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EDITOR’S LETTER

Rise

istorian and sociologist Lewis Mumford observed that “kites rise against the wind, not with it,” and he’s right of course. Elevation and growth can be the products of resistance to an inescapable force that, if surrendered to, might consign one to remain fixed in place. This issue of Kingdom contains several examples of individuals who did not surrender to forces, but who triumphed over them, and in doing so elevated not just themselves, but all of us. Deacon Palmer (p146), Arnold Palmer’s father, was such a man, overcoming physical disability and social structures in golf to become a single-digit handicapper, head pro at Latrobe Country Club, and teacher to a legend. Compellingly, Deacon then became a force in his own right, with which Arnold Palmer wrestled across a lifetime, always pushing himself to be better. Deacon has been honored in the PGA of America’s Deacon Palmer Award and, more recently, with the USGA’s new “Deacon” course management tool. Without him, is there an Arnold Palmer? Without the wind, what is a kite. Another who surmounted challenges (and someone whom I admire greatly): Nancy Lopez (p116). There’s never been a rookie year like hers, and there will never be another first Latina in the LPGA. From the humblest of origins to the greatest heights and yet, like Palmer, she was always (and

is still) gracious, humble and approachable. She says that she hopes she opened a door or two, but anyone who’s paid attention knows she’s done far more than that. Masters lowest-scorer Dustin Johnson’s resistance seemed to be against fate itself until he finally triumphed (p52) while, less existentially, W.O. Bentley resisted convention and built a superlative automobile company (p110). Here’s an interesting one: The team at Field Company and their better cast iron skillet (p152). Such a thing might at first seem trivial, but consider that cast iron cookware has been around, largely unchanged, for more than 6,000 years. What kind of people stare down six millennia and think they can do better? (And they did do better.) Lastly, I want to acknowledge an exceptional challenge that was met this year: the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. A dedicated crew working in surreal Covidian circumstances put on a tournament for the ages. With limited capacity and all manner of restrictions, the operations and fan experiences were well managed, the course never was in better shape, and the down-to-the-wire finish was the stuff of golf dreams. Let’s hope the Majors and the rest of the season are as inspiring, with plenty of wind and kites in the sky. See you on course,

SPRING 2021

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

Waiting For the Sun

egular readers will know Kingdom is a joint U.S.–UK operation, and over nearly 20 years our staff has been at Bay Hill one moment and at St Andrews the next. As I write this it will have been a full year that I haven’t travelled further than our London HQ, where I sit watching my clubs gather dust in the office corner. Golf courses this side of the Atlantic, while set to re-open shortly, have been closed since January and I am most definitely missing two of the things I love most: travel and playing golf with friends. Actually, make that three things—sunshine! As much as hitting a ball into the net in my yard was OK to start with, it is just no substitute for the real thing. If there is a silver lining to this COVID cloud, it is that I now appreciate even more the things in life that I may previously have taken for granted. I don’t think I can recall ever looking forward more to walking up the 18th fairway with friends, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, and smelling the sweetness of a new spring en route to enjoying a Dewar’s (or two) at the 19th as the sun sets. On that note: congratulations to our friends at the USGA and at Dewar’s for the new partnership they have struck to celebrate the U.S. Open—here’s to spectators being in attendance, watching and enjoying Highballs around the greens at Torrey Pines this June. There is no doubt that 2020 contained some of the most challenging months in modern times, and no

KINGDOM 51

one should gloss over the losses suffered. Arnold Palmer believed that challenges are opportunities to grow and to become stronger. We do our best to follow that example, and as we move through this spring of 2021, golf—one of the only sports that can be safely enjoyed—is positively thriving. Tee sheets are over capacity everywhere, and in our market Private Members clubs are oversubscribed, with courses never having been so busy. In an era of fake news and social media hubris, it appears that at uncertain times people gravitate to what and who they know. For our audience that is golf, friends at their club, and print media that they trust and enjoy. This, combined with the fact that the private member demographic remains so affluent, provides Kingdom’s advertisers with a protected and powerful communication space. As a Majors special this issue is full of great golf content, including interviews with past No.1s Greg Norman and Nancy Lopez as well as the current world No.1, Dustin Johnson. Still, perhaps my favorite interview in this issue is with Rocco Mediate, recounting his epic encounter with Tiger at Torrey Pines and reliving his life-long friendship with Arnold Palmer. For all the great editorial content in this issue, do check out the amazing products, services and destinations advertised and featured. I hope they can play a small part in encouraging people to spend, socialize, travel—and finally get these ’20s roaring. Be well,

I’M COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH. Things are different at The Landings. Quieter. Calmer. The world’s problems seem far away here. And while I’m playing my part by social distancing on 108 holes of golf, for me, it’s just another Tuesday.

Find out what a club membership can mean for you. Request information at LandingsClub.com/kingdom

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CONTENTS

Kingdom Magazine Q UA R T E R LY

ISSUE 51

SPRING 2021

94 TRAVEL

MAJORS

The Builders

Roll, Rattle & Shake

Pure Golf

Majors Preview

U.S. Open

102

First Class Travel

Dustin

Greg Norman

104

Unexpected

Pivotal Moments

Industry luminaries weigh-in on who built the game The major stages, actors and potential plotlines, in detail Resilience, thy name is DJ; the Masters all-time lowest scorer talks with Kingdom

Kiawah Island

A serene setting and a sincere test at the U.S. Open

Gauging Major pressure through the years

Rocco Mediate on something to lose and how no one else would have made that putt Reflections with bite from golf’s great shark

Nebraska and golf the way it was meant to be played Miki Markovich takes us on a luxury Marathon journey Orlando’s new food scene might compel you to skip the theme parks

The triumphs and tears when fortunes turned on a dime

SPRING 2021

CONTENTS

Kingdom Magazine ISSUE 51

116

132

Clubhouse

WGJ

140

Destinations

Nancy Lopez

A legend on the virtues of swinging your swing GIFT GUIDE

123

Major Choices

Winning tools for a championship season

KINGDOM 51

158

CLUB

Room for 2

Bentley Motors and the art of forward motion

SPRING 2021

132

MOVE

110

Q UA R T E R LY

Parallel births of the modern, on course and off American tracks from sea to shining sea—and beyond

FOOD & DRINK

152

Epic Tapas

158

Drinks

Memphis Grills, Field Company cast iron, and the perfect tapas On course cocktails from Perry Lane’s Wayward bar

LEGACY

146

Deacon

Above all else, a caretaker of the game

LAST PAGE

162

Kaboom!

Bryson DeChambeau’s powerful statement at the house that Arnie built

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SCENE SETTER Legacy

Palmer & the Majors “Influenced by my father,” Arnold Palmer once said, “I didn’t think you could become a world-renowned player unless you participated internationally. I felt the British Open was one championship I had to play.” It was July 1960 and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club was preparing to stage the 100th Open Championship at St Andrews, starring a 30-year-old Arnold Palmer—who had won the Masters that April and followed up two months later with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory in the U.S. Open. As well as being on his way to becoming golf’s first global ambassador, Palmer also was pondering how the game’s four “majors” could be redefined. Golf’s only previous Grand Slam had been Bobby Jones’ annexing of the Open and Amateur championships of both the British Isles and the United States in 1930. But three decades later, the two amateur titles were seen mainly as stepping stones towards the paid ranks, the “Impregnable Quadrilateral”—as it was originally styled—had faded into sepia-tinted irrelevance by the time Palmer visited the British Isles for the first time. Yet this same journey also precipitated the birth of the modern Grand Slam, pinpointed as it is to Palmer’s conversation during the transatlantic flight for the centenary Open with Bob Drum, a friend and journalist from the Pittsburgh Press. Palmer recalled it was “during our extended cocktail hour” that he and Drum talked about Jones’ feat and how it could never be repeated. Then Palmer showed his hand: “What would be wrong with a professional Grand Slam involving the Masters, both Opens and the PGA Championship?” he asked. Initially Drum was quizzical, but the idea soon struck a chord with the veteran reporter, his fellow journalists and, before long, the wider world. The rest, as they say, is Major History. In this issue we explore this year’s Majors and feature Arnie’s Father, Deacon.

Majors section starts page 43

KINGDOM 51

SPRING 2021

SCENE SETTER U.S. Open

KINGDOM 51

Torrey Pines

o one can forget the last time California’s Torrey Pines staged the U.S. Open, when an injured Tiger Woods drew deep into a well of inner strength to defeat Rocco Mediate in an 18-hole playoff. Sadly Woods won’t be at Torrey Pines this June, but we were able to sit down with Mediate—Palmer’s Penn friend—and re-live that momentous Monday match. The U.S. Open is but one Major, of course, and the others and their potential champions are covered in a piece by Championship expert Paul Trow, who picks over the subject in forensic detail on page 44. Of all the events, it is perhaps Torrey Pines’ South course that will see the biggest swings in fortune this year: 7,802 yards in length and standing high above the Pacific, the cliff-top track has been set up by the USGA’s John Bodenhamer to provide not just their customary examination of length and straightness, but also an added focus on risk and reward. The 13th, for example, is 621 yards from the tips with a 250-yard carry over a canyon just to reach the fairway—but the 14th can be played from 437 yards to as few as 277 yards, tempting the bold to drive for eagle opportunity. The rub? Anything left is lost. Here’s hoping plenty of fans can return this June 17th to 20th, adding some noise to Father’s Day.

Feature on page 70

SPRING 2021

SCENE SETTER Bentley

Racing Renewal

irst built and raced by Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, the Bentley “Blowers” were innovative kings of the track in the late 1920s. In December last, following 40,000 hours of work, Bentley completed the first new Blower in 90 years. Titled “Car Zero,” it is the prototype for the Blower Continuation Series, an exclusive run of just 12 client cars—all pre-sold at $2.5million each. Re-crafted from the design drawings and tooling jigs used for the original 1920s models, 1,846 individual parts had to be designed and hand-crafted to create Car Zero; 230 of those parts are actually assemblies—one of which being this magnificent 4/1/2 liter engine—taking the total part count to several thousand when fixings and interior trim parts are included. More than just numbers drink from the spirit of the iconic carmaker.

Feature on page 110

KINGDOM 51

SHORT GAME

Making the Grade Earning an invitation or qualifying exemption to a major is not easy—never has been, shouldn’t be—nor is it straightforward, and even less so during a pandemic. We cast an eye over some of the ways to tee up in the big four in 2021

To spare repetition, there are a cluster of criteria that earn golfers tee times in all the majors, such as: • •

• •

Major champs from past four or five years are in Winners of the Players Championship and Tour Championship receive at least one year’s exemption across all four majors Golfers securely ranked in the world’s top-50 over the past year are clear Past champs are always welcome at that particular tournament (although the Brits draw the line at the age of 60 for The Open) Top-10 finishers from last year can come back for more (top 12 for Masters, top 15 at PGA) U.S. and British Amateur champions qualify for the Masters, U.S. Open and [British] Open

KINGDOM 51

THE SCENT OF AZALEA

Masters, April 8-11

he invitation of every golfer’s dreams: “The Board of Governors of the Augusta National Golf Club cordially invites you to participate in the Two Thousand and Twenty One Masters Tournament to be held at Augusta, Georgia the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh of April,” signed “Fred S. Ridley, Chairman.” Reflecting the historic amateur career of Augusta National founder Bobby Jones, the club invites a string of champion amateurs, including from the Latin America Amateur (the Asia-Pacific Amateur & U.S. Mid-Amateur champs are usually included, but these events were cancelled in ’20). The U.S. Amateur runner-up also receives an invitation. A key date for some of the last Masters invitations in 2021 is March 14. This marks Week 11 of the Official World Ranking and all golfers in the top-50 on that date are in. Lastly, the Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.

STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL

PGA Championship, May 20-23, Kiawah Island

Photo Montana Pritchard/ The PGA of America

As the only major not to include amateurs, and with qualification closely aligned to PGA Tour rankings, many consider the PGA Championship the strongest field of 156 golfers in the majors each year. With the exception of international qualifiers, all competitors “must be a PGA of America member in good standing.” Notable for the PGA is exemption for the top 20 finishers from the annual PGA Professional Championship. This is a vast, nationwide competition for PGA of America member pros—essentially the country’s club pros—with its own regional qualifiers and purse. The 52nd Championship, in 2019, had a prize fund of $650,000, with $55,000 awarded to winner Alex Beach, the assistant pro at Westchester CC, New York. The 2021 PGA Pro Championship will unfold at PGA Golf Club at Port St Lucie, Florida, April 25-28.

THE AMERICAN STANDARD

U.S. Open, June 17-20, Torrey Pines To many in America, the U.S. Open is golf ’s ultimate prize due to its extensive qualifying process and because it is the original American major. About half of the 156-man field usually comes from the qualifying process, and despite a tighter timeframe in 2021 due to the pandemic, the set-up is familiar: 108 Local Qualifyers will be contested in the U.S., over 18 holes, between April 26–May 18. (The last golfer to win the U.S. Open having started at a Local Qualifyer was Orville Moody in 1969). For this 121st U.S. Open, there is then a series of 11 Final Qualifiers, each over 36 holes. Nine are in the States, May 14-June 7, with two more in Canada and Japan. The USGA is also conducting a qualifying series in conjunction with three European Tour events in May and June, with 10 golden tickets to Torrey Pines available.

LAND OF THE LINKS

The Open, July 11-18, Royal St. George’s The [British] Open—the oldest of the four majors, dating back to 1860—was the only major to be cancelled outright in 2020, so Royal St. George’s in Kent is keeping its powder dry for the 149th Open in July. 106 golfers already had qualified for The Open in 2020, and organisers the R&A are honoring all these places, leaving just 50 spots to be decided in 2021. The Open reaches corners of the globe the other majors can’t reach, with exemptions available in Europe, Asia, South Africa, South America, Australasia and the United States. The Open has a number of exemption categories tied to the European Tour and its Race to Dubai ranking, with June 27 being a key date—that is the final day of the BMW International Open in Munich, after which the European Tour’s top five golfers for the 2021 season so far gain exemption.

Danny Lee and his son after qualifying for the 149th Open Championship during The Open Qualifying Series, part of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge

SPRING 2021

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FEATURE Origins

The Builders

KINGDOM 51

Some worked with their hands, others with their minds. Some played the game, others designed it. Some brought golf to the world, others brought the world to golf. Whoever they were, whenever they lived, the men and women on the following pages built the game, oftentimes from the ground up in their respective areas. In Kingdom’s first official survey of golf’s origins, we reached out to today’s builders— a wide cross-section of pros, executives, intellectuals, historians, architects and journalists from all over the world—and asked who they believed was most crucial to making golf the game it is today. Some of the answers were obvious, others surprising. Here, sifted and compiled from a book’s worth of responses, are the people most credited by our survey group with creating the game you know and love. Here are the builders of golf. (Please note that a fair number of our respondents desired to remain anonymous.)

SPRING 2021

(Almost) Everyone Agrees

K, we know that putting Arnold Palmer first in a survey appearing in the magazine he co-founded is a bit obvious. But honestly, Palmer was the one figure most mentioned by our survey group, with 12% voting him as one of the top five most critical in building the game. “He was the archetype for the global face of the game on television as the modern professional golfer, an example of the athlete as businessman, a PGA TOUR leader, plus he reconnected American golfers to the origins of the game at a crucial moment,” summarized David Normoyle, golf historian who (full disclosure) currently is working to help tell Palmer’s story at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. But Normoyle hardly was alone: “While Jack Nicklaus was arguably the best golfer of all time and of their generation, it was Arnold Palmer who captured the imagination and the hearts of the public in a way that has never been done since,” offered Simon Cooper, owner of Precision Golf Ltd. in England. Many referenced Palmer’s making golf a mainstream sport—and mainstream entertainment, timed as he was with the rise of the TV era. Others pointed to Palmer’s character, “how he personifies the values of our beloved game,” and said his popularity helped to bind these values to golf in the public’s mind. Still others lauded Palmer’s comprehensive presence across golf ’s spectrum, from a boy who worked on a golf course; to an amateur champ; to a champion pro; to a leader and celebrity who drove purses and popularity skyward; who became a businessman and a golf course designer; and finally an elder statesman whose influence continues

KINGDOM 51

to be felt. As one respondent added after putting Palmer atop his list: “Too bad it’s an obvious connection with AP in Kingdom, but facts are facts!” Tiger Woods was another easy favorite, with 9% of our survey group putting him in the top five, including pro Martin Kaymer. “One can fill reams on what he has done to lift the sport’s profile, but simply put, the sport would not have seen a generation of stars who took to golf dreaming of emulating their idol, Tiger,” wrote Robin Bose, a writer and entrepreneur based in India. “He crossed boundaries of race and sport,” offered agent and former European Tour pro Andrew “Chubby” Chandler. “He transformed the perception of the game,” added Guy Kinnings, Ryder Cup Director and Deputy CEO at the European Tour. “Raised the bar”; “changed everything”; “an immeasurable impact”; and so on from others. As with Palmer, nearly all respondents at least mentioned Tiger, even if he wasn’t at the top of their lists. One has only to look at the reactions of current TOUR pros to Tiger’s recent auto accident to see his impact, numerous players dressing in Tiger’s signature red and black on course, and Collin Morikawa, in the midst of an interview about his WGC title, tearing up and thanking Tiger for all he’s done. Palmer himself believed Tiger was one of the biggest forces ever to hit the game: “We can argue about major championships and whether Tiger will ever surpass Jack’s 18 majors,” Palmer wrote for Golf Channel in early 2015. “But what can’t be argued is this: Tiger Woods is the most dominant, most skilled player we’ve ever seen.” A fine last word on Tiger’s importance, as far as we’re concerned.

B Arnold Palmer tracking his ball flight at the World Series of Golf [left]. New York celebrating Bobby Jones’ achievements with a ticker tape parade [below]

A Step Back

obby Jones and Old Tom Morris made comparable showings in our survey, with 5% of respondents believing one or both of the men were critical to golf’s evolution. Jones brought “color and charisma” to the game, writer Jim Black opined, while a few others offered variations on the theme that “any list like this has to include Jones.” Indeed. Where does one start? One of golf’s first true superstars, he’s the only man to take all of the majors (of his era) in a single year. Then he founded another major, which, taken with the founding of Augusta National Golf Club, would alone get him into the conversation of golf’s builders. He’s an inspiration to kids: he took Eastlake Golf’s Club junior championship at 9 and bested his father in a senior final at the age of 13. An inspiration to competitors, winning 13 of the 21 majors he entered (including four U.S. Opens). A credit to the game, once calling a two-stroke penalty on himself before losing the 1925 U.S. Open by one shot. And he was an inspiration beyond golf, earning two ticker tape parades in New York (in 1926 and in 1930). His Grand Slam of 1930 remains an incredible feat, almost as remarkable as his decision to quit competitive golf when he could have had a lucrative career as a pro. And here it’s worth mentioning that Augusta National Chairman Clifford Roberts, who co-founded the Masters with Jones, received a few nods from respondents as well, European Tour CEO Keith Pelley offering that when one is mentioning Jones, “it is impossible to separate them.”

As for Old Tom Morris, “The father of professional golf,” according to PGA Chief Executive Robert Maxfield, he was popular in our survey. “[He] took golf outside the narrow confines of first Fife and then Scotland,” Stewart Golf CEO Robert Hardie wrote. Respondents also noted his creating and winning the Open Championship; his abilities as a club builder, teacher and mentor; and even his role as a golf parent, famously teaching the game to his son Young Tom “Tommy” Morris. And then there’s the design work: Nearly 75 courses were created or remodeled by the elder Morris, including the Old Course at St Andrews. He designed Muirfield; Royal County Down; the Championship Courses at Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie; the Old Courses at Prestwick and Lahinch; and Machrihanish Golf Club, among others. “Whenever we play at St Andrews, you walk past the shop and you almost have to stop and think just how incredible the story is, and how big his impact on the game is,” wrote world No.54 Matt Wallace. Clearly a builder. We were surprised more didn’t include Young Tom Morris on their lists as well (some did). It was Tommy who won The Open Championship four times between 1868 and 1872, inventing new ways of playing (specifically with irons) as he went along. He understood the power of pro golfers to draw crowds, he challenged the old club system and the way pros were compensated, and he was one of the first to attract thousands of spectators to his matches. A celebrity and wellrounded golfer who won many of the events he entered, he was gracious and managed also to stay in the good graces of many of his opponents—creating the template for Palmer and other pros who would follow. Alastair MacKenzie made a number of lists: “the fraternity of golf will forever stay indebted to this Scottish architect,” wrote one respondent, citing Augusta National as all the proof anyone needs of MacKenzie’s impact. Likewise, Seminole Golf Club mastermind Donald Ross appeared frequently enough, perhaps no surprise given his 400 designs helped to spread the game far and near. A.W. Tillinghast was in there as well, as was Charles Blair Macdonald, again no surprise; builders to be sure.

“Without Woods, the sport would not have seen a whole generation of stars who grew up dreaming of emulating their idol, Tiger”

SPRING 2021

Big Names

ur survey fractured rather quickly after Palmer, Woods, Jones and the Toms Morris, but from all of the various pros who were mentioned, Severiano Ballesteros did manage to get more collective love than anyone else. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the European Tour’s Pelly rated him, describing Seve as “Quite simply, the man who drove the cause of European golf forward both in terms of the growth and popularity of the European Tour, and in the U.S., too. He also, of course, revolutionized the Ryder Cup post-1979.” Unquestionably Seve revitalized the event— via a European loss, no less, in 1983. In the locker room following the close defeat at the hands of the Nicklaus-led U.S. team 14 ½ to 13 ½, with the European team feeling deflated, Europe’s Paul Way told media of Seve’s reaction: “Seve was an inspiration, telling us: ‘This is not a defeat—this is a win.’ Two years later there were 40,000 there on the day at the Belfry to see us lift the Cup. It had all started two years before.” Seve’s story of humble origins was compelling and his passion was infectious; he was the whole package, some of our respondents wrote, with most lauding his spirit above all else. Seve said, “Wake up Europe. Yes you can!” offered Switzerland’s Philippe Hermann, of Green Grass Productions. And Europe did. Fittingly, Samuel Ryder also made it, with the PGA’s Maxfield offering, “Can you even imagine a world without the Ryder Cup?” Annika Sorenstam received a fair number of Top 5 mentions: “She led the female revolution,” wrote Kinnings, and that’s about right. Co-Head of Sports Licensing at CAA, Kit Walsh added, “She made golf women cool,” and countless young girls would agree. Anya Alvarez, a former LPGA and Symetra Tour player, met Annika as a 13-year-old and later as a college player. Recounting her second meeting for the LPGA Womens’ Network, Alvarez wrote, “That interaction, along with the one as a 13-year-old, and all the moments I had before of watching her on TV of breaking records and breaking stereotypes, steered me away from self-doubt and towards self-belief.” With 93 pro wins, a place in the WGHOF, and businesses and course design work going strong, she’s definitely a game-builder. Patty Berg appeared as well, with the PGA of America’s Earnie Ellison writing that she was “the LPGA and PGA’s original First Lady of Golf.” Ellison’s PGA associate Bob Denny concurred, pointing out that the LPGA co-founder “popularized clinics for all, and with no restrictions. Military, juniors, physically challenged, everyone.”

