
73 75 73 76 77 71 73 76 78 78 77 76 82 73 76 73 81 77 79 79 76 77 78 80 84 76 77 79 79 79 76 81 80 95 86 97
221 224 227 231 231 231 234 235 237 237 237 277
Daniel Wong
¹ Denotes 55-59 Age Division Champion ² Denotes 60-64 Age Division Champion ³ Denotes 65-69 Age Division Champion *Denotes Over 70 Age Division Champion
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Senior Swings (clockwise from top left): Peter Reed watches his drive en route to a tie for fourth; runner-up Tony Taylor; HK International Captain Terry Collins; former champion Matajiro Nagatomi; William Chung got off to a fast start with a 73 in the first round; Donald Moore surveys the scene
Defending champion CJ Gatto HKGOLFER.COM
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junior golf Tiffany Chan in full flow at the recent Hong Kong Junior Close Championship, an event she won. Photo by Daniel Wong 46
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Tiffany Chan
Hong Kong's standout female golfer, still only 17, talks to David Cunningham III about the state of her game and her future goals
What have been the keys to your recent on-course success? I believe one of the contributing factors is my fearless attitude. 'See it, feel it, trust it' – this is a quote from my favourite book, Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by David L. Cook and Tom Lehman – and that's what I try to put into action on the course. Also, I really love competition, so that helps! How would you describe your golf game and personality? I would say that I am an aggressive and determined person, especially on the course. I never stop trying until I have reached my goals. Whenever I experience failure, I try to learn from it – to figure what caused that failure, which in the long term actually helps my progress. I always try to keep in mind that anything can happen and that you should never stop trying until the last putt has dropped. Finally, positivity. I always make sure that I am smiling and having a good time. Any experiences in particular that have contributed to your success? When I was 13-years-old I really questioned my future in golf. I wasn't seeing any tangible improvement in my game and I wasn't getting the results I expected. I speculated that I might have already reached my peak. Luckily, with the unconditional support of my parents and help from my coach I was able to see that this was not the end of my improvement; rather, it was just the beginning. I realized that I was not putting as much effort into my golf as I possibly could and as a result, I totally rededicated myself to the game. I have become a much harder working golfer.
What's in Tiffany's Bag? Driver: TaylorMade R9 (10.5°) with Matrix shaft Fairway woods: Titleist F909 (15.5°, 18.5°, 21°) with Matrix shafts Irons: Mizuno JPX E500 (5-PW) with Mizuno R shafts Wedges: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled (54°, 60°) with NS Pro 850 shafts Putter: Scotty Cameron Circa 62 Ball: Titleist ProV1
Says Tiffany: I've increased my distance quite a lot in recent times, which makes it easier for me to be aggressive; I'd much rather be hitting a wedge into the green than an eight-iron. I average around 240 yards off the tee with my driver, while my normal seven-iron distance is 160 yards. I'm not really superstitious but I never play with a number four ball in competitions. I just don't like it. I mark my Titleist Pro V1 with a red line and a red dot. I once made an albatross and I still keep the ball I used in my bag for good luck.
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"I never stop trying until I have reached my goals. I will never give up until I have reached the top"
What about tournament experiences? When I finished fourth in my age division at the Junior World Golf Championship in 2008. That result greatly improved my confidence and proved to me that I could compete with the best junior golfers in the world. Generally, I have learnt so much from playing in overseas tournaments. By playing with such talented competitors I have been able to discover and evaluate the weaknesses in my game. This has really been valuable in my progress. Who or what drives you to succeed? First of all, my parents are the ones who introduced me to the game. They enlightened and aroused my interest in golf. I would not be where I am now without them. Secondly, the amazing support I have received from both my parents, my coach Brad [Schadewitz, the national coach] and the Hong Kong Golf Association has been paramount to my success. I have been a part of the HKGA for almost 10 years now. They have provided me with the chance and the ideal environment to develop my golf game. I am really pleased by what I have accomplished so far, and I really want them to know how much I appreciate everything they have done for me.
The Pro's View: Brad Schadewitz Tiffany is the most consistent golfer in Hong Kong. Her approach to the game and her style of play is just phenomenal. I've known her since she was seven-yearsold and she has just been amazing to work with. I call Tiffany the 'Ice Queen' because I can never tell from her on-course demeanor what she is shooting. This just shows how strong she is mentally; if she has a bad hole she's able to get over it immediately. Tiffany is definitely one of the most competitive golfers I have ever seen. Challenge her and she'll most likely beat you. She's also incredibly hard working. During the school year she'll be at the range for three to four hours at a time working on her swing. The only reason she isn't there for longer is that she recognizes the importance of her school work as well. Summer time is different: she'll be on the range for seven, eight, sometimes even ten hours at a time. Tiffany has a wonderful work ethic across all areas of her life. We've been making some adjustments to her swing recently, mainly focusing on trying to reduce some unnecessary movements that she was making in the transition from the top of her backswing to the start of her downswing. This was costing her some distance. But we've worked through that and she's gained about twenty yards off the tee. This will make a really big difference in her ability to compete. I'm especially looking forward to this year's summer tour of the United States. She's performed very well there in the past and it'll give her an opportunity to show the top college coaches what she's made of. I can see Tiffany going incredibly far in her golfing career. I know that she will attend a top-ranked university because of her athletic and scholastic ability and believe she will be a force to be reckoned with on the college golf scene. I would love to see her win an NCAA Championship and think that she may even become Hong Kong's first ever LPGA Tour player.
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What is your best-ever round? 64. I had this in 2007 at the Mizuno Winter Junior Tournament, which was held on the South Course at Kau Sai Chau. I played really well that day. It's also the women's course record there, so that's really cool. What are your future goals? To attend university in the United States and play college golf because I believe the high level of competition with really help improve my game, which will contribute to my next goal – making it on to the LPGA Tour. I know that this will be a very difficult task but nothing can hinder my ambition and my drive to succeed. I will never give up until I have reached the top. What advice would you give aspiring junior golfers in Hong Kong? If you have a goal, go for it! Put all that you possibly can into achieving that goal and your hard work will pay off. Set an aim for yourself and strive to be the best you can possibly be. How often do you practice? I meet with Brad every Monday at the Asia Golf driving range and every Sunday in our weekly [national] squad game. I'm really lucky to be able to play on many different courses in Hong Kong. Recently I have been working on my distance and short game. I probably go to the range four to five times a week. What about gym time? I have been training in the gym for three years now. I have no doubt that fitness is essential to success in competitive golf. My fitness trainer, Kape Sieber, and I have been working on my overall balance and stabilization because a solid base is essential to a consistent, repeatable swing. My overall fitness level has improved a lot. Who is your favourite professional golfer? Rory McIlroy – I really admire him for all that he has achieved at such a young age. I really like the way he approaches the game, especially his fearless attitude. I would like to ask him about what happened at this year's Masters. It would be really interesting to hear his thoughts. Do you have a favourite course? My favourite in Hong Kong is Discovery Bay and my favourite in the world is Torrey Pines in California. I really enjoy both these courses because they are challenging and beautiful, being set on hilly terrain next to the ocean. The views and scenery are amazing on both. David Cunningham III lives in Hong Kong and writes about junior golf on his website, www.teengolfworld.com HKGOLFER.COM
Victor Ma won the May Monthly Medal gross section held on the Eden Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club with a 74; Wong Kwing-keung claimed the nett section with a 68 ... At Clearwater Bay, Giles Scott was the gross winner at the Captain's Cup, held April 16, with a 79. Simon Cheung claimed runner-up honours following his 82, while Dennis Mak won the nett division with 71. In the Chairman's Cup, which was held the same day, Jeremy Tang overcame Raymond Chan on count back after the pair had tied on 40 points. On April 20, Diana Ting's nett score of 69 won her the Spring Cup by three shots from Mari Maeda. The Spring Vase was claimed by Cecilia Szeto (69), with Mose Mak (71) taking second place.
Van de Velde: My Proudest Achievement
HK Golfer Playing Editor Jean Van de Velde has described the European Tour's decision to award France the right to host the Ryder Cup in 2018 as his proudest achievement in golf. Van de Velde, a frequent visitor to Hong Kong, has been busy over the past few years in his role as an ambassador for France's bid as he winds down his playing career. The 44-year-old, who won the HKPGA Championship i n Ma rch, beca me t he f irst Frenchman in history to play in the Ryder Cup when he made the European team in 1999. That was the same year he memorably squandered a three-shot lead at the last hole of the Open Championship at Carnousite and ended up losing to Scotland's Paul Lawrie in a play-off. But Van de Velde, a two-time winner on the European Tour, said he wouldn't even trade France's win, which was announced on May 17, for the Claret Jug. "People have different priorities." he said at Wentworth after the decision was made. "You can win a major and disappear. Playing in the Ryder Cup you are one of twelve happy few. "When you think of how many golfers there are in Europe that's quite a big thing," he continued. "I don't have my name on the Claret Jug, but after seventytwo holes I was still close. But this is the proudest achievement of any career." The forty-second Ryder Cup will be staged at Le Golf National in Versailles, southwest of Paris, a course that is home to the Open de France and a popular venue among European Tour players. The French bid emerged the winner after an exhaustive bidding process that also included entries from Spain, Germany, Portugal and Holland.
Amateur Tam Beats the Pros
HK Juniors Show Form in Bangkok
Junior Kitty Tam proved she's back to her very best form with a brilliant victory at the le coq sportif Golf Championship, a professional tournament, which took place at Discovery Bay Golf Club at the end of May. Teenager Tam, who found herself tied for the lead with China's Zheng Yu-ling after thirty-six holes on four-over-par after rounds of 76 and 72, overcame her mainland rival on the first play-off hole by making a solid par. On the men's side of the tournament, Shenzhenbased Korean Lee Joung-wook's eight-underpar total of 136 was good enough to earn him the HK$100,000 first prize. CJ Gatto, who won the HKPGA Championship in 2010, placed second, three shots behind, while Wong Woon-man finished as the top Hong Kong golfer, his total of 142 earning him a tie for third.
