Arnold Palmer's Guide to the Majors 2012 (UK Edition)

Arnold Palmer’s Guide to the 2012

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ARNOLD PALMER

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Arnold Arnold Palmer Palmer Foreword Foreword Welcome to the Welcome second toedition the second of Arnold edition Palmer’s of Arnold Guide Palmer’s to the Majors, Guide ato the Majors, a publication that publication we were proud that to wepresent were proud to golftofans present across to golf America fans for across the very America for the very first time last year first and time which lastthis yearyear andwill which alsothis be year published will also in the be published United Kingdom. in the United Kingdom.

I am particularly pleased I am particularly about this pleased development about this as 2012 development is the 50th asanniversary 2012 is the 50th anniversary of my second victory of myinsecond the [British] victoryOpen, in theon[British] the beautiful Open, on links theofbeautiful Royal Troon, links aof Royal Troon, a memory I have long memory cherished I haveand longa cherished success I will and never a success forget.

I will never forget.

As all my friendsAs andallfollowers my friends know andwell, followers I am aknow keenwell, supporter I am aand keen advocate supporter and advocate of the Major championships of the Majorofchampionships golf. To me, it of gives golf.structure To me, itand gives signifi structure cance and to the significance to the game at the highest gamelevel at the to highest have four level events to have staged fouratevents strategic staged moments at strategic on themoments on the calendar that stand calendar out bythat comparison stand outwith by comparison all the otherwith tournaments. all the other tournaments.

To be certain thatTothe bebest certain players that the in the best world players will in teethe it up world at least will tee fourittimes up at least four times a year is a remarkable a year isachievement a remarkable in achievement today’s worldinwhen today’s so world many commercial when so many commercial pressures are eating pressures into are theireating time. into However, their time. the Majors However, are the established, Majors are in established, in perpetuity I hope, perpetuity and in the I hope, end and the players in the end should the realise players that should theirrealise careers, that their careers, successful or otherwise, successful willorbe otherwise, judged bywill howbethey judged perform by how on they theseperform occasions. on these occasions.

Of course, many Of golfers course, willmany still retrospectively golfers will stillbe retrospectively seen as greatsbeofseen the game, as greats of the game, but at the end ofbut theatday thethe endfact of the cannot day be theescaped fact cannot thatbe they escaped have failed that they to win have failed to win one single Major.one Colin single Montgomerie Major. Colin springs Montgomerie immediately springs to mind immediately – if onlytohemind had – if only he had putted as well atputted the Majors as well when at the he Majors was in contention when he was as in hecontention did at the eight as heRyder did at the eight Ryder Cups in which heCups participated! in which he participated!

Today we have aToday situation we have where a situation at least four where of the at least current fourtop-10 of theincurrent the world top-10 rankings in the have worldnot rankings won a have not won a Major. The mostMajor. obvious Theofmost theseobvious are theofEnglishman these are the Lee Englishman Westwood and Lee my Westwood fellow American and my fellow Steve American Stricker. Steve Stricker.

Rarely have I seen Rarely players haveperform I seen as players well,perform tee to green, as well, as these tee to guys green, and asnot these enjoy guys even andone notday enjoy in the evensun. one day in the sun.

Luke Donald, likeLuke Westwood Donald, an likeEnglishman, Westwood isanthe Englishman, current world is the No.1 current and another world No.1 whoand keeps another knocking who on keeps knocking on the door, while on thethis door, sidewhile of the onAtlantic this sideI have of thehigh Atlantic hopesI have for two high young hopes products for twoof young my own products alma of mater, my own Wake alma mater, Wake Forest, Bill HaasForest, and Webb Bill Haas Simpson, and Webb both ofSimpson, whom look both to of mewhom to be look marvellous to me togolfers be marvellous likely to hang golfers around likelythe to hang around the upper echelons of upper the game echelons for aoflong the time. game for a long time.

Finally, all that remains Finally, all is for thatme remains to wishis you, for me thetogolf wish fans you, of the the golf world, fans a wonderful of the world, timea watching wonderfulthe time watching the Majors of 2012 unfold, Majorswhether of 2012 unfold, you’re there whether in person you’reorthere watching in person on TV. or watching on TV. Yours in Golf,

Yours in Golf,

ARNOLD PALMER ARNOLD PALMER

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EDITOR

Paul Trow PUBLISHER

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Arnold Palmer Interview Northern Ireland Heroes

back on his illustrious The King looks backA on country his illustrious that produced just one and forward to the Majors career, andMajor forward champion to the in 150 years has aiting in 2012 excitement awaiting crowned in 2012three since 2010

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Majors Scenesetter Northern Ireland Courses

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It was 50 years Rory ago McIlroy

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2012 Masters Review Darren Clarke

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Bubba Watson Keegan Bradley

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2011 Majors Review Greatest Major Shots

Matthew Squire

ART DIRECTOR Leon Harris

ART DIRECTOR Leon Harris

DESIGNER Matthew Halnan

DESIGNER Matthew Halnan

VP OPERATIONS Joe Velotta

VP OPERATIONS Joe Velotta

DIRECTORS John Halnan Steve Richards

DIRECTORS John Halnan Steve Richards

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS Carla Richards Lola Aina

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS Carla Richards Lola Aina

ADVERTISING SALES Jon Edwards Andy Fletcher Daniel Langlan Jason Lyon Northern TeeIreland Media Heroes

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KeeganDominic BradleyPedler

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Peter Swain Greatest Major Shots

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Ben Evans

ates over one of the Bill Elliott salivatesFew overgolfers one ofhave the experienced the Few golfers Mark have Garrod experienced the Harig ampionships, decided great Major championships, highs and decided lows of life to the same highs andBob lows of life to the same Hathaway r shot from the trees by that wonder shot extent from as thethe trees 2011 Open champion extent asAdam the 2011 Open champion

Paul Mahoney

inner has become the The Masters winner Pathas Bradley’s becomenephew the is one of only Pat Bradley’s Peternephew Phyllisen is one of only ChristoRodell t phenomenon as a game’s biggest phenomenon three golfers as to a have won a Major at three golfers have won a Major at Jack Ross ng the green jacket result of donning the thegreen first attempt jacket in the past 100 yearsthe first attempt in the past 100 years

Art Spander

Reade Tilley series, the US Open at Reflections on theThe US Open first inata three-part series, The first in a three-part Martin the Open at SandwichCongressional, theremembering Open at Sandwich the key moments that remembering theVousden key moments that hampionship in Atlantaand the PGA Championship decided some in Atlanta of the early Majors decided some of the early Majors

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PUBLISHER

Matthew Squire

ders whether the The editor pondersAwhether tour round thethe golfing delights of the A tour round ClivetheAgran golfing delights of the Robin Barwick ra has ended and the Tiger Woods era has region ended that and is the home to Darren Clarke,region that is home to Darren Clarke, Rossand Biddiscombe ra has begun Rory McIlroy era has Rory begun McIlroy and Graeme McDowell Rory McIlroy Graeme McDowell

s Review

EDITOR

Paul Trow

ADVERTISING SALES Jon Edwards Andy Fletcher Daniel Langlan Jason Lyon Tee Media FOUNDING CONTRIBUTOR

Arnold Palmer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Clive Agran Robin Barwick Ross Biddiscombe Colin Callander Iain Carter James Corrigan Tony Dear Bill Elliott Ben Evans Andy Farrell Mark Garrod Bob Harig Adam Hathaway Paul Mahoney Dominic Pedler Peter Phyllisen Chris Rodell Jack Ross Art Spander Peter Swain Reade Tilley Martin Vousden

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EDITOR

Paul Trow PUBLISHER

Matthew Squire ART DIRECTOR Leon Harris

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VP OPERATIONS Joe Velotta DIRECTORS John Halnan Steve Richards

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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS Carla Richards Lola Aina

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Major Differences Iain Carter

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Where will Andywe Farrell be in 2013?