Se Ri Pak’s influence was enough to get her on a few lists, but we’re surprised she wasn’t on more. Anyone who watched the golf world change from the late 1990s through the early and mid 2000s understands Se Ri’s impact was monumental. When she joined the LPGA Tour in 1998 at the age of 20, she was one of three Korean women on tour. She took that year’s U.S. Women’s Open and the Women’s PGA Championship, and 10 years later there were nearly 50, nearly all of them contenders. In roughly a decade between 2010 and July of 2020, women from South Korea won 19 of the 39 majors that were staged, and they’re still going strong. She also impacted the LPGA Tour as a whole, as LPGA champ Stacy Lewis pointed out in 2016: “Without the Korean and Asian TV rights, this tour four or five years ago might not be here anymore. We were at a point where we had 23 events and I think half of those were in Asia. So the Asia market basically supported us there for a couple of years and allowed us to get to where we are now. Se Ri’s a huge part of that.” From 2010 on, it fell to LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to pilot the tour through the changes, and he made a few respondent’s lists as well. Look for his impact to grow as he takes over the USGA this summer as its new CEO. Nicklaus made the list, of course, his achievements undeniable, if not consternating for one respondent: “I can’t choose between Tiger and Jack. Can I put them together? The greatest.” In similar fashion, a fair number of respondents who included Jack only did so as part of “The Big Three” with Palmer and Gary Player. And most who mentioned the trio also brought Mark McCormack into the conversation. “He was the founder of IMG, which has gone on to contribute to golf in many ways; player management, tournament organization, sponsor representation, etc.,” offered Mike Round, Director of Administration at the Ladies European Tour. “He took the characters at the top of the game, and took them and the game around the world, truly making it into the spectacle that we now see,” added Simon Cooper. “Without him and his vision there is no way golf would have the same levels of global reach, sponsorship, coverage and interest, and we would be in a far poorer position (and without this platform the ‘Tiger effect’ would not have been able to have the same impact either).” Added agent Jay Burton, “On the commercial side of golf, Mark was clearly a pioneer.” Walter Hagen made a few lists, with one respondent offering that Hagen played in an era in which the often working-class pros were not allowed in the clubhouse with

Seve said, “Wake up Europe! Yes you can!” and Europe listened

KINGDOM 51

Seve Ballesteros during the 1985 Ryder Cup, at the Belfry, England

the often-wealthy amateurs, but “by the end of his career (in which he won 11 Majors) the view of the Professional golfer had changed completely and they were treated as equals. He is owed a great deal of gratitude by today’s players!” Likewise, Byron Nelson had a few fans, although none offered any real explanation of why he belonged on the list. His 1945 season might have played a part, in which Nelson won 11 consecutive tournaments, 18 total. Also, the HP Byron Nelson Championship, which launched in 1944 (now the AT&T Byron Nelson) was the first PGA TOUR event to be named for a professional golfer, and it remains one of only two, the other being the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Similarly, Sam Snead; five-time Open Championship winner James Braid; Dr. Frank Stableford; and Ben Hogan all appeared a few times. In Hogan’s case: Fourth all time in terms of Major wins (9, just behind Gary Player), his first Major came at the age of 34, and the last three came at 40, in a single season, 1953, in which Hogan won five of the six events he entered. He was prevented from vying for the 1953 PGA Championship because it ran at the same time as the Open Championship at Carnoustie (which he won) or who knows what might have been. Hogan’s 1953 still stands among the greatest single seasons in golf history, and that it came just a few years after a near-fatal car accident left him shattered is simply amazing. Beyond his playing career, his influence on swing theory and instruction is well documented. A builder to be sure.

And Now, Debate

ary Queen of Scots made a few lists— though she was a footnote for one respondent, who thought she was overestimated: “The reference to Mary Queen of Scots is skewed and leaning on legend,” he wrote. “She was depressed and went to play golf after her husband was murdered; that caused the ruckus. She was not a history-maker for golf. She was a royal who played the game. Many more were playing before she lost her head.” “Not a history maker,” and yet here we are, 434 years after her death still talking about her. A [female] golf writer and survey respondent took a different view: “Mary gives us a point in history at which we can say, ‘There, right there, see? Women were playing golf in its earliest days.’ That touchstone is of vital importance for women. To have a future in something it helps to have a past in it. Maybe women were playing golf before Mary, but who were they? Historians might know, but for the rest of us, Mary gives us a foothold in the game. Critically important.” As Black Girls Golf Founder Tiffany Fitzgerald once told Kingdom, “To be it, you’ve gotta see it,” and so for African American golfers a foothold is important as well, something acknowledged by many respondents. Charlie Sifford, the first African American to play on the PGA TOUR, was mentioned quite a few times, along with Lee Elder (who became the first African American to play in the Masters, in 1975). Less common but making appearances were Althea Gibson (first African American on the LPGA Tour); African American golf pioneer John Shippen (who competed in several U.S. Opens); golf tee inventor George Franklin Grant; Ann Gregory (first African American woman to play in a USGA championship (1956 U.S. Women’s Amateur)); George Adams and Helen Webb Harris, who founded the Royal Golf Club and WakeRobin Golf Club, respectively; boxer Joe Louis, instrumental in supporting African Americans in the game; pro Ted Rhodes; and both Bill and Renee Powell. A solid amateur golfer, Renee’s father, William Powell, was the first African American to design, build (with his hands), own and operate a golf club, Clearview Golf Club, which Renee continues to operate today. She was the second African American on the LPGA Tour, but she’s achieved far more than that, too much to get into here. Suffice it to say that she joined Dame Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam and the Princess Royal as one of the first seven women invited to join the R&A when it dropped its “men only” policy in 2015, and she remains the only American and the only golfer to have a building named for them at the University of St Andrews, where the women’s event is also named for her. As for Ted Rhodes, after playing in the 1948 U.S. Open at Riviera Country Club, he’s widely regarded as being the first African-American professional

SPRING 2021

golfer. He and fellow African American golfer Bill Spiller were instrumental in having the PGA remove its “Caucasians only” clause, but Rhodes was past his prime by the time golf genuinely admitted African Americans. Playing in United Golf Association events, Rhodes is said to have won more than 150 times, which is remarkable on any tour. Denied the chance to compete on equal footing with the pros of his day, we’ll never know how good he really was. And George Adams gets another nod here as a UGA founder. African Americans aren’t the only marginalized group in golf, of course, and many of our respondents identified individuals who have sought to bring golf to the world and to make it more inclusive. Emma Villacieros was mentioned, with new LET CEO Alexandra Armas citing her role as a strong advocate for golf to join the Olympics. In a similar fashion, several respondents included Conrad Rehling on their lists, one referring to him as the “patron saint” of bringing golf to the Special Olympics. “Conrad didn’t forget those who may be forgotten. He elevated them.” Lee Trevino and Nancy Lopez both made various lists, and both truly have made fantastic contributions to the game. Lesser known in the States but no less important to Robin Bose in India, Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal, whom Bose illuminated: “The contribution of this duo cannot be measured enough in the Indian and Asian context. In a country obsessed with cricket, Jeev and Arjun form a handful of athletes who grabbed headlines with their exploits outside the national pastime.” Another entry we were pleased to see, this one from CAA’s Walsh: Hugh Edward Richardson, credited with introducing golf to the country of Tibet. For a game to be global it must travel, after all. Well done.

obert Adams Paterson and Coburn Haskell rolled in, inventors of the gutta-percha and wound balls, respectively; and Phil Young, Titleist founder. Journalist Martin Hardenberger recalled Young’s story, and Young did help golf ball quality to come up across the industry. Forgan of St Andrews founder Rober Forgan made a few lists, for oldest equipment firm (1860); as did “metal wood” inventor/TaylorMade founder Gary Adams; and Englishmen John Jacobs, Ken Schofield; and Keith McKenzie. Issette Miller, for founding the handicap system in 1893—what an impact she had! Horace Hutchinson, “the grandfather of golf journalism,” was in there, and Doc Giffin suggested Frank Chirkinian, the legendary CBS golf producer who made golf must-see TV. We’ll add Thomas Rodger to the list, the St Andrews photographer who shot the Toms Morris and other legends, and we’ll cheekily give a nod to all golf media, in fact. Finally, as one frustrated respondent pointed out, “Because the first golf shot ever hit is lost in a forgotten century and possibly somewhere else than Scotland or Holland or China…” we’ll never be able to name the original builder. Whoever he or she is, to that person and to all of those listed above, we offer a sincere “thank you.”

Somebody Loves Me

ery few listed Harry Vardon, the six-time Open Championship victor for whom golf’s most common grip is named, but then perhaps our respondents knew that the grip actually was invented by Scottish amateur Johnny Laidlay and only adopted by Vardon. Likewise, Karsten Solheim, founder of PING and the Solheim Cup, had few fans, while modern course developer Mike Keiser had only one—and we’re guessing that particular respondent just wants a spot in Bandon Dunes’ Solstice Event! We threw out numerous other single-vote results as they included current officers of various tours and golf-related companies, current TOUR pros, and other “currents” and “recents” who, while they certainly have merit in the golf world, as builders barely have had time to tee it up. Get back to us in ten years’ time.

And Don’t Forget…

KINGDOM 51

Harry Vardon teeing off in plus fours at Fox Hills Golf Club, Staten Island, NY

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USE OF MYRBETRIQ Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) is a prescription medicine for adults used to treat overactive bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urgency, frequency and leakage. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Myrbetriq is not for everyone. Do not take Myrbetriq if you have an allergy to mirabegron or any ingredients in Myrbetriq. Myrbetriq may cause your blood pressure to increase or make your blood pressure worse if you have a history of high blood pressure. It is recommended that your doctor check your blood pressure while you are taking Myrbetriq. Myrbetriq may increase your chances of not being able to empty your bladder. Tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder or you have a weak urine stream. Myrbetriq may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. If you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, with or without difficulty breathing, stop taking Myrbetriq and tell your doctor right away. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including medications for overactive bladder or other medicines such as thioridazine (Mellaril™ and Mellaril-S™), flecainide (Tambocor®), propafenone (Rythmol®), digoxin (Lanoxin®) or solifenacin succinate (VESIcare®). Myrbetriq may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Myrbetriq works. Before taking Myrbetriq, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. The most common side effects of Myrbetriq include increased blood pressure, common cold symptoms (nasopharyngitis), dry mouth, flu symptoms, urinary tract infection, back pain, dizziness, joint pain, headache, constipation, sinus irritation, and inflammation of the bladder (cystitis). For further information, please talk to your healthcare professional and see Brief Summary of Prescribing Information for Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) on the following page. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Myrbetriq and VESIcare are registered trademarks of Astellas Pharma Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2019 Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

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Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) extended-release tablets 25 mg, 50 mg Brief Summary based on FDA-approved patient labeling Read the Patient Information that comes with Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) before you start taking it and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This summary does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment. What is Myrbetriq (meer-BEH-trick)? Myrbetriq is a prescription medication for adults used to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder: • Urge urinary incontinence: a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents • Urgency: a strong need to urinate right away • Frequency: urinating often It is not known if Myrbetriq is safe and effective in children. Who should not use Myrbetriq? Do not take Myrbetriq if you have an allergy to mirabegron or any of the ingredients in Myrbetriq. See the end of this summary for a complete list of ingredients in Myrbetriq. What should I tell my doctor before taking Myrbetriq? Before you take Myrbetriq, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you: • have liver problems or kidney problems • have very high uncontrolled blood pressure • have trouble emptying your bladder or you have a weak urine stream • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Myrbetriq will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Myrbetriq passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take Myrbetriq. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Myrbetriq may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Myrbetriq works. Tell your doctor if you take: • thioridazine (Mellaril™ or Mellaril-S™) • flecainide (Tambocor®) • propafenone (Rythmol®) • digoxin (Lanoxin®) • solifenacin succinate (VESIcare®) How should I take Myrbetriq? • Take Myrbetriq exactly as your doctor tells you to take it. • You should take 1 Myrbetriq tablet 1 time a day. • You should take Myrbetriq with water and swallow the tablet whole. • Do not chew, break, or crush the tablet. • You can take Myrbetriq with or without food. • If you miss a dose of Myrbetriq, begin taking Myrbetriq again the next day. Do not take 2 doses of Myrbetriq the same day. • If you take too much Myrbetriq, call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. What are the possible side effects of Myrbetriq? Myrbetriq may cause serious side effects including: • increased blood pressure. Myrbetriq may cause your blood pressure to increase or make your blood pressure worse if you have a history of high blood pressure. It is recommended that your doctor check your blood pressure while you are taking Myrbetriq. • inability to empty your bladder (urinary retention). Myrbetriq may increase your chances of not being able to empty your bladder if you have bladder outlet obstruction or if you are taking other medicines to treat overactive bladder. Tell your doctor right away if you are unable to empty your bladder.

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Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away or if you have swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, hives, skin rash or itching while taking Myrbetriq. These are not all the possible side effects of Myrbetriq. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. How should I store Myrbetriq? • Store Myrbetriq between 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C). Keep the bottle closed. • Safely throw away medicine that is out of date or no longer needed. Keep Myrbetriq and all medicines out of the reach of children. General information about the safe and effective use of Myrbetriq Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in the Patient Information leaflet. Do not use Myrbetriq for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give Myrbetriq to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them. You can ask your doctor or pharmacist for information about Myrbetriq that is written for health professionals. For more information, visit www.Myrbetriq.com or call (800) 727-7003. What are the ingredients in Myrbetriq? Active ingredient: mirabegron Inactive ingredients: polyethylene oxide, polyethylene glycol, hydroxypropyl cellulose, butylated hydroxytoluene, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, yellow ferric oxide and red ferric oxide (25 mg Myrbetriq tablet only). What is overactive bladder? Overactive bladder occurs when you cannot control your bladder contractions. When these muscle contractions happen too often or cannot be controlled, you can get symptoms of overactive bladder, which are urinary frequency, urinary urgency, and urinary incontinence (leakage). Marketed and Distributed by: Astellas Pharma US, Inc. Northbrook, Illinois 60062 Myrbetriq® is a registered trademark of Astellas Pharma Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2012 - 2018 Astellas Pharma US, Inc. Revised: April 2018 206813-MRVS-BRFS 057-3385-PM

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MAJORS SECTION

The Majors They are golf’s finest tests, rich with tradition, drama and opportunities for disaster. But if the hands are steady, the shots true and the day right, there are no greater victories to be found than in these four championships

THE MASTERS

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

U.S. OPEN

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

SPRING 2021

MAJORS PREVIEW

KINGDOM 51

Golf’s Majors are upon us again and the world is creeping back towards normality. The return of fans is eagerly anticipated at all four championships, but the mounting excitement is tinged with sadness that the game’s star turn will be missing throughout 2021. Nevertheless, Paul Trow still expects a feast of stellar play as spring blossoms into summer

reluctant though we are to put a sentence-ending period after the name Tiger Woods, at the very least we must be talking about a dramatic pause. Following the catastrophic automobile accident of February 23 on Hawthorne Boulevard in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes, there is also a massive question-mark hanging over the future, not only of golf’s GOAT, but of the game as a whole. Assuming Woods’ shattered right leg will render him hors de combat for at least a year, probably longer, it is natural to ponder how diminished the next four Major championships might be without his pervasive presence.

He’s been MIA before, of course. Injuries forced him to miss two Majors during each of 2008, 2011 and 2014, and all four in both 2016 and 2017. And following his fifth back surgery last winter, it was entirely possible he would not have been fit enough to play in the 85th Masters (April 8-11) anyway. But as politicians are well aware, especially in this grim age of Covid-19, it is events that shape the world. And the California car crash was a seismic event that rocked the world of sport, not just golf, and undoubtedly casts an enormous shadow over the forthcoming season. Suddenly, “mad scientist” Bryson DeChambeau’s bulked-up pursuit of extra length, Rory McIlroy’s quest for that elusive “grand slam” Green Jacket, and Dustin Johnson’s unremitting excellence seem like side issues of marginal consequence. And yet, and yet… the show must go on. Professional golf is entertainment as well as a money-tree platform for skill and temperament. Woods, its supreme practitioner, would instinctively recognize this truth, and it thus falls

SPRING 2021

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Royal Ascent: Bryson DeChambeau lifts the King’s trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational

to the players that remain to produce performances and competition worthy of his legacy. Additionally, it seems that all four Majors in 2021 will be welcoming back spectators to a degree, albeit greatly reduced from the pre-pandemic norm. Leading the way will be Augusta National, less than five months after its first fall staging in front of an eclectic gathering of club members, media representatives and essential staff. The fairways were softer and the greens slower than usual, due to the advanced time of year, and the field duly reveled in the kinder conditions. True, the roars from patrons, a significant ingredient in the thrills and spills of every previous Masters, were missing, but that did not stop Johnson from setting a new tournament record total of 268, 20-under par, to win by five shots and add a second Major title to his 2016 U.S. Open. Whether he can slip seamlessly back into the groove so soon after the crowning moment of a career that has already yielded 24 PGA Tour victories remains to be seen. Unless Georgia is hit by an unusually damp spring, the course will not play like it did last November; but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the world No.1 it is that he can deliver the goods in a variety of different settings. Indeed, as recently as February Johnson claimed his second Saudi International win in three years over the wide-open, largely treeless and heavily bunkered Royal Greens track. Augusta National, apart from the severely sloping greens, it is not! Yet the field in the desert nonetheless included many

of his usual rivals: DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Tony Finau and Phil Mickelson, along with most of the European Tour’s leading lights. A total of 43 players at the 2020 Masters finished under par for the tournament, including that Champions Tour wunderkind Bernhard Langer, the sprightliest of 63-year-olds. The majority of those trailing in DJ’s slipstream, though, were young Turks, some of whom— McIlroy, Reed, Brooks Koepka and newly-crowned Players champion Justin Thomas—have already scaled the heights and will surely do so again. Most of the others, though, are virgins in terms of Major titles, and their latest assault on Mr. Jones’ and Dr. MacKenzie’s pride and joy surely will have whetted the appetite for future thrusts towards the summit. Australia’s Cameron Smith, 27, and Korea’s Sungjae Im, 23, tied for second on 15-under, five shots behind Johnson, but don’t expect either to go away anytime soon. Remarkably, Smith became the first player since the tournament began in 1934 to return all four rounds in the 60s. More than 4,200 had tried before him and failed, suggesting it may not be long before the mullet-coiffed lad from the land of the Baggy Green cricket cap is challenging again for another prestigious garment of similar hue. And Im, who has already established himself as the PGA Tour’s iron man, rarely missing a week, has the sort of laserstraight power game that could come good almost anywhere with a responsive putter in his hands. Also in the mix, a galaxy of rising stars was gathering valuable experience for future reference, including Jon

The latest assault on Augusta National will have whetted many appetites

SPRING 2021

Collin, St. George and Patrick: Morikawa, left, celebrates his PGA Championship win at Harding Park; the short 6th, right, will be a key hole at Sandwich; and Reed, below, hopes to play a key role back at Torrey Pines

Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, and The Shuffler (aka Patrick Cantlay when standing over a putt). In April, though, the conditions will be firmer, thus posing a challenge that perhaps will chime with older contenders who are historically used to taking a conservative line off most tees and firing away from certain pins. It will definitely feel strange for the players to head back down Magnolia Lane so soon, but the same could also be said about both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, last contested respectively in August and September 2020. Two young men with an obvious, newly acquired fondness for these events are maiden Major winners DeChambeau, who confounded U.S. Open tradition and logic by bludgeoning his way to a runaway victory at spinach-clad Winged Foot, and Collin Morikawa, who skillfully picked TPC Harding Park apart to lift the giant Wanamaker Trophy. Next up after the Masters will be Morikawa’s defense of the PGA Championship over the Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina (May 20-23). This theatre for the “War on the Shore” Ryder Cup, a few months after it opened in 1991, has only staged one Major: the weather-disrupted 2012 PGA Championship when McIlroy lapped the field by eight shots. Kiawah Island stretches along 10 miles of beach fronting the Atlantic Ocean. It is an isolated spot with rugged dunes, salt marshes, sweet grass and sunken waste areas, populated by egrets, turtles and alligators. Ten of the Ocean Course’s holes hug the coastline and the other eight run parallel. The original plan was for the holes to sit below the dunes, but Dye’s wife Alice suggested raising

KINGDOM 51

Both the Ocean and South courses are expected to stretch beyond 7,700 yards them to provide unobstructed ocean views from every hole, and maximize exposure to the capricious breezes that top 30mph most afternoons. Despite its proximity to the Atlantic, the Ocean Course is not a true links and doesn’t play like one as golfers must elevate the ball to hold the putting surfaces and control the bounces. For the first time in a Major, competitors will be allowed to use distance measuring devices at Kiawah Island—not that they will be a lot of use if the wind does get up. The PGA of America’s declared reasoning behind this slightly contentious decision is to speed up play. Caddies, fearing a potential long-term threat to their services, claim it will do the exact opposite while cynics suggest the move has more to do with the generous markup that pro shops rake in from such products. Whatever, it will be an interesting experiment, and one the PGA is sure to persevere with. The U.S. Open (June 17-20) will take place over the South Course at Torrey Pines in Southern California for the second time, 13 years after Woods’ epic one-legged limp to the 14th of his 15 Majors.

This treacherous cliff-top playground overlooking the Pacific Ocean, part of a 36-hole public complex owned by the city of San Diego, was laid out during the mid-1950s by William F. Bell on the site of Camp Callan, a former World War II U.S. Army installation. Since 1968 it has hosted the Farmers Insurance Open, one of the early stops on the PGA Tour schedule, and this January’s winner, in predictably controversial circumstances, was Reed. The 2018 Masters champion, whose past is checkered to say the least, ultimately enjoyed a five-stroke cushion over five players who tied for second. But it was an incident on the 10th hole during the third round rather than his superb overall play that dominated discussion long after the final putt was holed. Deciding that he was plugged short and left of the green having been told by a spotter that she didn’t see it

bounce, Reed picked up his ball before calling for assistance from a rules’ official. In the end, he took advantage of the free drop he was given by getting up and down for a momentum-maintaining par. It was the 30-year-old’s ninth PGA Tour victory and established him as an obvious U.S. Open front-runner. But a glance at the names trailing in his slipstream suggests there are others with reason for optimism. Finau, Schauffele and Viktor Hovland were among the runners-up while Rahm, 2018 [British] Open champion Francesco Molinari and the 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott also registered top-10s. Both the Ocean and South are expected to stretch beyond 7,700 yards from the tips, making them among the longest courses ever to stage a Major. But if the wind blows hard at either venue, at opposite ends of the country, it could make a mockery of the latest signal of intent by the R&A and USGA to rein in the distance modern pros can hit the ball. McIlroy, newly installed as chairman of the PGA Tour’s player advisory council, has already denounced this move as “a huge waste of time and money” when the governing bodies’ priority should be growing the game and tending to the needs of handicap golfers. As a debate, this could run and run. The year’s final Major, postponed without significant cost from its original dates in 2020 thanks to the R&A’s prudent “business interruption” insurance policy, will be the 149th [British] Open Championship at Royal St. George’s in southeast England (July 15-18). A decade ago, when the Claret Jug was last contested over this bleak links, carved out by surgeon Laidlaw Purves beside the Kent town of Sandwich in 1887, the unlikely winner was Darren Clarke who, at 42, thought his Major chances had long gone. After three and a half rounds of grit, skill and know-how, the Northern Irishman still needed several dollops of good fortune on the Sunday back nine before setting his swansong to the sweetest celebratory music. Perhaps his biggest stroke of luck came on the fairway of the par-5 14th on the final day when his playing partner Johnson, sniffing an opportunity to reduce the deficit to one with the green in range, pushed (some would say shanked) his second shot over the fence and out of bounds. The resultant double-bogey consigned him to a tie for second with Mickelson, three shots back, but the fact is he played well that week and could easily be a factor this time round. Additionally, he and Uncle Sam have unfinished business with a venue that will be staging the oldest Major for the 15th time since 1894. To date, it has witnessed only four U.S.

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wins—two by Walter Hagen in the 1920s and one each from Bill Rogers (1981) and Ben Curtis (2003). An interesting aside about that 2011 Open is that the group tied for fifth included American golf’s two golden prospects at the time: Anthony Kim and Rickie Fowler, then aged 26 and 22. A mysterious injury saga has sidelined Kim since 2012 while Fowler, despite 10 further top-10s in Majors, has dropped out of the world top-50 at a time when he should be in his prime. Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth, who won his third and most recent Major in the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale, has been in the same boat to nowhere as Fowler in recent seasons, yet he keeps plugging away and now seems to be inching back towards calmer waters. But the 27-year-old’s return to prominence is cluttered with far more obstacles than before. With each passing year, another phalanx of battle-trained youth marches confidently off the college production line and straight onto the Tour. The School of 2018-19 currently blazing its trail, cutting its swathe, call it what you will, includes Morikawa, Hovland, Scheffler, Im, Matt Wolff, Joaquin Niemann and

Men’s professional golf has never been blessed with so much rising talent Will Zalatoris. Every member of this “freshman” group is younger than Spieth’s age group, the “sophomores”– Schauffele, Cantlay, Thomas, Rahm, DeChambeau, Smith, Matt Fitzpatrick and Daniel Berger, all aged 26-28. And they, in turn, must defer, in seniority at least, to ( just) under-30 “juniors” like Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama. No wonder McIlroy, at the shockingly advanced age of 31, has become an elder statesman! Surely men’s professional golf has never been blessed with, and crowded by, so much rising talent. Yet one thing remains certain: even though they are all capable of winning Majors, no more than half of them will with just four tilts at glory each 12-month period. After all several older players— think Johnson, Koepka, Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen—are also still in the frame. Then there are the leftfield champions no one gives a prayer to but who often come out of the woodwork at Majors for the biggest week of their lives. For the foreseeable future, this guarantees a frenzy of anticipation, the unfolding of many memorable contests, and a never-ending flow of “what might have been” tales. Triumph and Disaster, those media-beloved twins of Rudyard Kipling, will pursue these aspirants from their current cradle to the Champions Tour and beyond. At least

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Back Home: Tiger Woods, cradling the Claret Jug he won in 2000. Could he return next year at St Andrews?

they will be living in interesting times. But for the present, all the above notwithstanding, what outcomes does my presumptuous oracle predict for the Majors of 2021? I offer you the following (highly unlikely) prospectus… Lee Westwood to land a Major at last at nearly 48 in the Masters where he has finished runner-up twice and third once; fellow Englishman Ian Poulter to emulate him, aged 45, at Kiawah Island, where he tied third in 2012; Mickelson, who will have just turned 51, to nail a U.S. Open after six second places (he has, after all, won three times at Torrey Pines on Tour); and Johnson to make amends for his shank (sorry, “push”) at Sandwich. Combined age: 180. And second place in all four championships? Why, who else other than Finau, golf’s recent perennial bridesmaid. Tony, honestly, your time in the sun will come! Meanwhile, the watching Woods will be rehabbing towards strength/fitness and hoping for yet another comeback. Still gazing into my crystal ball, how about a date with destiny for him in July 2022? The 150th Open will be played then at St Andrews, scene of his emphatic victories in 2000 and 2005. Have stranger things happened? Possibly, but what a shot in the arm it would be for the royal and ancient game. More exclamation mark than sentenceending period!