Fritz Lo and Michelle Yan flew the flag for Hong Kong at the 2011 Mercedes Trophy Junior Golf Masters Final in Thailand mid May. The duo, seen here with National Coach Brad Schadewitz, each claimed third place in their respective divisions (Fritz in the Boys 12 and under category, Michelle in the Girls 12 and under) at the tournament, which was held at the Rose Garden Golf Club near Bangkok. Other notable performances included Estee Vivian Leung's fourth place in the Girls 12 and under division, wh i le Estee's sister Emily Vickie bagged ninth spot in the Girls 14 and under.
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AFP (Van de Velde); Patrick Leung (Tam)
Club Results
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us open preview
Home of the T Courtesy of the USGA
he US Open is often described as the most difficult major to win. Unlike the Masters, which features a limited field, a maximum156 players will tee it up at the famed Blue Course at Congressional Country Club in Maryland this year – over half of whom will have made it through the rigours of International and Sectional Qualifying in the weeks leading up to the championship's June 14 start date. Then there's the course itself. US Open courses are man-sized affairs. The USGA's method of identifying the best golfer of the week has traditionally been to make the courses play at their very limit yardage-wise, while at the same time narrowing the fairways to exceptionally measly proportions. But unlike, say, the Old Course at St Andrews where there is at least some room to manoeuvre if the cut grass is not found, the US Open philosophy has been to penalise even the slightest misjudgement. More often than not, the only optional available to those missing landing areas has been the rather graceless hack back to the fairway. 50
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But these times they are a changing. Enter Mike Davis, the USGA's new executive director who, it could be argued, has more influence on whether the 2011 edition of the championship turns out to be a truly memorable one than any player in the field. Davis, a likeable Pennsylvanian in his mid-40s, was formerly the Open Championship director and his input over the past few years has gone some way to changing the perception of the US Open for the better in terms of its fairness and ability to produce a worthy champion. It was he who introduced the concept of "graduated rough" – which in layman's terms means that the penalty for missing the fairway is now determined by how HKGOLFER.COM
Congressional Country Club, a favourite of many of America's most famous politicians, will provide an exacting test when it hosts the US Open later this month
Brave far a player hits it off line. Those just missing the landing area are now in theory much better off than those who hit it really crooked. It sounds basic enough but the simple ideas are often the best ones, and in this case Davis has earned the support of both the pros and the viewing public. The former like the fact that being a yard off the fairway doesn't necessarily mean they're left fighting for par, while the latter, fed up with the snooze fest that the US Open had become, are just happy to see the world's best being more aggressive in their shot selection than ever before. You can be sure that despite Davis' recent promotion, he'll be keeping extremely close tabs on how the Blue Course is prepared. HKGOLFER.COM
Make no mistake however: Congressional is still going to be as tough as old rope. Reigning US Open champion Graeme McDowell played the course for the first time at a USGA media day in early May and tweeted: "Congressional 7574 yards Par 71 US Open set up. No-one will break par." Once back in the clubhouse, his assessment was just as foreboding. "I'm hoping I got the wrong tee at eleven," he said, describing the 494-yard par-four, which features a creek down the right side of the fairway. "I can't really see much positive to say about that golf hole. If you're selling par-fours, I think I'm buying."
Blue Monster: The Blue Course, one of two courses at Congressional, is an undeniably scenic venue for this year's US Open, but it could prove to be one of the toughest courses in living memory. Defending champion Graeme McDowelll believes an over par score will win HK GOLFERăƒťJUN 2011
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Congressional Champs: Ernie Els (above) tasted US Open success for the second time in 1997 after holding off Colin Montgomerie by a stroke; Ken Venturi (right) won the first US Open to be staged here, in 1964, after defying extreme heat and humidity. He ended up recording a four-stroke win, helped by a fantastic 66 in the third round.
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It’s just as well McDowell wasn’t around for U.S. Open’s previous stops at Congressional because in many ways it’s a whole new golf course that, like Twitter, the social media of choice for McDowell and friends, is made for the new generation. The layout will be the second-longest in the championship’s history. If all the back tees are used, it will be some 350 yards longer than when Ernie Els won in 1997 and more than 500 yards longer than when Ken Venturi overcame the stifling heat for his 1964 victory. "We want the US Open to be a rigorous test," Davis said on the day. Congressional, which was originally designed by the relatively unknown Devereux Emmet, opened in 1924 and has been a favorite of many of the sport’s biggest names and some of America's most famed politicians (it's an easy drive from Capitol Hill), but, like many storied courses across the country, it has needed tinkering to keep up with the times. When Els won his second US Open title fourteen years ago, the course had a par-three finish – a rarity for a major tournament. That
NUMBERS GAME
The number of strokes that Ernie Els won the 1997 US Open by. The South African recorded a four-round total of 276 (four-under-par) at Congressional to hold off Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, who finished in second place. The only other time the course has held the national championship, in 1964, Ken Venturi won by four shots.
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The journey time, in minutes, from the White House in Washington DC to Congressional. Seven presidents on the United States have been members of the club – William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford.
521
Courtesy of the USGA
The length, in yards, of the newly-configured par-four eighteenth hole at Congressional. The former closing hole on the Blue Course was a par-three, which will now play as the tenth. The layout will play over three hundred yards longer than it did in 1997.
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hole has since been rebuilt and is now the tenth, while the eighteenth is a monumental 523-yard par-four that slopes downward toward the water. Els and co played it previously as the seventeenth and the big South African is under no illusions how dangerous the elongated closer has become. "That will be some hole," Els said. "It might decide the winner. The green is right into the water, and the water comes around on the left and behind the green. You have to find the fairway. If you don't, you're going to have trouble hitting your second shot onto the green. In 1997, I was one of the few guys to hit the green and two-putt for par. The other guys missed and made bogeys and doubles." McDowell's belief that this year's champion will finish over par is perhaps a reflection of his own relative lack of length. The Ulsterman isn't counted among golf's power hitters – which wasn't a problem at Pebble Beach last year – and there are many other holes aside from the eighteenth that demand distance. The ninth, for example, is now a monstrous 636-yard par-five and will have the worst rough on the course in a gully right in front of the green. There is one concession in favour of the field: the 555-yard sixth will play as a par-five instead of a par-four. Par for the course, which was 70 on the two previous occasions Congressional hosted the US Open, has been raised by one. Changes to the course aside, the USGA has altered the championship's qualifying criteria too – and for the better. Last year Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler finished first and second at the Memorial Tournament two weeks earlier and made it into the top 50 in the world, but they had left their run too late because the fully exempt categories for the US Open had been settled prior to that event. The duo then failed to play their way via Sectional Qualifying, which resulted in a less than satisfactory situation: two of the most in-form players in professional golf were not in the field. Now, any player in the top echelons of the world rankings in the week of the championship will be exempted. Common sense has prevailed. Picking the US Open champion is never a simple exercise (see Archie Albatross' punting tips on page 67 for his thoughts on the matter) but it's worth noting that Tiger Woods, for all his recent troubles, has considerable Congressional form. His own tournament, the AT&T National, was staged over the Blue Course two years ago and the "Great One" recorded a gutsy victory. It's a different Tiger these days of course, and it's a different Congressional, but if Woods can prevail it would surely mark one of the most unlikely comebacks in US Open history. We'll soon find out. The wait is nearly over. HKGOLFER.COM
looking back
“Oor Wullie”
Resident historian Dr Milton Wayne chronicles the life of Scotland’s Willie Anderson, probably the best US Open player of them all
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orth Berwick is a golf Mecca. The course is magnificent; one of the oldest and most replicated designs in the world and an Open Championship Final Qualifying venue. When playing North Berwick, the biggest danger to fast play is the mesmerising sight of the Bass Rock looming out in the Firth of Forth. It is the twin of Ailsa Craig; visible from Troon and Turnberry over on the Firth of Clyde and just as hypnotic. Nearer to land, and almost as striking, is Craigleith Island. The legendary “Redan”, the par-three fifteenth, may be the most influential short hole design around. It has given its name to a distinctive angled green design which slopes away from the player. Perhaps the most famous “copy” of this is the seventh at Shinnecock Hills, infamous for the mayhem it caused at the US Open in 2004. 54
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It is no accident that Shinnecock was largely designed by Willie Dunn … who was born and bred in North Berwick. Born William Law Anderson in North Berwick on October 21 1879, Willie was one of six children born to Thomas and Jessie Anderson, and spent his childhood roaming the links that were the heart of the town. It’s easy to imagine a burly child in 1893, carrying his father’s clubs under his arm while impatiently awaiting his chance to take a swing at one of the remarkably expensive gutta-percha golf balls of the day. One-fifth the cost of the old Featherie, and still costing the equivalent of three dozen balls today, it’s no wonder the premium was on accuracy back then! His father Tom, appointed North Berwick’s first “keeper of the greens” and a great player himself, knew the boy could play and gave him the chance often, but would despair that it was taking too long for the “bairn to balance”: the unfortunate young Willie looked like two separate people welded together. His upper body was that of a squat weightlifter, his lower that of a tall leggy dancer. But Tom needn’t have worried. In time, the combination of Willie’s balance and speed, together with his upper body strength, would make him one of the greatest golfers of all time. Not until Sam Snead, who had a high kick Bruce Lee would have envied, would another “unbalanced bairn” make such an impact. It was in 1893 when the fourteen-year-old Willie finally got his chance. At the unique