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Major Statistics Dominic Pedler

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Peter Swain Last Page

back on his illustrious A detailed examination A country of thethat testproduced that just one and forward to the lies in wait at the venue Major for champion this year’s in 150 years has aiting in 2012 second Major, the crowned 112th US three Open since 2010

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DESIGNER Matthew Halnan

We size up the chances of some of the FOUNDING CONTRIBUTOR other players who could be leading Arnold contenders over thePalmer next few weeks

ders whether the The lovable Lancashire A tourlinks round willthe play golfing delights of the Clive Agran, Clive a student Agran of failure, recalls Robin Barwickof defeat being ra has ended and the host to golf’s oldestregion championship that is home for to Darren Clarke,some shining examples ra has begun the eleventh time this RoryJuly McIlroy and Graeme McDowell snatchedRoss from Biddiscombe the jaws of victory

ars ago

Colin Callander

r, Nicklaus and Player Scene of the ‘War Golf’s on the hottest Shore’ Ryder property talks to BBC All four Majors Jamesare Corrigan played over the r Majors between themCup in 1991, the Ocean golf correspondent Course is now Iain Carter about same fourTony daysDear over 72 holes. So Elliott med the ‘Big Three’ primed to stage thethe PGA USChampionship Open, life and tennis they’re allBill alike then? Are they, heck!

s Review

Ben Evans

ates over one of the A fascinating history Few lesson golfers have experienced the Merion, Muirfield Mark Garrod and Oak Hill, three Bob Harig ampionships, decided chronicling the origins highsofand onelows of theof life to the same of golf’s most atmospheric theatres, Adam next Hathaway r shot from the trees world’s most famous extent clubhouses as the 2011 Open champion will be staging year’s Majors

Paul Mahoney

inner has become the So many aspects ofPat theBradley’s game that nephew we is one of only A roll callPeter of thePhyllisen winners and venues Chris Rodell t phenomenon as a tend to take for granted three can golfers be traced to have won a Major at of every Major championship held Jack Rossback in 1860 ng the green jacket to the influence of the ‘Old’first Tomattempt Morris in the past 100 yearssince it all began

Art Spander

Tilley the US Open at The editor and art The director firstare in a three-part series, We trackReade down the Titleist ball that Martin Vousden the Open at Sandwichlet loose inside oneremembering of northern the key moments that Louis Oosthuizen threw into the crowd hampionship in AtlantaScotland’s truly iconic decided distilleries some of the early Majors after his albatross-two at Augusta

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dale Concannon Historic Golf Archive Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com Getty Images Leon Harris John Mummert Evan Schiller/golfshots.com Phil Sheldon Golf Picture Library Giuseppe Velotta SPECIAL THANKS Robin Bell Cori Britt Christine Corbett Mike Davis Peter Dawson Ron Driscoll Kelly Elbin Dougie Freedman Doc Giffin Kerry Haigh Pete Kowalski Joe Steranka ENQUIRIES Advertising: ms@tmcusallc.com Editorial: jh@tmcusallc.com General: info@tmcusallc.com Subscription & copy sales: joe@tmcusallc.com

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R&A Foreword On behalf of The R&A, I am delighted to welcome the publication of this second edition of Arnold Palmer’s Guide to the Majors, and the first in the United Kingdom.

Arnold has been an enthusiastic supporter of The Open Championship for more than half a century and his decision to compete for the first time at the Centenary Open in 1960 proved a turning point for the event.

In those days, The Open was far from the massive sporting showcase that it is today and very few of the leading American players made the journey across the Atlantic to take part.

But Arnold’s decision to try to add the Claret Jug to his victories at the Masters and US Open earlier that season can be seen in hindsight as the catalyst that triggered renewed interest in The Open amongst his contemporaries on the American Tour.

The Open owes him a great debt.

He narrowly missed out to Australia’s Kel Nagle on that occasion, but he only had to wait a further 12 months to fulfil his destiny and become The Open Champion at Royal Birkdale and then, for good measure, he made a successful defence of the title at Troon in 1962.

Since then, nearly all of the game’s leading players have lifted the Claret Jug – Nicklaus and Player, Thomson and De Vicenzo, Trevino and Miller, Weiskopf and Jacklin, Norman and Faldo, Woods and Els, to name but a few.

High on that roll call of great champions, of course, is three-time winner Seve Ballesteros whose tragic passing last year at the age of just 54 has left a massive gap in the hearts of everyone who follows and loves golf.

Who can forget the unbridled joy displayed by Seve on the 18th green of the Old Course here at St Andrews when he holed the putt that effectively sealed his victory in The Open 1984? That truly is a memory I shall always cherish.

Seve’s legacy will live on, and the 141st staging of The Open in July at Royal Lytham & St Annes, where he was twice crowned the ‘Champion Golfer’, will prove to be a fitting tribute to the drama and excitement that was always present wherever and whenever he played.

In the meantime, may I extend my best wishes to all the players and fans alike for a vintage summer of major-championship golf.

PETER DAWSON Chief Executive The R&A

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USGA Foreword My father introduced me to golf when I was eight years old and I have enjoyed a love affair with the game ever since. In addition to playing the game, I have great appreciation for golf course architecture and enjoy watching the best players in the world tackle the best courses in the world.

Given my passion for the game, working at the United States Golf Association has been my professional vocation. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my 22-year tenure, from the championships I have helped to conduct to all the people I have had the pleasure to meet along the way, including three of the US Open’s greatest champions: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

In fact, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of a very special year in golf. In 1962, the “Big Three”, as the players came to be known, swept golf’s Major championships, with Palmer winning the Masters and Open, Nicklaus winning his first Major (and first title as a professional) at the US Open, and Player capturing the PGA Championship. This illustrious trio won a combined 34 Major championships, but 1962 was the only year in which between them they won on all four of golf’s biggest stages.

Palmer was in his prime that year, and in his two Major victories he displayed the talent, charisma and unsurpassed competitive spirit that were his trademarks. But what impressed me just as much as his triumphs was the way he handled losing the US Open in a playoff at Oakmont Country Club, just 35 miles from his home in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Despite the disappointment he no doubt felt, Palmer displayed the kind of sportsmanship, integrity and respect for his opponent that distinguish golf from other sports. These are the qualities that the USGA promotes among all golfers, whether they compete in our championships or in casual weekend matches.

Arnold Palmer has been a wonderful ambassador for the game, and the USGA is proud to call him a true friend. Personally, I have enjoyed his company over the years, and have been fortunate to learn some great lessons from him about golf, and life in general.

As you read this publication, I know you will learn from him as well. His expertise gained from having experienced the highs and lows in Majors over the decades will provide unmatched insights into what it takes to achieve success in golf’s biggest championships.

MIKE DAVIS Executive Director United States Golf Association

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USGA Foreword My father introduced me to golf when I was eight years old and I have enjoyed a love affair with the game ever since. In addition to playing the game, I have great appreciation for golf course architecture and enjoy watching the best players in the world tackle the best courses in the world.

Given my passion for the game, working at the United States Golf Association has been my professional vocation. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my 22-year tenure, from the championships I have helped to conduct to all the people I have had the pleasure to meet along the way, including three of the US Open’s greatest champions: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

In fact, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of a very special year in golf. In 1962, the “Big Three”, as the players came to be known, swept golf’s Major championships, with Palmer winning the Masters and Open, Nicklaus winning his first Major (and first title as a professional) at the US Open, and Player capturing the PGA Championship. This illustrious trio won a combined 34 Major championships, but 1962 was the only year in which between them they won on all four of golf’s biggest stages.

Palmer was in his prime that year, and in his two Major victories he displayed the talent, charisma and unsurpassed competitive spirit that were his trademarks. But what impressed me just as much as his triumphs was the way he handled losing the US Open in a playoff at Oakmont Country Club, just 35 miles from his home in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Despite the disappointment he no doubt felt, Palmer displayed the kind of sportsmanship, integrity and respect for his opponent that distinguish golf from other sports. These are the qualities that the USGA promotes among all golfers, whether they compete in our championships or in casual weekend matches.

Arnold Palmer has been a wonderful ambassador for the game, and the USGA is proud to call him a true friend. Personally, I have enjoyed his company over the years, and have been fortunate to learn some great lessons from him about golf, and life in general.

As you read this publication, I know you will learn from him as well. His expertise gained from having experienced the highs and lows in Majors over the decades will provide unmatched insights into what it takes to achieve success in golf’s biggest championships.

Mike Davis Executive Director United States Golf Association

019

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arnold Palmer Q&A Following a headline-grabbing arnold Palmer invitational and one oF the most exuberant masters ever, arnold Palmer was settling into the golF season eager to talk about the state oF the game. he was his usual exPansive selF commenting on the majors, the Players who Follow in his FootstePs and the historic greats he sought to emulate. he sPoke with Chris Rodell From his oFFice in bay hill shortly beFore his Planned return to latrobe, Pennsylvania For the summer 022

the majors 2012

Arnold pAlmer leAds A busy life, whether At his desk or performing his stArter duties At AugustA nAtionAl

Q: What was it like teaming up with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to perform the Honorary Starter duties as the Big Three at the Masters for the first time?