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FEATURE Dustin Johnson

No n e r d r e u r S

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Dustin Johnson has taken some majors blows, yet every time he’s knocked off his feet he climbs back up, ready for more. Now the world No. 1, he spoke exclusively to Robin Barwick

down at the weed hill driving range in columbia, South Carolina, pros Kevin Britt and Jimmy Koosa would keep an eye on the prodigy Dustin Johnson, who worked through bucket after bucket of golf balls, day and night. Ben Hogan said, “the secret is in the dirt,” and Johnson’s patch of dirt was at Weed Hill. As the name suggests, it was a no-nonsense kind of place, and that suited Johnson just fine. If you are interested in trying to drive the golf ball like Johnson—who is ranked fifth on the PGA Tour in driving distance at the time of writing, with an average of 317 yards—there is an unconventional drill that may or may not help. “I did this driver drill,” starts Johnson, 36, the reigning Masters champion. “I have never seen anyone else do it: I would hit 100 drives really fast, like in the space of 10 minutes. A lot of golf balls went flying. I had to have someone to tee up the balls for me so all I would do is swing again and again, really fast, and the idea was to help increase my swing speed. You get worn out doing that drill in no time at all, say after 30 balls, and then you have to use all your body strength to get through to 100. It was hard.” Just the thought of it is exhausting. Into his teenage years, Johnson was often the last man standing on the long row of artificial mats at Weed Hill.

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“His talent level is so great that he is the closest thing we have seen to Tiger Woods”

Johnson presented with the green jacket by Tiger Woods [left] and celebrating winning with his caddie and brother Austin Johnson [below]. Butch Harmon, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler during a practice round prior to the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach [opposite]

“That was where I put in the long hours and where I would shut the lights off every night,” he says. “I would just hit balls until they closed each night at 10pm and one of the guys in the shop would give me a lift home.” Johnson played a lot of baseball and soccer too, and he and brother Austin would often head up the street to the court by the church to play basketball. The boys’ grandfather, Art Whisnant, starred on court at South Carolina and almost made it to the NBA, while Austin—who caddies for his older brother on tour—played guard at Charleston Southern University. By the seventh grade, the elder Johnson brother let the other sports fall by the wayside as his efforts on the golf course flourished. Columbia is 70 miles from Augusta, Georgia, and that is where a teenage Johnson went with his dad Scott one year, so he could see up close his heroes Davis Love III, Fred Couples and the “Shark”, Greg Norman. “I don’t remember the year, but that was the only Tour event I went to growing up,” says Johnson. “We were there for a practice round. There were so many people there, and what hits you the first time you walk into Augusta National is just how green everything is there, and it is only when you are actually there in person that you can appreciate how steep some of the slopes are. You can’t see the slopes when you watch the Masters on TV. The hill down from the 10th tee—it’s really steep—and coming back up 18. That 10th hole is great, but then every hole is great at Augusta. “As a kid playing golf the dream was always to play there one day. Whether it was on the putting green or in

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a chipping contest, or a putt on the 18th hole, we always imagined it was to win the Masters at Augusta.” It’s funny how things can turn out. Playing in his 10th Masters last November, Johnson reigned supreme. He held at least a share of the lead after each of the four rounds and eventually strolled to a commanding five-shot victory— Johnson’s second major title after the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont—and his final score of 268 was the first-ever Masters score below 270. “It is pretty cool to actually have that dream come true,” adds Johnson in typical understatement.

BOUNCING BACK Butch Harmon started coaching Johnson more than a decade ago, before eventually handing over responsibility to his son Claude III, who maintains a regular presence on PGA Tour driving ranges. “In all honesty, when Dustin’s game is on, if everyone else’s game is also on, Dustin wins,” starts Harmon, speaking from his famous Butch Harmon School of Golf at Rio Secco GC, Nevada. “That’s not a put down to Rory [McIlroy] or any of the other players, it is just that when Dustin is on, his talent level is so great that he is the closest thing we have seen to Tiger Woods. The difference is that Tiger Woods was that good for 20 years. “Dustin has matured, he has become an incredibly smart golfer, and what is amazing is that when bad things have happened to Dustin in big tournaments it is like water off a duck’s back. He just carries on.” Johnson is a spectacular driver of a golf ball, yet the greatest strength to his game might be that ability to shrug off disappointments that would crush others. Johnson’s list of major near misses is extensive. It started at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, when he took a three-shot lead into the final round before posting a triple bogey at the second hole and a double at the third on his way to a closing 82 and a share of eighth place. Johnson would later admit that he let the occasion quicken his rhythm and his decision-making. Pebble Beach was a brutal yet significant lesson for the emerging Johnson, aged 25 at the time, and it made him stronger. Just two months later in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits Johnson was back into a winning position until he grounded his club on sandy ground that

was classified as a bunker on the 72nd hole. It cost him a two-shot penalty and a place in the play-off. Golf was again inflicting mental and emotional torture on him, in clear view to millions of astonished eyes. The following July, in 2011, Johnson was back, this time in the final pair at The Open with Darren Clarke at Royal St. George’s. Two shots behind Clarke’s lead at the par-five 14th hole, Johnson was hoping for an eagle chance but instead shanked his two-iron second shot out of bounds. Then there was the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, when Johnson had a 12-foot eagle putt on the final hole for the title. He missed it, and the one coming back, thereby presenting a shocked Jordan Spieth with the trophy. As for the Masters, Johnson was in the form of his life going into the 2017 tournament, until he slipped on the stairs of his rental home and injured his back, forcing a heartbreaking withdrawal on the morning of the first round. And even when Johnson did finally claim his first major title at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, there was confusion over whether he had accidentally caused his ball to move on a green. The USGA eventually enforced a one-stroke penalty but by then Johnson had seen enough final-round calamity he calmly won anyway. There is nothing you can throw at Johnson that will break his long stride. Sometimes others can beat him, but they can’t break him. “That situation at Chambers Bay would have ruined lots of players,” says Harmon. “It literally would have ruined their careers. But D.J. just goes forward. He just puts it behind him and says, ‘I’ve got to play this next shot. It is all I have control over’.”

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Jamie Lovemark, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschell pose with the trophy at the 2007 Walker Cup, Royal County Down Golf Club [left]. Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Dustin Johnson at the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National, Paris [below].

RIVALRIES OF OLD Outwardly at least, nothing seems to phase Johnson, so it is reassuring to learn that he has felt nerves once or twice. He is human after all. One such occasion, he says, was when he made his Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor in Wales in 2010, opening the first fourball match with Phil Mickelson—but the first real moment of nerves came three years earlier, also standing on British ground, in the 2007 Walker Cup in Northern Ireland. “I will never forget the first tee at the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down,” shares Johnson. “Colt Knost and I were playing Rory McIlroy and Jonathan Caldwell and that was, for sure, the most nervous I have ever been. There were a lot of people crowding around the tee and up the fairway and I had never really played in front of that many people. There were pretty big crowds, particularly as it was the opening session and we were against Rory, the local guy. It was foursomes and I took that first tee shot. I hit it good but I am pretty sure the ball was in the air before the announcer got through saying my name.” The American pairing grinded out an excellent half in that match, on the way to a close-fought American victory on an 18-year-old McIlroy’s home turf. Today, 14 years later, Johnson and McIlroy continue to dominate attention, now at the summit of the professional game. Johnson, the defending Masters champ, the world No. 1, will be the man to beat at Augusta National this April,

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while his Irish rival attempts to complete his career grand slam by earning a Green Jacket. Johnson has absorbed blows that would knock most competitors flying over the ropes and into the front row. He has fallen, but “D.J.” never fails to rise back to his feet, ready for more. Yet unlike the weary boxer, after each punishing round, Johnson just gets stronger.

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MAJORS Venue

The site of the 2021 PGA Championship is also one of the world’s great golf destinations—for TOUR players and weekend warriors alike

K I AWA H

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s the crow flies it’s something like 80 miles between Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, just a small stretch of the more than 2,100 miles of U.S. Atlantic coastline. And yet within that small stretch there’s a lot of history, a lot of beauty, and a lot of golf—an incredible amount of golf, in fact, and much of it world-class. That fact is being underlined this year when the 2021 PGA Championship returns to The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, less than 25 miles from Charleston. It will be the event’s second visit

to the Pete & Alice Dye design, and another fine moment in Kiawah Island’s golf history—a history in which anyone can take part. If you left Savannah in a boat and headed north toward Charleston, the distance between great golf stops would hardly give you time to take in the scenery, which is as relaxed and as lovely as the best Southern smile. The Landings on Skidaway Island with its five courses, the 29 holes at Haig Point on Daufuskie Island, a whole world of options on Hilton Head and so on until, near the northernmost point of your trip, you’d back off the engines and drift into view of one of America’s great golfing destinations: Kiawah Island.

ISLAND

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Bernhard Langer misses the vital putt on the 18th at Kiawah’s Ryder Cup, 1991. Rory McIlroy with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the 2012 PGA Championship

Though the world has changed dramatically since 2012, Kiawah Island’s beauty remains untroubled Like the stretch of coastline between Charleston and Savannah, Kiawah’s dimensions belie its substance. Measuring only 11 square miles, its surfeit of history, beauty and golf (among other recreational activities) is astounding, not least because its natural charms remain so unspoiled after more than 350 years of habitation. Today it is as lush and green and inviting as ever it was, an island with a river that rolls through cool lagoons, elegant marshland and maritime forests, setting the scene for epic getaways. Those getaways are had via the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the primary fixture here and a worldclass destination for anyone who loves the game. Five courses are on offer, and like the island itself these, too, hold plenty of history—especially The Ocean Course (see sidebar: The Ocean Course). The site of the 1991 Ryder Cup—the “War by the Shore”—saw American Mark Calcavecchia convulse in sobs on a beach after halving his singles match with Scotsman Colin Montgomerie—after being 4-up with four holes to play. And it was the setting

for one of golf ’s great images: a photograph of Germany’s Bernhard Langer, standing shocked after missing a 6-foot putt on the 18th green to hand the Cup back to the American squad, a champion athlete in utter despair as a rapturous American audience bursts into unbridled joy behind him. More recently it saw Rory McIlroy’s second major victory, at the 2012 PGA Championship. The then-23year-old Irishman shot a bogey-free 66 in the final round to take the tournament by eight strokes over next-closest David Lynn. It was a record margin of victory in the event, besting Nicklaus’ PGA Championship seven-stroke win margin in 1980 (and matching McIlroy’s own eight-stroke margin of victory in his first major, the 2011 U.S. Open). This year the PGA Championship returns to The Ocean Course for the tournament’s 103rd anniversary, and though the world has changed dramatically since 2012, Kiawah Island’s beauty remains untroubled, just as it has since the island’s earliest beginnings.

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It was from here in 1670 that a chieftain of the native Kiawah people led English colonists to settle at what would become Charleston, one of America’s most important founding cities. The island was taken by pirate George Raynor in 1699, served as a sanctuary for recovering American soldiers and their families during the Revolutionary War, was seized and occupied by Union troops in the Civil War, and sold for logging in the early 1950s, having spent much of its history controlled by just two or three families. By 1974 it was a resort, and under the current owners (who acquired it in 1993) it has flourished as a formidable and responsible place to enjoy some of the best of what life has to offer. As mentioned, there are five golf courses at Kiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course by Pete Dye; Osprey Point from Tom Fazio; Oak Point by Clyde Johnston; Turtle Point from Jack Nicklaus; and Cougar Point, by Gary Player. With each offering its own personality, together the courses make up one of America’s best-sited concentrations of epic golf, complemented by an equally diverse range of accommodations and other activities. There are a number of getaway options that refer to themselves as “golf resorts” and more than a few that promise escape, but few can deliver on the level of Kiawah Island Resort. The site of a Ryder Cup, two PGA Championships and countless fantastic memories from golfers of all skill levels, is a one-of-a-kind destination for families, buddies, couples, businesses or anyone looking for an ideal port of call. Located in one of America’s most beautiful and golf-rich Southern enclaves, Kiawah stands out for its history, its beauty, its golf, and the memories it promises to any who make the journey—by boat or otherwise. Kiawahislandresort.com

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THE OCEAN COURSE

Located on the easternmost side of Kiawah Island, the site of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 PGA Championship is hosting this year’s PGA Championship as well. The course was designed by Pete & Alice Dye and offers the most seaside holes of any course in the Northern Hemisphere, a fact that makes it among the most beautiful and challenging courses in the world. Ten holes hug the Atlantic, while the other eight run parallel, and there’s not a bad look on the course. It was Alice who suggested raising the entire course so that players would have unobstructed views of the coastline from every hole, and while this gave the site a liberating and thrilling emotional component, it also upped the challenge by bringing the sea breezes into play, which otherwise would have been mitigated by the dunes. As the on-site pros have it, from one round to the next a player can experience up to an eight-club difference on any given hole, depending on the wind’s direction and strength. It’s likely visiting players will be anticipating (gleefully or otherwise) No.17, a beautiful par-3 that gets plenty of press and which gave Mark Calcavecchia fits in the 1991 Ryder Cup; but in fact the par-3 No.14 is harder as it sits at the same height as the dunes and is exposed to potentially ridiculous headwinds. Our advice? Listen to your caddie and leave your ego at home. At No.19, stories of balls that were carried away by the wind gods are as entertaining—if not more entertaining— than tales of your perfect putt. It’s beautiful out there, just enjoy it.

MAJORS Collapses & Charges

Roll, Rattle & Shake

Charging for glory when all seems lost or collapsing to ignominy from a commanding position are among sport’s dominant, recurring narratives; and nowhere is the burning pleasure, pain or shame felt more acutely than in the crucible of golf’s Major championships

Spieth plays his fifth shot on the 12th at the 2016 Masters Tournament

hen it came to mounting a charge or collapsing from near impregnability, it’s fair to say Arnold Palmer copyrighted the patent for Major championships. The King’s supreme 65 in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills (Denver, Colorado) vaulted him over 14 players. The 54-hole leader Mike Souchak, who started seven shots ahead, was relegated to a share of third place, three back, without doing an awful lot wrong. Meanwhile, the support cast blown away by the regal whirlwind included 47-year-old Ben Hogan and a barely-outof-teens amateur called Jack Nicklaus. Six years later, Palmer squandered a seven-shot lead over the back nine of the U.S. Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club. Billy Casper was the beneficiary, catching the King over 72 holes and dethroning him in a playoff. While winning is never easy, the fact is losing can be sickeningly simple. Collapses, meltdowns, implosions, chokes—call them what you will—are horrible, embarrassing and about as pleasant to witness as a car crash. On the other hand, charges through the field and come-from-behind victories are among sport’s biggest thrills. For some reason, those twin imposters from Rudyard Kipling’s stoic poem If, triumph and disaster, surface more at golf tournaments than most other sporting events. And with the potential for agony or ecstasy cranked up even further, there’s no place for such extremes like a Major championship. On the face of it, the explanation is self-evident. The more prestigious the title, the more lucrative the benefits, the more desperate a player is to win; and the more intense the pressure, the more likely it will all go disastrously wrong through an excess of desire or the power of negative thinking. But Murphy’s Law, not to mention the law of the jungle, cannot be discounted from this process either. Momentary lapses in concentration, hubristic excesses of confidence and downright bad luck can also play a part in the outcome, as can internal fortitude, burning hunger and clarity of focus when pressure’s flames reach boiling point. The Masters, with its “risk and reward” DNA, has a penchant for this sort of drama, acted out annually on an Augusta National stage bedecked by camellias, azaleas, sweetness and treachery.

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Rory McIlroy’s fall from grace in the final round in 2011 is still vivid in the memory. Instead of a coronation, we witnessed a metaphorical decapitation. Three and a half rounds of flawless beauty were followed by a couple of hours of unadulterated filth. To be fair, the baby-faced Irishman swiftly turned it around and blitzed the field two months later in the U.S. Open at Congressional (Bethesda, Maryland)—a testament to the indomitability of his talent, class, and youth. Five years later, Jordan Spieth imploded when seemingly booked in for bed, breakfast and a second Green Jacket. His nemesis was the infuriating little crosswind par-3 12th, and unsung Englishman Danny Willett breezed into the vacuum created by the defending champion’s quadruple-bogey 7. We need not cast our minds back too far to recall other high-profile Augusta collapses. Who could ever forget Greg Norman’s Sunday conversion of a six-shot lead into a five-shot defeat at the hands of Nick Faldo in 1996? Talk about turning wine into water! Then there was Ed Sneed’s dribbling away of a three-shot advantage over holes 16, 17 and 18, and subsequent playoff capitulation to Fuzzy Zoeller, playing in his first Masters in 1979. Prior to that, Ken Venturi, as a greenhorn amateur, ballooned to 80 in windy conditions to surrender a four-shot lead over the final round in 1956 to seasoned pro Jack Burke, Jr. The two most electrifying charges through the field over the past half-century crackled with 40-something know-how and nostalgia. In 1978, Gary Player, aged 42, galloped to his third Masters with a closing 64 that clearly inspired his playing partner, one Seve Ballesteros, to greater things. And in 1986, Jack Nicklaus, aged 46, gave the young thrusts the ultimate lesson in closing the deal with a 65 for the ages. Sometimes those with deep experience and a track record to match can turn Memory Lane into Madison Avenue via Magnolia Lane. During his pomp, Palmer won four Masters, but one that got away gnawed for the rest of his days because it had been so avoidable. In 1961, leading by one, he split the 18th fairway and then allowed himself to be distracted by a friend offering premature congratulations from the gallery. A bunker-to-bunker, double-bogey six resulted from a careless approach shot moments later, and handed Player his first, somewhat unexpected Green Jacket. With due respect to Palmer, though, Norman is the perfect case study for this text. He has two [British] Opens to his name but he never won any of the American Majors despite numerous chances. In addition to his 1996 Masters debacle, his final round 10 years earlier, with the benefit of hindsight, was an omen for his entire career. After a doublebogey at the 10th sent him spiraling below the Nicklaus slipstream, he birdied 14 through 17 and needed par up the

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Ecstasy and agony: Gary Player celebrates with Seve Ballesteros [above] after shooting a closing 64 in the 1978 Masters; Doug Sanders’ shoulders slump as he misses a short putt to win the 1970 Open at St Andrews

last to force a Shark-Bear playoff. But after a perfect drive, he carved his approach right and failed to get up and down. Nevertheless, 1986 saw Norman at the peak of his powers. He topped the PGA Tour money list that year and led all four Majors going into the final round; but he won only one—the Open at Turnberry (Ayrshire, Scotland), albeit by a five-shot margin. In the PGA Championship that year at Inverness (Toledo, Ohio), he frittered away a four-shot lead and then watched forlornly as the gauche Bob Tway holed out from the sand trap in front of the 18th green. If that misfortune was not enough to suggest a curse hovered over Norman, the Masters eight months later was snatched from his grasp by an even freakier turn of events, with local man Larry Mize sinking a 50-yard chip for an improbable birdie 3 at the second extra hole.

Just as Snead was about to pull the trigger, his opponent Lew Worsham asked whether he was sure he was away Despite such gut-wrenching twists of fate, the Shark kept resurfacing for further punishment. In the 1989 Open at Royal Troon (Ayrshire, Scotland), he surged through the field with a closing 64. Norman sustained that impetus over the first three holes of the playoff but he was so pumped up that his monster drive up the 18th found a pot bunker no one else had come within 20 yards of reaching all week. In a blink, the Claret Jug went instead to Mark Calcavecchia. Retribution of sorts came when another final-round 64 at Royal St. George’s (Sandwich, Kent, England) in 1993 enabled Norman to overtake 54-hole leader Faldo and bag his second Open. How Faldo made him pay less than three years later down in Georgia! But still the blond Australian didn’t give up, finishing third in the 1999 Masters after catching eventual winner Jose Maria Olazabal with just five holes to play only to fold over the home stretch, and leading the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale (Southport, Lancashire) until well into the final round. Aged 53 at the time, and (temporarily) love-struck by

tennis ace Chris Evert, a tie (break) for third was his reward for this romantic swansong. For some reason, frailty at the death often lingers longer in the memory than a catastrophic, almost choreographed collapse from, say, nine holes out. Take the spectacular self-destruction of Jean Van de Velde on the final hole of the 1999 Open at Carnoustie (Angus, Scotland): The genial Frenchman had been cruising and needed no worse than a double-bogey 6 to emulate his compatriot Arnaud Massy’s 1907 success. Yet, after tangling with a grandstand stanchion, thick rough, the Barry Burn and a greenside bunker, he holed out from 12ft for a bizarre, Pyrrhic 7 that squeaked him into a playoff subsequently won by home favorite Paul Lawrie. Three other never-to-be-forgotten glottal stops in the gloaming involved short putts for victory that went astray, along with their perpetrators’ equilibrium. In 1947, Sam Snead, who like Phil Mickelson never won the U.S. Open despite a plethora of close calls, was tripped up by an act of gamesmanship when standing over a tiddler on the final green of a playoff at St. Louis CC (Missouri). Just as he was about to pull the trigger, his opponent Lew Worsham asked whether he was sure he was away. After a measurement confirmed Snead’s initial impression, the Slammer missed and then, grinding his teeth, watched Worsham tap in for victory. Faldo’s first Masters came in 1989 courtesy of an extraordinary lapse by playoff opponent Scott Hoch who aimed left on a downhill 2-footer on the 10th for victory and obligingly pulled it. Faldo, as was his wont, made Hoch pay with a winning birdie on the very next green. But of all the botched short putts a golfer would love to take again, the daddy has to be the one that Doug Sanders faced on the 72nd green at St Andrews (Fife, Scotland) in the 1970 Open. Sanders, a prime candidate for the unwanted “best golfer never to win a Major” tag, thought his moment had come as he prepared to slot home. Then, as he settled over his ball, he spotted something on his line. Thinking it was a loose impediment, he went to brush it away only to realize it was a blemish in the grass. The subsequent jab right consigned him to an 18-hole playoff with eventual winner Nicklaus, and a lifetime of contemplating what might have been. Years later, Sanders confessed he often went five minutes not thinking of that putt. Miss in haste, repent at leisure, or so a similar, pithilyworded phrase goes! Hubert Green, who hurriedly missed a 3-footer that would have forced Player into a playoff in the 1978 Masters, was denounced by purists for that singular instance of competitive looseness. But 10 months earlier, he had courageously played most of his final round en route to victory in the U.S. Open at Southern Hills (Tulsa, Oklahoma) knowing a death-threat phone call had been made against him.