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sixteenth hole, named “Gate”, his father casually launched his tee shot over the wall and burn into the heart of the fairway, (a shot few could manage at the time). Willie struck a perfect mashie towards the green of the short par four. His ball came to a stop right in the middle of a plateau on the green, but as a delighted Willie strode forward, his father began to laugh. Too short to see, young Willie had fallen victim to one of the most notorious holes in golf. The “Gate” hole has a green which has a deep ditch running through the middle of it, and Willie was on the wrong side of the ditch – in four putt territory. As they walked to their balls, Tom ruffled Willie’s unruly mop of hair and told the boy the news he’d been waiting for. He was to be apprenticed to a renowned local club maker in Gullane, the great Alex Aitken. It was then that the young Willie would gladly leave school behind to become a golf professional, and soon afterwards, a professional golfer. It seems that he readily took to club making and in a remarkably short time, had a strong reputation as a precocious club making genius. In 1895, local golfing legend Willie Park Jr visited the US to play exhibitions and to layout several golf courses. He also provided recom mendat ions for su itable Scot t ish professionals to work there and it’s likely that Tom Anderson had asked his old friend to “put in a word” for his son. So in March the following year, young William was put in the care of local North Berwick golf pro Tom Warrender and they sailed for New York on the SS Pomeranian. The journey was hellish and disease ripped through the poor souls on board and resulted in almost thirty per cent of the passengers dying of “ship fever”. (See Sidebar). The New York Times reported that on March 21, Anderson took up a post as club pro at Misquamicut Golf Club, Watch Hill on Rhode Island, a course where Park had laid out nine holes a year earlier. Over the next year, Anderson, aged only sixteen, laid out another nine, adding course design to his already strong reputation for club making and as a player. Indeed, newspaper’s report stated that famous amateur Horace Hutchinson considered Anderson to be one of the best club-makers in Scotland – stunning praise for one so young. He returned home at the end of 1896, but in early 1897 was again at sea, this time with another local, Harry Reddie, who became pro at St Andrews Golf Club, New York before succeeding Willie at Misquamicut. As with many of his pro appointments, his time at Misquamicut didn’t last long. Like young Tom Morris, Willie bristled at the idea of the “gentlemen” being inherently superior to the lowly professional. Unlike Tom, Willie had to suck it up, HKGOLFER.COM
but he never lasted long in any role, and over the next few years he took roles at Baltusrol, Pittsfield, Montclair, Apawamis, Onwentsia, St Louis and finally Philadelphia Cricket Club. It’s said that he had ten jobs in ten years. This may be overstating the issue. Willie learned very early on that American winters were best spent in the south, and he started the trend among pros of finding a winter role in warmer climes - around St Augustine being his preference. He left several northern clubs to take a winter opportunity in the sun. What cannot be overstated, however, is his precociousness. At the Chicago Golf Club in 1897, in his first ever
Rich heritage (clockwise from top left): Willie Anderson in 1906; Dick Kimball, Gilbert Nichols, Aleck Smith and Anderson, 1910; poster advertising Anderson's winter stint in St Augustine; the legendary sixteenth hole at North Berwick HK GOLFER・JUN 2011
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Courtesy of the USGA
The life of Willie (clockwise from top left): US Open winners in white - Horace Rawlins sits in front of Anderson, who hsa his arm round Aleck Smith; Chick Evans, the brilliant amateur, stepped in to make sure Anderson's family were taken care of after his death; the world's rarest golf book? The "flck book" of Anderson's swing 56
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US Open, aged seventeen, he lost by one shot, when winner Joe Lloyd had birdied the final hole! This is often misreported as an eagle, an easy mistake to make as the hole was nearly 460 yards long and was playing as a good three shotter. Lloyd played it beautifully, a huge drive followed by a smooth brassie to eight feet for a superb birdie. Nevertheless, Anderson had exploded onto the international scene, and over the next three years he finished third, fifth and eleventh in the competition. By 1901, he was a confident twenty-one-year-old and proceeded to win his first US Open at Myopia Hunt Club in Boston, beating the great Aleck Smith in the first ever eighteen-hole play-off. The players had tied on 331 on the Friday but the play-off had to wait as Saturday and Sunday were “Members Days”. This represented the start of Willie’s drive to get recognition for the pros. Growling, “No, we're no goin’ tae eat in the kitchen,” he made it clear he was angry at the treatment being meted out, and this led to a special marquee being erected for the players. Late on the Monday, Anderson was trailing by five shots with five holes to play in the playoff and uttered the immortal line, “Gimme a
smoke and I'll win it yet”. In an era where a five was a good score on any hole, he then proceeded to score five fours to finish. When Smith missed a par putt on the last, it was all over. Willie had his first title and the world had seen Act One of the Anderson/Smith series as the inseparable pair went on to dominate US golf for the next decade. As defending champion, Willie came a very credible fifth the following year, having already won his first (of four) Western Opens, then seen as a major. His 299 in winning the 1902 Western Open was the first time anyone had broken 300 in a seventy-two-hole event, and he became the first player to win both events. In 1903, at Baltusrol in New Jersey, he blew a six-shot lead after thirty-six holes and had to grind in the final round before he repeated his feat of winning the US Open in a play-off, this time beating fellow Scot (and 1886 British Open champion) Davie “Deacon” Brown by two shots. Willie had become the first man to win the title twice, and also became the only player to win the US Open with both the old guttapercha and the new rubber-cored ball. In 1904 at Chicago's Glen View Course, Willie dispelled any notion that he had been fortunate to win twice in play-offs by blowing away the field and winning by five strokes from American Gilbert Nicholls, which set the tournament scoring records including a record low 72 in the final round. He now had his third US Open title, and his second in a row. HKGOLFER.COM
It’s often said that he never played in the Open Championship, but he actually did enter in 1905 at St Andrews. He scored poorly and missed the cut for the final two rounds, although he did catch up with many of his old friends. Arriving back in the US, at Myopia Hunt Club (the club where he had his first win in 1901) he overcame an unusually slow start to beat his old rival Smith by two and achieved the unthinkable – three US Open wins in a row, never achieved before or since. He was only twenty-five. His total of four wins have since been matched by Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus, but never surpassed. By this time, Willie’s had been designing clubs for Worthington Manufacturing, the first “signature” line ever and was endorsing the 'near indestructible' Champion ball. He even notably appeared in a “flick book” of his swing, A Perfect Swing by Willie Anderson, published by the C.C. Chattell Golf Club Company in 1909. Measuring just 1¾’’ x 2¾’’, this little gem is one of the rarest golf books in the world. The Anderson swing was a thing of beauty; slow and unhurried and seemingly effortless. It’s clear he was the Ernie Els or Freddie Couples of his day. However, more relevant to his success was his incredible ability to focus and never get flustered. His putting form in particular was much imitated and he was seen as the ultimate closer. In 1908 and 1909 he narrowly missed out on adding to his US Open tally, coming fourth both years. However, he continued to accumulate Western Open titles, winning in both years to make it four in total. By 1910, his form was not as dominant as it had been, and some subsequent historians have said he was drinking too much at this time, but there is no evidence of this. Whatever was happening, his health had deteriorated and he wasn’t the force he had been. Tellingly, in 1910 he wasn’t well enough to defend his Western Open title and on October 25, just four days after his thirty-firstt birthday, he collapsed and died in Chestnut Hill near Philadelphia. The official cause of death was epilepsy. Sadly, Willie had not only inherited his mother Jessie’s slender legs, but also her weak chest as she constantly struggled with chest infections and had died when Willie was still in his teens. The legendary US amateur, Chick Evans, a great admirer of Anderson, was instrumental in creating a fund for Willie’s widow Agnes and their daughter. Evans was the finest amateur of his generation, winning both US Open and US Amateur in 1916. The lengths to which he went to ensure Anderson’s family were looked after highlights the depth of affection he held for his mentor. It was left to his great rival and friend Aleck Smith, who lost two US Opens to Willie, to HKGOLFER.COM
say that, “most likely, had he lived longer, Willie would have set a record for Open championships that would never be beaten.” Willie Anderson played in every US Open from 1897, when he first arrived in the US, to the year of his death in 1910, a total of fourteen tournaments. His worst placing was fifteenth but he finished in the top five eleven times including his four wins - with the unique threein-a-row from 1903-1905. It’s a magnificent record which has never been bettered and one wonders how much more this son of North Berwick could have achieved with better health. As it is, his achievements shine out to us from the depths of history: “Oor Wullie” – Young Willie Anderson, the greatest US Open champion of all time.
Transatlantic Travel There were three classes on most liners: Cabin, Second Cabin and Steerage. Willie was in the second class cabin, which probably saved his life. Steerage was US$20-$25 and it cost about US$20 more for second class, a huge sum at the time. However, paying the ex tra money also meant being disembarked in New York whereas Steerage passengers were put on a ferry to Ellis Island, where lengthy delays and disease awaited.
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top ten
Top 10 US Opens Golf list compiler extraordinaire Mak Lok-lin selects the most memorable editions of America's national championship
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t's hard to believe that almost a year has passed since Graeme McDowell's come-frombehind victory at the US Open – the first by a European for forty years. Rory McIlroy, McDowell's great mate, will be pleased to note how time has treated Dustin Johnson's implosion at Pebble Beach (which was in many ways worse than his own Masters fiasco) in the sense that no one seems to remember or care too much about it. We were also spared the blushes of the USGA had Frenchman Gregory Havret, who was languishing at 391 in the world rankings at the time, gone on to take the title. All in all, the second major of 2010 was a pretty exciting one for the neutrals, albeit one that featured the sight of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els all engaging reverse gear when the going got tough down the home straight. But it was certainly more entertaining than watching journeyman Lucas Glover's turgid – if ultimately successful – slog around a soggy Bethpage Black the year before. This leads one to pray for a US Open for the ages. Tommy Armour's old haunt, Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, will host proceedings this time and it's a fabulous track, one with a great tradition. Whether it will be rewarded with an equally great champion remains to be seen, of course – I for one am not holding my breath. Needless to say, this all got me thinking about the truly magical US Opens of the past, and in time honoured fashion, I slipped all too easily into an internal debate as to which previous contests would make my top ten ...
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Tiger's Fight Back (2008)
It’s easy to forget just how good Tiger Woods was before his personal life – and game – went into free fall. Going into the US Open at Torrey Pines, there was a chance he wouldn’t play at all having had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after the Masters that year (where he finished second to Trevor Immelman). Even if he did play, could he compete having not played competitive golf for nearly two months? The answer lay in both Woods himself and the stats for his performances leading up to the event. In the eleven tournaments Woods played before that US Open, he won eight times, was runner-up twice and didn't finish out of the top five. What the public didn’t know before the tournament started was that doctors had discovered a double stress fracture in his left tibia, but he decided to play anyway. Woods clearly didn’t plan for what turned into a gruelling war of attrition against Rocco Mediate, a journeyman tour pro having his day in the sun. In the event, Woods had to hole the putt of his life to birdie the last for force an eighteen-hole play-off, then, unbelievably, birdie it again the following day to take the play-off into sudden death, by which time Mediate finally woke up. For many, the combination of health issues, near misses, stunning shots and sheer theatre made this perhaps the most dramatic major of all time. It took a huge toll on Woods as, after the battle, he could barely walk and immediately announced a break to have further surgery. He was off the tour for eight months. The win remains Woods’ last in a major.