Arnold Palmer: It was very nice. It was very appropriate for the three of us to be there together. We’ve all enjoyed considerable success at The Masters and, of course, we’re all very good friends.

Q: This year’s Masters later witnessed two of the greatest shots ever played on the final day of a Major. Firstly, how did you assess the quality, and significance at the time, of Louis Oosthuizen’s holed second shot for an albatross on the 2nd hole?

AP: I watched that shot and of course I was surprised and delighted to see it go in. It’s the most rare shot in all of golf, but that’s the kind of thing that seems to happen at Augusta and that’s part of what makes it so special. It was significant because it launched him into contention and gave him a real strong chance of winning.

Q: And what did you make of Bubba Watson’s incredible recovery shot from the trees on the second hole of the playoff against Oosthuizen?

AP: I have to say first of all he was very fortunate off the tee to be in a position where he could hit the ball at all. As it turned out, he made a miraculous shot that led to him winning the Masters.

Q: Did any shots that you played during significant moments in Majors compare with either of these?

AP: I have had some good fortune to have hit shots like that over the years that were key to victories. I guess the one that stands out in my memory is a 3-wood I hit on 13 at Augusta National in 1958. I made the eagle putt and that really put me in a good position to win. And I did. It was my first Masters victory. And I’d say the drive on No.1 at Cherry Hills at the start of the last round of the 1960 US Open was one of those shots that are remembered for being unusual.

Q: Do any other shots, played at key times during a Major by your rivals, or players from other eras even, stand out in your memory?

AP: Of course, the Sarazen double-eagle immediately comes to mind, as does the Larry Mize chip-in during the playoff in1987 that beat Greg Norman at Augusta.

Q: How far do you think Bubba Watson can go in the game, considering that he’s something of a late starter?

AP: He’s a very attractive player and has a very exciting game. He’s a personality that will bring a lot of fresh interest to the game.

Q: Is Phil Mickelson the modern player who most reminds you of yourself in terms of his shot selection and his overall approach to a round?

AP: I suppose. He’s been such a great and exciting player who brings a lot of interest to the game. I think he shares the kind of confidence and fearlessness my game was known for. He has great ability and a kind of prowess on the course that’s very appealing.

Q: How pleased were you to see Phil on the tee for the starters’ drives, even though he wasn’t due to tee off for several more hours? Would you have liked to see more of the leading players on the 1st tee that morning?

AP: I thought that was above and beyond.

That was something you don’t expect a player in contention to do, yet he was there bright and early and in full grandeur. Jack, Gary and myself were very pleased to see him there. It was a very welcome surprise.

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Q: This year is the 50th anniversary of your third Masters victory and your second Open Championship win?

Would you say that 1962 was as good a year as you ever had? Also, what other fond memories do you have of the year?

AP: I would say it was one of my best years and I enjoyed it very much. But it was a year that holds bittersweet memories for me because it was also the year I lost the US Open on one of my very favourite courses, Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.

That’s something I’ll never forget. I won eight times that year and was playing great competitive golf.

ARNOLD PALMER AND GARY PLAYER ENJOYED MANY COMPETITIVE BATTLES DURING THEIR MASTERS CAREERS

As far as other players showing up, I guess my answer is yes and no. The players have their own games to worry about—and they have every right to feel that way. I suppose that’s one of the reasons why everyone was so surprised to see Phil there.

Q: Rory McIlroy will be defending his US Open title at Olympic next month.

How do you assess his progress in the past year since shaking off his 2011 Masters disappointment so spectacularly at Congressional?

AP: His failure at the Masters is something he’ll remember the rest of his life. It’ll always be in his mind when he plays in a Major. That’s something you just can’t do anything about. It’s just always there.

Having said that, the good players learn from that and don’t allow it to destroy their confidence. That’s why his US Open performance was so outstanding. I’m confident in predicting he will win many more Majors. His appearance and ability will keep him on top for many years.

Q: How painful are your memories still of letting slip what seemed a certain victory on the same course in 1966 and then losing a playoff to Billy Casper? Is there anything you would have done differently on that final day, looking back on it?

AP: Oh, that was a big shocker to me, that one. What can I say? I lost it. I made a lot of mental errors, personal mistakes and Billy Casper seized on my mistakes and played very well. What would I have done differently? Well, I would have won! I would have done more to keep it in play on the difficult par 5s. That was the difference for me.

Q: How do you assess Olympic and Royal Lytham & St Annes as Major venues?

AP: I think they’re very good. Olympic is a great course and I played Royal Lytham & St Annes many times over the years. The players are going to be tested, but will find it fair and I think fans will enjoy watching both on TV. Those two courses will add to what I’m sure will be a great summer of golf.

Q: Darren Clarke, who tied third when The Open Championship was last played at Lytham in 2002, was the surprise winner of the Claret Jug at Sandwich last year. What was your reaction to this most popular of wins?

AP: Darren winning was not just popular among the Europeans, but everywhere around the world. He’s an outstanding player and really relates well to the people who follow golf.

“I’m confident he [McIlroy] will win many more Majors.

His ability will keep him on top for many years” Q: Yes, the Oakmont loss must have stung. You lost to a rookie—Jack Nicklaus—in your own back yard, so to speak. How well do you believe Jack Nicklaus played that week, and how would you assess your own performance?

AP: The major difference was our putting.

I anticipated I would putt very well on Oakmont’s greens and as it turned out that’s what defeated me. I three putted 13 times and Jack just once. For me to end up in a tie after that shows how well I was otherwise playing. Jack played well, too, of course.

But his success on the greens and my troubles made all the difference.

Q: Tom Morris, Snr was an innovator, Major champion, master greenskeeper and outstanding course designer.

Arguably, you were the first player since him to fulfil all these roles. How great an influence do you think he was on the development of the game and would you say his life influenced you in any way?

AP: I think ‘Old’ Tom Morris influenced everyone who ever played the game.

He was known to be a great guy and a great player. He did some wonderful designs that to this day are considered among golf’s best. He did influence how

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I thought about the game. As for design, I always had a desire to build golf courses and believe I would have been drawn to that with or without his influence. It’s something I’ve always found very satisfying.

Q: Have you ever played the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island where the PGA Championship will be held? If so, what did you make of it? If not, what do you know about it?

AP: I played it and found it very difficult, but enjoyable. It’s a great venue for the PGA. Q: Tiger Woods performed brilliantly— just like his old self—to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented

by MasterCard at Bay Hill. How do you rate his performance and how close do you feel he is to attaining true success again in the Majors?

“I can think of many times I should have won more majors but my putting prevented it” AP: He played very well at Bay Hill. His performance was outstanding. He seemed in command of every aspect of his game. Frankly, I thought he’d be a major threat to win the Masters. I thought the chances of him coming out front at Augusta were very good. He certainly has the game to win more Majors.

Q: At present, Hunter Mahan is as hot as anyone on the PGA Tour. How do you think he managed to bounce back to tournament-winning form after the disappointment of what happened in the final singles at the 2010 Ryder Cup? AP: That was an unfortunate situation for Hunter at the Ryder Cup, but he’s played awfully well and the results have shown that. His game right now makes him a threat to win every time he tees it up. It shows you can overcome the difficulties golf presents. He was able to put that loss aside and move on.

Q: Looking back to your playing days, were there many players who should

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the the majors majors 2012 2012

tiger woods wAs in seVenth heAVen when he won the Arnold pAlmer inVitAtionAl presented by mAsterCArd At bAy hill for the seVenth time in mArCh

have won Majors but didn’t, perhaps because of their putting? Doug Sanders, for instance?

AP: I can think of one prominent guy.

Me! I can think of many times I should have won more Majors, but my putting prevented it, at Oakmont, for example.

Sure, I was fortunate. Even though I won a number of times, I’ve always believed it would have been more if I could have putted better. But that extends to most golfers in the Majors.

Q: When you compare what you have in your golf bag today with 50 years ago, what strikes you as the biggest changes and greatest advances?

AP: I’d say it’s a little bit of everything in there. The technology of the graphite shafts and titanium or composite heads have added so much length and the technology that’s gone into the golf ball has made the game very different. We used to drive with woods and really shape the shots.

Now everything’s metal. It’s added greater

consistency to the game and allowed the balls to really explode off the club faces.

Q: If you could turn the clock back, is there any equipment innovation over the past half-century you would like to abolish?

AP: That’s easy. The long putter! I’m totally against allowing the body to be in touch with the club. It gives a stabilizing aspect that is against what the rules and spirit of the game intend. That’s why so many golfers use them. It makes it easier.

Q: What is your view about playoffs in Majors? Each one has a different system. Which one do you favour and why?