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Happy chappies: Tom Watson [right] chips in on the penultimate hole of the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach; Johnny Miller celebrates with wife Linda [far right] after winning the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Sanders’ main rival for the poisoned Majors’ bridesmaid bouquet is probably Colin Montgomerie. The angry Scot derives scant consolation from his five runners-up finishes, but at least he wasn’t the only victim of possibly the biggest multiple pile-up of vanities at any Major—the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot (Mamaroneck, New York). In addition to Montgomerie, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Padraig Harrington all made a monstrous mess of the closing hole while Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy hijacked them all by thinning a chip onto the pin and into the hole from over the back of the 17th green and then holding his nerve down the landing strip. There is a rich tradition embracing such instances of outrageous luck—think Nicklaus hitting the pin at pace to finish stiff on the 17th green at Pebble Beach (Monterey, California) in the 1972 U.S. Open; think the Bear getting his comeuppance 10 years later on the same green in the same championship when Tom Watson chipped in, also at express speed; and think Lee Trevino with all his off-thegreen hole-outs en route to the 1972 Open at Muirfield (East Lothian, Scotland). These are the quirks of fate that leave their victims gasping for whatever lies twixt cup and lip, but even the greatest players can succumb. Tiger Woods, arguably the finest front runner the game has known, was himself on the receiving end of a lack-luster day in August 2009 as Y.E. Yang overhauled the Great One’s two-shot 54-hole lead in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National (Chaska, Minnesota) to become Asia’s first Major champion. Ernie Els, the Big Easy who invariably found competing with Woods a little hard, proved the value of patience acquired through experience in the 2012 Open

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“I didn’t even sniff missing a green,” Miller joyfully recalled at Royal Lytham & St Annes (Lancashire, England). The South African, then 42, overhauled a six-shot final-round deficit, mainly because Adam Scott displayed poor course management down the stretch. Gutted though he was at flunking his first Major, the Australian swiftly regained his composure, learned some lessons and won the Masters the following April in a playoff. The PGA Championship has also seen its share of impressive comebacks. At Oakmont (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in 1978, John Mahaffey shot 66 to make up seven shots on Watson and went on to win a three-way playoff. Meanwhile, four other PGA winners came from six shots back—Bob Rosburg (1959), Lanny Wadkins (1977), Payne Stewart (1989) and Steve Elkington (1995). Despite this late-comers litany, the one last-round charge in a Major that almost rivals Palmer’s Congressional effort was achieved in 1973 at Oakmont when Johnny Miller’s 63 catapulted him over 11 players, including Palmer who shared the lead after round three and finished in a tie for fourth. “I didn’t even sniff missing a green,” Miller joyfully recalled. Like Palmer in 1960, his sense of smell was heightened by just the faintest whiff of victory.

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MAJORS U.S. Open

O p . e S n . U

Rocco, Tiger & Torrey Pines

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This June, the South Course at Torrey Pines in San Diego will stage the U.S. Open for the second time, 13 years after its debut produced one of the most exciting national championships ever played. Rocco Mediate, a surprise contender that week, spoke to Robin Barwick

when rocco mediate faced tiger woods in an 18-hole play-off to decide the 2008 U.S. Open, they said there was more chance of snow falling in San Diego in June than there was of Mediate lifting the U.S. Open trophy. Woods was ranked No. 1 in the world by a mile; Mediate was ranked 158th going into the championship. Woods was in his prime at 32; Mediate was a PGA Tour veteran at 45. Mediate had not won on the PGA Tour for six years, and during that six-year stretch Woods had claimed 41 PGA Tour titles. Woods was playing injured—with a double stress fracture in his left leg, we would later discover—but still, the two golfers combined to produce one of the most riveting chapters in the history of America’s oldest championship. “There was not a single TV announcer who thought I had a chance,” recalls Mediate, who exudes as much energy today, aged 58, as he did in trying to become the oldest U.S. Open champ ever. “I kept laughing, going, ‘What, are you people crazy?’ I was not missing my target very often that week and that is what this game is. This game is about where the ball is going, and I was making the ball go where I was looking.” If Mediate had taken one of two birdie chances at the last two holes of regulation the play-off would never have happened. He was so close. Agonizingly close. Instead, Woods did hole out for birdie at the 72nd hole to match Mediate’s score of 283, one under par. “Nobody else in the world holes that putt on 18,” says Mediate. “I mean nobody.”

One of the finest public golf courses in the world, with panoramic, clifftop views over the Pacific Ocean, Torrey Pines was the perfect stage, bathed in the summer sun, for one of the most famous U.S. Opens, on what was the longest majors golf course ever, at 7,600 yards. When it came to the finish, it didn’t need social media to go viral. Mediate slipped three shots back after 10 holes of the play-off, as widely expected, but then he ripped up the script and his challenge took off. Mediate started holing putts just as Woods started to falter, and as the golfers walked off the 14th green they were tied on strokes with four holes to play. It was a good job the South Course at Torrey Pines didn’t have a roof. “When we walked from the 14th green to the 15th tee I had to cover my ears because they hurt because the noise was so loud,” says Mediate, 13 years later. “I remember every single second of that day. The smells, the people, the screaming. There were 25,000 fans following just two golfers. It was unbelievable and I will never go through that kind of experience again. I mean, how many times are you going to get ‘The Man’ in a play-off for the national open? It was a one-off.” Ultimately, one of the great Cinderella stories of modern sports was not to be. Mediate missed a 20-foot put to win at the 90th hole, and then couldn’t match Woods’ par at the first hole of sudden-death play. Mediate became the oldest runner-up in the U.S. Open since 50-year-old Harry Vardon back in 1920. “I loved it,” says Mediate, a six-time winner of the PGA Tour and four-time champ on the PGA Tour Champions. “I got to do something I wanted: to take on Tiger when it really mattered. I always loved the U.S. Open. It is my favorite event, so there I was with the chance to try and beat that guy in my favorite event. It can’t be topped, win or lose.”

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Said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA: “I didn’t want to see either player lose that U.S. Open. If there was a way we could have offered that trophy to both of them it would have been a great thing.” “Rocco’s not only one of the nicest guys, but people don’t realize how much of a competitor he is,” said Woods at the time. “He’s a hell of a player.” It was the third U.S. Open title of Woods’ career, and his 14th major success overall. No-one could have predicted at the time that it would be another 11 years before Woods would win his 15th major, which came at the 2019 Masters. “Great players do a lot of really interesting things,” adds Mediate. “They don’t only win tournaments one way. They win when they hit the ball all over the golf course, or they win by making every putt they look at, or sometimes by hitting the ball perfect. Well, Tiger won tournaments all those different ways, and the week of that U.S. Open he won despite hitting the ball sideways. When we played our 18 holes he was all over the place, literally, but he recovered beautifully and made a bunch of putts and that is what the great ones do. “I was shocked by how far off line some of his shots were, even though I knew he was hurt, but I wasn’t shocked to see him recover each time.” Mediate may have been the underdog in 2008 and a popular, valiant runner-up—so popular that he got the call to go on the Leno show—but don’t tell him he had nothing to lose. Woods’ caddie Steve Williams said it, and he was one of many. “It hurt like hell to lose and it hurt for a while,” says Mediate. “You ask yourself if you are ever going to get that close again. I had been close before but this time I had that baby halfway in my hands, and so it hurt for a while. A lot of people said I didn’t have anything to lose but I was like, ‘Yeah, right: I lost the most coveted thing ever, the U.S. Open trophy.’ People don’t really know what they are talking about when they say dumb sh*t like that.”

Mediate loved baseball as a kid, growing up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 30 miles east of Pittsburgh and 10 miles west of Latrobe. He had a strong arm and he pitched, like his dad, who had thrown in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system. Mediate took up golf as a teenager after some of his Little League teammates started playing at Greensburg Country Club. “I could always hit a ball with a stick,” he says. One day in 1982, the 19-year-old Mediate got a call from some friends to get over to Latrobe CC for a money game. Play golf and make some money while you’re at it? Mediate hopped into his little Honda and within 15 minutes was walking through the parking lot at Latrobe Country Club, where Arnold Palmer had grown up and, when Mediate got there, which he then owned.

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CONNECTED BY STEEL

“Chris Adams and Danny Bonar were good buddies and they had been dear friends of Arnold Palmer’s for a long time,” says Mediate. “They used to tell me they would get me a game with Mr. Palmer but I was so shy then that I didn’t want to play with him. The last thing I wanted to do was play golf in front of Mr. Palmer. “I walk around the corner and I see Mr. Palmer on the tee. I immediately went to turn around because I thought, ‘I’m outta here.’ Then Chris calls over, ‘Hey, Roc, come on up!’ Now I was stuck. I couldn’t leave because Mr. Palmer had seen me. I walked up there and as soon as Mr. Palmer shook my hand, every nervous bone in my body went away. He said, ‘Roc, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a lot about you. Let’s go and play.’ And we did.” “Since then I spent hours and hours with Mr. Palmer in his office and we played countless rounds together, at Latrobe, at Bay Hill and every once in a while he would come over for a game at Greensburg. He would fly over in his helicopter, it was hilarious, because God forbid if he drove for 10 minutes!” Palmer took the rising star under his wing, and when Palmer made his final bow in the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont, just outside the Steel City, the USGA paired him

Mediate lining up a putt with caddie Matt Achatz during the playoff vs Tiger Woods on Monday at Torrey Pines GC, and the course pictured below

“Rocco’s not only one of the nicest guys... He’s a hell of a player” — Tiger Woods

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Arnold Palmer waves goodbye at the 1994 U.S. Open, Oakmont Country Club

with Mediate, who was by then established on the PGA Tour, although struggling with crippling back troubles. “I could hardly walk that week because my back was so bad, but there was no way I was going to miss playing with Mr. Palmer in his last Open. The USGA asked me, ‘Are you going to be able to play?’ I said, ‘I’ll find a way.’ “As we played Mr. Palmer’s last hole on the Friday, I held everybody back to watch him walk up to the green. It was an amazing sight. When I got up to the green I said to him, ‘This is all because of you,’ and Mr. Palmer lost it. That was when he started to cry.” The tears continued when Palmer walked into his press conference and the packed room broke with convention to offer a standing ovation. By the time of the 2008 U.S. Open, Mediate had been friends with Palmer for more than 25 years. “After the U.S. Open, the first thing Mr. Palmer said to me was: ‘You handled yourself beautifully. I know you wanted to win. We wanted you to win, but for the way you played and the way you showed yourself I am very proud of you.’ That was the way he behaved and he thought that if he could do it then everybody else could too. That was big for Mr. Palmer. I tried to be like him but of course you can’t actually achieve it. I try to treat people the way he did.” We can’t expect the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines to produce sporting drama to match Tiger versus Rocco, but every championship weaves its own unique story, and the fun is never quite knowing what will happen next.

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THE CHAMPIONS EDITION After the 2021 U.S. Open winner walks off Torrey Pines’ 18th this Father’s Day, he may well be tempted to celebrate with a tipple from Dewar’s 19 year old Champions Edition. Aged in first fill ex-American Bourbon casks, the Champions Edition strikes rich notes of honey, toffee and vanilla. It is not released until May, but as a limited edition it will be soon snapped up by Scotch aficionados, collectors and U.S. Open fans alike. Book the date and order early.

“I try to be like Palmer, but of course you can’t actually achieve it; I try to treat people the way he did”

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MAJORS Greg Norman

WHEN THE STARS ALIGNED 78

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Speaking exclusively to Kingdom magazine, Greg Norman remembers one of the truly great Open Championships, when he lifted the Claret Jug at Royal St. George’s in 1993. Robin Barwick reports

t’s called a practice ground, yet on tour a lot of other activity goes on there, too: caddies swap stories, clubs are tested and fitted, agents and equipment reps circle around, coaching is given, and some interviews and autographs as well. Everyone has his own angle, his own agenda, and sometimes it can all get in the way of a golfer’s job. At Royal St. George’s, Sandwich, in July 1993, Greg Norman didn’t want a new putter or a new drill. He just needed ear plugs and blinkers. The Australian, golf’s “Great White Shark,” was the World No. 4, and hindsight shows he was on a pathway to the top spot. He was the Open champ of 1986, in form, feeling good, expecting to win, and he didn’t want anything to get in his way. “You get a lot of white noise at major championships,” starts Norman, now 66, but aged 38 at the time of the ’93 Open. “People are always walking around you, talking to you, and it can be very hard to concentrate on what you are there to do. It is what it is, but sometimes what you need is to get some solid, focused practice just like you can when you are at your home golf club, when you are on your own and you are zeroed in without any noise around.” Norman wanted to make some focused swings under the close eye of coach Butch Harmon and so, along with caddie Tony Navarro, they walked off to find some solitude. Royal St. George’s, on the Kent coast in southeast England, is the southernmost Open venue and also the largest, and back in 1993 it was still possible for a golfer to find some empty practice space, around a corner and over a sand dune. Harmon, who was fast establishing himself as the pre-eminent coach on tour at the time, remembers the day vividly. “Greg was one of the superstars of the time, he was the man,” says Harmon, now 77. “There were a lot of distractions and too many people on the range, and Greg

was getting back into some of his old habits, like a bit of a slide into the ball. I used to make him practice off a side-hill lie with the ball above his feet, which would flatten out his plane a little and make him rotate more. I suggested we find a little slope to hit some balls on but there was not that kind of a lie on the practice ground. But outside the range, on the other side of the equipment vans, I found a little slope and Greg could hit the balls over the vans and back onto the range.” But this broke with the protocol of The Open—hitting practice balls over the trucks would not be covered by the insurance—and Norman had to fend off an agitated official from the R&A who asked him not to hit balls over the trucks. Adds Harmon: “The R&A official walked away and I said to Greg: ‘What’s he going to do? Disqualify you?’ Greg said, ‘Who knows, but we need to hit balls here so let’s do it’.” Recalls Norman: “We tucked ourselves away somewhere very quiet and focused on certain things for about 45 minutes. I felt so good about my game and about my ball flight. I kept looking at Butch because every shot I hit, the ball came out exactly the way I wanted it to.” “That is absolutely true,” confirms Harmon. “Hitting off the slope helped to flatten the ball trajectory, it got the club onto the path I wanted, and literally, once we started hitting balls off that side-hill lie, Greg never missed a shot.” “Ball flight is everything when you are playing a links golf course,” says Norman. “It’s all about how you spin the golf ball—that is the most critical part—and I just felt in control. I felt really good, no matter what the wind conditions were going to be. “I knew what I needed to fine-tune myself and on that occasion it worked out great. You just have to be aware of what you need, and I say it a lot to players today, that sometimes you need to eliminate the white noise. I came away from that session thinking, ‘Okay, I am really in sync right now.’”

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Rising to the Occasion

The 1993 Open was the one when the stars aligned in dazzling formation. The golf course had been softened by rain and with only calm breezes skipping around the links Norman carded a shining 66-68 in the first two rounds, after opening the championship with a double-bogey. Norman shared third place with Fred Couples, the Masters champ of 1992 and World No. 5, and with Corey Pavin, who was ranked 15th in the world at the time and a regular contender in the majors, heading towards a career pinnacle with victory at the 1995 U.S. Open. One shot ahead was Germany’s Bernhard Langer, the reigning Masters champion and World No. 2, with Nick Faldo holding a one-shot lead. The Englishman was the man with a target on his back. He was World No. 1, reigning Open champ, he had won three of the previous six Opens and in the second round he shot a course record 63, nine under par, backed with zeal by the English crowd. Pavin putted magnificently in the third round to post a 68 and claim a share of the 54-hole lead with Faldo. They made the final pair for the fourth round, with Norman and Langer both one shot back. A third round of 67 brought Zimbabwe’s Nick Price into the picture—the World No. 3 at the time—and he began the final round three shots off the lead, along with Australia’s Peter Senior. The chasing pack comprised entirely past or future major winners: Wayne Grady, Ernie Els, Couples, John Daly and Fuzzy Zoeller.

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‘‘I walked to the putting green, looked at the leaderboard and thought, ‘Whoa, this the Who’s Who of golf’’’ Norman was not a golfer for star-gazing on leaderboards but he knew this was unusual. “It hit me going to the first tee on the Sunday,” he says. “I walked to the putting green, looked at the leaderboard and thought, ‘Whoa, this is the Who’s Who of golf.’ I knew I had to go out there and play really, really well because not all of those guys were going to play poorly. Probably half of those players were going to come at me hard so I knew I would have to go hard myself. “I was excited. I was excited by the prospect of going out against those guys because I knew they wanted to beat me just as much as I wanted to beat them. That was the beautiful thing about that week.” Pavin’s putter ran cold in the final round but Faldo, Langer and Norman went at it. It was only after Norman came within an inch of holing his approach to the 9th hole— to set-up his fourth birdie of the day—that he opened up a two-shot lead.

SONY RANKING After Week Ending July 11th 1993

Sunday’s closing leaderboard [left]. A colorfully-shirted Norman teeing off during the 122nd Open Championship and [below] putting in front of a crowd

RANK

PLAYER

POINTS AVE.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Nick Faldo Bernhard Langer Nick Price Greg Norman Fred Couples Paul Azinger Jose M Olazabal John Cook Ian Woosnam Tom Kite Davis Love-III Masashi Ozaki Payne Stewart Mark McNulty Corey Pavin David Frost Steve Elkington Mark O’Meara Colin Montgomerie Lee Janzen

22.41 16.49 15.56 14.54 14.33 13.14 11.99 11.00 10.68 10.24 9.68 9.66 9.58 9.05 8.77 8.17 8.08 8.06 7.31 7.29

“Larry Bird [of Boston Celtics fame] and I have played a lot of golf together,” adds Norman, “and I always remember he said to me that if the Celtics were one point down with one second left, he always wanted the ball. I thought about that after I birdied the ninth to take a two-shot lead, as I walked to the 10th tee: “Here we are. Larry Bird. Let’s take it to the house now.” Royal St. George’s can unnerve golfers with all the peaks and hollows of its fairways, and by testing a golfer’s confidence and course knowledge with an array of blind tee shots. Norman did his homework, attacked the course from the tee and reaped the reward. “Once you know where to drive the golf ball, over all those blind sand dunes, your fairway becomes wider, because often you are driving across a fairway rather than straight down the middle of it,” explains Norman. “A lot of guys were laying up short of the blind doglegs, but because I was such a confident driver of the ball I was taking a line that would sometimes even go over the gallery and to the wider landing areas. I didn’t feel invincible but I just felt comfortable on the golf course.” “Greg was an aggressive player anyway,” reflects Harmon. “That is how he played, and he drove the ball so well that week. The control of his ball flight, the shapes of his shots, he was in total control. In the final round he put

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Shaking hands with Gene Sarazen at the Open Championship

on a driving clinic and the distance control of his irons, in strong winds, was perfect. It was beautiful. Greg was as calm as I have ever seen him in the final round of a major.” Faldo started to leave crucial putts short on the back nine, while Langer drove out of bounds—onto the neighboring Prince’s Golf Club—on the narrow 14th hole. Meanwhile Norman was in tunnel vision. “I was so confident that nothing phased me,” he recalls. “Langer drove out of bounds but I knew how well I was driving the ball and I knew exactly my aim point. It was four miles in the distance and at that moment that was all I saw. I didn’t even think about the out of bounds, I didn’t care about it. I just got up to the tee and hit my shot. The wind was coming hard from 10 o’clock and that is dangerous when you have out of bounds on the right.” Norman smashed it down the middle. After a short, lipped putt on 17 left Norman with his only dropped shot of the day, he launched another drive down the 18th fairway to clear the way for a two-shot victory over Faldo. Norman had saved his best until the end, shooting 64, eight under par for a total of 267 and the lowest score in Open history. Of the 14 fairways, Norman found them all. Langer said, “That was the greatest round of golf I have ever seen.” “It was phenomenal,” adds Harmon. “Faldo took a one-shot lead into the final round and shot 67. Usually, if you take a one-shot lead into the final round of a major

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“You don’t go out there seeking it, but when a legend compliments you, it’s a validation” and shoot 67, guess what, you win. Well, on this occasion it didn’t happen that way because Greg shot 64.” Gene Sarazen—91 at the time and the oldest living Open champion, who had himself set a low scoring record, next door at Prince’s in winning the Open of 1932 in 283 shots—was on hand to tell Norman, “It was the most awesome display of golf I have seen in 70 years.” “That is one of the beauties of sport in general, not just golf, when the legends who have gone before you recognize what you have done, whether it is a round of golf or after any given moment,” reflects Norman. “Gene was a patriarch of the game and when a legend recognizes the quality of what you have delivered it stays with you forever. You don’t get those compliments often. You don’t go out there seeking those compliments but when you receive one it is a validation of all of your preparation, your execution, all the hard work.”

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Tropical Creations

Norman won’t return to Sandwich for the Open this summer, although the last time he contended in the Open was not as long ago you might imagine. At Royal Birkdale in 2008, a 53-year-old Norman stood tall while gales tormented the field, to become the oldest golfer ever to lead a major championship after 54 holes. He faded on the Sunday as Padraig Harrington successfully defended the Claret Jug, but it was a memorable swansong from the former champ, who had long since put his myriad business interests ahead of his playing career. In business, Norman is most renowned for his golf course design work, which has seen him and his team design more than 100 golf courses in 34 countries around the world. One of Norman’s most striking creations is the Sandals Emerald Bay golf course on Great Exuma in the Bahamas, and Norman has extended his partnership with Sandals with a re-design of the Sandals Golf & Country Club course on the Cap Estate on St. Lucia, the only 18-hole layout on the tropical island. “The St. Lucia golf course incorporates four different valleys so when the winds pick up they get funnelled from different directions and golfers need to be very aware,” says Norman, who looks forward to seeing his re-design open this year. “We changed some greens locations and fairway widths in certain areas. The beauty of the setting has been enhanced and the golf course now fits in with its natural

surroundings beautifully. It is now shaped so that it is a sterner test for the better player but really it is playable for all golfers. We have worked very closely with Sandals and it has been a very exciting project. “I am a big fan of the Caribbean islands, always have been, and it is the laid back attitude which makes St Lucia such a great spot for a vacation. The people, the culture, the lifestyle, are very welcoming.” Come July, when hopefully island vacations will be back in full swing and crowds cheering from the ropes on championship courses, this double Open champion will be watching closely to see if his scoring record can be broken. Henrik Stenson is the only champion since 1993 to go lower than Norman’s 267—when he posted 264 to win at Royal Troon in 2016—but upon the great, mercurial links of Royal St. George’s, no-one yet has come close.

“The beauty of the setting has been enhanced and the golf course now fits in with its natural surroundings beautifully” Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma, Bahamas

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Greg Norman with daughter Morgan-Leigh Norman

Since 1996, Greg Norman Estates has been producing bold and approachable wines from some of the world’s most sought-after wine regions. Nearly a quarter of a century later, Greg and his daughter Morgan have invited some of the world’s best winemakers to help them redefine the wines for the next generation of the legacy brand. The collaboration of the Norman family with these highly regarded winemakers from around the world aims to deliver a more refined and terroir-driven approach to winemaking.

MAJORS Critical Points

Pivotal Moments

Gene Sarazen sits on a bench during the 1935 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club

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One sublime shot, or one lamentable screw-up: That’s all it can take to decide a Major championship. Golf history is replete with such tales, yet traditionalists often are reluctant to claim a single incident can make so much difference. Paul Trow, disagreeable as ever, salutes the gossamer-thin gap between success and failure at the game’s highest level

gene sarazen was a diminutive giant with vaulting claims to fame. Not only did he invent the sand wedge, dress like Beau Brummel and vacuum-up victories for fun, but when he became the first golfer to win the “grand slam” of Major championships, it was with a showman’s flourish that even contemporaries like Babe Ruth, Enrico Caruso and Ernest Hemingway would have deemed preposterous. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Majors came of age on April 7, 1935 during the back nine of the fourth round of the second Augusta National Invitation Tournament when Sarazen pulled the trigger on the “shot heard round the world.” Born Eugenio Saracini in Harrison, NY, to Sicilian immigrants in 1902, Sarazen had already come far to establish himself as one of the game’s top players; but golf, in essence, was still regarded as a minority pursuit, little more than padding on the sports pages. All that changed, though, when Sarazen, three shots behind Craig Wood at the time, swept a spoon (4-wood in modern parlance) from a downhill fairway lie towards the 15th green. His ball landed softly over the water, bounced a couple of times and rolled into the cup for an albatross-2. Witnessed by playing partner Walter Hagen, tournament host Bobby Jones, who had strolled down from the clubhouse, and a young Byron Nelson, catching up with an errant drive from the 17th tee, this ethereal, 235-yard coup de grâce was appropriately framed, like a Renaissance masterpiece, by attendant angels of the highest rank.