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Hogan's Miracle (1950)
Old School (clockwise from top left): Hy Peskin's famous image of Hogan firing his fabulous oneiron to the final hole at Merion in 1950; Watson's decisive hole-out on the seventeenth at Pebble Beach; Miller in full flow at the 1973 US Open 60
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The story at Merion Golf Club centered on one man – the great Ben Hogan. Following his glorious 1948 season when he had won 10 times, including the US Open at Riviera, the dogged Hogan had finally reached the pinnacle of the sport, if not the top of the popularity charts. However, in February 1949, he barely survived a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus, in which he threw himself across his wife Valerie, almost certainly saving her life but resulting in massive injuries to himself. It was deemed unlikely that he would walk again, never mind play golf. And yet, here he was, five months after his return to the game, with both legs heavily bandaged and in constant pain coming down the eighteenth needing a par to force a play-off with Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio. The home hole at Merion was a brute and despite a good drive, Hogan still required a one-iron to reach the green. The strike was pure and he found the centre of the putting surface, from where he two-putted his way into the play-off, which he won the following day in front of a rapturous crowd. This most miraculous of major victories helped Hogan win over a golfing public enthralled by his triumph over adversity.
lived up to that reputation – until this event. It seems there was a sprinkler malfunction and the course was actually relatively soft and receptive, which led to a record nineteen players breaking par on the Friday. The last two days saw the course toughen, and in fact the fallout continued the following year when the “Massacre at Winged Foot” was blamed on a reaction to the scores that Oakmont yielded. A sub-plot in 1973 was the seeming ret u rn to for m of A r nold Palmer, with the huge local crowds seeking revenge upon the upstart Jack Nicklaus. There was also the matter of perhaps the best player in the world at the time, Lee Trevino, reigning Open champion and seeking his third US Open title. In the event, this stellar threesome all tied for fourth behind eventual champion Johnny Miller. With such a field and such a tough course, Miller’s round on Sunday was perhaps the best in major championship history. This former US Amateur champion played flawless golf in scoring a record 63 to take the championship by one. He hit all eighteen greens in regulation and took just twenty-nine putts, even lipping out on the final two holes. A great player often seen as never quite living up to his abilities, Miller went on to win the Open Championship in 1976 and a total of twenty-five PGA titles. However, those who saw what he was capable of at Oakmont felt he should have achieved so much more.
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Miller's Brilliance (1973)
Oakmont features in a number of the “greatest” US Opens as it’s seen as the archetypal Open course. In 1919, Grantland Rice called it “the hardest golf course in the country” and it had HKGOLFER.COM
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Watson's Chip (1982)
The US Open was seen as the one major Tom Watson seemed destined not to win. A bit like Greg Norman and the Masters, Watson had come so close so often but it just wouldn't happen for him. In his previous eight efforts, he had six top 10 finishes. Nevertheless, after three rounds at Pebble Beach, Watson was tied for the lead with Bill Rogers, who had won the Open Championship the year before. Jack Nicklaus was hovering wit h intent. I n t he f i na l rou nd , b ot h Watson and Rogers struggled early on, while Nicklaus was unstoppable, birdying f ive consecutive holes on the front nine. Watson f inally got it going around t he turn by holing several lengthy putts to either save par or many birdie. After 16 holes he was tied with the Golden Bear. At the parthree seventeenth he pulled his tee shot badly into thick rough above the hole. When his caddie, Bruce Edwards, urged him to put it close, Watson snapped back: “Get in close? Hell, I'm going to sink it.” True to his word, Watson somehow managed to coax the ball into the hole before closing with another birdie for a memorable two-shot win. For high drama, this edition of the championship couldn't be beaten and it put Pebble Beach firmly on the US Open roster. It's hard to believe that 1982 was only the second US Open to be held there and it became – and remains – one of the most popular venues.
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Palmer's Charge (1960)
At the time, this was seen as a superb Open, full of final round drama with the lead changing hands multiple times before Arnold Palmer emerged triumphant as a hugely popular if wholly unexpected winner. Time has not diminished the drama, but in retrospect has added an entire “clash of generations” sub-plot which adds a lot to the events of the day. Palmer started the final round trailing by seven shots, drove the first green at Cherry Hills Country Club and birdied six of the first seven holes. In the end he shot 65 to win by two shots.
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On its own, that would make for a memorable Open. However, the lead changed hands several times and boiled down to a three-way battle between the old generation, Ben Hogan, the next generation, amateur Jack Nicklaus, and the current generation, Palmer. Hogan perhaps should have won, playing the seventeenth with a one shot lead before bogeying the hole from the middle of the fairway and triple-bogeying the last. It marked the end of the Hogan era and introduced the world to “Ohio Fats”, the plump kid with the crew cut who would become Palmer’s nemesis for years to come ...
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Jack's Arrival (1962)
As ever, Oakmont threw up a brilliant Open, even if once more it was only with the passage of time that the true relevance became clear. This was scripted to be Arnold Palmer’s Open, being HK GOLFER・JUN 2011
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held barely forty miles from his hometown of Latrobe in Western Pennsylvania. He had won six tournaments already in 1962 including the Masters, and the Phoenix Open by t welve shot s – from Jack Nicklaus, who had recently turned pro. After three rounds Arnie was tied with Bobby Nichols and leading Nicklaus by two shots. After eight holes he was leading by three, but he began missing putts and by day’s end was tied with Nicklaus. This was despite perhaps the most partisan crowd in major history abusing Jack every step of the way. The crowd called him “Fat Jack”, and stood in the trees carrying signs saying, “Hit it here Jack”. Jack said later that he hadn’t noticed any of this, but his own fans did and his father’s friend Woody Hayes in particular had to be pulled away several times from confrontations. Arnie’s putting problems continued in the play-off and Jack pulled away to win a tremendous battle. There was a shambolic finish when Arnie “conceded” Jack’s putt on the eighteenth, only for officials to point out it was a stroke play contest and to insist the marker be replaced and to have Jack putt out. In the end, Palmer outplayed everyone tee to green, but had a torrid time with the flatstick. Overall, Arnie had thirteen three-putts and Jack had only one. Unbelievably, time showed this to be the classic changing of the guard. It was Nicklaus’ first professional win and the first of his eighteen majors, but it also marked the shifting of power. Arnie featured in two further play-offs for the US Open, but didn't win either. Actually, Jack’s win was foretold in very non-PC fashion by none other than Arnie himself. Asked on the eve of the tournament who he felt had a chance, he told his fans to, “watch out for the fat kid”!
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Stewart's Last Hurrah (1999)
Payne Stewart had shaken off his “clown” reputation with his win in the USPGA in 1989 and his US Open win in 1991, where he beat Scott Simpson in a playoff. He was always hugely popular with golf fans for his unique outfits, featuring a flat cap and pants which were a cross between plus fours and knickerbockers, all in remarkably loud colours. By 1999, Stewart hadn’t won on tour for four years and was seen as a good player whose moment had perhaps come and gone. In
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1998, he had led the US Open by four shots going into the final round, only to shoot a 74 as Lee Janzen snatched victory by a shot with a 68. At the US Open at Pinehurst No 2, he was determined not to let another title slip away. Despite the usual Tiger charge and a great effort by Vijay Singh, it all came down to a head-to-head battle against a young Phil Mickelson. In the event, Phil was in the middle of the sixteenth fairway with a one-shot lead before missing the green and failing to get up and down for his only bogey of the day. When Stewart stuffed his approach on seventeenth to four feet for a birdie, Mickelson realized his grip on the trophy was all but gone. On the eighteenth, Stewart sank a fifteen foot par putt for a one-shot win which he celebrated in some style. Unbelievably, within a couple of months Stewart was gone, killed in a plane accident en route to the Tour Championship. The private jet had suffered a massive loss of cabin pressure, killing everyone on board and the world watched as the ghost plane flew until the fuel ran out and it crashed in South Dakota.
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Ouimet's Amateur Hour (1913)
This was the Open which captured the US public’s imagination, the plucky young American Francis Ouimet against Britain’s best. The sad part was that three years previously, America had found her superstar, a prodigy called Johnny McDermott. He finished second in 1910, aged just eighteen, before winning a year later. He remains the youngest ever winner of the US Open, and was the first American to do so. However, he wasn’t an amateur and it seems that it was this which made Ouimet's 1913 Open victory so special. Ted Ray and Harry Vardon had been on an exhibition tour of the US beating all comers (although McDermott routed them in the final event before the Open) and it was felt that the championship was theirs for the taking. Ouimet was a twenty-year-old local champion when the US Open came to his local course at Brookline, having won the Massachusetts Amateur earlier in the year. What made the championship memorable wasn’t just that he matched the legendary pros over the four rounds, it was that despite being a massive underdog for the play-off, he played brilliantly to defeat them mano-a-mano. Also helping the narrative along was the extraordinary presence of ten-year-old Eddie Lowery, Ouimet’s caddie. Ouimet never turned pro and had a superb amateur career, albeit slightly interrupted by the outrageous decision to strip him of his amateur status in 1916 because he was working in a sporting goods store. This caused a huge uproar at the time, which the USGA chose to ignore. After the war his status was quietly reinstated.
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In any era without Bobby Jones he would have been feted as the best amateur in the world. As it was, he went on to mentor players such as Gene Sarazen, and also became the first American to become Captain of the R&A.