AP: I used to think the 18-hole playoff was the best because it helped determine the true winner the way the game was meant to be decided. But I can see why the other formats have evolved. Each works best for the particular Major, but sudden-death seems to make the most sense.

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Shuffling the Pack MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF IS THE PINNACLE OF THIS GAME WE ALL LOVE AND CURSE IN EQUAL MEASURE, AND ONLY A PRIVILEGED FEW ARE CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING A CHALLENGE FOR ITS MOST HALLOWED TITLES. SINCE THE MID-1990S, ONE NAME HAS LOOMED LIKE A COLOSSUS ABOVE ALL OTHERS WHEN THE TIME HAS COME TO CLAIM THE SPOILS. HOWEVER, Paul Trow (NOT THE NAME IN QUESTION, HEAVEN FORFEND) SUSPECTS THINGS WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM NOW ON Whisper it, if you must must,, but the end of an era might well be nigh. For the past decade and a half, sports fans have been enthralled by the exploits of a golfing meteor. Yes, Tiger Woods has fallen to earth in recent times, but from the moment his stellar performance at the 1997 Masters culminated in a mere 12-shot victory he’s had the game, and everyone connected with it, eating out of the palm of his hand.

He went on to devour a further 13 of golf’s most precious titles in just over 11 years following that initial triumph at Augusta National.

And despite hobbling to an ultra-heroic victory in the 2008 US Open (due to the chronic knee injury he exacerbated that week at Torrey Pines), it still seemed only a matter of time before he overtook Jack Nicklaus’s mark of 18 Major victories—a target that, BT (Before Tiger), had been deemed impregnable.

But impregnability, as fans of classic war movies like Lawrence of Arabia know only too well, is a myth. The wounded Tiger, a Navy Seal wannabe according to his former coach Hank Haney, knew it too, and he was prepared to bide his time and plot his way back towards the firing line.

His conversion rate of Major appearances into Major

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THE MAJORS 2012

Y.E. YANG CELEBRATES HIS STUNIING LAST-DAY TRIUMPH AT HAZELTINE NATIONAL IN 2009

History records the 2009 PGA Championship as Asia’s first Major Win, and Tiger’s first Major defeat after holding a 54-hole lead victories was much higher than that of Nicklaus up to that point. So as far as he, and most of us, were concerned he remained relentlessly on course to cruise without hindrance into his own personal, unique Valhalla of sporting immortality.

Fit again, he returned in 2009 and swept all before him on the PGA Tour, but surprisingly all of the Majors eluded him. The lapse that really hurt in this department came when the unsung Korean Y.E. Yang, playing headto-head with the great man, made up a two-stroke deficit in the final round of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National, then unfurled a hybrid swing for the ages across a lethal concoction of hazards on the 18th hole to secure a three-shot victory. History records dually that it was Asia’s first Major win, and Tiger’s first Major defeat after holding a 54-hole lead.

Probably of greater interest to the golfing public, although most of us are too polite to admit it, is what happened next in Tiger’s world. Less than three months after yielding to Yang, his four-wheel drive, not to mention his five-year marriage, was wrecked and so, as it turned out, was his God-given destiny as the greatest golfer ever. Suddenly 18 Major titles seemed a very long way away, and to

this day they still do. To be fair, the blame doesn’t lie exclusively with Tiger. This turn of events is also due to the emergence of so many talented and younger challengers during a period when he has largely found himself on the shelf, gathering dust.

Tiger watchers are divided on whether his master plan for demolishing the edifice that Jack built went horribly awry because of what happened in his personal life or because of his knee injury.

But what does seem clear is that he’s not the player he once was and, perhaps even more importantly, he certainly doesn’t instil the fear he once did in the hearts and minds of his closest rivals. The best recent example of this phenomenon is Phil Mickelson, seemingly forever in Woods’ thrall since they started jousting back in the late 1990s. In February of this year, though, the left-handed one well and truly exorcised his nemesis by pinning him to a ringside seat while devastatingly counterpunching his way to victory in the final round of the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. In truth, the likes of Mickelson survey Woods’ landscape in a radically different light these days. But if they

underestimate him, they do so at their peril. Unlike many of the current Major aspirants, and despite making a limited number of PGA Tour appearances, Woods has already won since the dawning of 2012— albeit at one of his happiest hunting grounds, Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, where he now has seven victories to his name.

That success, just a fortnight before the Masters, prompted all sorts of public and media enthusiasm for a fifth green jacket and a return to the world No.1 ranking, especially as Augusta National is another of Woods’ favourite tracks (statistically there are 18 of them where, collectively, he has harvested 70 of his 99 titles worldwide). But, as a five-over-par total of 293 cruelly emphasized, it was for once not to be for him in Bobby Jones’ backyard. That little bit of magic upon which Woods has usually been able to rely amongst the azaleas and dogwood failed to bloom on this occasion.

Ironically, he found himself bracketed in a tie for 40th with the tousle-haired Northern Irishman whom most pundits believe will be his successor as the game’s dominant player over the next decade or so. At the time of writing, Rory McIlroy is ranked No.2 in the world, but by the time we go to press he

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may well have regained the No.1 spot from England’s Luke Donald. The gap between the pair of them is wafer-thin, yet they are poles apart as golfers.

Both these citizens of the United Kingdom have good reason to look back fondly on 2011. In the Northern Irishman’s case, he earned himself a place on the golfing equivalent of Mount Rushmore with an ethereal triumph in the US Open at Congressional, the golfing retreat of Presidents, where he lapped the field by eight shots in a manner reminiscent of the superiority Woods achieved when seizing the same crown at Pebble Beach back in 2000.

McIlroy’s display, unquestionably on a par with LUKE DONALD’S BEST OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A MAJOR MIGHT WELL COME AT ROYAL LYTHAM & ST. ANNES IN JULY

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THE MAJORS 2012

A return of just six Major top-10s in more than a decade of toil is a little light of what we naturally expect from a world No.1

the finest Woods has ever produced, was rendered even more incredible because of how distressingly he had imploded when going into the final round of the 2011 Masters with a four-shot lead. His transformation from little boy lost to lion rampant in just two short months (short for the rest of us but mighty long for him, no doubt) was wonderful to behold—proof surely that golf’s next superstar, a giant to set beside Woods, Nicklaus, Palmer, et alia in the game’s galactic pantheon, had truly arrived.

Donald, of course, is more of a slow burner than a shooting star. Now 34, he has certainly got the hang of producing the results that maximise his earning potential on the PGA Tour. However, a return of just six top-10s in more than a decade of Major championship toil is a little light of what we naturally expect from a world No.1. For what it’s worth, this writer believes the venues for the two upcoming Majors—the US Open at The Olympic Club and The Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes—are very much Donald’s cup of tea, to such an extent that his career could both be stirred, and defined, by them.

Olympic is an awkward layout, and pretty long these days. The emphasis there, largely, will be on scrambling and holing out from distances like 10 feet. In this respect, with due apologies to Woods, who always seemed to have a magnet guiding his ball to the bottom of the cup in his heyday, there is no finer practitioner than Donald. And at Lytham, on the Lancashire coast, a few miles south of the resort town of Blackpool, the Chicago-based, Peter Pan-lookalike will definitely be in his element. The greens are small, the course is short (by modern standards) and the bunkers (206 of them at the last count) are unavoidable. Therefore, the man who can up-and-down it from sand—in recent times Bob Charles (1963), Tony Jacklin (1969), Seve Ballesteros (1979 and 1988), Tom Lehman (1996) and David Duval (2001)—is king.

Hands up, readers, if you can identify a more skilful sandy-par exponent from out of the traps than Donald. Ernie Els, now playing well again after a year or two in the doldrums and second behind Lehman 16 years ago, perhaps? David Toms, possibly? Mickelson, maybe? Woods? Mmmm! Actually, thinking about it, Mickelson could be an inspired punt at Lytham for his first, and almost certainly only, Claret Jug. Two topfives in 18 tilts at the game’s oldest hurdle, including a tie for second last year behind Darren Clarke, is a ludicrous return from a man who would probably have 10 Majors to his name by now had he not had the misfortune to find himself in the same timeframe as Woods. In Mickelson’s case, it

might be his last shot at Open glory, but it might also be his time—like it was for Ben Hogan in 1953 at Carnoustie. Mind you, that year was the only time Hogan showed up for The Open, though it was a long way from Texas in those days.

So who else to look out for amongst the continually growing, Cecil B. DeMille-like cast of hundreds at today’s Majors?