Sarazen, resplendent in his trademark plus-fours, still had to par in to tie Wood and needed a further 36 holes to eclipse his compatriot in a playoff, but the outcome was inevitable… divine intervention, written in the stars. It should be no surprise they decided to change the tournament’s name a few years later to The Masters! For the previous 75 years, starting in 1860 with the first [British] Open Championship (it wasn’t known by that name back then), the Majors were seen as showcases for quality, templates of competitive fortitude. The United States Open and PGA Championship, dating respectively from 1895 and 1916, compounded that view and by the time the Masters joined the party these tournaments were seen more as tests of consistency than flair. Flashes of brilliance alone were rarely enough to tip the scales in favor of a rank outsider, though the 1913 U.S. Open playoff triumph by 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray at The Country Club in Brookline, MA, proved a notable exception. The home-town youngster would point to the curling, downhill 15-footer he made on the 71st green of regulation play as the turning point in his favor. It also marked the coming of age of American golf. Nearly half a century earlier, “Young” Tom Morris startled aficionados with the first two truly memorable shots of the [British] Open at Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland—a 166-yard hole-in-one at the par-3 8th in 1869 and a holed spoon from 200 yards for an eagle-3 at the 1st the following year. Needless to say he won on both occasions, but he may well have done so anyway. The cruel obverse of such fortune—the blunder—was epitomized by England’s Roger Wethered in the 1921 Open at St Andrews when, walking backwards after studying his approach to the 14th green in the third round, he accidentally trod on his ball. It cost him a penalty stroke and, ultimately, defeat by Jock Hutchinson in a playoff.

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Bobby Jones teeing off on No. 17 at Inwood Country Club during the U. S. Open Championship [left]; Harry Bradshaw’s ball in a broken bottle during the Open Championship at Royal St George’s [below]; Seve Ballesteros gets a car parking lot ruling during The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club 1979 [right]

The Open Championship regularly dispenses singular moments— some kind, some cruel Such an error was, perhaps, an amateur’s prerogative, but the greatest unpaid golfer of them all, Jones, displayed clinical shot-making skills at the business end of the first and fifth of his 13 Major wins. In the 1923 U.S. Open at Inwood Country Club, NY, the playoff with Bobby Cruickshank was level on the 18th when Jones hit his second shot from a bare lie fully 195 yards over a pond to 6 feet to seal a two-stroke victory. Three years later, Jones was level with Al Watrous in the final round of the [British] Open playing the dogleg par-4 17th at Royal Lytham & St Annes (Lancashire, England). With Watrous safely on in two, Jones faced a long, blind second shot from a scrubby, sandy lie over dunes, thick rough and several bunkers. He struck his mashie (5-iron) perfectly and his ball finished closer than Watrous, who was so shocked he promptly three-putted. Notwithstanding these historical moments, however, Sarazen’s thunderbolt at Augusta changed everything, and from that point onwards players and commentators were increasingly attuned to pivotal moments, potential and real, while acting out and narrating the game’s dramatic twists. Soon after Sarazen’s miracle, Nelson struck the flagstick six times in 72 holes during the 1939 U.S. Open at Philadelphia Country Club, PA. He ended up in a playoff and established a winning position he never relinquished by holing a 1-iron at the 453-yard 4th for an eagle-2. No wonder when the USGA developed a machine to test equipment they called it “Iron Byron.” Once the dust had settled on World War II, the Majors resumed with renewed vigor and soon there were tideturning instances aplenty, not only of a heroic nature but also rooted in downright misfortune.

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The [British] Open, home to quirky bounces, capricious breezes, pot bunkers and firm greens, produced its fair share of such moments, especially once the leading American players, used to softer, greener conditions, decided to take the championship more seriously. Exhibit 1 on this particular charge sheet came during the second round of the 1949 Open at Royal St. George’s (Sandwich, Kent) when the Irish golfer Harry Bradshaw found his ball just off the 5th fairway in a broken beer bottle. Without a rules official to consult, Bradshaw felt his only option was to play the ball as it lay. Splinters of glass flew everywhere but his ball traveled a mere 25 yards en route to a double-bogey 6. After 72 holes, Bradshaw was tied for the lead with South Africa’s Booby Locke, who trounced him in the subsequent playoff. What might have been had Bradshaw taken relief from the bottle, as the rules actually allowed him to do? An ironic twist to this tale came in 1957 when Locke holed out to claim his fourth Open at St Andrews, but from the wrong spot, having moved his marker to accommodate his playing partner and not replaced it. The R&A let him off then, claiming he’d have won anyway despite the penalty, but, vindictive though it might have seemed, they could have disqualified him for signing for an incorrect scorecard. Four years later, Arnold Palmer produced a shot for the ages with a 6-iron from a blackberry bush just off the 15th fairway in the Open at Royal Birkdale (Lancashire,

England). He found the green and two-putted for a par that gave him enough cushion to hold off the charging Dai Rees down the stretch. In 1972 at Muirfield on the east coast of Scotland, defending champion Lee Trevino rolled in a chip from rough behind the 17th green for an unlikely par-5 that sufficiently spooked Tony Jacklin into 3-putting from 15 feet. It was Trevino’s fifth hole-out from off the green that week and duly clinched the narrowest of victories. Talking of spooking a playing partner in what had become a match-play situation, who can forget the exploits of Seve Ballesteros to the right of the 16th fairway during the last round at Lytham in 1979? Hale Irwin, a straight-hitting automaton who had won the U.S. Open at Inverness in Toledo, OH, a month earlier, was left shaking his head as the 22-year-old Spaniard carved his drive into a temporary parking lot that was, bizarrely, not out of bounds, obtained relief from under a fender and secured a tap-in par. Irwin joked about Seve being a “car park champion,” but he wasn’t the one smiling at the day’s end. Irwin had more egg on his face in 1983 when he tied second one shot behind Tom Watson at Birkdale. The difference on this occasion was the 6-inch par putt he whiffed on the par-3 14th in the third round. To this day, Irwin can’t really explain what happened. In contrast, it was high-fives all round when Irwin holed out from 50 feet on the 72nd green in the 1990

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U.S. Open at Medinah (Chicago, IL) to clinch a playoff with journeyman Mike Donald that he went on to win. The Masters serves up pivotal incidents on an almost annual basis. Ironically, one of the saddest—Roberto de Vicenzo signing for one shot more than he took in 1968 and thus missing out on a playoff against Bob Goalby—took place off the course. Then there was the Larry Mize 1987 playoff chip-in on the 11th, the mysterious clinging of Fred Couples’ ball to the downslope just over the water at the infamous short 12th in 1992, and Phil Mickelson’s audacious 207-yard 6-iron onto the green of the par-5 13th from the copse to the right of the fairway in 2010. The daddy of them all at Augusta National, though, has to be Tiger Woods’ astonishing, parabolic chip-in on the 16th in 2005. Not only did it help him into a playoff he eventually won and elevate the Nike ball to hitherto uncharted prominence, but it also served up perhaps the most memorable line of live TV golf commentary ever, Verne Lundqvist’s “In your LIFE, have you ever seen anything like that?” Woods, of course, was also adept at holing clutch putts, especially on the 72nd green of a Major to seal a playoff berth. In the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla (Louisville, KY) he coaxed in a 6-footer and eight years later in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, while hobbling on a broken leg, his 12-foot putt took a dramatic right-to-left turn into the cup. To date Woods has triumphed in three Major playoffs and a probing quiz question would be to name the three vanquished men. The answer, in chronological order—Bob May, Chris DiMarco and Rocco Mediate—would not trip readily off most tongues. The fact that this was the closest any of them came to winning a Major is testament to how difficult it was to beat Woods in his pomp even when not firing on all cylinders. Nicklaus, his only real challenger for that GOAT (greatest of all time) moniker, tended to wear his opponents down with doggedness and sustained excellence while Woods could explode into brilliance almost at will. Both men, indeed, had one thing in common: an ability to intimidate their opponents in the heat of battle. On that parting note, it is perhaps poignant to reflect on an iconic moment, involving Woods tangentially, that seemed pivotal at the time yet merely lit a slow burn that took nearly two decades to fizzle to fruition. It came in the final round of the 1999 PGA Championship on the par-4 16th at Medinah when Woods, seemingly cruising to his second Major title, watched Sergio Garcia in the group ahead unfurl a precocious 6-iron slice of matadorial bravery, eyes closed, onto the green from the roots of a tree. Woods held his nerve to resist the audacious Spanish teenager by a single stroke, but the headlines and photographs the next day were all about Garcia, who had sprinted exuberantly, many felt portentously, up the fairway

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Tiger Woods and his caddie celebrate after his birdie on the 16th hole during the final round of The Masters, 2005

Woods has produced a number of iconic major moments, seemingly conjuring brilliance at will — to devastating effect after his ball. “A Star is Born” was the theme, but it took until the 2017 Masters for Garcia to scale Mount Olympus and arrive finally at golf’s top table. There were many ups and downs along the way, a mixed bag of genius and tomfoolery, yet if he does nothing else in the game Garcia will be remembered for that day in the sun. It was pure gold that proved not all pivotal moments need result in silverware. Gene Sarazen, the eternal showman, surely would concur.

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TRAVEL Nebraska

Pure Golf Cornhusking, quiet, unassuming Nebraska holds more miles of rivers than any other state in the U.S.—and more of the country’s epic golf than one might imagine. In fact, in an era that celebrates the pure game, Nebraska might be the single best golf destination on offer anywhere. Don’t believe us? Read on

Evan Schiller / golfshots.com

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ArborLinks

long known for its college football, corn, cattle and not much else, Nebraska is regarded as one of those Midwestern states with views to the horizon, a huge sky overhead, and plenty of space for cowboys to do what they do. But somewhere along the way golf rode in with the cattle, and the game stuck. Stories have it that in 1887 Scotsman Alexander H. Findlay and his partner, Edward Millar, designed and built a six-hole layout in what is today Fullerton, Nebraska, and that Buffalo Bill and Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull both witnessed golf there. If true, this would make Findlay’s Nebraska course the first in the United States, and who knows. Findlay would go on to design courses in Florida, including the Breakers at Palm Beach (built in 1896), and Nebraska’s golf legacy would go on as well. Today the state is a kind of ground zero for the minimalist golf design movement that emerged in the 1990s, with Nebraska’s sandhills region in particular existing as a sort of modern touchstone for old world golf. Whatever one’s opinion on trends, it’s impossible to argue that Nebraska doesn’t offer some of the country’s, if not the world’s, best pure golf opportunities, a few of which are celebrated here. Bonus: No matter which Nebraska course you try, there’s a top-quality steak and a cold drink on offer somewhere nearby. Giddyup.

There are a few contenders for a course that singularly defines the sandhills region in Nebraska’s west, but in the state’s east one golf course stands out as the possible top option: the Arnold Palmerdesigned ArborLinks in Nebraska City. This private club is part of the Dormie Network, which provides the benefits of membership along with the advantages of destination golf travel among a select group of top private clubs across the country. Sitting on a 330-acre parcel adjacent to the Arbor Day Farm just south of Omaha, ArborLinks is a gem. Native grasses set the scene, lushly covering rolling hills, separating holes, and defining the wellmanicured fairways, while a forested ravine cuts through the northern end of the layout, offering another dimension. Palmer and his design partner, Ed Seay, left well enough alone with the stunning natural topography, sculpting bunkers into the landscape and maintaining a sort of old world “pure golf” essence throughout. The result is a sincerely authentic experience that, like some other Nebraska tracks, evokes an “early days of golf ” feel even as the club perfectly addresses modern standards and expectations. There’s another level to the design as well, with each hole nodding to a different aspect of conservation. The first, for example, offers “Black Cherry Row,” illustrating the usefulness of a field wind break, while No.18 is a study in restoration and protection on the banks of the South Table Creek. All of this wouldn’t mean much if the golf wasn’t great, and it is. The par-3 No.11 offers an elevated tee shot over rolling hills to an hourglass green, with severe penalties for a misplaced shot, while No.18 has you playing leapfrog over rough on one of the Midwest’s most picturesque finishing holes. Miss the fairway and you’re in deep—maybe over your head (and we mean that literally). The entire course makes for a challenging and beautiful test of golf, and it’s no wonder that it’s been host to qualifiers for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. A must-visit if you’re in the area. Dormienetwork.com/arborlinks

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Omaha CC Among Nebraska’s more storied clubs, Omaha Country Club was founded in 1899 and has been host to quite a bit of Midwestern golf history, including the 2013 U.S. Senior Open. It’s set to host the tournament again this July, adding to a legacy that’s kept OCC at the forefront of the local club landscape for more than 100 years. The original design is a 1927 Langford & Moreau layout (Wakonda Club; Lawsonia GC). Perry Maxwell of Dornick Hills fame redesigned it in 1951, and it was restored by a top architect as part of a multimilliondollar club overhaul in 2007. A Golden Age course, it belies that moniker somewhat due to its sincere challenges, not least of which are its rolling hills. Steep enough that they compelled some players to withdraw from the 2013 U.S. Seniors Open, the hills can add or subtract two or three clubs from any given shot, while Maxwell’s contoured greens don’t let up on the challenges once you’ve landed. No.10 is a solid ambassador for the course, offering an elevated tee, a creek that runs under the fairway, a drop of nearly 50 feet before presenting an uphill approach with roughly the same elevation change, and both a fairway and green protected by bunkers. No.16 is a beautiful par-5, while the best emotional payoff might be on No.9, which plays uphill and offers an inspiring sight with trees framing a view of the grand old clubhouse behind the green. There’s a state-of-the-art teaching and training facility here as well, with numerous hitting bays and top tech swing analysis under the eye of former PGA TOUR player Tom Siekmann, and all of the amenities one would expect at a club that’s been getting it right for so long. It’s all rather laid-back— everything except the golf, that is. In a golf design era currently celebrating the likes of Congressional and Oakland Hills, Omaha Country Club is an intelligent addition to the conversation. Omahacc.org

Jason Olsen / stonehousegolf.com

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Dan Murphy / stonehousegolf.com

Sand Hills There’s been so much written about this Coore/ Crenshaw design that it’s tough to add anything of value. Routinely hailed as one of the best courses in the world, its layout is an elegant showcase of the landscape as much as it is a golf course design, a fact born out in the comment that Coore and Crenshaw moved “only teaspoons of dirt” to create it. Built in 1995, it arguably was an early part of the retro “minimalist movement” in course architecture that emerged in the 1990s and which is perhaps most famously practiced by Tom Doak. Like Doak’s course at Dismal River, just up the road and also in Mullen, it’s tough to know how to allocate credit for the experience on offer here: does it go to Mother Nature for creating such a soul-affecting landscape—or to the architects for essentially leaving that landscape alone? We’ll thank everyone involved and just be happy that places like this exist. With something like 200 members spread all over the world, this isn’t the easiest tee time to get for visitors (there’s not even a website), but if you know someone who knows someone and they invite you to play, we suggest you say “yes” and “thank you.”

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Players Club Omaha

Quarry Oaks

Omaha is one of those unassuming cities that, while it might not be an obvious choice for a getaway, in fact offers a world of reasons to visit— and perhaps to stay. One of them is The Players Golf Club, a private club that offers fantastic amenities for executives and for family members alike, great dining, a great pool complex, and 27 holes of Arnold Palmer-designed golf. The last is sited on roughly 350 acres of Nebraska’s beautiful farmland, and Palmer ensured that it respected the landscape. Rolling hills, artfully sculpted bunkers and a bounty of natural wetlands and waterways combine to make the 18-hole option one of the Midwest’s best, while the links-style 9-hole “The Highland,” is a sincere challenge, with small greens and a seriously difficult four-hole stretch from No.3 through No.6. The main course holds challenges as well, and will leave you facing a question on 18 on whether to go for it or to lay up. You know what Arnie would do... Whatever you decide, you’re sure to have a great day here, the kind that will keep you coming back. And with great membership opportunities available, you should. Playersclubomaha.com

Nebraska is more than just sandhills, of course, and the state’s eastern metro areas have no shortage of great golf as well. Among them, Quarry Oaks is often hailed as one of the better public options. Sited in Ashland, between Omaha and Lincoln, the parkland course offers plenty of elevation changes, formidable rough, and nicely forested edges. The second half plays along the Platte River, with fantastic views starting on No.13 and carrying on to the finish. No.11 is a par-3 that makes use of water, while No.12 offers one of those “I’ll hit it to the moon!” moments from a wellelevated tee to a bowl-shaped fairway below. Two holes later you’ll find one of the tougher tests, a par-4 that offers little sanctuary. Bunkers, the river, and railroad tracks menace from the right while a steep bluff pressures from the left. As a course guide offers, “Any shot off-line to the right is gone.” Thankfully the views on No.15 will soothe any stressed egos, playing across an old quarry, while the three finishing holes should leave visitors feeling good about their day, no matter the score. The par-4 No.17 is particularly fun, with a tee 80 feet above the fairway, which rests along an old quarry floor. Hills, swales, and plenty of fun near Nebraska’s metro areas and the dining and accommodations they hold—a worthwhile round for anyone in the Cornhusker State. Quarryoaks.com

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Dismal River

Wild Horse This oft-lauded course is surprising as much for the way it suddenly appears out of the hills near Gothenburg as for its bang-for-buck build. David Axland and Dan Proctor, who helped to create the upmarket private Coore/Crenshawdesigned Sand Hills GC up the road in Mullen, also built this 18-hole public beauty at a cost of roughly $1.6 million—and that’s including the land. A friendly and unpretentious pro shop is complemented by incredibly reasonable greens fees, and at first blush it might be fair to question what all the noise is about. But Wild Horse has been on Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses list since it opened in 1999, and for good reason: It’s been called a “field of dreams” experience, and that’s about right, cut as it is from high prairie grasses. Like so many Nebraska courses there’s a vastness here that mirrors some of Scotland’s famous tracks, holes like the par-5 No.3 evoking visions of the old country with its prevailing winds, pot bunkers and wide views for miles. The par-4 No.10 wakes you up after the turn with a cavernous fairway bunker guarding the inside of a dogleg right, and a small green that adds a steep tilt to its several mounds, while the short par-3 that follows is a make-it-or-lose-it affair, with only thick prairie brush between the tee and the green. The finishing holes don’t let up in terms of challenge or beauty, and a round here leaves you feeling as if you’ve touched the essence of the game. Surely golf’s earliest days weren’t far off what’s on offer at Wild Horse, and that’s a good thing. Playwildhorse.com

We’re still touched by our last visit to the Doak Course here, which in the earliest hours of the day, with sunlight just breaking over the horizon outside the town of Mullen, offers something akin to a religious experience. The quiet, the vastness, and the stillness combine to create a sense of anticipation in the heart that seems to put the landscape in motion somehow; it’s enthralling. Consider No.17 on Doak’s “Red” course, a 454-yard par-4 that doesn’t reveal any of its secrets from the tee, opens to a massively wide fairway, has a river meandering alongside right, and presents a forced carry over a ravine, down a hill to the green. Doak’s “Red” and Jack Nicklaus’ “White” courses both enjoy the sandhills’ epic terrain and “discovered” vs “designed” layouts, but there’s an odd magic to this property as well as far as we’re concerned. The drama of the golf, which feels as if it’s being played among tall rolling waves at sea, is enhanced by the contrast with the simple, rustic cabin accommodations, arranged almost as if they were wagons around a campfire. But make no mistake: they’re rustic in flavor only, with beds and linens and other amenities absolutely top-drawer. With affable staff, cold beers and high-end bourbons, grilled steaks, sublime golf, straightforward everything else, and a universe of stars over your head each night, this is one of our favorite places on Earth. Like it is with the dolorous name hanging over the radiant beauty, the entire property is a study in perfectly balanced extremes, and that’s a rare feat. Dismalriver.com

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Prairie Club

Bayside GC

Sited near the town of Valentine, it’s easy to love Prairie Club. It enjoys the same dramatic landscape as other sandhills courses, but there’s a fun factor here that dispelled some of the existential contemplations to which we’d been prone at nearby properties. That’s not to say the golf here isn’t serious—it is pure and absolutely incredible—but there’s a playfulness to the layouts and to the property’s general ethos that we found welcoming. Evidence of this ethos is found in the famous Horse Course, designed by Gil Hanse and Geoff Shackelford. Ten holes, no tee boxes, no set order, just grab a couple of clubs, a friend or two, a cigar or drink, and hit where you like as you enjoy one of the best and most relaxed games of H.O.R.S.E. you’ve ever played. No mere toy, though, the Horse Course is well-designed, with undulating greens and plenty of fun challenges on offer. The proper tests are on the Dunes and Pines Courses, the former a Tom Lehman and Chris Brands beauty that demands links-style strategies in the prairie winds, and the latter a semi-protected parkland design from Graham Marsh that plays within a canyon amidst towering ponderosa trees. Both are the stuff of classic oil paintings, lush and rich with color and curves connecting the sky and the landscape in breathtaking fashion. Add to this a great clubhouse, upscale dining, and a saloon on property and you have everything you need for a great golf getaway. We relaxed here, we had a great time, and we can’t wait to get back. Theprairieclub.com

Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state, hundreds of waterfalls, and plenty of lakes as well. Bayside Golf Club in Brule plays along one of the last, winding its way around a section of Lake McConaughy and making great use of the rolling terrain in Nebraska’s southwest corner. With 30,000 surface acres, the lake is Nebraska’s largest reservoir, its dam is one of the largest of its type in the world, and the fish here have earned several state records—everything about the area is big, and that includes the golf. The land here is characterized by ruts, bluffs, arroyos and wildly rolling grassland, and the course beautifully incorporates all of the above. There’s a warm approachability to Bayside as well, likely because it’s a family-owned affair with a log cabin-style clubhouse, but that’s not to say it’s “quaint” by any measure. The design comes from the same Dan Axland and Dave Proctor who had a hand in Wild Horse, Sand Hills GC and in the rebuild of Riviera CC in LA. Canyon carries, a bunker in a green, and lake views from nearly every hole are found here, along with a notoriously challenging back nine. No.11 is a case in point, a 625-yard challenge that demands solid ball striking, while the par-5 No.15 also punishes and rewards (with views, at least) in equal measure. Stay here and enjoy the golf, campfires on the beach and all of the recreational opportunities the lake provides; well worth a stop when you’re in the area. Baysidegolf.com

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Coming Soon: The Ranch Golf Club Also known as CapRock Ranch, this 18-hole private project designed by Gil Hanse looks to be the next sandhills stunner, tracing Snake River Canyon and depths of 250-plus feet with a mix of links-style golf and clifftop wonders. Regional memberships (those living within 300 miles) are already sold out, but national memberships are still available at this club, which will feature a clubhouse and cottages atop the canyon rim, with no shortage of breathtaking views. Sign us up for an early tee time as surely this is one of the most anticipated American openings in recent memory. Caprockranch.com

Landmand Golf Club Like CapRock Ranch, Landmand is another recent course to emerge from the sandhills’ seemingly endless supply of hidden tracks, though it’s the King-Collins team (of Sweetens Cove fame) discovering this treasure, set to open in 2022. The land, near Homer, is owned by the Andersens, a farming family from Dakota City, making it no surprise that “Landmand” is Danish for “farmer.” Expect an epic landscape and a pure golf experience of the kind becoming de rigueur for sandhills golf. Kingcollinsgolf.com/projects/landmand-golf-club

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TRAVEL

First Class Always Now more than ever, PGA TOUR pros and first-class fans alike are taking luxury into their own hands and hitting the road in a Marathon-Prevost Coach. Miki Markovich gives us a tour...