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Armour's Battling Win (1927)
Oakmont in 1927 was brutal; the first example of what we would today call a classic US Open course. It had it all: the slick greens, the 300 bunkers, and especially the nightmarish rough. The course gave up only a single round under par over the five days of play when Tommy Armour scored a stunning 71 in the second round. Only one man had seemingly held himself together consistently, Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper who had finished with a total of 301. Out on the course, coming off a double bogey at the longest hole in US Open history at the time, the interminable 621 yard twelfth (still the sixth longest ever), Armour
American Heroes (clockwise from top left): Nicklaus and Palmer, two of the greatest US Open champions in history; Ouimet is carried by the Brookline galleries following his win in 1913 (Ouimet's caddie, tenyear-old Eddie Lowery, is seen in the foreground); Stewart's fifteen foot putt at the final hole in 1999 denied Phil Mickelson HK GOLFER・JUN 2011
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Decades Apart: Tommy Armour (top right) shakes the hand of Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper (left) following his triumph in 1927; Woods in his prime (below), the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach
stood on the thirteenth tee knowing he needed to play the last six holes in one under to match Cooper. He also knew that the previous day, reigning US Open champion Bobby Jones had stood on the same tee with a share of the lead and then played the next four holes in seven-over par to watch his title slip away. Armour started grinding, scoring par after par for the next five holes, until he stood on the eighteenth needing a birdie to tie. Unbelievably, he hit his drive 250 yards down the middle (which was enormous for the time), and then knocked in a three-iron to eleven feet. With the boisterous crowd willing him on, he stroked in the birdie to force an eighteen-hole play-off. For some reason the huge crowd had taken a dislike to Cooper. It was felt that the locals appreciated Armour’s humility, whereas Cooper was seen as brash and was nicknamed, “Cocksure Cooper” and “Chesty Harry”, whereas Armour was a deliberate player. In the event the Tortoise and Hare tale played out perfectly, with Cooper racing to a two-shot lead after eleven holes, only to take twenty-seven shots on the final six holes as Armour again played brilliantly to play the same stretch in twenty-two strokes and win by three, holing enormous putts along the way. Oakmont had served up another classic!
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Tiger the Destroyer (2000)
This will stand as a testament to the force majeur that was Tiger Woods at his best. He didn’t just win the US Open in record breaking fashion, he absolutely destroyed the finest field in golf. This, the one hundredth US Open, was played in an atmosphere of near mourning, given the death of the defending champion Payne Stewart. There were many ceremonies and individual tributes to Stewart that week, but frankly, there should also have been similar ceremonies to commemorate the murder of the entire field by Woods. Having got lucky with the weather on day one, Tiger scored a stunning 65 to lead by one. By the end of day two, he had added a 69 and was leading by six. Saturday was when the course got its own back, and howling winds made scoring extremely difficult. Ernie Els scored the only sub-par round of the day – an unbelievable 68 (the average score was almost ten shots higher). Woods overcame an early triple bogey to get back to level par for the round, an excellent score in the circumstances, which gave him a ten-shot lead and fifty-four hole scoring record. On Sunday, Woods went to town, his 67 being the low round of the day. He finished at twelve-under and won by fifteen shots, becoming the first player in US Open history to finish double-digits under par. His winning margin remains the highest ever in a major.
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us open punting
Straight Shooters The key to US Open success has everything to do with patience and keeping it in the short grass, writes resident tipster Archie Albatross
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he Blue Course at Congressional is a classic US Open track: hard and long it will be set up to wear down the field and punish the slightest mistake. The great and the good at the USGA like their courses heartbreakingly tough and are seemingly never happier when level par wins the national championship. Then
But there are a few undisputed factors which determine US Open success. First, a golfer must have already shown sustained form heading into the tournament. Those who are in the process of tinkering with their game will be found out; if you spot any players working on the range with their swing coach, keep your wallet trousered. Second: While length is always helpful at any course, accuracy reigns supreme at the US Open. Missing fairways and greens is so costly at the second major of the year because the chance of a successful recovery from the traditionally tall grass that borders the landing areas is so slim. You simply can't win without superior ball-striking. Through the filter of these two points, my '10 to follow' are as follows (best odds as of mid May): Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson Lee Westwood Luke Donald Martin Kaymer Nick Watney Matt Kuchar Adam Scott Bubba Watson Ben Crane
Take a piece of that: Luke Donald at 22/1
The reasoning is straightforward. Kuchar and Crane are in the top echelons of the tour driving accuracy stats; Watson, Watney and Scott are leading the way in the greens in regulation category. In Westwood, Donald and Kaymer you have the three most reliable and in-form Europeans, their games well suited to the rigours of US Open-style golf. And yes, Tiger impressed me enough at Augusta to regain his automatic place in the staking plan – if he indeed plays. His withdrawal from the Players Championship through injury has the pundits questioning whether he'll be fit in time for Congressional. Let's see. As for Mickelson – he's not a natural fit for this particular major but nevertheless he's come close on numerous occasions and I for one can never rule him out. One final point well worth considering – something that separates a champion from the also-rans – is personality; patience is crucial at the US Open. On this, I believe the Europeans have the edge, with Donald (at an extremely attractive price of 22/1) in particular having the requisite demeanour to triumph. Top American? My admiration for Messrs Kuchar and Watson is well known, but I'm liking the value of the former at 40/1. For those romantics still teary-eyed at the news of dear Seve's demise, how about a Spanish win from either Sergio Garcia (80/1) or Miguel Angel Jimenez (150/1)? Both have stellar iron games and maybe just once more, swashbuckling Ballesteros can inspire a European victory. AFP
there's the weather. Played in the heart of the hot and humid Mid Atlantic summer, the expected steamy conditions alone could well be a factor in determining who comes out on top. The US Open is a notoriously difficult tournament in which to pick the winner, as is evidenced by the roll call of recent champions who come from right across the spectrum of player types. There are the power hitters, men like Angel Cabrera, Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen. Then there are the shorter, 'control' players, the plotters: Lucas Glover, Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell. Even Rocco Mediate, who averaged less than 270 yards off the tee, pushed Tiger all the way in their famous play-off in 2008.
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GOLF TRAVEL
Courtesy of Victoria Golf Club
A Player’s Guide
Bunkered: The approach to the eighteenth hole at Victoria Golf Club
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Sandbelt Splendour There's no doubt that Melbourne's sandbelt region is home to at least a dozen world-class courses. HK Golfer's Australian correspondent Paul Myers checks out a select few
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ydney has the glamour, but Melbourne has the golf. It’s true: Australia’s second largest city and acknowledged sporting capital has a golfing pedigree second to none Down Under. Some say it even beats St Andrews and the Monterey Peninsula – it certainly falls into the very highest echelon of the planet's finest golf destinations. Six of Australia's top-ranked courses can be found here and the appeal of the city as a golf hub par excellence is further enhanced by its convenience. You can reach each of these layouts in less than thirty minutes from the central business district, while at least another dozen world-class tracks are no more than an hour's drive from downtown. It needn't be said but these are jaw-dropping facts for those of us in golf-starved Hong Kong.
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This golfing nirvana is all down to physical and human influences. The sandbelt of land circling Port Phillip Bay, with Melbourne at its apex, offers the game's ideal landscape. Throw in the design skills of Dr Alister MacKenzie, the Scotsman who created Augusta National, Cypress Point and two of Melbourne's best courses and – bingo – you have the perfect mix. When all this and a Mediterranean climate come together in a vibrant, fast-growing cosmopolitan city of four million sports-mad people, the place really has it all. Which explains why, in golfing terms, Royal Melbourne, which will host the President's Cup in November for the second time, its neighbour Kingston Heath and the city's dozen other sandbelt courses are so revered. The great news for Hong Kong golfers is that while these are all private clubs – and proudly so – midweek tee times are available to international visitors if booked well in advance. An up-to-date handicap from a recognized body (in our case, the Hong Kong Golf Association) is normally all that's required. Not surprisingly, green fee rates are high (especially at the moment given the strength of the Australian dollar), but deals can be found. Victoria Golf Club, in harness with Kingston Heath and Metropolitan, for example, is currently offering attractive threeand five-night stay/play packages. Check the clubs' websites for details.