Something tells me a South African will figure in the equation at some stage. Louis Oosthuizen played brilliantly at the Masters, as did his best friend, and ultimate winner, Charl Schwartzel the previous year. Els is back on song, though, sadly, he failed to secure an invitation to this year’s Masters. Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini are all stalwarts. And what about this new guy, Brandon Grace, three times a winner on the European Tour in 2012?

But this is the beauty of our game. There are

worthy contenders from Australia (Adam Scott, Jason Day, Aaron Baddeley and Geoff Ogilvy), the Far East (Yang, K.J. Choi and Bae Sang-Moon), South America (Angel Cabrera, Camilo Villegas and Jhonattan Vegas) and across continental Europe (Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Peter Hanson and Francesco Molinari).

The roll call of leading Americans, most of whom have blossomed in the post-Tiger era, is equally immense—Bubba Watson (what more can you say about the man who produced one of the most miraculous shots in the history of golf to win the Masters?), Webb Simpson, No.2 on last year’s PGA Tour money list behind Donald, reigning PGA champion Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner, and even dear old Jim Furyk, who rarely lets his backers down.

Golf is in a fantastic place

Mickelson would probably have 10 Majors to his name by now had he not had the misfortune to find himself in the same timeframe as Woods

right now. There are so many fabulous players, and they are, almost without exception, a massive credit to the game—as individuals and role models. Talking of role models, we all love McIlroy (who couldn’t?)— so urbane, charming and self-deprecating whenever a microphone is shoved in his face. And talking of skilled bunker exponents, what about McIlroy? Two shots from sand in his brief career stand out: to secure a half in his singles match against Stewart Cink in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, and from the trap behind the 18th green at the Emirates to claim his first Tour title—the Dubai Desert Classic—in 2009. Now his putting is more consistent, a lot of people believe that he is, actually, the best player in the game. Wiser counsel would advise a pause before drawing that conclusion, and his age— he has just turned 23—is also a factor.

Certainly, when he plays well he is hard to beat—a fact that calls to mind a famous observation from the late Seve Ballesteros when MICKELSON THREATENED TO TOWER OVER THE REST OF THE FIELD DURING THE FINAL ROUND AT SANDWICH LAST YEAR

XXX 031

he was asked, back in the 1980s, who would win if all the best players in the world played well at the same time. Apart from Seve himself, the candidates included Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam, Curtis Strange, Tom Kite and Tom Watson, to name but a few. His reply?

“That’s easy. If all the players play their best, then the winner would be Sandy Lyle. And I would be second.”

Lyle, as we know, bagged two Majors and a string of titles before, strangely, hitting the buffers in his mid-30s. The talent was still there but the results were not—a salutary warning to all the game’s bright young things, McIlroy included, that nothing can be taken for granted.

In June 2011, when he really did play his best golf, McIlroy scaled an astonishing peak at Congressional, but the same could be said for his compatriot Darren Clarke, at 43 almost twice his age, in The Open Championship at Royal St. George’s beside the seaside town of Sandwich in Kent. Clarke has been an iconic figure in the game having tugged on all our heart strings when he turned out for Europe in the

IF WESTWOOD KEEPS HOLDING HIS POSE ON THE LONG SHOTS, WILL HE SOON BE HOLING WITH POISE ON THE GREENS?

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THE MAJORS 2012

Lee Westwood has actually been the most consistent of the Major contenders over a period when there has been an unprecedented run of first-time winners 2006 Ryder Cup match at the K Club near Dublin just a few weeks after the tragic passing away of his wife Heather. To be honest, Clarke’s was the last name in the thoughts of the Fourth Estate when we were assessing the merits of potential Open champions in 2011 prior to the event. However, it goes without saying it was a source of unbridled delight that he came through, with a three-shot victory, even though it demonstrated how difficult it is to predict anything in relation to this game.

Clarke’s belated triumph, surely, must give comfort to his great friend and erstwhile Ryder Cup partner Lee Westwood who has actually been the most consistent of the Major contenders over a period when there has been an unprecedented run of first-time winners (eight since Graeme McDowell began the trend at the 2010 US Open).

In his last 15 Major appearances, Westwood has finished in the top-three seven times without winning. How long he will remain a blushing bridesmaid is pure speculation, but the feeling

persists that he will never make it across the line unless his putting under pressure improves—or at least he putts as well down the stretch as he tends to in the Ryder Cup. And then there was Bradley—Keegan, nephew of Pat and son of a respected club professional. He does spend a lot of time sizing up his shots, but once his mind’s made up at least he gets on with it. He will certainly have a lot of days in the sun before calling time on his Majors’ career.

Strangely, though, my whole thought process has come back to Woods. At Lytham in 1996, he finished low amateur, though only tied 22nd. Five years later, he tied 28th, a long way behind Duval.

Then, at Olympic in 1998, he tied 18th. On top of that, he’s never played a competitive round at Kiawah Island. Ho, hum! Could he still be a contender, as Marlon Brando once averred for himself in On the Waterfront? After waffling about films during this article, all I can offer, in response when contemplating the Majors of 2012 and their likely outcomes, is what Peter O’Toole, the star of Lawrence of Arabia, stressed in one of his on-screen discussions with Omar Sharif: “Nothing is written.”

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1962 REVISITED HALF A CENTURY AGO, ARNOLD PALMER, JACK NICKLAUS AND GARY PLAYER SHARED ALL FOUR MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. BRANDED THEREAFTER AS THE BIG THREE, THEY BECAME LIFELONG FRIENDS WHILE REMAINING FEROCIOUS RIVALS. IN APRIL, THOUGH LONG RETIRED FROM THE CUT AND THRUST OF TOURNAMENT GOLF, THEY REUNITED AS JOINT HONORARY STARTERS AT THE 2012 MASTERS. Paul Trow LOOKS BACK AT THE YEAR WHEN THEY CHANGED THE GAME FOREVER

nyone who loves golf was surely glued to a TV screen when the dawn chorus struck up at Augusta National on the morning of Thursday, April 5th.

On the face of it, there might seem nothing special about three elderly gentlemen wafting their golf balls from the 1st tee and then strolling back to the clubhouse for a leisurely southern breakfast.

But appearances can be deceptive, and certainly were on this occasion.

The three gentlemen in question—Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player—collected 13 green jackets between them in the space of 28 years (from 1958-86). Without their historic exploits over the hallowed turf that was ‘consecrated’ in the early 1930s by the late, great Bobby Jones and his attendant ‘angel,’ Dr Alister MacKenzie, it is safe to say that the four Major championships would not enjoy today’s exalted status.

After a sequence of curtain-raising tournaments in the sunshine of Hawaii, California, Arizona, Florida and Texas, the Masters provides the fanfare that ensures the golf season grabs the sporting public’s full attention, a process very much the legacy of that halcyon era when Messrs. Palmer, Nicklaus and Player were in the ascendancy.

Nowadays, Georgia in early April is on everyone’s mind. TV crews descend upon the former nursery to pay homage to the kaleidoscope of golfing skills and floral colours on display. And they are rewarded with action that is never less than thrilling—how can

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THE MAJORS 2012

it be when a treacherous stretch of holes like Amen Corner lies in wait to separate the claims of the pretenders from the contenders?

The excitement is almost routine nowadays, but it’s a routine that was honed half a century ago when the aforementioned triumvirate, teamed together as honorary Masters’ starters for the first time in 2012, were attracting rather more attention for the way they finished tournaments than started them.

Back then, the concept of the modern ‘grand slam’ of Major championships was taking hold. The idea was that the Masters would tee up the four-month program and propel it with gathering momentum through the US Open, Open and PGA Championships.

Perhaps the principal reason why the idea captured the imagination so swiftly, and so permanently, was the way in which these four great championships unfolded in 1962. Each one was a collector’s item and once the dust had settled on the season the four prestigious titles were duly shared between Palmer, Nicklaus and Player.

With the dark cloud of the Cuban Missile Crisis looming throughout the year over the American way of life, people needed an escape from their political fears—and these golfing greats played a far from insignificant part in providing some much-needed relief.

Never slow off the mark, sports agent Mark McCormack rebranded the illustrious trio as the ‘Big Three’, set them up with a series of made-for-TV matches, and along the way created a golfing dynasty, the likes of which has never really been replicated.

This was the year that Palmer, Player and Nicklaus, the leading golfers in the world at the time, were rebranded as the ‘Big Three’

035

So what was all the fuss about?