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PROS AND NOVICES ALIKE have found they have a meaner swing, a better outlook and more energy when they have the distinctive comforts of home mere steps from their favorite fairways. Lee Pharris, owner of Pros Home on Tour, has introduced plenty of pro golfers to the benefits of the luxury RV lifestyle: “My whole selling point with delivering luxury, on-site tour accommodations was for players,” said Pharris. “They can have a greater sense of stability and a home life—not living out of a suitcase all of the time—by getting a motorhome and living on the road that way, as opposed to the hotel.” In fact, it was Pharris who introduced professional golfer and new Marathon coach owner Bubba Watson to the lifestyle. “I never really considered getting an RV until a few years ago,” said Watson. “Wish I had done it sooner. It is so much nicer than I imagined. I used to worry if my hotel room would have a comfortable bed or a funny smell. Not anymore. With my RV, I know exactly what to expect at every tournament, and it is really nice. It’s easy to see why so many people think of RVs as their home away from home, but like a lot of people I didn’t really understand until I gave it a try.” Marathon Coach, the world’s largest luxury bus converter, has a team of truly innovative engineers designing these luxury homes on wheels. The Marathon-Prevost conversions specifically are handcrafted works of art, fabricated from the world’s highest quality materials. Behind every decision and detail, their focus extends beyond the surface level to efficient systems, hidden features, exceptional aesthetics and old world craftsmanship. “Tim Petrovic, who plays on the senior tour, has had a Marathon for 13 years,” said Marathon Coach Texas salesperson Dennis McBride. “In our conversations, he’s shared that one reason he loves his Marathon is because he can travel to tournaments with his wife and kids, enjoying

privacy the entire duration. Of course, it also allows him the flexibility of making his own travel arrangements when it comes to vocation and advocation.” Marathon Coach salesperson Kasey Hess has long understood the benefits of mobile headquarters, but has only recently embraced the game due to frequent invitations from clients and his love of the outdoors. “So many of our coach owners ask me to join them for a round while at a motorcoach resort,” said Hess, “so I began taking lessons. There are some beautiful courses near many of the luxury RV resorts that we frequent. Having worked with some professional golfers, I’ve seen how it really enhances their lives on the road. The professionals who have adopted the motorcoach lifestyle are able to stay near the courses, bringing their families along, basically taking their homes with them: no need to pack and unpack a suitcase or worry about the bed or lodging conditions. It provides a sense of normalcy and consistency week to week.” With the production facility and headquarters in Oregon, and sales/service facilities in Florida and Texas, near the new PGA of America headquarters, full service maintenance and upgrades are convenient and thorough. “One reason I love working with Marathon is that it allows our clients to travel North America and play all the beautiful courses in comfort,” said McBride. “Being able to store clubs in the storage bays, which take up a lot of space, is also helpful. There’s so much to love about the game: It’s great at any age, plus there’s fresh air and seeing some absolutely beautiful parts of the country. However, the true gift of the sport for me is the people I meet.”

“I didn’t really understand RV life until I gave it a try” —Bubba Watson

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TRAVEL Orlando

The Next Taste An Angeleno and longtime New Yorker looks at Orlando dining options, tongue firmly in cheek (to start, anyway)

t’s unlikely in the extreme that “Kiss Before Shrimp” is a staple of pubs across Ireland, the pan-seared shellfish in garlic and chili lemon butter served alongside pints of Guinness. Same goes for the “Scallop Forest” with citrus-lime dipping sauce and sweet chili jam. And yet both of these and more are available at Disney’s Raglan Road Irish Pub, listed in the section of the menu called “Starty Stuff.” And so it has been with Orlando dining: Want Chinese food in America? Go to a Chinese restaurant. Want Banana Cheesecake Eggrolls served in a room full of red and gold clichés? Go to Orlando. As for any kind of original food culture in the city, critics have been tough over the years, referring to the House of the Mouse as “Orblando” and worse. To many a tourist or conventioneer, the city’s image continues to be largely defined by International Drive, a Vegas Strip of franchised mediocrity and novelty venues. That’s how I always saw it, as well, and so I was a bit blue when I moved to Orlando from LA two years ago. The idea of trading organic beachside margaritas for Dali Parton gin cocktails at Café Tu Tu Tango (next to an indoor go-kart track) didn’t thrill my West Coast palate. But then I happily discovered something: Orlando has changed over the past decade, and many of those changes are edible.

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GASTROPUB

One might divide Orlando’s dining timeline into “BRP” and “ARP”: Before The Ravenous Pig and After The Ravenous Pig. The meat-and-game-centric eatery in Orlando’s tony Winter Park neighborhood opened in 2007 and arguably was the first modern Orlando spot to achieve “gastropub” status (theravenouspig.com). Fodor’s Travel says as much, as does Zagat, which calls it a “foodie’s dream” and lauds its “true big-city feel.” When I discovered it I was skeptical: steak frites, pork schnitzel, and scallops aren’t exactly ground-breaking menu items, after all. But the execution… Wow. And once you get into options like the tapas board, which features charred octopus, red quinoa salad, chickpea hummus, lamb ragu and warm red wine-marinated olives, you understand why the husband-wife duo of James and Julie Petrakis are James Beard nominees. The mushroom & gruyere beignets with tarragon aioli are a revelation, while a fine assortment of seasonal vegetables (such as barbecued cauliflower with preserved lemon yoghurt) and occasional

surprises (lobster hash brown with béarnaise aioli) join a fabulous pub burger and other staples to make this one of my favorites. This year, TRP expanded with an outdoor beer garden and brewery and it’s become my family’s go-to for sunny days. If you’re visiting and don’t manage to get here, check out the airport location of sister restaurant Cask & Larder, also fantastic.

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When TRP relocated up the street to its current location in 2017, it was already one of Orlando’s most popular restaurants. Consequently, locals were anxious about what would move into its original spot. Replacing an icon isn’t easy, but restaurant industry veteran Fred Thimm gave it a go with his Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen (reelfishcoastal. com). “Dining in Orlando has changed a lot,” Thimm says. “When we first moved here in 2012, we were surprised at the mindset. We tried to find an authentic seafood restaurant and people looked as us like we were stupid. They had this perception that Orlando is landlocked—OK, but we’re landlocked on a peninsula, 50-some miles from two coasts! We’d go to Minneapolis or Chicago and it’s, ‘Wait a minute, they’re doing sustainable coastal seafood here and they’re thousands of miles from the water. What the hell.’” And so Fred and his wife, Carey, opened Reel Fish, and it has developed into one of the area’s most popular restaurants, with a casual beachy atmosphere that mirrors its owners’ approachable presence. Fred and Carey not only own the restaurant, they work here, and often can be seen bussing tables, seating guests and helping with service. With the spirit of a beach town fish joint, but with fresh sustainably sourced seafood and Southern influences, all served in a crisp modern setting, it’s a delight with a well-considered wine list. You can get into a good bottle of French Muscadet for near $30 or spend more than $100 on a great Napa Cab— something to suit every occasion and taste. Raw oysters, flavorful fish & chips, creative daily specials, and a wide array of selections from land and sea make this one of the best. Plus, Fred and Carey are incredibly nice—and my son loves the paintings mounted on the ceiling, a different take on an art gallery to be sure.

Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen [left]; Julian Rodriguez builds a perfect pizza at F&D [above/right]

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Hunger St. Tacos is but one of many wonderfully diverse options in Orlando

PIZZA

When it comes to pizza my family is really, really picky. I went to college in New York, both my husband and I lived in the city for years, and our daughter was born in Brooklyn. So when we found F&D Woodfired Italian Kitchen (fdwoodfireditaliankitchen.com) in Orlando’s burgeoning Hourglass District, we were expecting “acceptable” but ended up with “great!” And now F&D is a near-weekly ritual. The calamari is good, the Black Iron Mussels divine, and the meatballs al forno redolent of homecooked Italian meals we’ve enjoyed (in Italian families’ homes). Other antipasti and pasta and salads are lovely as well, but it’s the pizza that shines. Our hands-down favorite is the Queen Bee: soppressata, fresh mozzarella, crushed tomato, chili flakes, basil and local Florida honey. But then pizza’s success is measured in the crust, and F&D’s delivers: crisp where you want crisp, soft where you want soft, thin and—from a former Brooklyn resident—nicely foldable, it’s great. For those that know, F&D reminds us of an amazing Brooklyn pizza place called Franny’s, which sadly closed its doors some years ago. The creativity, robust flavors, and execution are that good. Orlando’s Prato gets a nod, there are upscale options such as Christini’s and Vincenzo Cucina Italiana, and you’ll find plenty of other Italian options as well, many of them very good; but we like F&D and it’s close to our house, so there you go.

DIVERSIT Y

The Greater Orlando metro area has a population of roughly 2.5 million, with a wide array of ethnicities and cultures. Unsurprisingly, the city’s new cuisine reflects that. Hunger Street Tacos (hungerstreettacos.com) opened in 2017 and celebrates Mexico City’s street markets with high-quality ingredients and inspired bites. I like the Chori-Pollo taco, with chorizo and shredded chicken; the mushroom quesadilla is a must-try; and we’d say the same for the mole chicken taco. In fact, whatever you get, you can’t go wrong. MX Tacos is good, too, as is Tamale & Co. in the Hourglass District. Orlando has a sizeable Vietnamese community, evident in the Mills 50 district’s restaurants. Pho 88 (pho88orlando. com) gets the nod for traditional family-style Vietnamese fare, and Little Saigon (littlesaigonorlando.com) is well regarded. Honestly, there’s a lot from which to choose in the city’s “Little Vietnam” northeast of downtown, including bubble tea houses and dessert spots. I’m only just beginning to explore this area, and it’s another exciting facet of Orlando dining. I’m more familiar with the East End Market (eastendmkt.com) in Orlando’s Audubon Park district, and enjoy the insanely good grilled cheese sandwiches at La Femme du Fromage; the sandwiches at Hinckley’s Fancy Meats; and Sean Nguyen’s noodle and small-plate wonder Domu; among other merchants there. If you’re looking for proof that Orlando has taste, this is a good argument.

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SWEET TOOTH

Ask Uyen Tran why Orlando’s food scene has gotten so much better over the last decade, and she has an interesting theory: “Chefs moved away, trained in big cities, and then came home to open restaurants.” She might be right. In any case, her family’s move from Vietnam to Orlando shifted the city’s culinary identity forward a big step in the form of Le Ky patisserie, named for her dad, Ky. Ky worked for 25 years with Disney catering, and Uyen trained there as well, and so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the pastries here are as visually stunning as they are delicious. “Show ready,” Uyen calls them, in Disney parlance, but the flavors are all Le Ky’s. Passion fruit curd with coconut white chocolate cream is just one of the treats you might find in the case, which changes regularly. There’s the expected sweets (“Orlando likes chocolate cheesecake,” Uyen says) but then there are creative, beautiful bursts of flavor fashioned from combinations of dragon fruit, lychee, and other ingredients that harken to the Tran family’s origins. Just sublime. Other city treats to tempt sweet-toothed foodies include, Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream (the “Oredough” is wonderful); the award-winning Sister Honey’s Bakery, with a Ruby Rum cake that’s nearly impossible to get; Shaka Donuts (Chocolate Espresso Cake Donut with Bailey’s Irish Cream Icing? Yes please); and The Glass Knife, a swank “cakes & café” place that opened in 2017. In addition to incredible sweets, the last also does a lovely brunch.

Tasty & beautiful at Le Ky [left]; Hourglass Brewing’s Chauncey pouring the good stuff [above]

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LIBATION

Eating is good, but thirst must be quenched as well. Luckily, Orlando obliges with a robust selection of microbreweries. Across the street from F&D, Hourglass Brewing offers chairs and tables in the sun, lawn games, and a wild array of more than 40 craft beers on tap at any given time. The brewery opened in 2012 with a mission to elevate Central Florida, and they’ve done just that, using natural ingredients and a deep well of creativity. I’m a big fan of saisons, and their Saison du Sablier not only was voted as Florida’s best beer for several years, but it also took silver in Belgium’s Brussels Beer Challenge—where saisons are serious business. There are sours, IPAs, lagers, beers with names such as Transcendental Murk Fantasy and Elder Gherkin, and a lot to explore. Other options include Sideward brewing; Bear & Peacock, a brewery and distillery (look for the Milkshake IPA if they have it); and Orlando Brewing, which kicked off the city’s craft beer movement 15 years ago. Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co. in the Ivanhoe Park district is next to Tim’s Wines, Orlando’s go-to top-end wine shop, and to Gentry’s BBQ General Store, which stocks grills and supplies, and which often has a something wonderful to sample on the smoker out front. There are wonders to sample all over the city, and that there are too many to list in one article in a sense says it all. Would I have had the same problem writing this in 2006, before The Ravenous Pig? Doubtful. And while I’ve not journeyed down the Raglan Road for a romp through the Scallop Forest, I even found a good Irish Pub: Claddagh Cottage (claddaghcottagepub.com). But be warned: If you ask for a “Kiss Before Shrimp” here, you just might get it, especially as there’s no shrimp on the menu.

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CAR

O M O R

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Bentley is reaching a new level of exclusivity with the launch of its powerful and seductive Bacalar, with only 12 models being produced and each one comprehensively customized. It is a two-seater that carries on a Bentley tradition that took hold 100 years ago

The new Bentley Bacalar

it is easy to say with a century of hindsight, but the Whitsun Junior Sprint Handicap at Brooklands racetrack on May 16, 1921 was not a fair contest, not with W.O. Bentley’s recently built EXP2 on the starting line. In this fast-evolving, formative inter-war period of motor-racing, “Sprint Handicaps” were run over distances of two miles, 5 3/4 miles or 8 1/2 miles. This Whitsun sprint was over the shortest two-mile measure; a real test of torque and acceleration off the line with a thunderous surge of mechanics and human spirit intertwined. Frank Clement was behind the wheel of the EXP2 that day (“EXP” the abbreviation of “Experimental”) and he had worked closely with W.O. on building the EXP2. It was literally only the second car W.O. had ever built, and parts of his first car—that’s right, the “EXP1”—are likely to have made their way into the EXP2 upgrade. There was only one single EXP1 ever built and only one succeeding EXP2. Known universally as “W.O.”, Walter Owen Bentley was an engineer and former car salesman who was just establishing his new business, based in a small factory in Cricklewood, North London, and the only Bentley production line at this time was in W.O.’s dreams. So the Whitsun Sprint Handicap at the Brooklands racetrack to London’s south-west was a hugely significant, early test of Bentley’s latest creation. The test did not last long, in the best possible way. The EXP2 reached the checkered flag in just under one minute and 40 seconds, winning by a staggering 13 seconds. The EXP2 completed the race with an average speed of 72.5mph, in an era when racing drivers knew the exhilaration of raw speed on the track— that elevation of the senses—at around 40mph.

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“That three-litre Bentley engine in the EXP2 is a marvel for an engine made in 1920,” starts Mike Sayer, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, a collection which features this one and only EXP2, 100 years on. “It had a lot of features that had never been brought together in one engine before: a single overhead cam-shaft, the mono-bloc construction, twin magnetos, twin-spark ignition, fourvalves per cylinder, aluminium pistons.” Such was W.O.’s ingenuity that he had redesigned the engine of the famous Sopwith Camel single-seat fighter bi-plane used by British forces in the First World War. Throughout his career, W.O. stuck to the following three principles: reliability first, refinement second and power third. Power was never at the expense of the other two and the reliability of the EXP2 was illustrated by a racing record that would soon total an exceptional 11 wins. “EXP2 is the oldest surviving Bentley in the world,” adds Sayer, as the centenary of that first victory approaches. “It was the first Bentley to go racing and the first to win. We still own it, it is taxed and tested and it starts at the press of a button. It is an amazing car and it is on display at the factory in Crewe [in north-west England].”

Frank Clement in the EXP2 at Brooklands racetrack, 28th March 1921 [left] and the newly constructed Blower Car Zero [above & right]

W.O. stuck to the following three principles: reliability first, refinement second and power third

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RACING REVIVAL Automotive engineering evolved at super-charged pace through the 1920s, to the extent that by the turn of the ’30s the Bentley race car turning heads, the legendary Blower Team Car, nearly doubled the EXP2’s top speed. “The Blower broke the Brooklands lap record, reaching just shy of 140 miles per hour in the late 1920s, which was an extraordinary speed,” explains Sayer. “It is a beautiful race car. It is a brute of a machine but it has the hallmarks we still recognise in modern Bentleys today. It was built with incredible quality and attention to detail, it was astonishing to drive and there were not many cars back then that brought 240 horsepower.” When, two years ago, Bentley considered a vintage model to reincarnate for the company’s first ever Continuation Series, it had to be the Blower, particularly when the one in Bentley’s Heritage Collection is the Team Car No. 2—better known as the “Birkin Blower”—which is the exact car raced at Brooklands and Le Mans by Bentley’s

most famous pre-war driver, Sir Tim Birkin. Mulliner—the arm of Bentley responsible for bespoke car production—is currently crafting a Continuation Series of only 12 Blower Team Cars, representing the first time any manufacturer has embarked on a revival of a pre-war model. The original Birkin Blower was disassembled completely, every part laser-scanned so 12 copies could be made of each one, and the Continuation Series is currently in production. The cars “are as close as possible to the original,” adds Sayer. “There are some areas where the materials had to be tweaked just to make sure they are safe, but apart from that they are faithful to the original design and the original drawings and the data we gathered from our Blower.” And apologies if you are interested in buying one: All 12 cars, with an array of custom options to ensure individuality, were spoken for prior to production. They sold out immediately despite total costs upwards from $2.5 million each.

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TWO-SEAT TRADITION The revival of the factory is being counter-balanced by another ultra-premium introduction: the Bacalar. While the Blower represents the pinnacle of racing prestige from 1929, the Bacalar is the first manifestation of Bentley Mulliner’s contemporary coachbuilt offering. The Bacalar shares much in common with the Blower: only 12 are being built, they sold out prior to production, the car boasts a wide range of custom options to ensure each car is clearly bespoke, and each Bacalar will roll out to the tune of $2.5 million. “What we are doing with Mulliner is progressing the Bentley offering yet doing it in quite a traditional way, through coach-building, which was such a fundamental part of the business back in the ’20s,” explains Sayer. “We are delighted these cars went so quickly and there is huge demand for this kind of very exclusive project. These customers have been really involved from the outset and they see updates before they are announced publicly. The 12

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Bacalars are all so different because customers have picked more than just the colour of the leather and the paint; it goes right down to the finish on the metal surfaces and the veneers and the way the colors work across the car. Each car is a genuine, individual expression.” The most exclusive Bentley of the modern era, the sleek yet uncompromising two-seat, two-door, open-top Bacalar is powered by a 6-litre, 12-cylinder engine and features Bentley’s innovative Active All-Wheel-Drive System to ensure peerless handling and performance. The Bacalar combines power and elegance to stunning effect, just as the Blower Team Car did in 1929, and the EXP2 before it. Times change, but some things stay the same.

The evolution of supreme exclusivity, reliability and performance continues at Bentley

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Nancy Lopez 116

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Sharp, driven, and still better at golf than you are, the legend from New Mexico considers the future of the LPGA, Latinas in the game, and how Mr. Blackwell got it wrong. We’re better for the conversation, and you will be too…

there never was any doubt about who was going to be the LPGA’s Rookie of the Year in 1978. Nancy Lopez, the 21-year-old phenom from Roswell, New Mexico, won nine tournaments in her debut pro year—the most wins in any rookie LPGA season, and perhaps in any rookie golf season. That year she also became the first in LPGA history to win five tournaments in a row, and the first to take Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and the Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average) in a single season. The Associated Press added a “Female Athlete of the Year” award for good measure—and then, just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, Lopez came back in her sophomore season and won eight of 19 tournaments, again taking the Vare Trophy and Player of the Year. Looking back at her World Golf Hall of Fame career now, her 48 LPGA victories (including three majors), and all of the awards and accolades and achievements, she’s regarded as one of golf’s greats, a supreme athlete who changed the game. But from the late 1970s through the late 1980s, when she was setting the golf world on fire, it wasn’t always her game that led the stories written about her. Lopez’ looks were as discussed in media, as was the fact that she was the first Latina on the LPGA Tour. Today, in the era of #MeToo, “woke” multiculturalism and global media, Lopez sees that some things in the world have changed and some have not, but she knows for certain that the trail she helped to blaze still begins at the same place: a young girl with a dream who picks up a golf club and believes she can achieve anything. That, she says, is why she’s still in the game.

“Back in those days, when I was learning, there were issues with racism—I don’t like that word, I hate to use it, but being Hispanic some doors were closed in my dad’s face,” she says from her home in Florida. “Me, being a young person, didn’t really get it, and dad wasn’t the kind who said we were treated a certain way, and so I didn’t know there was prejudice going on. He always said ‘just work hard. Your word is all you have. Be good to people and you’ll go far in life.’ And I think that’s so important, no matter the color of our skin: show the best of you. My dad always taught me that. It was never ‘poor us’ or ‘poor me.’ I thought I could save the world because he was always positive, he encouraged me and told me I could do anything I wanted to.” That positivity endured and carried Nancy, even if the Lopez family didn’t obviously fit into the golf landscape, not at first anyway. “When I was young, 8, trying to learn, we’d be playing on a municipal golf course and I was always thinking that golf was a rich man’s sport, and we were not rich. We had to walk, we didn’t ride carts… When I would get my winter coat, it would be in the summertime. We’d put it on layaway. Those times were special, even though it was a struggle for my mom and dad. I looked forward to getting that coat when the winter came because it was beautiful and it was new. “When I kept playing, and was playing as an amateur, my dad saved every year to give me an opportunity to play in the U.S. Junior or U.S. Open, all of these events. And you’d be around the pro world and you got to see people who had really nice golf bags, who looked like they were having a wonderful time, a wonderful life, and your parents want that for you—and it looks like fun, and you’d see these nice golf balls and gloves, my dad had to pay for all of that. I couldn’t even accept a free golf ball, there were a lot of rules and regulations. But it was fun to see those people and what they had, and I kind of wanted that a little bit. It wasn’t like I needed to have it, but I thought if I could be good at this, then maybe that’s the goal I needed to set.”

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Nancy with her father, Domingo Lopez, 1973 in Roswell, New Mexico [left]. Nancy Lopez during tournament play c.1978

She not only set the goal, she met it, taking the 1969 New Mexico Women’s Amateur at the age of 12 and the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 1972 and 1974, at the ages of 15 and 17. As a freshman at the University of Tulsa in 1976 she won the AIAW National Intercollegiate Golf Championship and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams, ultimately being named All-American and Female Athlete of the Year. She left college and turned pro in 1977, and was runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Open for the second time (in her third appearance). And she kept breaking ground. “My idol was [LPGA legend] JoAnne Carner,” Lopez says. “There wasn’t a Mexican idol for me to follow and so JoAnne Carner, she became my role model. And you want that person. Just like Se Ri Pak, she started that craziness with everyone coming from Korea, girls seeing her and thinking ‘I want that life,’ ‘I want to be a rock star.’ Lorena [Ochoa] did so much for all of the Mexicans with what she stood for in Mexico. Young girls see that. “For young Latinas today, you’ve got to give them the opportunity. Get on a golf course, swing a club, open doors for them to get to college, get a scholarship—it opens a lot of doors for people who can’t afford all of that. Golf really did give me an opportunity—my dad did, really—and I hope that I’ve opened a door or two.” More than two, certainly. Lorena Ochoa once told Kingdom that when she started in college in 2000 at University of Arizona, there were only two or three Latinas in the college game. Today there are many, and where Nancy Lopez was the first Latina in the LPGA, more and more are following each year. American women like Lizette Salas, Lee Lopez and Gerina Mendoza Piller (who, like Nancy Lopez, is from Roswell) are on the LPGA Tour, and women

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from Spain, Mexico and South and Central America also are represented. But if representation is getting better, what about how Latinas in the game are covered—or women in general? Lopez says it’s a tough question.

Coverage At the end of the 1970s, when Lopez was rewriting the record books on course, media outlets such as People magazine were noticing her—but not always focusing on her game. Media seemed obsessed with her weight, and even got into the numbers: “In recent weeks Lopez has dropped from 150 to 135 pounds (5’4”, she once weighed 170)” declared a June, 1978 People, before eventually mentioning her record-setting rookie year. “A chubby charmer,” “Cherubic and charming” and so on; articles discussed her legs, her sunbathing, offered to-the-pound coverage of her weight gains and losses, invented titillating tidbits and inflated details of her relationships, sometimes sprinkling in golf coverage. In today’s world, except for the tabloids, such coverage is almost unthinkable. “Back then on the LPGA Tour we were not given credit for the best-looking women for some reason, media were always looking for something a little negative to write about,” Lopez says. “Jan Stephenson was our sex symbol, and Laura Baugh; they brought people in. I think some were trying to make me a sex symbol, too. A big thing was femininity, how we looked, how we dressed.” Lopez says she made the then-famous/infamous fashion “Blackwell’s List” as the 10th-worst dressed woman for 1980, and that she didn’t understand it at all; she dressed well—and wasn’t she winning?

Today’s players are subjected to a lot of the same in media, although it does feel that they have more of a voice to push back—and access to more support as well. Lopez says current players also, for the most part, seem more aware of and in control of their appearance and their games. “Players now, they wear short skirts, they’re in great shape. I think it’s great if they want to feel attractive, but for me it’s still golf first. I would not want them to feel like physical has to be first and golf second. I was always struggling with my weight, but thinking about my dad, he kind of didn’t like it when I got thin. He would say ‘10 more pounds, 10 more yards!’ If you got too thin you couldn’t hit the ball anymore. These girls are thin and strong. We didn’t have a workout trailer, I ran a little bit, but it was a whole different time. But I hope it doesn’t cause a mental thing today, I hope they’re happy, satisfied with playing great and winning and I hope they’re not discouraged because someone says ‘it looks like you’ve gained 5 pounds!’ “We’ve fought that forever. I’m not a women’s libber—I love my husband opening doors for me, love being treated like a lady—but there’s a fine line there and I want respect as a woman. Because I’m smart, because I play a sport a lot of men wish they could play well. The LPGA players work so hard and yet they make so much less than the men. I just don’t understand it; we are still knocking on that door every day… We’ve been fighting to get to the next tier, and the next tier, and we’re getting there, but so many times, when I was in those meetings as a rookie in 1978, 1979, then going to an LPGA meeting ten years ago and they’re still talking about the same things? It’s changed, but it hasn’t changed.”