WHERE TO PLAY ROYAL MELBOURNE (West Course) HHHHH For ye a r s , t he C omp o site C ou r se – comprising twelve holes of Alister MacKenzie's West Course and six holes of the East – was considered Australia's finest. Indeed, Golf Digest named it the sixth best course outside the United States. But although the President's Cup will be played over this combination, the powers that be have determined that the two courses be rated separately, with the favoured West now lying closely behind Kingston Heath and Sydney's New South Wales Club in the national rankings. Regardless, this takes nothing away from the individual quality and aura of the two tracks. Neither is long, measuring just over 6,000 metres (6550 yards) each, but their subtlety, especially in the bunkering and the green complexes, make them a test for even the very best. Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Fred Couples are among the club's biggest fans. Probably the most famous of the thirty-six holes at Royal Melbourne is the sixth on the West, a longish, sharply doglegging par-four featuring an elevated green that slopes steeply from back to front. ARCHITECT: Dr Alister MacKenzie (1931) YARDAGE/PAR: 6,589/72 CONTACT: royalmelbourne.com.au; (61) 3 9598 6755
Courtesy of Commonwealth Golf Club (Commonwealth); Courtesy of Victoria Golf Club (Victoria); Courtesy of Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Royal Melbourne)
Melbourne Magic: Commonwealth's clubhouse (below) lies enviably picturesque setting; you don't want to miss the fairways at Victoria (top right); the famed West Course at Royal Melbourne is
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KINGSTON HEATH HHHHH It's splitting hairs to differentiate Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath in terms of quality – both are, quite frankly, sublime. Host of the 2009 Australian Masters, which provided Tiger Woods with his last tournament victory, MacKenzie thought it was too long at 6,312 yards when he was called in to design the bunkers after Sydney professional Dan Souter had laid down the original routing. Back then the course played as a par 82 with twelve parfives and just two par-threes. That of course has since changed (with the number of long holes reduced to just three, while the fifteenth was changed, on MacKenzie's advice, from a parfour to a par-three). Its expanded length (the course now measures close to 7,000 yards) didn't concern Tiger too much when he compiled a four-round total of 14-under, but it is certainly still a challenge for mere mortals, who find the many dips and hollows in the fairways and the abundance of native ti trees and contoured greens an extreme test even in calm conditions. Considered the toughest hole on the course, the blind par-four sixteenth, with its sloping landing HKGOLFER.COM
area, double green (shared with the par-three eighth) and phalanx of greenside bunkering is a great example. Souter and MacKenzie's handiwork "is far and away the best of the regular tournament courses," says local boy Geoff Ogilvy. "The US Open has stunning courses but most of the American courses are nowhere near as good as Kingston Heath." ARCHITECT: Dan Souter and Dr Alister MacKenzie (1925) YARDAGE/PAR: 6,946/72 CONTACT: kingstonheath.com.au; (61) 3 8558 2700 HK GOLFERăƒťJUN 2011
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Courtesy of Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Royal Melbourne); Courtesy of Commonwealth Golf Club (Commonwealth)
VICTORIA HHHHH Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson played much of his early golf at Victoria Golf Club and like all of Melbourne's first-rate sandbelt courses is renowned for its bunkering (the good doctor MacKenzie has his input here too), immaculate fairways and greens and magnificent stands of eucalyptus trees. First-time visitors are often fooled by the easy opening hole, a par-four of just 260 yards from the back tees. But what follows – three long parfours interspersed by a tight par-three – soon stamp the measure of this wonderful layout. In reality there are any number of memorable holes – although the eighteenth, a mighty par-five of 600 yards, will perhaps linger longest in the memory. One of Victoria's biggest advantages for the overseas visitor is its on-site accommodation. Not only does the club make an excellent base in which to enjoy the sandbelt (the other courses reviewed here are within a fifteen-minute drive) but houseguests are allowed to play golf on any day of the week – unlike regular visitors who are not permitted to book tee times on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ARCHITECT: William Meader, Oscar Damman and Dr Alister MacKenzie (1927) YARDAGE/PAR: 6,866/72 CONTACT: victoriagolfclub.com.au; (61) 3 9583 1170
Picture Perfect: Royal Melbourne's characteristic greenside bunkering (above); one of the few water hazards in the Sandbelt, here at Commonwealth 70
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METROPOLITAN HHHHH Formed by members who lef t Roya l Melbourne when that club moved away from the city's south-eastern suburbs, Metropolitan was designed by MacKenzie – not Alister, but his namesake, J.B., an Australian engineer. Although unknown by comparison, his layout has stood the test of time magnificently. Renowned throughout the land for its soft couch grass landing areas and fast bent grass
greens (and, naturally, its typically wonderful sandbelt bunkering), the course is one of the most environmentally-friendly around – the vast number and variety of native birds that flock here is a testament to the ecologically sensitive practices the club has had in place since it opened its doors at the turn of the twentieth century. Golf's greatest names have flocked here since then too. Peter Thomson won the 1971 Australian Open here; Jack Newton beat an upand-coming Greg Norman by one shot for the national title in 1979 and Brad Faxon took the coveted Stonehaven Cup in 1993. Walter Hagen described it as the best course in Australia when he visited in 1930, an opinion echoed by LPGA player Katherine Hull, who was left in awe after playing her first round here a few years' back. Straight hitting is the key to scoring well at Metropolitan; it's regular practice at the club to hand-mow the bunker edges, which makes its deep-sided pits some of the easiest to find anywhere. ARCHITECT: J.B. MacKenzie (1908) YARDAGE/PAR: 6,718/72 CONTACT: metropolitangolf.com.au; (61) 3 9570 3774 COMMONWEALTH HHHHH Host course of the 2010 and 2011 Australian Women's Open, Commonwealth isn't as wellknown outside of the country as some of the other courses listed here – but as a strategic test, it's every bit as enjoyable. Add this fact to its constantly sublime conditioning and Commonwealth ranks as a definite must-play. Despite its suburban location, Commonwealth, which was the work of Sam Bennett and the great Harry Colt (who designed the famed West Course at Wentworth, among many other classic tracks), gives the feeling of being in the Australian bush, a sense aided by the club's tree management programme, which is probably the best of any Down Under. With only one par-three on the back nine, the course plays 36 out and 37 in. The opening hole, a short parfour, is the most straightforward on the course, allowing players to ease themselves into their rounds. The first three holes on the back nine are especially penal however, starting with a long par-five that features the longest green on the course, followed by two par-fours that rank as index one and three respectively. A natural lake between the third and sixth holes provides one of the few water hazards in the sandbelt. Somewhat surprisingly, Commonwealth has hosted only one major men's tournament, the 1967 Australian Open, which was won – not so surprisingly – by the indomitable Peter Thomson, who mastered the wind and shot a brilliant 11-under-par total. HKGOLFER.COM
ARCHITECT: Sam Bennet and Harry Colt (1921) YARDAGE/PAR: 6,977/73 CONTACT: commonwealthgolf.com.au; (61) 3 9570 0444
WHAT TO DO / WHERE TO STAY
Staying in the central business district (CBD) makes sense for those wanting to access Melbourne's other delights: great food and wine at a vast array of restaurants, cafes and quaint English-style pubs. Theatre is a popular draw (there are always several major productions), while watching a cricket match at the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the summer (or Australian Rules during the winter) is an especially agreeable way to while away the hours. Hongkongers need no introduction to horseracing, and with three tracks and one of the most important races in the sport (the Melbourne Cup, held on the second Tuesday of November), Melbourne is unquestionably the racing capital of the southern hemisphere. The Langham (langhamhotels.com.au) is one of the most highly regarded and luxurious city hotels in Australia and is ideally situated for those wanting to explore all of Melbourne's attractions, while the Crown Towers (crowntowers.com.au), located right next to
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the casino and entertainment complex of the same name, is an excellent choice for those wishing to hit the tables.
WHEN TO GO
Generally speaking, the best time to visit Melbourne is between September and May, although be warned: January and February can be searingly hot. The rest of the summer months are comfortably warm. The winter months from June to August can be cool and wet. The city has a reputation for rain, which is statistically unfounded as Melbourne receives only fifty per cent of the average rainfall of either Brisbane or Sydney.
GETTING THERE
Cathay Pacific operates three flights daily to Melbourne (two nonstop; approximately nine hours); while Qantas, the Australian carrier, flies one nonstop daily service. The city's public transport network is extensive, and while hiring a car gives you the freedom and comfort to navigate your own way to the sandbelt, it is possible (and relatively painless) to travel the 15 miles or so by train from Melbourne's Flinders Street station to the suburb of Cheltenham and take a taxi to the clubs from there.
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ballantine's championship
Making an Impression Westwood underlines his status as the best golfer on the planet with a brilliant final-day charge to claim his first Ballantine's Championship
L
ee Westwood lived up to his billing as world number one with a stunning final round to take the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea in early May. The Englishman, who climbed to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking with victory in Indonesia the week before, spoke before the tournament of wanting to deliver a performance befitting his new status. He certainly did so in Icheon, defying the pressure of expectation to shoot a superb 67 and make a decisive charge up the leaderboard late on an elongated day. It secured his 21st European Tour title, but his first since 2009, and lifted KLP WR Ą LQ 7KH 5DFH WR 'XEDL The championship was played for the first time at the exclusive JMP-designed Blackstone Golf Club after moving from Jeju Island following three successful stagings. Westwood finished on 12-under, one shot clear of close friend and joint overnight leader Miguel Angel JimÊnez, who ultimately paid the price for carding two bogeys in the first four holes of the outward nine in the last round. A birdie on the last for JimÊnez – as he had done earlier in the day during the completion of the rain interrupted third round - would have taken the 72
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tournament into a play-off, but he missed the decisive putt from 15 feet. “It feels great,â€? said Westwood. “I must admit it was nerve-racking sitting there watching people play. I don't obviously wish ill on [JimĂŠnez] but over those last three holes I wasn't cheering for him to make a birdie. “I'm delighted. Professional golf is all about winning and it’s great to do it back-to-back two weeks in a row. It was nice to come back from last week and get it all together.â€? Jimenez was quick to congratulate Westwood and the latter revealed they enjoyed dinner together last night. “We had a nice bottle of red [wine] and after dinner I said 'I'll see you in the playoff tomorrow' and it nearly went that way,â€? Westwood said. HKGOLFER.COM
In Bloom: Westwood's final-round 67 helped scoop the Englishman his second title of the season.
Ballantine's Boy's (clockwise from top): Dustin Johnson was all smiles in the pre-event press conference; Miguel Angel Jimenez could have forced a play-off with a last-ditch effort; China's number one, Liang Wen-chong; Ernie Els failed to live up to his billing, finishing well down the field.
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Although Westwood failed to save par after resuming his third round on the thirteenth, he responded by birdying the fourteenth and seventeenth to begin the final round three shots off the lead. He barely put a foot wrong thereafter, while Jiménez, by contrast, found sand on the fourteenth, fifteenth and eighteenthh as his attempts to repair the early damage foundered. “That's the game,” Jiménez said. “I made four rounds under par for 11-under, and that's not good enough.” Westwood added: “It's a difficult course because it goes around the hills and it's difficult to pick the wind up; it swirls a lot. “It was very tough and to go around without making a bogey, five birdies and 13 pars was a special round of golf.” South Korean Park Sang-hyun ended his week in sensational fashion, firing an eagle on
the par-five closing hole to delight the home crowd and climb into third place on 10-under. His closing round 69 was matched by American Dustin Johnson, who finished one shot further adrift, while Hong Soon-sang, another Korean to impress on his own turf, also went round in 69 to finish tied for fifth with Sweden's Alexander Noren. Noren began the final round on 10-under, boasting a share of the lead with Jiménez and Welshman Rhys Davies, but five bogeys, including three on the back nine, on an erratic day cost him his chance of victory. J be K r uger, from Sout h A frica, a nd Westwood’s compatriot James Morrison finished six under par alongside Australian Brett Rumford, who recovered partially from a poor finish to the third round and start to the last after resuming today as joint leader with Jiménez. Three Koreans – Mo Joong-kyung, Kim Kyung-tae and Kim Dae-hyun – were a shot further back after each broke par in the final round. Davies, meanwhile, carded a disappointing 77 that was marred by an eight on the par four, 448 yard 12th. He eventually took a share of thirteentth place. Westwood reserved high praise for the tournament and the local support, saying: “The fans were very good, very supportive and it just shows the keenness of the Korean public to come out and watch people they have seen on TV. It has been a great week.” Westwood, who will be looking to end his major championship drought with victory at this month's US Open, also expressed a desire to become the first player in the tournament's history to successfully defend his title. "Yes, I'd like to come back," said Westwood. "I always try to defend a tournament." HKGOLFER.COM
Final Standings Ballantine's Championship Blackstone GC, April 28 - May 1, 2011 1 2 3 4 5= 7=
10=
13=
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Lee Westwood Miguel Angel Jimenez Park Sang-hyun Dustin Johnson Hong Soon-sang Alexander Noren Jbe Kruger James Morrison Brett Rumford Kim Dae-hyun Kim Kyung-tae Mo Joong-kyung Rhys Davies Robert-Jan Derksen Jamie Donaldson Soren Kjeldsen Shane Lowry Gareth Maybin Richard McEvoy Damien McGrane Richie Ramsay Marcel Siem Matthew Zions
72 68 69 67 70 67 69 71 67 72 70 69 70 69 71 69 69 72 70 69 70 69 67 74 73 70 69 69 69 69 72 71 71 63 73 74 71 69 71 71 69 71 72 70 71 70 72 69 70 68 68 77 73 69 71 70 72 69 71 71 71 66 73 73 72 70 69 72 72 70 72 69 71 73 68 71 66 72 74 71 68 72 74 71 76 68 71 68 76 66 71 70
276 277 278 279 280 280 281 281 281 282 282 282 283 283 283 283 283 283 283 283 283 283 283
€367,500 €245,000 €138,033 €110,250 €85,334 €85,334 €56,889 €56,889 €56,889 €40,866 €40,866 €40,866 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046 €29,046
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interview
Ernie Els
The South African, a three-time major champion, talks about the importance of decision-making in golf as part of a series of ‘Great Minds’ interviews for this year’s Ballantine’s Championship
H
ow important a part of the game is good decision making? Good decision making is probably the most important part of the game. It’s every bit as important as hitting a thousand golf balls a day. You can be as good a ball striker as you can be, but if you can’t make the right decisions out on the golf course then you’re not going to have a good round. Players are all different: the way you set up mentally, if you want to attack the hole, or play it more safe if the wind is blowing. You have to decide which club to play and how you want to approach the shot. So golf is all about decision making and you have to make those decisions within seconds. Is decision making in some ways a gut instinct? A lot of times you don’t want to over analyse a shot or situation and that’s something you learn through experience. Sometimes you have to ignore the exact yardage and go with what you really feel, because your adrenaline will mean you hit the ball a little further. So gut feeling is all part of what we do. I have played the game for a long time as a professional now and my experience tells me that a gut feel is a major part of your game.