To put the 1962 Majors’ season into context, our story should begin with the Masters 12 months earlier, a tournament remembered mainly for Palmer’s double-bogey six at the 72nd hole that handed a one-stroke victory to Player. Player led Palmer, the defending champion, by four shots after three rounds but was going in decidedly the wrong direction on the final-day back nine, so much so that by the time they stood on the 18th tee Palmer held a one-stroke lead. However, a momentary distraction, accepting premature congratulations from a wellwishing friend in the gallery, followed by a sandtrap catastrophe beside the 18th green, was all that was required to send Palmer through the trap door and into a tie for second place behind the diminutive South African.

Fast forward a year and Palmer arrived at Augusta still steaming about his costly lapse in concentration, hell-bent on setting the record straight. “Doggedly determined to make up for my embarrassing collapse at 18 the year prior, I played superb golf for three rounds,” Palmer, who had already won twice during the early part of that season, recalls in his autobiography A Golfer’s Life.

Scores of 70, 66 and 69 gave Palmer a four-shot lead over Player (the exact reverse of 1961) going into the final round, but fellow American Dow Finsterwald, with a 54-hole total of 207, was sandwiched between them in second place just two back. A closing 75 from Palmer, 73 from Finsterwald and 71 from Player meant that all three players finished the regulation 72 holes tied on 280, eight under par.

After a modest start to the tournament’s first three-way playoff which saw him trailing at the turn,

ARNOLD PALMER COLLECTS HIS THIRD GREEN JACKET AFTER THE 1962 MASTERS AND THEN TELLS REPORTERS HE’D LIKE AN EASIER RIDE FOR HIS NEXT VICTORY AT AUGUSTA

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THE MAJORS 2012

All four Major champions from 1961 finished in the top-five on the 1962 Masters leaderboard, including Arnold Palmer, the winner, and defending champion Gary Player, who was joint runnerup after a three-man playoff

Palmer reeled off a blistering back nine of 31 for a 68 that sealed his third green jacket, and thus tied Sam Snead and Jimmy Demaret for the then record number of Masters victories. Player finished the playoff on 71 while Finsterwald, clearly flagging, limped in on 77.

Ironically, Demaret had unwittingly played a crucial role in the about-turn of Palmer’s crumbling final-round fortunes during regulation play. After dropping five shots over the first 15 holes, Palmer was trailing both Player and Finsterwald when he heard Demaret, in his capacity as a TV commentator, telling listeners that he faced an “impossible” chip on 16. No doubt fired up by this observation, Palmer duly rolled the ball into the cup for a 2, birdied 17 from 20ft and narrowly missed a putt from a similar distance on the home green to win the title outright.

At his press conference following his belated triumph, Palmer famously told the assembled reporters that after so many tense, tight finishes he yearned for the day when he could walk up the 18th fairway with a handsome lead and celebrate the moment with the galleries. He finally got his wish in 1964 when he won his fourth and final green jacket by six shots from Nicklaus and Dave Marr.

In 1962, Nicklaus, who was playing in his first Masters as a professional, finished off the pace in a tie for 15th. But the pedigree of the upper echelons of the leader-board was borne out by the fact that all of the Major winners in 1961 finished in the top five—Palmer (Open champion, winner), Player (Masters champion, joint runner-up), Gene Littler (US Open champion, fourth) and Jerry Barber (PGA champion, tied fifth).

Two months later, Palmer found himself in another playoff—this time for the US Open at Oakmont Country Club, a course, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that he knew like the back of his hand.

After three rounds, he shared the lead with Bobby Nichols on 212, one stroke ahead of Phil Rodgers and Bob Rosburg, and two clear of Player and Nicklaus, who at that stage had still not won since joining the paid ranks. Rosburg blew up with a 79 in the final round which plummeted him to 13th place. Player also struggled, closing with 74 for a tie for sixth, but Rodgers and Nichols acquitted themselves creditably, turning in 72 and 73 respectively to tie for third.

However, Nicklaus, who had finished second and fourth as an amateur in the two previous U.S. Opens, was made of sterner stuff. His final round of 69 meant that Palmer’s level-par 71, which on most occasions would have been more than enough to secure the title, only earned him a place in an 18hole playoff with his 22-year-old rival.

The atmosphere when the championship entered extra time was electric. Palmer, who missed a 10ft birdie putt on the 72nd green to win outright, enjoyed vociferous partisan support from his local galleries whereas Nicklaus, seen as a brash and unwelcome threat to the King’s crown, was jeered unmercifully.

Not for the last time, though, the ‘Golden Bear’ displayed a fortitude that refused to allow the catcalls to undermine his concentration, and after six holes of the playoff he held a four-stroke lead. Palmer, naturally, rallied with some birdies of his own, but in the end capitulated by three strokes, 71-74.

Admiringly, Palmer noted that the crowd hadn’t fazed Nicklaus one bit. But, as a staunch advocate of fair play under all circumstances, he was bothered by the abuse. Another thing that bothered him— although he never used it as an excuse—was a deep cut on a finger that had required stitches only a few days before the championship.

One difference between himself and Nicklaus that Palmer did rue, publicly, was the respective number of three-putts they each took on Oakmont’s slick, treacherous greens. Whilst Palmer threestabbed 13 times across 90 holes, Nicklaus only took more than two putts once.

Palmer also uttered a sentence that would resonate, prophetically, down two and a half decades of championship golf: “Now the big guy is out of the cage, everybody better run for cover.”

HEAD START: NICKLAUS WON HIS FIRST US OPEN TITLE BY GOING 90 HOLES AT OAKMONT WITH ONLY ONE THREE-PUTT GREEN

Nicklaus was the youngest US Open winner since Jones in 1923 and the first, since Jones in 1930, to hold both the US Open and US Amateur Championship trophies simultaneously. To say the least, his cover was well and truly blown.

For Palmer, Oakmont began a frustrating streak of four second-place finishes inside six years in his national championship, during which time he lost two further playoffs—in 1963 (to Julius Boros) and 1966 (to Billy Casper).

In the playoff for the US Open at Oakmont in 1962, Palmer enjoyed vociferous partisan support from his local Pittsburgh galleries. Not for the first time, though, Jack Nicklaus refused to allow the catcalls and abuse to undermine his concentration

When Palmer made his Open Championship debut in 1960 at St Andrews, the ‘off message’ Australian Kel Nagle beat him by a stroke. At the 1962 Open at Troon on the west coast of Scotland, it was a case of role-reversal, with Palmer finishing first (his sixth Major win) and Nagle second. This time, though, it wasn’t remotely close. Palmer led Nagle by five going into the final round, and finished with a sixstroke victory. To underline the extent of the King’s superiority that week, Nagle was a further seven shots ahead of the third-placed golfers, Rodgers and combative Welshman Brian Huggett.

It was Palmer’s second straight win in the game’s oldest championship, and his popularity that week with the spectators was such that the R&A were forced to introduce stricter crowd-control measures.

The roping-off of fairways and the fencing of course

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GARY PLAYER REBOUNDED FROM THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF MISSING THE CUT IN THE OPEN BY WINNING HIS FIRST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP A WEEK LATER AT ARONIMINK

boundaries began a year later, at the 1963 Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, mainly because of the volume of support that Palmer had attracted at Troon.

Palmer’s four rounds at Troon—71-69-67-69 for a total of 276 (the R&A didn’t declare a par for Open courses in those days)—tied Ben Hogan’s then low score in a Major, in the 1948 US Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

Yet despite his margin of victory, Palmer recalls it wasn’t all plain sailing. At the halfway stage, he was frustrated by his putting (echoes of Oakmont?). His wife Winnie then told him she thought he was moving his head when he putted. He worked on the tip overnight and the result was nine one-putts in round three.

Strangely, Palmer never finished higher than seventh in an Open after this, and he won just one more Major—the 1964 Masters. Of the other competitors strutting their stuff that week, 50-yearold Sam Snead, who only played in the championship five times, winning in 1946, tied for sixth with Peter Thomson, while Nicklaus tied for 34th and Player, uncharacteristically, missed the cut.

Fifty years on, Palmer, Player and Nicklaus —aged 82, 76 and 72 respectively —are the living evidence of the symbolic heritage that the four Major championships embody

Less than a week later, though, the Black Knight was back on his charger and setting the record straight. In those days, the PGA Championship was the very next event in the schedule after the Open, hardly giving participants time to pause for breath, let alone regroup, but it was long enough for Player to sort out whatever had gone wrong the previous week at Troon.