“That’s the thing in fighting for equality for women: in anything they do, they’re evaluated” “Winning nine tournaments in a rookie year, that brought a lot of attention to the tour, but then they’re talking about your weight and stuff. That causes issues with you as a person and how you feel about yourself. You realize that’s what people notice, and I think during that time I probably struggled with a lot of that. Golf was very important to me, and sometimes I sat there and thought, ‘Why are they thinking this way? Why aren’t they just looking at my golf game?’ They did that kind of stuff back then, always critiquing what we looked like. That’s the thing about fighting for equality for women: in anything they do, they’re evaluated differently.”

The LPGA One thing that has changed with the LPGA is its reach. Between 2006 and 2020, 14 different players from nine different countries held the top spot in the Rolex Rankings, which rates the top women players in the world. Five No.1s were from South Korea, two were from the United States, then there were Annika and Lorena from Sweden and Mexico, respectively, and players from Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand, People’s Republic of China and Thailand. It’s a far cry from when a Hispanic girl from New Mexico made waves for her heritage. Still, Lopez says, while this is fantastic in some ways, it does cause challenges for the growth of the women’s game at home. “The LPGA has become such a worldwide tour now, and I think it’s great. The only thing is, when the players are playing here we need Americans to win. I say that with total respect. When I went to South Korea to play in an event that Se Ri Pak asked me to play in, no matter what, the people there didn’t want me to win.” People want to see their hometown heroes win, no question, but then, as Lopez points out, the LPGA players aren’t always finding financial support or growth

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Lopez at the First Tee ceremony prior to the start of the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur, 2019

“When a natural talent comes along, let her play her game until it stops working”

opportunities here at home. It’s something with which she says the Tour has struggled. “I remember being on a committee with [LPGA Commissioner] Mike Whan and Annika, and that was a tough thing for Mike. We had a lot of tournaments here, but not as many as we needed, and he was wondering, ‘Should I take these players all over the world?’ That was a big issue for him, he wanted to figure out what was best. And what we decided and told him was, ‘If they can make money somewhere else, you need to take them there, Mike.’ And he did that, he found them places to play and places to make a living, to make money, and I think it’s fabulous. “A lot of American players in my day didn’t want to travel... It was, ‘I just want to stay in America, I don’t want to have to go through the jetlag and all the other stuff.’ I think they’re getting acclimated to that now, and I think it’s great that we do have tournaments abroad and that companies from around the world are sponsoring tournaments here; I think that’s positive, for sure. I want our players to have a job, I want them to make a lot of money.”

Share the Game She also wants them to enjoy life, she says, and, as her friend Arnold Palmer said, she wants them to “swing [their] swing.” “As I was coming up, I was labeled as having an unorthodox swing,” she says. “I teach now, and I work with two other teachers, and we teach women to just hit it. Just swing it, make contact, get the hit. That’s pretty much my lesson. When you have natural ability, you just need the basic mechanics, and that’s it. “Lee Trevino came to town when I was a little girl. People had been saying how bad my swing was, saying I

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wouldn’t get very far. My dad was concerened and so he took me to where Trevino was and asked, ‘Can you please watch my daughter swing a club?’ When I did it, Lee told my dad, ‘If it works, don’t change it. If it stops working, then change it.’ I had enough common sense and I remembered that, and if someone said something about my swing I pretended to listen and then I didn’t do it anyway... Today, everything’s the same swing, mechanical. When a natural talent comes along, let her play her game until it stops working.” It’s an ethos Lopez carries through her various enterprises, which include the aforementioned instruction, a line of women’s golf clubs, and women’s clothing as well. “There was not much attention paid to women when Nancy Lopez Golf started. They’d cut down shafts and put heads on them. We make golf clubs for women, and the clubs are great; I’ve swung them, I hit them. The clothing line has been great, too, and especially for women that are bigger. You go into a department store and try to find something golfy in a bigger size, it’s tough. I want women to feel good on the golf course. I want to give women success and contribute in that way if I can, to make them feel professional even if they’re amateurs. Nancy Lopez Golf has given me that opportunity to do that for women. And Nancy Lopez Golf Adventures, with Sue Powers and Teresa Zamboni, they’re great teachers. We want to teach people to golf, teach them to swing the way they can swing. And we travel, we take people all over the world. It’s fun for me. I’m not just there for lunch or just for dinner; I love to watch somebody hit a great golf shot and feel the satisfaction that I do in playing this great game. Giving back to golf is what I knew that I wanted to do when my career was over, and to be able to still participate and do what I can to help other people enjoy golf is what I’m going to do until I can’t do it anymore.”

RO O M S WI TH A VIEW. V IEWS WIT H ROO M .

Four championship golf courses including Burnt Pine Golf Club and Raven Golf Club.

SANDESTIN BEACH GOLF RESORT & SPA

888-519-0048 • HiltonSandestinBeach.com • #HiltonSandestin

GIFT GUIDE Spring

Ettinger

C A P RA GLA SSE S CA SE From iconic English leather goods company Ettinger comes this Capra Collection Glasses Case. Elegant from the inside out, a soft suede interior keeps your most valued glasses safe from being scratched while the nosepiece holder maintains structure to avoid crushing. On the exterior, the best durable goat leather in Forest Green ensures your shades or specs are safe. Light, tactile and sufficiently small to fit into bags, the case can be personalised to display your own mark next to the classic Ettinger logo and the Royal Warrant in silver. You buy the best, now protect it with the best.

Major Trophies A curated collection of timeless pieces fit to celebrate the best championship seasons of any era

E T T I N G E R .CO.U K

Thomas Sabo

PANTO SUNGL A SSES More Lennon than McCartney, the vintage Panto glasses shape has been updated by Thomas Sabo with its signature designer details, colors and use of materials. Comfortable to wear with soft nose pads and acetate edging, these also offer 400 UV protection—just imagine, when here comes the sun... T H O M A S S A B O.CO M

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Rolex

A I R K ING The new Air-King pays tribute to the pioneers of the skies and Rolex’s role in the epic story of aviation. Rolex Oyster watches accompanied the Houston Expedition as it made the first-ever flight over Mt. Everest in 1933, while in 1934 Owen Cathcart-Jones and Ken Waller made a return voyage from London to Australia in record time with a twin-engine De Havilland Comet, using an Oyster as their on-board chronometer. Today’s Air-King features a distinctive black dial with a combination of large 3, 6 and 9 numerals marking the hours and a prominent minutes’ scale for navigational time readings. In the air or on the ground it’s a simply magnificent men’s timepiece on the wrist. R O L E X .CO M

Bang & Olufsen

Triumph & Disaster

If you are looking for amazing sound in line with your home’s elegant modern design, check out the Beosound Balance. The soft, rounded silhouette and interiorfirst materials—such as solid oak wood and knitted textile—merge beautifully into any room while hiding seven carefully placed speakers. In line with B&O’s form/ function excellence, it allows you to switch from powerful room-filling sound for everyday listening to directivity for precise and immersive music experiences.

Forget multi-stage products to address various concerns: YLF body wash from Triumph & Disaster is a “head to toe” solution that’s rich in Argan oil, Green tea, Vitamin E and Kawakawa extract. With a clean sandalwood and neroli-infused hit on the nose, this is a cutting-edge fantastic modern part of your everyday shower & bath ritual.

B EO S O U N D B A LA N CE

B A N G - O LU F S E N .CO M

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YLF B O DY WA S H

T R I U M P H A N D D I S A S T E R .CO M

GIFT GUIDE Spring

Richard Brendon

O L D FA S HIO N E D T U MBLE R This Diamond Double Old Fashioned Tumbler might be named for a bourbon cocktail, but—surprise!—it is perfectly sized for enjoying any whiskey (or whisky)on the rocks. Mouth-blown and hand-cut by a team of master craftspeople in Slovenia, a country celebrated for its glassblowing heritage, the striking Diamond pattern covers the lower third of the tumbler and then floods over the base, offering commanding tactility. Perfectly weighted and elegant, this complements any fine pour, American or otherwise. R I C H A R D B R E N D O N .CO M

Peter James

LE AT HE R C IG AR A F I CI ON A D O CA SE Much like the watch handed down generation after generation, the Peter James leather cigar case is constructed to last lifetimes. Handcrafted in North America using imported Italian leather, this is a true statement piece with exceptional design to allow for safe-keeping of 5-6 cigars and accompanying accoutrements. Perfect out on course, readers can also get 10% off using promo code KINGDOM. P E T E R J A M E S .C A

Dewar’s

PO RTUGUESE S MO O TH Only just released to the market, Dewar’s 8 Year Old Portuguese Smooth Scotch Whisky is an exciting new blend and the third in an innovative cask series from the iconic whisky-maker. Crafted from 8-year-old blended Scotch Whisky, then double-aged and finished in casks that previously held Ruby Port Wine, Portuguese Smooth marries together two seemingly different cultures—that of Scotland and Portugal. Yet the result is a supremely smooth liquid and unexpected rich indulgence, a recommended innovation. D E WA R S .CO M

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Asics

GE L - C O U R S E ACE The company name is an acronym of the Latin, Anima sana in corpore sano— which ASICS translates as “you should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body.” In helping to answer that prayer, the serious runners’ shoe company of choice, in partnership with Cleveland Srixon, have launched the GEL-Course ACE for golfers: a waterproof, spikeless golf shoe built with inspiration. Featuring ASICS Gel, FlyteFoam and ankle padding, GEL-Course ACEs are supremely comfortable to play and walk in while their FG sole provides the requisite traction and in-swing stability. S R I XO N .CO M /A S I C S

Vessel

VOYAGER SHO E BAG Designed to protect both athletic and dress shoes, this shoe bag is suited with two ventilation ports and is lined with an antimicrobial coated material to fight against odor, stains and deterioration. Features include a magnetic valuables pocket for extra storage and a top carry handle for convenient portability. Whether you’re headed to the golf club, tennis court or jet-setting across the globe, keep your shoes protected and clothes smelling laundry fresh with the Voyager Shoe Bag. V E S S E L B AG S .CO M

PRG

A RN O L D PA L M E R HE A D COV E R S From leading golf accessory company PRG comes a superb collection of Arnold Palmer accessories. Featured here is the new track series headcovers displaying Arnie’s iconic red, yellow, white and green umbrella and matching subtle stitching details. With outstanding craftmanship, and available in either black or white premium leatherette, the collection includes driver, fairway and rescue covers as well as those for blade and mallet putters. Be sure to check out the full range of these official Arnold Palmer accessories. P R G - G O L F.CO M

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

Callaway

Bentley Golf

XXIO

From Arnie’s club of choice, Callaway, comes Apex 21. A legend in its own right, it’s the iron that created the forged distance category. Apex 21 is the first forged iron designed with Artificial Intelligence for faster ball speed and improved spin consistency. The club’s Tungsten Energy Core provides maximum forgiveness—particularly useful if, like this writer, your shots are all Hail Marys. Call it divine intervention or science, but these irons deliver superior performance with iconic feel on every swing.

Taking inspiration from the Continental GT, the new Tech collection from Bentley Golf comprises a full set of eliteperformance clubs that, like Bentley itself, combine innovative tech with exceptional craftmanship that results in true luxury performance. With Bentley “B” screws placed with trademark precision, we feature here the fairway wood from the range. Look for Bentley’s distinctive diamond knurling adorning the club grips and faces, and model-referencing details hidden throughout.

At Kingdom we are always happy to feature XXIO. In our opinion, their combination of lightness of weight, luxuriousness of feel and heightened performance is the best option on the market for moderate-swingspeed golfers. Featured here is the new Prime Driver, complete with Rebound tech and Flat Cup Face to increase speed and distance, and a Star Frame that produces a higher launch and provides further forgiveness off the tee. In others words, XXIO helps you hit longer and straighter.

C A L L AWAYG O L F.C O M

B E N T L E YG O L F.CO M

A P E X 2 1 IRO N S

FA IRWAY WO O D

PRIME DRIVE

X X I O U S A .CO M

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

Solo Stove

Hubbard Peanuts

With one the biggest flame’s around the Yukon fire pit certainly lights up a backyard. And with Solo Stove’s signature 360° Airflow Design™ in an extra-large size, the Yukon creates a mesmerizing secondary burn with little to no smoke. Conveniently nearly everything burns to a fine ash, making the Yukon easy to clean for future use.

Here at Kingdom we are massive fans of Hubs peanuts—they’re our go-to snack in the office and on course. Two of our favorites are their signature Hubs Salted and the wildly popular Chocolate Covered, an irresistible salty and sweet combo for snack lovers. Available in gift boxes, these two 20 oz. tins make great presents— but do ensure you have enough for your own home first or you may have trouble parting with them.

S O LO S TOV E .C O M

H U B S P E A N U T S .CO M

Y U KO N

Memphis Grills WO O D F IRE GRI LL

Engineered for true wood fire flavor, Memphis Grills have taken their line of award-winning pellet grills to new searing heights with their hyper efficient new IntelliBurn Technology™. Low and slow smoking options, and the ability to sear at temps up to 700°, the new sleek stainless-steel carts and built-ins boast fast start-up, improved temp control, hyper-efficient pellet usage, and a user-friendly touch screen controller. In short, a Memphis Wood Fire Grill offers the convenience and versatility of a full indoor kitchen plus the ability to smoke, sear, roast and convection bake while entertaining outdoors. M E M P H I S G R I L L S .CO M

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SALTED AND C HO C O L ATE

GIFT GUIDE Spring

Baccarat

J CB PA SSIO N W INE GL A SSES Designed by Jean-Charles Boisset and created by the iconic French crystal glassmaker, these JCB passion wine glasses are divine. The company was founded in 1764, and Baccarat glasses have long featured on the dining tables of Royalty and Heads of State. This particular model have something of the feast about them— made to be re-filled with the finest. B ACC A R AT.CO M

Nancy Lopez Golf

Chateau d’Esclans

Designed for performance, comfort, and versatility, this printed short-sleeve Polo has been crafted with a 90% Polyester/10% Spandex-blended lightweight fabric that uses Delux Dri™ moisture-wicking tech to keep ladies cool and dry from the first tee to the 18th green. The sleek texture and cut provides a fit that’s complemented by the solid self-collar, which presents an attractive, sleek profile for the female golfer. Nancy’s stunning Polo is completed with the signature Lopez flame at the right hip—feel like a champion, play like a champion.

In 2006 Château d’Esclans’ visionary winemaker Sacha Lichine created the world’s first iconic luxury rosé: Garrus. Sourced from a single vineyard of nearly 100-year-old grenache vines, and entirely fermented and aged in new large French oak barrels for 11 months, Garrus is powerful, elegant and achieves high notes of spice before a long rich creamy finish. There is perhaps no better manifestation of Provence—and all of the daydreams it inspires—in a glass.

B E AU T Y S HO RT SLE E V E POLO

GARRUS

E S C L A N S .CO M

N A N C Y LO P E ZG O L F.CO M

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

Fly into the Wind

INSPIRATIO NAL READING Founder of Folds of Honor, F-16 fighter pilot, American hero, and consummate golfer, Lt Colonel Dan Rooney is an inspirational figure. In Fly Into the Wind, Rooney’s second book, he delivers a motivational code for living to help all of us attain our highest levels in life. Part spiritual guide and part call-to-action, the book combines Lt Colonel Rooney’s fighter pilot stories with his discovery of faith and purpose in order to help each reader achieve a philosophy he calls “CAVU,” after the Air Force acronym that stands for “ceiling and visibility unrestricted.” For a positive vector toward a new way of living, this is a great read—and a fantastic gift to share with friends and loved ones. DA N R O O N E Y.CO M

or available though A M A ZO N .CO M

Stonehouse

M AHO G AN Y DE SK CA D D I E From the house that offers the images of the world’s most incredible golf courses taken by the world’s best photographers comes this elegant and useful “desk caddie.” The velvet-lined desktop portmanteau is large enough to hold TV remotes, sleeves of golf balls and tickets to your next great golf destination, all while fueling daydreams of rounds past or future. For the cover image, choose from Stonehouse’s epic photography collection— and instantly improve the appeal of your desktop or that of a loved one. Personalization and event pricing available. S TO N E H O U S E G O L F.CO M

Your LeaderBoard

O RIGINAL RUSTIC TRO PHY Tired of glass bowls and look-a-like cups? If so, then Your Leaderboard offers an artistic alternative, blending creativity and design. They specialize in shaping authentic materials, such as reclaimed wood and repurposed metal, to craft trophies of character. Featured here is their Rustic Trophy Original comprising 100+ year-old reclaimed wood, metal cut logo, with the club name and details etched into the wood. Exclusive awards and rewards for winners— it’s time to polish your game. YO U R L E A D E R B OA R D.CO M

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HONOR THEIR SACRIFICE. EDUCATE THEIR LEGACY. Our gratitude must go beyond words. Grateful Americans across the country are standing together in inspiring unity to fund educations for the spouses and children of our nation's heroes. Together, we’ll ensure their loved ones have the educational opportunities they deserve. Since our humble beginnings in 2007, we have awarded 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in support. With your help, we can continue showing our military families they are not forgotten and strengthen the bridge to equality for all Americans.

THIS IS YOUR CALL TO DUTY.

Army Captain William E. Lyles and his son, William.

JOIN OUR RANKS

FOLDSOFHONOR.ORG/SQUADRON

onald Ross, Alister MacKenzie and A.W. Tillinghast are familiar enough to golf aficionados, having designed some of America’s (and the world’s) seminal course layouts. But as those gentlemen were pushing the game forward on course, parallel advances were happening in golf ’s clubhouses. Led by the dean of early 20th-century clubhouse design, Clifford C. Wendehack (of Winged Foot fame), architects began designing more significant and complex commercial buildings during the 1920s, creating lasting architectural legacies that complemented and defined the courses around them. In California and Florida the designs were highlighted by stunning Spanish and Italian styling, while early 20th century architect Roger Bullard noted that New England’s clubs were being “influenced by American Colonial, English Georgian and French farmhouse design,” according to the March, 1925, piece he wrote in The Architectural Forum. In the subsequent 75 years of American golf club development, architects and private club owners seemingly kept subscribing to the same blueprints/design principles from previous generations—producing “traditional-looking” clubhouses for the most part, albeit much grander in scale in many modern-era cases. When Tyson Foods chairman John H. Tyson developed his private golf club 20 years ago near the meat-producing empire started by his innovative grandfather in Springdale, Ark., the third-generation Tyson Foods leader proved to be innovative in his own right. At least that is one way to describe Blessings Golf Club and the distinctive clubhouse Tyson unveiled in 2004 near Fayetteville. Indeed, after Tyson hired famed architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. to design his championship 18-hole layout that serves as the home course to the University of Arkansas golf teams, the billionaire decided to take a contrarian clubhouse design approach (to say the least) when he hired local architect Marlon Blackwell, who admittedly knew nothing about golf at the time. “I remember telling John I’m not sure if I’m the right person, and he said, ‘why not?’” recalls Blackwell, who went on to design numerous critically acclaimed projects and now serves as a Distinguished Professor at the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design at his hometown University of Arkansas. “John told me a clubhouse isn’t just about golf. It’s about people and space.’ And I said, ‘well, I can do that,’ and I ended up getting educated by my client pretty quickly and that gave me some confidence.”

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The Blessings clubhouse Photo: Timothy Hursley

CLUB Centerpieces

THE MODERN CLUBHOUSE What often is missed about the Golden Age of golf course design is that the innovations at play weren’t limited to the courses. America’s clubhouses, too, were advancing—and just look how far they’ve come By Scott Kauffman

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According to Tyson, who grew up playing golf on a modest 9-hole course in Springdale, he was tired of seeing the same traditional structures being presented by several top architects he interviewed prior to picking Blackwell, who had just finished a renovation of Tyson’s home. The challenge for Tyson’s next real estate project: create something more representative of his roots and character and befitting of the golf club’s pristine northwest Arkansas property situated along Clear Creek. Ultimately, what The Blessings’ cutting-edge clubhouse design and land plan wound up being was not only “non-traditional” but something well ahead of its time. There was the intentional approach toward simplicity and function; a genuine sense of authenticity by integrating Arkansas’ “cash crops” like hardwood walnut, cherry and copper; an overall mindset that considered inclusivity and the gathering of people; and last but not least, thoughtful calculations about creating a seamless “indoor-outdoor” experience that has become ubiquitous in hundreds of major clubhouse projects from coast to coast in recent years. In many respects, when Tyson and his membership officially blessed the completed project in 2004, it epitomized what would become the gold standard of the new 21st-century golf clubhouse. Architect Erik Peterson, founding principal of Scottsdale- and Beverly Hills-based PHX Architects, is one leading clubhouse designer today who shares a similar philosophy and embraces contemporary architectural standards. He says traditional clubhouse models omnipresent throughout the last century are no longer

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Large buildings with rambling rooms have given way to communitydriven structures relevant for 21st-century membership models that increasingly must equally appeal to males and females, multi-generational families and members along a wide spectrum of tastes and styles. “Basically, the modern clubhouses of today have to be something that’s very different from before,” says Peterson, who’s in the process of designing another new clubhouse for PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson in Calgary at a brand new course under construction called Mickelson National Golf Club. “It has to be efficient and it has to be designed in a way that is sustainable… We can’t keep creating these monster big buildings that cost so much money because it’s about someone’s piece of artwork or not allowing costs to interfere with the integrity of the design. “The philosophy that distinguishes our firm is we merge all of these pieces together. It has to be financially viable, environmentally sustainable, and yes, it needs to be beautiful and appealing for all members.” The mistake of course, at least by a number of private golf club owners or boards in previous decades of clubhouse

Timothy Hursley

The Blessings clubhouse and locker room that employed locally sourced materials; [Opposite] Founder, John H. Tyson

older male and female members and the younger children, and everybody is always running into everybody. We don’t have these compartmentalized pieces so to speak.’’ That element of creating a welcoming atmosphere to serve a community of all types of modern-day members— and encouraging them to gather—is perhaps the biggest shift informing some of the more compelling clubhouses being built or rebuilt today by leading design firms such as New York- and San Francisco-based Hart Howerton or Kuo Diedrich Chi Architects of Atlanta. Many involved in today’s thriving private golf club management will tell you the intangible essence of a club, its “soul of place,” derives from a sense of community, of belonging. And one of the common practices used to achieve this culture is through placemaking—the art of creating a “heart and soul to a project, rather than just creating beautiful-looking buildings to house members and guests,” says Hart Howerton principal Roland Aberg. The McLemore, a new luxurious private golf resort community laid across a picturesque plateau atop Lookout Mountain in Rising Fawn, GA, might be the quintessential model for the modern clubhouse as it relates to design, construction and overall land and landscape planning. Featuring a completely rebuilt 18-hole course and 6-hole layout by Rees Jones and Bill Bergin that opened in late 2019, McLemore members now enjoy a remarkable newly opened $8-million clubhouse that seems to be tucked in and around the cliffside edges of the mountain with panoramic vistas from a stunning vantage point of some 2,300 feet above sea level.