And it is about making those decisions under pressure? Exactly, you are under pressure all the time for four and a half hours. If you shoot 70 shots in a round then that is 70 decisions that you have made. You have to deal with that pressure. Can you give an example of good decision making on the golf course that you are particularly proud of? I’ve made some really good decisions at the right times and I’ve made some not so good ones at the bad times. Golf is quite a complex game and there are a lot of parts that need to flow together. A lot of times you see guys lose tournaments – particularly in majors – more so than guys actually winning them. It gets quite stressful, and at the end of the day, if you make the right decisions, you’ll probably win the golf tournament.
Which past or present players sum up good decision making in golf? Is there still one more major in you? I think the best ever was probably Jack Nicklaus. If you look at the great Yes, absolutely, that is what I am working on players, look at their records, and look at the [video] tape of what they have had right now. I’m trying to get my putting going as to do to win, they have made good decisions at the right times. I’m talking about good as I can, as that’s the one thing that’s holding guys like Nicklaus and Ben Hogan, and guys like Tiger [Woods] and Graeme me back a little bit, and then I’ll just try and work McDowell who have recently won major championships. I like to watch those on my confidence and try and get it going. Because guys, see the video tape and what they have had to go through to eventually win I’ve got all the experience in the world, I just need a golf tournament. You can learn from people like that. We only have maybe a to let it all blend in and happen. minute to do the whole thing: make the club selection, get your wind direction and your shot selection. So there is not a lot of time to make Great Minds Leave Great Impressions your decision and a lot of time it is under stress and with a lot of other Ballantine’s is exploring the role that mental strength plays in stuff happening. To make the right decision you have to use everything golf and the importance of making the right decisions at the you have – including your caddy’s bit of advice – and go with it. In the right time. A host of the world’s best players, including Ernie modern game I think Jim Furyk is very good at that – he manages his Els, have been reflecting on how success comes to those with game very well. And obviously Tiger when he was winning so often. the ability to make these big decisions. For more information He was the best because although he missed a lot of shots he was visit www.ballantineschampionship.com always able to play from where he missed. 76
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GLOBALTOURNAMENTNEWS PGA TOUR THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
TPC Sawgrass, May 12-15 Korea's KJ Choi became the first Asian player to win the prestigious PLAYERS Championship, considered by many to be the game's unofficial "fifth major", following a play-off with David Toms. Choi, without a win on the PGA Tour in three years, clinched the victory after Toms missed a short par putt on the first hole of sudden death – the famous par-three seventeenth – after the Korean had calmly twoputted from distance. The victory was Choi's eighth in the United States and came just days before his 41st birthday. "For me to shoot under par on this course every day , it's like a miracle, to be honest with you," said Choi, who made a five-foot putt on the eighteenth hole in regulation to force extra holes following a brilliant Toms birdie. Reigning US Open champion Graeme McDowell began the final round with a one-stroke lead but faded to a dismal 79 to finish outside the top 10. Paul Goydos, runner-up in this event in 2008, placed third after a pair of 69s on the weekend, while Luke Donald continued his consistent form, finishing in a tie for fourth for his seventh consecutive top 10 finish. 1 2 3 4=
KJ Choi David Toms Paul Goydos Luke Donald Nick Watney 6= Aaron Baddeley Jason Day Jason Dufner JB Holmes Hunter Mahan
70 68 67 70 66 68 71 70 69 70 69 69 69 67 71 71 64 71 72 71 70 67 70 72 69 70 72 68 69 70 68 72 68 69 73 69 70 67 73 69
275 275 277 278 278 279 279 279 279 279
US$1,710,000 US$1,026,000 US$646,000 US$418,000 US$418,000 US$287,375 US$287,375 US$287,375 US$287,375 US$287,375
WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP
Quail Hollow Club, May 5-8 Lucas Glover won his first title since the 2009 US Open by beating his former college team mate Jonathan Byrd on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off. Byrd, who played three years with Glover at Clemson University and has competed against him since they were 10 year olds, forced extra-time with a birdie at the eighteenth to finish the regulation 72 holes locked at 15-under-par 273. Returning to the eighteenth, Byrd hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker on the right and then pulled his approach left into rough just behind a creek running alongside the green. His pitch ran well past the hole and he two-putted for bogey, while Glover safely two-putted for par to end his title drought 41 tournaments after his major triumph at Bethpage Black. One stroke behind the two Americans was South African Rory Sabbatini, who surged into contention with seven birdies in a flawless 65. "I putted great," said the bearded Glover, who did not have a single three-putt in the tournament. "The key for me, especially here, is I made a lot of five to eight-footers for par to keep the rounds going." Lucas Glover Jonathan Byrd Rory Sabbatini Bill Haas Kevin Na Bobby Gates Zach Johnson Pat Perez 9= Phil Mickelson Stewart Cink
AFP
1 2 3 4 5 6=
78
67 68 69 69 66 68 67 72 72 71 66 65 64 70 71 70 69 69 67 71 69 70 69 69 73 69 67 68 67 65 70 75 69 66 74 69 71 65 68 74
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273 273 274 275 276 277 277 277 278 278
US$1,170,000 US$702,000 US$442,000 US$312,000 US$260,000 US$217,750 US$217,750 US$217,750 US$150,428 US$150,428
OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKINGS As of May 16, 2011
1
Lee WESTWOOD
ENG
8.10
2
Luke DONALD
ENG
7.52
3
Martin KAYMER
GER
7.25
4
Phil MICKELSON
USA
6.41
5
Graeme McDOWELL NIR
5.62
6
Rory McILROY
NIR
5.44
7
Steve STRICKER
USA
5.27
8
Tiger WOODS
USA
5.20
9
Paul CASEY
ENG
5.18
10 Matt KUCHAR
USA
5.12
11 Bubba WATSON
USA
5.09
12 Charl SCHWARTZEL
RSA
5.03
13 Dustin JOHNSON
USA
4.94
14 Nick WATNEY
USA
4.83
15 KJ CHOI
KOR
4.66
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GLOBALTOURNAMENTNEWS EUROPEAN TOUR IBERDROLA OPEN
Pula GC, May 12-15 Darren Clarke used all his experience to grind out a final round 69 for this thirteenth European Tour victory and deny Chris Wood his maiden win. The Ryder Cup Vice Captain had reduced Wood’s overnight advantage to one within three holes, but a double bogey at the eleventh after finding water looked to have cost him a first win since the 2008 KLM Open. But Wood encountered numerous problems on the back nine – three-putting the twelfth and thirteenth and driving out of bounds at the fifteenth as he came back in 40, despite coming within millimeters of a hole-in-one at the last. Clarke finished in style, making a succession of gutsy putts over the closing stretch. The Northern Irishman, who was playing in his first event back from a holiday in the Bahamas, said: “I had a really good time, felt very relaxed and worked on my game. It’s a bit of a monkey to get off my back after three years not winning so it’s good. At the same time I feel a lot for Chris Wood – he’s a young guy, a great player and I’ve been in his position before." 1 Darren Clarke 2= David Lynn Chris Wood 4 Alastair Forsyth 5= Paul Lawrie Shane Lowry Jose Maria Olazabal Graeme Storm 9= Thomas Aiken Gregory Bourdy
65 70 70 69 68 68 71 70 67 65 69 76 68 72 68 70 68 69 72 70 72 70 63 74 71 69 66 73 71 71 67 70 70 72 66 72 63 77 67 73
274 277 277 278 279 279 279 279 280 280
€166,660 €86,855 €86,855 €50,000 €33,100 €33,100 €33,100 €33,100 €20,267 €20,267
OPEN DE ESPANA
Real Club de Golf El Prat, May 5-8 South African Thomas Aiken lif ted his f irst European Tour title at the Open de España – and was quick to dedicate the win to three-time winner Seve Ballesteros. "It's been a sad week with Seve passing away," said Aiken. "I definitely want to dedicate this win to him with it being his home Open and what he gave to his home fans and to golf. He was everything to the game of golf and I am happy to have won for him – any of us would have won for him. My first European Tour win has not been an easy week, very emotional.” The 27-year-old from Johannesburg, playing his first tournament after a seven-week lay-off, shot a closing 70 at El Prat near Barcelona to beat Dane Anders Hansen by two. Aiken took the first prize of €333,330 with a 10-under-par total of 278. "I don't think it's quite hit home yet," he added. "I've been waiting for this for a long, long time and I've been knocking on the door. I'm ecstatic." With all the players again wearing black ribbons in memory of the Spanish superstar, Aiken became the fifth South African to win on The European Tour this season. 1 Thomas Aiken 2 Anders Hansen 3= Scott Jamieson Pablo Larrazabal 5= Simon Dyson Gregory Havret David Horsey Paul Lawrie Philip Price Romain Wattel
68 68 72 70 69 72 69 70 66 72 72 71 67 70 73 71 75 67 72 68 71 72 69 70 71 70 71 70 72 71 72 67 70 71 72 69 67 71 72 72
278 280 281 281 282 282 282 282 282 282
€333,330 €222,220 €112,600 €112,600 €58,267 €58,267 €58,267 €58,267 €58,267 €58,267
ASIAN TOUR Wack Wack G&CC, May 12-15 Berry Henson proved once again that the route to success starts at the Asian Tour Qualifying School following his win at the ICTSI Philippine Open. The American’s hard-fought victory at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club, where he had to fend off a late challenge from lo c al p rosp e c t Jay Bayron was his second international title in the span of two weeks and propelled him to 17th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. “I’m beat. I felt like I went through 72 rounds with Manny Pacquaio this week. I came into a hostile environment and it was really tough HKGOLFER.COM
for me. It was a hard win,” said Henson. “This is by far the biggest win in my career and it has pushed me way up on the rankings. My goal this year was to finish in the top-40 on the money list and I know this win sets me up nicely,” added the American rookie. Through the years, many notable Q-School graduates have achieved success on the Asian Tour including decorated Thai star Thongchai Jaidee, who has earned over US$4 million in his career through a record 13 victories, and reigning Order of Merit champion Noh Seung-yul of Korea, the youngest ever Asian number one. 1 2 3 4 5=
Berry Henson Jay Bayron Jbe Kruger Digvijay Singh Kwanchai Tannin Mars Pucay Pariya Jun'vasdikul 8= Daisuke Kataoka Rufino Bayron Lin Wen-hong
69 70 71 73 69 69 74 72 71 68 73 73 70 72 73 71 73 70 72 73 69 73 72 74 71 72 71 74 70 69 79 71 76 69 72 72 71 75 71 72
283 284 285 286 288 288 288 289 289 289
US$47,550 US$32,550 US$18,300 US$14,790 US$10,400 US$10,400 US$10,400 US$6,103 US$6,103 US$6,103
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AFP
ICTSI PHILIPPINE OPEN
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events
Vacheron Constantin Golf Day Late April saw the second annual Vacheron Constantin Hong Kong Golf Day, which was held in conjunction with HK Golfer at the delightful Shek O Country Club. Around fifty guests joined Managing Director Julien Tornare and his staff for a great day on the links followed by a superb dinner. The guests also had the opportunity to interact with some of the latest masterpieces from the Vacheron Constantin collection, including the first appearance of the stunning Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time in Asia. – C.M.