The 1962 PGA Championship—Pennsylvania’s second Major of the year—was held at Aronimink

THE BIG THREE’S FINISHES IN THE 1962 MAJORS

Golfer Arnold Palmer Jack Nicklaus Gary Player

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Masters 1st* Tied 15th 2nd*

THE MAJORS 2012

US Open 2nd* 1st* Tied 6th

Open 1st Tied 34th Missed Cut

PGA Championship Tied 17th Tied 3rd 1st *= After a playoff

Golf Club, Donald Ross’s masterpiece in Newtown Square near Philadelphia that even in those days measured well in excess of 7,000 yards. And it proved a fitting stage for Player’s third Major victory, and the sixth win of his PGA Tour career.

Trailing by one to Doug Ford at the halfway stage, Player edged ahead with a third-round 69 and went on to hold off fast-finishing Bob Goalby by a single shot with a closing 70 for a 72-hole total of 278, two under par. George Bayer, who trailed Player by two after 54 holes, tied for third on 281 with Nicklaus who surged through the field with a final round of 67, while Palmer, who won a total of nine times in 1962, was never really a factor, tying ultimately for 17th on 288.

Fifty years later, Palmer, Player and Nicklaus— now aged 82, 76 and 72 respectively—are the living evidence of the symbolic heritage that the four Major championships embody. It is a heritage that stretches back beyond Hogan, Snead, Nelson, Jones, Hagen and Sarazen to the very origins of thegame, a heritage that safeguards for generations to come the principles and conventions held sacrosanct by all who love the game.

A significant landmark in this heritage was established half a century ago when the ‘Big Three’ bestrode the golfing world. Their trip down Memory Lane in April, not to mention Magnolia Lane, might have culminated in a hearty yet private breakfast behind closed doors, but at least most of us managed to tune in for starters.

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The 2012 MasTers will be reMeMbered for as lonG as The GaMe of Golf is Played—for Two of The GreaTesT shoTs ever sTruck and for a charisMaTic chaMPion who Truly broke The Mould. Bill Elliott looks back on a reMarkable TournaMenT ThaT beGan wiTh a reunion of The biG Three, Tore uP The bookies’ odds alonG The way and was decided by a MoMenT of Pure Genius

It was the Masters that had it all... except what everyone had predicted it would have.

In the weeks building up to the old Georgia rumble, the feeling had grown that this 76th Masters would be all about a generation game, that while it was nice to have so many in-form players in town the big story would be all about a rejuvenated Tiger Woods versus the mercurial Rory McIlroy. It was hard not to be swept up in this hyperbole but in the end the wiser ones resisted the temptation. Instead they suggested we all just wait and see, that Augusta National may be a technicolour dreamscape but that it is also a course that, predictably, encourages the unpredictable with its aching valleys and risk-reward holes.

And so it proved. Tiger and Rory did have a duel of sorts but theirs was a rather gloomy argument over who finished where amongst the also-rans. Eventually they elected to share 40th place, Woods’ worst Augusta performance as a professional by a long way, McIlroy once again demonstrating that he has yet to come to terms properly with the unique demands of this particular Major. Included in this list of demands this year was the weather.

In turns hot, then cold, then hot again. Lots of rain, T-storms and warnings, and a par-3 contest that had to be curtailed as everyone ran for cover. It meant a softened course and this in turn meant it was easier to hold shots on the greens but it took longer to get there.

One step forward, one step back, same stern examination. Arnold, Jack and Gary were probably glad they only had to hit one drive when they stepped on to the 1st tee to declare the 2012 Masters open for business shortly after dawn on that first morning, the ‘Big Three’ once again together as a group. It was certainly good to see them briefly in action, just as

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the the majors majors 2012 2012

a flashing, controlled hook took his ball under the trees, then up high before it turned 90 degrees right to end up on the green

FROM DEEP IN THE PINES ON THE SECOND PLAYOFF HOLE, BUBBA WATSON EXECUTES THE SHOT THAT IN EFFECT WON HIM THE GREEN JACKET

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it was good to see Phil Mickelson in his club blazer supporting these legends despite the fact he was not due to tee off for several hours.

Big brownie points to Mickelson from those of us who enthusiastically embrace the game’s history!

But then there is something about the lolloping Californian and this tournament. Something good.

It doesn’t seem to matter how he is playing going into Augusta because what Phil does next is to contend here. It was no different this time. However, despite entering the final day as everyone’s idea of the winner he sabotaged himself on the short 4th, his ball ricocheting off a grandstand to the left of the green and, weirdly, into a bamboo copse. After a couple of right-handed shots, Leftie exited this green with a triple-bogey from which he never recovered.

Meanwhile, Louis Oosthuizen, everybody’s idea of a surprise winner when he took the Open Championship at St Andrews two years ago, offered up his own vibrant contribution to Masters history with an albatross (double-eagle, if you prefer) at the long 2nd, his 4-iron covering 235 yards downhill before rolling gently, obediently even, into the hole.

“Come to papa,” growled David Feherty, memorably.

It was the first Masters albatross on this hole and one that immediately placed the South African at the top of a crowded leaderboard, his gap-toothed grin illuminating the scene before he reminded himself of his mortality by failing to connect properly from 24 inches when he tried to high-five his equally jubilant caddie. Joining in the celebrations was his playing partner, the left-handed Bubba Watson.

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the majors 2012

OOSTHUIZEN WAVES TO THE GALLERIES AFTER HOLING HIS SECOND SHOT AT THE 2ND AND MICKELSON WAVES IN DESPAIR AS HIS BALL HEADS FOR A BAMBOO BUSH ON THE 4TH. BUBBA, MEANWHILE, KEPT SWISHING AWAY AS ONLY BUBBA CAN

Bubba’s Masters up to this point had been steady rather than spectacular, rounds of 69, 71 and 70 keeping him in the hunt rather than installing him as one of the favourites. Watson, after all, had a reputation for failing more often than not to close out Sunday deals as his inability to deal with the excitement too often crushed his ambition.

No, Oosthuizen was the man at this point, everyone else a chaser. This determined posse of wannabes inevitably included Lee Westwood.

The Englishman is generally accepted as the best player tee-to-green currently plying his trade, but he is one of the worst at converting serious birdie opportunities. It seemed he had constructed a dependable stroke on the greens a couple of years ago but it has gradually deteriorated as his confidence over those vital 10-footers has evaporated. At Augusta, it was a resigned Westwood who unravelled another bleak series of missed opportunities. In the end, he tied for third, confirming his status as the best current golfer yet to win a Major.

Not that Bubba was thinking about any of this. When his playing partner holed that amazing shot on the 2nd, he fell four shots behind the new leader. Not impossible to make up over this rollercoaster of a course but it was going to take something very special indeed. Mostly, however, it required Oosthuizen to stay within range, and this is what happened. Enjoying a kind

of miracle on a golf course is one thing, capitalizing on it is another, and Oosthuizen admitted afterwards that it was hard to retain focus after picking up three shots on the field on one hole. Distracted by his own outrageous good fortune, perhaps, he went one-over par for the rest of the front nine and the gap was halved to two shots.

When Oosthuizen bogeyed the 10th, it was game on for Bubba. The man who struggles to control his emotions was now to be tested like never before. Not many gave him a chance of staying in control of an elastic swing that seems to be made up of at least 23 moving parts. When it works, he hits the ball prodigious distances but on the other hand... “I tried to stay calm, tried not to look at the crowd, tried not to over-celebrate when I played a hole well. I think I did pretty good for once,” he said later, and he was correct.

He says now that he can’t properly remember what he did over the last six holes but all he needs to know is that he reeled off four consecutive birdies from the 13th. Oosthuizen by now had managed to regroup and so the two of them finished tied at tenunder par, two strokes clear of everyone else.

The resultant playoff is already a big, vibrant part of Augusta history. Each had a birdie chance at the first hole—the 18th—but had to move on to the beautiful beast that is the 10th, a downhill, curving par-4 that offers much that is great and even more that is potentially crushing. When Bubba slashed his drive deep into the pines to the right of the hole it seemed it was over but then came one of the most prodigious blows that has ever won a tournament, a

final scores (usa unless stated; Par-72) 278 Bubba Watson 69 71 70 68 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 68 72 69 69 (Watson won at second playoff hole) 280 Lee Westwood (England) 67 73 72 68 Matt Kuchar 71 70 70 69 Phil Mickelson 74 68 66 72 Peter Hanson (Sweden) 68 74 65 73 283 Ian Poulter (England) 72 72 70 69 284 Adam Scott (Australia) 75 70 73 66 Justin Rose (England) 72 72 72 68 Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 71 73 68 72 285 Jim Furyk 70 73 72 70 286 Graeme McDowell (N. Ireland) 75 72 71 68 Kevin Na 71 75 72 68 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 72 68 75 71 Fred Couples 72 67 75 72 Hunter Mahan 72 72 68 74 287 Bo Van Pelt 73 75 75 64 Ben Crane 69 73 72 73 288 Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 74 72 71 71 Charles Howell III 72 70 74 72

flashing, controlled hook that took his ball under the trees and then up high before it turned 90 degrees right to end up on the green and close enough to the hole to guarantee a par. It was enough. A chastened Oosthuizen failed to get up and down from just short of the green and, very predictably, Bubba cried a lot.