Beth Hall Photography

development, was letting ego drive many trophy clubhouse projects, a number of which became far less efficient and functional over time. “In the past we used to do these 100,000-square-foot clubhouses with rambling rooms,” Peterson adds, “And the problem with these is clubs have to have staff members operate that… It becomes almost an absolute money-sucking monster that is completely unsustainable for a membership ever to support. They lose money year after year after year, which is just completely unacceptable. “And the club industry has almost mentally in their head accepted that a club is going to lose money year after year, which is just absurd in this economy. Financially [the old clubhouse model] won’t work and then what do we have left? A beautiful building that sits empty or a club that’s failed. That makes no sense to me.” Tyson shared that same perspective, scaling the Blessings clubhouse to be some 20,000 square-feet at a cost of just over $5 million, which he says was below industry cost standards at the time. Rather, Tyson wanted a place that not only represented his personality, but that also reflected what he thought was the personality of the land as well as the “overall relationship of the buildings to the land and into the game of golf.” Knowing Arkansas’ college golf teams would be a component of club life, Tyson says the final inspiration for the complex was simply about “creating an experience that was relevant to what I thought our membership might be inclined toward. We have the university golfers who are welcome to come out whenever they want. We have the

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The Clubhouse at McLemore, Georgia, delivers outdoors spaces that capitalize on some of the most sensational viewpoints in golf

“Our clubhouse has so many places you can come in and out of, that it really is an extension of the outdoor spaces”

Aberg, who was the project’s master planner, collaborated on the compelling indoor-outdoor complex with fellow Hart Howerton principal Tim Slattery, who was in charge of architectural design. Simply put, the McLemore’s new “home away from home,” which will eventually feature a boutique resort lodge component, is a sensational piece of “placemaking” of a type one would expect to see at the world’s most renowned resort destinations. For developer and club owner William “Duane” Horton, who can almost see his childhood-home from the property’s perch, the clubhouse was paramount in the overall development’s plan as much as the surrounding championship course and 300-plus homes that will range

in price from the low $600,000s to more than $2 million. In fact, Horton valued the potential of Hart Howerton’s plans so much he actually defied what most developers would do and repositioned the clubhouse on some of the most stunning parts of the mountain formerly routed for the golf course and real estate. Horton and the Hart Howerton team also kept the clubhouse buildings to just an intimate and modest 10,000some square feet in scope. “We really spent a large part of our investment on the outdoor areas and making those accessible,” says Horton, president of Scenic Land Company that took control of the property in 2017. “Doing things like our dining terraces and beer garden and event lawn. When it’s winter and cold, you don’t normally have as many people there anyways, so you don’t need as much space under cover. “But when it’s really nice, people today want to be outdoors. So we handled our maximum capacity by really focusing on the outdoors and these extensions. Our clubhouse has so many places you can come in and out of, that it really is an extension of the outdoor spaces.”

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Architect Mark Diedrich, whose award-winning namesake firm just completed a new clubhouse project for the Arnold Palmer-designed Balsam Mountain golf club in Sylva, N.C., and who recently received a commendation for work at The Landings in Savannah, GA (which features two Arnold Palmer-designed courses) says most if not all of KDC’s clients today are incorporating similar leisure lifestyle “clubhouse villages” where the center of member activity and life seamlessly blends between various indooroutdoor elements and recreational amenities. The Landings is a perfect example of this, a top-quality community with five golf courses and a host of resort-style amenities that attracts a wide range of residents across the age and professional spectrum. KDC’s new Marshwood Clubhouse at The Landings recently was awarded third place in Golf Inc’s “Clubhouse of the Year” competition, and makes innovative use of cross-branding, highlighting the relationship between legendary golfer Arnold Palmer and the incredible Landings community in a modern clubhouse that seamlessly integrates traditional comforts with forward-looking technologies and amenities. Similarly, Diedrich explains that Balsam Mountain’s conservation-oriented mountaintop is about throwing the “old clubhouse design model out the window.” Laid out across 4,400 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, the property was an opportunity for Diedrich and his partners to move another step forward in their “de-clubbing” of the look, feel and style of the traditional golf club—right in line with Diedrich’s standing as a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Recreational Development Council and former speaker at Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s continuing education program.

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The Landings is a superlative example of modern, purpose-driven design Case in point is Balsam’s Double Top Village that opened last October on the site of old garnet mine, with 20-plus cottages and multiple buildings comprising numerous recreational amenities—all organized around outdoor spaces with striking views of the surrounding Double Top mountains and the club’s innovative and newly designed Palmer Practice Park. According to Diedrich, Balsam Mountain wanted something that was “not a club,” while serving as the amenity center for the community. “We took the traditional clubhouse and blew it up. Today, we have to think about more than just the inside of the building if the club’s going to be successful in the future.” Back at the Blessings, when asked about his favorite part of the property, Tyson says it’s being inside the big room of the clubhouse in front of towering panoramic glass windows where he can take in the ever evolving landscape and watch the timeless tradition of smiling golfers doffing caps and shaking hands after putting out at their rounds’ end. After all, that’s really what private club life is all about: the shared experience of the golfing lifestyle. Ideas of community and purpose transcend the material world, and just as they drove the likes of Ross, MacKenzie and Tillinghast, so do they continue to drive the innovators of today—on course and off.

Richard Leo Johnson

The Landings offers its community unparalleled dining and socializing options

Blessings Golf Club —

Returning this Fall: Blessings Collegiate Invitational Johnson, Arkansas – October 4-6, 2021

An Ozarks Contemporary clubhouse with timeless views that never take you off the course.

CLUB

G R E AT AMERICAN COURSES

From sea to shining sea—and further than that, in fact—America is rich with golfing opportunities. Whether under the sun in the deserts of Arizona, in the cool mountains of Colorado, among the majestic sandhills of Nebraska or at the feet of volcanoes in Hawaii, the country offers a diversity and range of options perhaps unparalleled in any other land. Here, we marvel at three stunning destinations—just a small taste of what’s possible. From California to the Gulf Stream waters, this game was made for you and me...

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KOHANAIKI Hawaii

amed for a traditional land division—an ahupua`a— that sweeps from the ocean up the slopes of Hualālai, Kohanaiki is a club of thoughtful luxury and home to the only Rees Jones golf course in Hawaii. The course winds through 100 acres of ancient lava flows, lakes, cultural preservation sites, and more than 200

anchialine pools that have been restored as part of the community’s development plan. Registered with the Audubon International Silver Signature Program, the course’s careful design is committed to protecting wildlife, conserving water and preserving and rehabilitating the native vegetation. Kohanaiki boasts more oceanfront holes than any other course in the state—six, including the magnificent No.14 pictured here. Kohanaiki.com

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BERKELEY HALL CLUB South Carolina

ome to two Tom Fazio courses, the North and South, Berkeley Hall Club sits alongside the gentle waters of the Okatie River in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. With minimal housing nature thrives here, and with the lush grounds and stunning Jeffersonian-style clubhouse, this private club community is the perfect setting for sophisticated Southern hospitality. Pictured

here is the dramatic approach over water to the 7th green, a Par-5 that rewards the bold and accurate. Notwithstanding the serenity of the landscape with its tranquil lakes, elevation changes, open vistas and liberal use of native grasses, the 7th isn’t the only hole at Berkeley Hall that quickens the pulse, making it no wonder that Tom Fazio had this to say of his creation: “The North Course at Berkeley Hall is one of the finest and most dramatic courses I have designed.” BerkeleyHallClub.com

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AMERICAN DUNES Michigan

fresh addition to the American golf landscape sculpted among the deep sands by Lake Michigan, American Dunes was built for the noblest of causes: to commemorate the birthplace of Folds of Honor and to honor American veterans and to fund the legacies of their families. Conceived by Folds of Honor Founder and CEO Lt Col. Dan Rooney and designed by Jack Nicklaus, American Dunes will be a gathering place for those who wish to honor men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice by supporting the educational dreams of those heroes’ loved ones. Fully 100% of American Dunes’ annual profit will go to The Folds of Honor Foundation to assist in providing educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled U.S. service members. To date, Folds of Honor has awarded over 29,000 scholarships totaling more than $145 million. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. A public course, American Dunes offers the opportunity for a chance to add to that by playing—and paying back. (Pictured: Hole No.7) Foldsofhonor.org

Photo: Nile Young

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LEGACY

D e a c o n

Father to a legend, Deacon Palmer was as tough as they come—but he will always be remembered for his true role: a caretaker of the game A portrait by staff, with Marino Parascenzo

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arnold palmer’s story—that of a blue collar boy from a small town who became a legend—wouldn’t be complete without Deacon, the groundskeeper father who taught him the game. That Deacon helped to build, with his bare hands, the golf course on which Arnold learned to play golf, and that he was renowned as a steely man of few words, only adds to the lore. In more recent times, Deacon’s role in that lore has been better acknowledged, with the PGA of America’s Deacon Palmer award and, as of 2021, the USGA’s new Deacon software tool for course management. Whatever Deacon himself would have made of such honors is unknown, but his importance to Arnold, and to making possible the legend that Arnold became, is unquestionable. As Deacon himself said in a film clip from the Golf Channel’s Arnie documentary, “When Arnie wanted to know something about his game he always came to me. I never went to Arnold.” Milfred Jerome Palmer, better known as “Deacon” or simply “Deke,” was always “Pap” to Arnold. As Arnold himself described Deke’s presence in his autobiography, A Golfer’s Life, “The sound of his voice—combined with the size of his hands and their potential menace—was almost enough to freeze me in my tracks and set my bony knees quaking when I was caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.” The elder Palmer quit school around the age of 15 and went to work at American Locomotive in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Arnold’s hometown. Not liking indoor work, he heard about a new golf course planned in nearby Youngstown, applied for a job as a laborer, and was hired. His first work at what would become Latrobe Country Club was as part of a three-man crew digging ditches. When the course was finished in 1921, he was asked to stay on to help with maintenance, which he did, supplementing income in the off-season by working in the “rough-and-tumble” (as Arnold described it) poolroom at the Youngstown Hotel, where the same imposing figure that intimidated a young Arnold kept the peace among beerinfused local workers. Deacon was resolute. He’d suffered a bout of infantile paralysis and had a “club” or “game” foot. As a consequence, Arnold wrote, his father had a determination to prove himself. He lifted weights, “could chin himself with either

arm at least ten times,” and had an inner strength that Arnold believed was rooted in Deke’s early years, “struggling to teach himself to walk again, long before there were doctors and rehabilitation programs to help people manage the various difficulties associated with types of polio.” After marrying Arnold’s mother, Doris, Deke took a second job working nights in the local steel mill, a job he reportedly hated but which he felt obliged to do to support his burgeoning family, which included Arnold, sisters Lois Jean (“Cheech”) and Sandy, and brother Jerry. “He was tough,” Arnold said in the Arnie documentary. “Didn’t take a lot of sass or anything from me. He told me what to do and I did it as fast as I could get it done.” Deke also made it clear to Arnold and his siblings that, while they might have lived on the club’s grounds, they were not members of the club. “Deacon made sure that the children knew that they were the children of an employee of the club, and that they did not have the privileges of the club,” said Doc Giffin, Arnold’s longtime friend and associate. “They did not eat at the club, they did not use the swimming pool at the club. They swam in the creek.” But in the off hours, in the early morning or late afternoon when the members weren’t using it, they could use the club’s golf course—and Arnold did. When he was young, Deacon put his son’s hands around the grip of a cut-down women’s club and, as Arnie explained, “he said look at your hands. Now look at that and remember and don’t you ever change it. I was three years old.” At this point Deacon had become LCC’s head pro in addition to being its groundskeeper. Arnold said his dad worked hard to teach himself the game and was a single-digit handicapper. While he gave lessons to members, his initial instruction to his son was as straightforward as one could expect, as Arnold explained in his book: “’Hit it hard boy,’ he said. ‘Go find it and hit it hard again’… That was pretty much all the swing instruction he gave me for many years.” When a prominent member of the club remarked that Arnold’s swing was unbalanced, Deacon reportedly told the member, “Damnit J.R., you let me worry about the kid and you take care of your own game, all right?” Deacon also taught Arnold golf etiquette. A strong lesson came when Arnie won the 1947 Western Pennsylvania Junior and expected a hero’s ride home with mom and dad. But there was a stony silence in the car. It seems Arnie had missed a short putt at one point and had thrown his putter over the trees. “If you ever throw a club like that again,” Deke said, “you’ll never play in another golf tournament.”

“He said ‘look at your hands. Now look at that and don’t ever change it.’ I was three years old”

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Deacon weighing up clubs with Arnold in Latrobe, and teeing off at Bay Hill

On the superintendent side, Deke was as firm, pushing Arnold and the rest of the crew to work from dawn to dusk, “and woe be unto the player—regardless of whether it was his own son or the club president—who failed to treat the golf course with the kind of respect Pap deemed necessary and proper,” Palmer wrote. Once, when Arnold had locked up LCC’s pro shop early and slipped out to hit some balls, one of the club’s more prominent members, J.R. Larson, came by to get a set of clubs and to play a bit. Finding the shop locked before the end of business hours, he found Deacon, who quickly found Arnie. “As Larson looked on, my father chewed me out good, describing my stubborn unreliability and warning me about the dire consequences of future mistakes, and so on. When he paused for a breath, Larson said to my father, ‘Tell you what, Deacon. Send him down to the steel mill to work. We’ll straighten him out fast.’ I was surprised by my father’s quick response—and so, I’m sure was J.R. Larson. ‘Don’t tell me what to do with my kid,’ Pap snarled at him… ‘You take care of your business, Mr. Larson, and I’ll take care of mine.” In contrast, Arnold’s mother was, as he described her, “a very friendly, forgiving person. My father was a tough operator and my mother sort of smoothed the hard spots over and kept me, you know, happy.” She also didn’t hold back in praising Arnold when he did well, something Deke, for whatever reason, wouldn’t do:

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“Woe be unto the player who failed to treat the golf course with the kind of respect Pap deemed necessary...” “I was always pestering Pap to come watch what I could do in hopes he would praise me, which of course he never really did,” Palmer wrote. “That simply wasn’t his style.” Deke died in 1976, at 71, after a round of golf at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, which Arnold had purchased some years before. Arnold had purchased Latrobe Country Club by then as well. Today the PGA of America gives the Deacon Palmer Award to recognize “a PGA Golf Professional who personally displays outstanding integrity, character and leadership, in the effort to overcome a major obstacle in their life.” And this year, the USGA premiered the Deacon tool for course management: “In caring for Latrobe Country Club and influencing the life of one of the iconic figures in golf history, Deacon Palmer served the game in a way that matches our mission,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. In 1998, a tree planted by (and beloved by) Deacon at LCC had to be knocked down. Arnie had them leave a large stump and had a chainsaw artist come and carve it into a statue of his dad, which looks over the fairways still today. Arnie mentions it in closing his book: “I stood there looking up at him… deeply moved to have him back… wondering what my Pap would make of this golfer’s life. I still hope he’d be pleased.”

Celebrating 100 years as one of America’s moﬆ authentic golf experiences

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FOOD Tapas

American Iron / Spanish Table Tradition never tasted better than with this brilliant pairing of Old World Spanish tapas and New World tools, including perfectly balanced cast iron cookware from the Field Company and one of the most versatile cookers ever from Memphis Grills. ¡Olé!

Blistered Peppers It doesn’t get much easier or much more tasty than this. If you can find padrón peppers, use those; otherwise, shishito peppers work fine (pictured). This dish doubles as entertainment because, as anyone who’s enjoyed it knows, there’s always a surprise hottie among the peppers, usually sending the recipient into a mirth-inducing dance—and a scramble for a Whispering Angel to put out the devilish fire.

Ingredients • • •

3 cups padrón or shishito peppers 3 tbps olive oil Juice of a lemon

Method Add olive oil to a 10-inch Field Co. cast iron skillet and heat over high until a drop of water sizzles. Add peppers, cook until blistered, add fresh lemon juice, remove from heat, sprinkle with salt and serve

Wine Pazo Señorans, a beautiful buttery white from Rias Baixas, NW Spain

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Tapas—small savory dishes of Spanish origin—are fantastic for entertaining, allowing guests to enjoy small bites with glasses of wine without making the host commit to creating a full dinner service. In looking for the perfect way to prepare a tapas spread, we realized a high-end grill, such as those from Memphis Grills, and top-quality Field Company cast iron pans, allowed us to grill, sear, bake and serve all while keeping the party going. Here, we look at how Old World flavors and New World tools combine to create a perfectly balanced party worthy of a majors season. In any language, we call it a win.

Gambas al Ajillo Traditionally prepared and served in cast iron, this garlic shrimp dish is best served with a baguette so guests can mop-up the delicious juices.

Ingredients • • • • • • • •

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails intact Salt 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1 cup olive oil 1 tbsp chili flakes 1/4 cup minced parsley 2 tablespoons white wine or sherry 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Method 1. Toss the shrimp with 1 tsp of salt and set aside for 10 minutes 2. Meanwhile, in a 10-inch Field Company cast iron skillet, combine garlic and olive oil and cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and begins to brown (5 minutes); Add the chili flakes and stir until fragrant, roughly 30 seconds 3. Add the shrimp, occasionally stirring until the shrimp are pink, maybe 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, wine, lemon zest and a pinch of salt

Wine Rock Angel, Chateau d’Esclans This exciting rosé from the makers of Whispering Angel brings more complexity and a bigger profile than its better-known sibling, making it a perfect complement to one of tapas’ best-known and most-loved seafood dishes. Look for inherent minerality to balance the shellfish, and for the sophisticated character to endure well into the second (or third or fourth) glass.

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Made of the

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Photograph taken at the Hacienda Santa Teresa in Venezuela.

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Field Company Cast Iron It’s rare when a classic is convincingly reinvented, but that’s just what Field Company has done with its cast iron skillets. Thinner, smoother and lighter than others, they are the result of extensive trial and error and supreme engineering. Our Field Co. skillets were easier to cook with and easier to clean up than any we’ve had before. They’re holding their seasoning well, and definitely will feature in future Kingdoms. Simply the best. fieldcompany.com

Chorizo with caramelized onions Check your local butcher for fresh, quality chorizo and opt for organic yellow onions and high quality olive oil. This is a simple, but big-flavored dish, and so all of the components need to be on their “A” game for it to work well. When it does, the taste reward is well worth the effort and you’ll want to use a piece of crusty bread to sop up every last bit of sauce from the pan.

Memphis Grills We prepared everything in this article on a Memphis Grill, one of the most versatile, well-built and capable grills ever. A pellet grill with an incomparable onboard computer to regulate temperature (and more), our Pro version allowed us to cook the shrimp and chorizo over an open flame, bake the tortilla and grill the peppers, and yielded that brilliantly lovely hint of flavor one gets when cooking over wood. Expect to see more in Kingdom from this amazing grill. memphisgrills.com

Ingredients: • • • • •

1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced Two 10oz links of cooking chorizo, cut into bite-size chunks Handful chopped parsley (optional for garnish) Crusty bread for dipping

Method 1. Add olive oil to the pan and heat over medium low heat until a drop of water sizzles. Add onion and sautee until deep brown and caramelized 2. Add the chorizo and cook until all sides are browned and the inside has cooked through 3. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve with bread

Wine Clos Mogador, a bold red, best drunk aged from Priorat, Catalunya

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Tortilla Española As traditional as it gets, this tapas staple is one of those deceptively simple additions to the brunch table. Don’t be so casual about the preparation, however; it takes some subtlety to get this right, and that’s greatly aided by a quality cast iron pan. Give this the care it deserves, and it can anchor your entire meal—deliciously.

Ingredients • • • • • •

2 cups olive oil 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and sliced 1 medium sweet onion, like a Vidalia, peeled, quartered, and sliced 6 large eggs 2 tsp. sea salt Jamon Iberico (optional for garnish)

Wine Whispering Angel, Chateau d’Esclans

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Method 1. Add oil to a large, wide pot and heat until shiny/rippled; add potatoes and onion, cover, and let the oil simmer until the potatoes are tender, roughly 10 minutes 2. Strain potato and onion mix and set aside 3. In a medium bowl, add eggs and lightly beat, then stir-in cooled potatoes and set aside for 15 minutes 4. Take a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, place over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When oil is hot, pour in the egg and potato/onion mix and cook until the edges of the egg begin to ruffle and turn pale yellow, then place onto grill/oven heated to 400 degrees, close/cover and cook for 25 minutes 5. When done, allow to cool and serve

BACK ISSUE OFFER For a limited time, order any of our back issues featuring iconic images of Arnie and get 50% off with coupon code kingdom50 visit kingdom.golf/store to order your issues now

ISSUE 51

Q UA R T E R LY

SPRING 2021

The Majors Issue Palmer

Dustin

Record-setting Masters champ opens up

Nebraska

Pure golf in America’s heartland

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Architect of the modern game

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DRINKS

Wayward Wonders Savannah’s Perry Lane hotel is the city’s best, as far as we’re concerned; not least for its superlative Wayward bar, as apt to host locals as it is guests. Here, one of its top mixologists (“Nick”) shows why Southern hospitality sets the bar...

Ramos Gin Fizz A work of art as much as it is a classic cocktail, Nick’s version stands above others we’ve seen—high above, in fact. With a little practice, you, too, will hit such great heights.

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2oz London Dry Beefeater Gin

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1.5oz heavy cream

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1 egg white

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1/2oz fresh lime juice

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1/2oz simple syrup

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4 dashes orange flower water

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3oz Fever Tree soda water

Combine ingredients in a shaker then hand-pack the drink, rotating it in your hand and smacking the bottom of the glass until you’ve developed a thick head. Once it starts separating, poke a hole in the middle of the head with a straw, then use a funnel to pour what’s left in the shaker into the straw, which will raise the drink as seen here. Garnish with a twist and enjoy.

Piña Colada (elevated) Safe to say this is not the plastic-cup sugarbomb that froze your brain on college spring break. Rather, Nick combines four types of rum and fresh ingredients to achieve the perfect manifestation of the tropical dream first envisioned in 1954. Sophisticated and island-perfect, no matter where you enjoy it.

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J.M. Rhum Agricole Gold

•

Smith & Cross Traditional

•

Plantation 3 Stars White Rum

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Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum

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1.5oz fresh pineapple juice

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3/4oz fresh lime juice

•

1.5oz house-made coconut cream

Combine 1/2oz each of the rums, stir in the juices and then the coconut cream (store-bought if you don’t want to make your own), pour over ice and garnish with your favorite beachy accoutrements.

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Strawberry Nick Nick liked this creation of his so much he signed it with his name—and no wonder: it’s the strawberry drink for people who don’t like sweet berry drinks, a burst of fruit without the syrupy sugar. Fresh, clean and perfect for warm Southern evenings and afternoons alike, there’s no need to rush anything about this cocktail.

Whiskey expert, certified somm, veteran of both the U.S. Army and the Broadmoor’s 5-star Penrose room, Nick is crazy smart and is hands-down one of the most drinks-intelligent, innovative and hospitable mixologists we’ve ever met—and that’s saying something.

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Ketel One vodka

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Fresh lemon juice

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Italicus

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St. Germain

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Fresh strawberries

Using equal parts of the pours (1oz parts for a single serving) and a few berries, mix, muddle and serve over ice. The secret weapon here is be the Italicus, a citrus/rose/ lavender liqueur that dates to the 15th century

99 to Life A contest champion for Nick and an adventure of sorts to create, consider the ingredients list a treasure map and the resulting cocktail a treasure beyond measure. The ingredients can be found, each is critical to achieve the desired result, and the time you take will be well worth it. Sophisticated, complex, and astonishingly good, we think this might be the perfect sipping cocktail, preferably for quiet times with no thoughts of “rush” or “hurry” to cloud your thinking.

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Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

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Carpano Antica Vermouth

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Giffard Banane du Brésil

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Lustau East India Solera Sherry

Combine equal parts over ice, strain and serve in a coupee glass.

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LAST PAGE

Bay Hill Blast

Bryson DeChambeau’s victory in the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill comprised poise, passion and controlled power

rom the sixth tee in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bryson DeChambeau’s 377-yard drive sped across the lake with scant regard for the crescent-shaped fairway to the right, bounding to the safety of a bunker. He posted birdie four, but so did his playing partner Lee Westwood, who battled valiantly through the final day without any moonshot drives. They were playing different sorts of golf, and unfortunately for Westwood his included missing multiple mid-range putts. In contrast, DeChambeau combined [massive] power off the tee with touch on the greens, draining two from distance—37 feet for birdie at No.4, and from 50 feet to save par on 11—to become the first American winner of Arnie’s event in six years.

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DeChambeau, 27, with his eighth PGA Tour title secured and a new red cardigan, revealed afterwards that he and Tiger Woods—eight times Bay Hill champ and currently recovering from an auto accident—had exchanged messages prior to the final round. “Tiger told me to keep fighting and to play boldly like Mr. Palmer would,” said an emotional DeChambeau, who made his API debut as an amateur in 2016, thanks to an invitation from Palmer. U.S. Amateur champ, as Palmer had been 61 years before him, DeChambeau finished in a tie for 27th in what would be the last Arnold Palmer Invitational the tournament host would see. “I don’t know what to say to win Mr. Palmer’s event,” said DeChambeau. “It is going to make me cry. It means the world to me.”

“My goal is to create the most repeatable swing possible, and LA Golf makes the most consistent shaft I have ever tried.” - Bryson DeChambeau LA Golf Partner