Charles McLaughlin and Julien Tornare
Robert Chiu tees off 80
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Jim Mailer (centre) with Julien Tornare (right) and guest
HKGA Chief Executive Iain Valentine
Albert Chiu in action
David Hui makes a brilliant eagle HKGOLFER.COM
Johnny Roberts addresses the attendees Charles McLaughlin
The Glenrothes Dinner On April 27, The Glenrothes hosted a delightful dinner at the exclusive KEE Club in Hong Kong, which was attended by a select group of some of the most discerning whisky enthusiasts and spirit connoisseurs in Hong Kong, including two very familiar names – HK Golfer spirit and wine editors John Bruce and Robin Lynam respectively. Uniquely, each course was paired with an expression from The Glenrothes, including the Select Reserve, Vintage 1998, Vintage 1991, Vintage 1988 and 25 years. Between courses, Johnny Roberts, Berry Bros & Rudd’s regional business director for Asia (Spirits), led the group of guests through the Glenrothes journey, who were also treated to a one-of-its-kind “Sand Art” performance. Sláinte! – C.M.
"Sand Art"
Robin Lynam, Johnny Roberts and guest
John Bruce HKGOLFER.COM
A happy line up
The star of the show
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"I would like to tell Peter Thomson what a fantastic influence he has had on my life. I have never said that to him in person and I would like to do that " CONTINUED FROM PAGE 84
who I've upset, and frankly I don't care, but I've no interest in being in the Hall of Fame. It's either the voting system or it's [PGA Tour Commissioner Tim] Finchem, but it's wrong. And I'm not the only one. Sandy Lyle isn't in the Hall of Fame when he should be. If it's going to happen [for me] they'd better do it while I'm alive; I'm not sending my family there when I'm gone. Even though you were – and still are – based in the United States, you played in almost all the Australian events at a time when travelling between the two countries wasn't as easy as it is today ... I had no second guesses about trying to help promote golf as an Australian and US Open champion. I played in as many tournaments as I could. Unfortunately there was a lot of jealousy amongst the ranks in those days because if someone like myself came back and got two free tickets with Qantas, a hotel room and maybe a US$5,000 appearance fee there was high resentment. Same thing happened when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player played the Australian Open. Everyone was screaming bloody murder, saying that the money should have gone into the prize purse and that we didn't need them. [But] They made the Australian Open. Golf should be indebted to them for going all over the world playing for what these days isn't much money. [Appearance fees have] been a controversial subject for fifty years and I don't think it's ever going away. A lot of players have to realize that Palmer, Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are exceptions and without them you don't have a big tournament. It's the same old argument and it's never going to be resolved. Aside from being one of only three Australians to win more than one major, you may be the only Australian ‘lefty’ to win a major [Graham was a natural left hander as a trainee professional]. What were some of the circumstances that lead to your decision to switch to right handed? Well I didn’t make the decision, it was made for me. I wasn’t given a choice. It was all to do with the former head professional at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne, George Naismith. He was a very respected player and teaching professional and I was his assistant. He took me under his wing but I was the assistant there for close to two years before he knew I even played left handed. In those 82
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days, assistant professionals were golf club cleaners and floor sweepers and stuff like that. If a member was on the golf course, you had to keep the shop open so assistants didn’t get much time to play. One time, I shut the shop and was on the range and he was on his way home. He stopped the car and walked over, saying ‘I didn’t know you played left handed. Let me see you hit a couple of balls.’ I hit a few little left handed slices and he said ‘You’ll never be a good player playing left handed, son. You need to play right handed. Build yourself a set of right handed clubs tomorrow. I don’t want to see you playing left handed anymore.’ He just walked off, got in his car and left ... fortunately he lived long enough to learn that I won the US PGA. You know, I can still play pretty good left handed. I don't do it, but I could if I had to. The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne is looming. I know this tournament probably brings out a mixed set of emotions for you given your history with it [in 1996, Graham was ousted as captain of the International side at the eleventh hour following a player mutiny] but do you take a strong interest in the fortunes of the Internationals in the Cup? I do and it’s not the Presidents Cup itself that’s a sore point in my life at all; actually, I have very fond memories as I was the inaugural president. Hale Irwin and I played a major part to help get the Presidents Cup off the ground. Unfortunately, in those days, a couple of players decided to act very inappropriately and very vindictively towards me. They happened to be very prominent players at that time. The Australian PGA and even the PGA Tour commissioner – they didn’t show any support for me so the players got what they wanted at the time and I stepped down. It was very embarrassing and a very personal thing towards me and it’s sad that it happened. I’m now on the Executive Committee of the Presidents Cup, which I just got nominated to, so I think I might come back. With your health [Graham suffers from congestive heart failure], are you able travel and be there during the Cup? I think so, yeah. I’ll make every effort to be there. I don’t know what my duties will be other than stand around, but that’s fine. If I do come back and I hope that does happen, I want to see my motherin-law and have my wife spend as much time with her as possible. I will definitely want a meat pie and some really good fish & chips. I would like also to drive by and see the house that my mother raised me in. Plus, I would like to go to Riversdale Golf Club, they planted a tree there for Mr Naismith and I would like to see it. And one last thing, I would like to tell Peter Thomson what a fantastic influence he had on my life. I have never said that to him in person and I would like to do that. HKGOLFER.COM
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final shot
David Graham
The outspoken Australian, winner of the 1979 US PGA Championship and 1981 US Open, talks to Paul Prendergast about his major wins, his continued omission from the Hall of Fame and the infamous player mutiny that lead to his resignation as the International team captain at the 1996 President's Cup
I
t's been thirty years since your US Open victory at Merion, where you shot a final round 67 – a round that's been described as "Hoganesque" for its sheer quality. I'm sorry to remind you of the time that's passed ... Hey, that's OK. Better to be a 'has been' than a 'never was'. It’s like the old cliché. As a kid on the putting green, when you’re practicing a putt to win the Australian Open or US Open, you can’t really foresee that happening. You can dream it, but you can’t foresee it. But when it does happen, it’s pretty cool! I kind of broke the barrier. I was the first Australian to do it, which was nice, and I did it at a very traditional course. [Ben] Hogan and [Lee] Trevino had won there and it had a wonderful history of golf, so that made it even more memorable.
Going back two years prior to that to your first major victory – you were less Hogan and more Harry Houdini in the US PGA play-off win at Oakland Hills. Perhaps the only person in history to ever out putt Ben Crenshaw? [Laughs]. Yeah, I think so. I think somebody else was in charge that day, not me. I made some putts in the play-off but I don't think it harmed Ben in any way. He's had a very illustrious career, a two-time Masters champion and has since become a great golf course architect. Fortunately I never experienced losing a play-off in a major championship, but it takes a very strong person to overcome something like that. Ben was an exception and I take my hat off to him. Was the 1985 Open Championship, where you shared the lead after three rounds, the one that got away? In hindsight, that’s most likely the one significant tournament in my career that I thought I should have won. But it really didn’t come down to the last hole, I didn’t lose the tournament there. To Sandy Lyle’s credit, he won the tournament. I could have won but I’m grateful for the career I’ve had. I came out on the right side twice winning majors so I have no right to say I should have won. The Hall of Fame – you're not in it and it's something that's stuck in your craw? Yeah, it is. I think it's embarrassing and I think it shows the inadequacies that exist in the Hall of Fame when players are getting in without winning majors because they're from certain countries. I also don't think golf course designers should be in, it should be reserved for players. I don't know CONTINUED ON PAGE 82
"I don't know who I've upset, and frankly I don't care, but I've no interest in being in the Hall of Fame" 84
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