A new adoptive father, still mourning the loss of his own dad and shocked by the bliss of his own success, Bubba was not the only one who broke down.

Suddenly America had a new man-child sporting hero, a golfer who interests even those sports fans that more often than not ignore the game: Man enough to gain a decent University of Georgia degree but big kid enough to buy one of the General Lees from the Dukes Of Hazzard TV series.

So how did he come up with that ridiculous Masterswinning blow out of those pines? Two days later and more in control of things, he told David Letterman: ”Luck—just close your eyes and swing hard.” Then he reflected on how he plays golf and why he loves the game. “Y’know I just love goofing around. I’m having a blast out there.

Emotional? For sure. My caddie and I call it Bubba Golf.” The rest of us just call it sensational. And naturally, entirely, logically unpredictable. Carry on goofing, Bubba. Augusta’s elite membership will never be quite the same. Already the new guy is threatening a takeaway Waffle House champions’ dinner for 2013.

Yeehaw, baby! Yeehaw in excelsis.

289 290

291

292 293

Brandt Snedeker Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) Francesco Molinari (Italy) Anders Hansen (Denmark) Jason Dufner Paul Lawrie (Scotland) Keegan Bradley Rickie Fowler Vijay Singh (Fiji) Scott Stallings Jonathan Byrd Luke Donald (England) Angel Cabrera (Argentina) Zach Johnson Sean O’Hair Nick Watney Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) Bill Haas Sang-Moon Bae (South Korea) Tiger Woods Aaron Baddeley (Australia) Rory McIlroy (N. Ireland)

72 75 68 73 76 68 70 74 69 75 70 74 76 72 73 68 69 70 75 75 69 72 72 76 71 77 73 69 74 74 72 70 70 72 76 72 70 77 70 73 72 71 72 75 75 73 75 68 71 78 71 71 70 74 75 72 73 70 71 77 71 71 72 77 73 76 74 69 72 74 76 70 75 71 69 77 72 75 72 74 71 71 77 74 71 69 77 76

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 71 71 70 81 294 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 72 75 75 72 Kevin Chappell 71 76 71 76 Webb Simpson 72 74 70 78 295 Patrick Cantlay {Am} 71 78 74 72 Ross Fisher (England) 71 77 73 74 Steve Stricker 71 77 72 75 296 Stewart Cink 71 75 81 69 Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 74 74 77 71 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 72 75 75 74 David Toms 73 73 75 75 297 Scott Verplank 73 75 75 74 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) {Am} 71 74 72 80 298 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 69 72 76 81 299 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 75 74 76 74 Martin Laird (Scotland) 76 72 74 77 Y.E. Yang (South Korea) 73 70 75 81 301 Trevor Immelman (South Africa) 78 71 76 76 302 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) 74 75 76 77 306 Kelly Kraft {Am} 74 75 77 80 Thirty-two players missed the cut

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THE 2012 MASTERS CHAMPION IS A FLAILING LEFTHANDER WITH, AS ONE SEASONED OBSERVER TERMED IT, 23 MOVING PARTS EVERY TIME HE LASHES THE BALL WITH HIS ‘PRETTY IN PINK’ DRIVER. BUT HE’S ALSO THE MASTER OF IMPROVISATION, AS HIS WINNING SHOT AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL EXQUISITELY DEMONSTRATED. Paul Mahoney TAKES HIS PLACE IN THE QUEUE OF BORN-AGAIN BUBBA WORSHIPPERS

Elemental, My Dear Watson ake a bow, Bubba Watson! Freewheeling golf is back in fashion. The new Masters champion has never had a lesson in his life but is a graduate of the Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros School of Ad-Libbed Golf.

Motto: “Hit it, go find it, hit it again.”

Watson, from Bagdad, Florida but now residing in Scottsdale, Arizona, has invented his own style of swashbuckling golf—Bubba Golf, as he calls it. That 40-yard hook with his wedge from the trees to the 10th green in the playoff against Louis Oosthuizen at Augusta National will forever be remembered for its magical madness. Jack Nicklaus certainly approved: “When you’re playing a hook it usually takes off. But that ball danced like it had a lot of backspin on it. I saw that ball hit the green, and I said, ‘Wow! That will go down as one of the great shots ever played.’”

On Sunday evening in Augusta, Watson tells the story of the first time he worked with his caddie, Ted Scott, six years ago. “I told him, ‘if I have a swing, I’ve got a shot. I’m used to the woods. I’m used to the rough.’” Watson revealed he had decided to play that shot on the 10th even before

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THE MAJORS 2012

he got to his ball. “I knew as soon as I was walking. I was already looking at the gap.”

Bubba Golf has taken America by storm and the feel-good factor of Watson’s gungho style has gone global. Look out Lytham when The Open returns to north-west England in July. And don’t forget to mark Watson’s card when The Open heads back to the wide-open spaces of the Old Course at St Andrews in three years’ time. In many respects, Watson, born on November 5, is John Daly all over again, with the fireworks but without the demons. Take note: 2015 will be the 20th anniversary of the Wild Thing’s victory at the Home of Golf.

Watson’s obsession with golf began at the age of six. He taught himself to shape shots by hitting over trees and under branches in his family’s garden, and thwacking plastic balls around the house with a 9-iron. He’d go round hitting slices, then turn about and hit hooks. He got so good his father eventually let him use a real ball. “I never broke any windows. My parents taught me that if I keep playing golf, I could pay for college that way with a

scholarship. I wouldn’t have to get a job. So I worked my butt off to play golf. [I’ve] Never been a party animal, don’t drink, never been drunk. I played golf all the time and went to bed early. I never got in any trouble with the law. My goal was to make the PGA Tour.”

Watson’s backyard, DIY style of golf hit pay dirt at the Masters. He wowed the galleries and millions watching on television around the world by smashing controlled slices and hooks under, over and around the Augusta pines. It will come as no surprise, then, to discover that Watson’s role model is fellow lefty and three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson. “He goes for broke,” Watson explains. “That’s what I do. I always attack. I don’t like to go to the centre of the greens. I want to hit the incredible shot; who doesn’t? That’s why we play the game of golf, to pull off the amazing shot.” And he sure pulled off that shot for the ages at Augusta in April.

It’s easy not to take Watson seriously but he deserves respect for what he has achieved. It might seem he’s made something of himself out of nothing, but he already had

BUBBA WATSON, ATTIRED IN HIS NEW GREEN JACKET, TELLS THE WORLD’S GOLF PRESS HOW HE BECAME THE 76TH MASTERS CHAMPION

047

bubba watson (USA)

Born: 5 November 1978 Turned Pro: 2003 Major Win: Masters (2012) Other Professional Wins: 5

three PGA Tour victories, a playoff defeat in the 2010 PGA Championship, and Ryder and Presidents Cup appearances to his name before he bagged his Major. “I’m just Bubba,” he insists. “I goof around. I’m not ready for fame. I don’t really want to be famous.” Too late. Bubba Golf has gone viral.

Watson is the Clown Prince of the new generation that’s proving there’ll be life after Tiger Woods. “It brings it back to pure golf,” he says. “It’s the trend of the younger crowd—freeing up the game instead of being like the old school robots that had coaches by their side. I’ve never had a lesson in my life. If you’re good, you’re gonna find a way to play good. You don’t need someone to tell you. I look at the lie of the land and see the shape of the shot in my head. I see the lines.”

Golf’s great entertainer is pulling huge crowds every time he tees it up with that pink driver of his that looks like the leg of a flamingo. Watson generates clubhead speed of 122mph (10mph faster than the Tour average) and his ball speed is 194mph (exceeding Tour average by almost 30mph).

His best drive flew 416 yards at the 2010 Sony Open and he regularly tops the longdriving stats. This year he’s out in front again, averaging 313 yards; and every time he smacks one past 300 yards, PING donates $300 to cancer research.

So what’s Watson really like? What

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the majors 2012

THE PERKS OF FAME: AN AUDIENCE WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (BELOW) AND A HUG FROM MUM (RIGHT)

makes him tick? He’s never read a book other than parts of the Bible. He’s highly strung yet his swing is loose. He’s preppy with a floppy Ringo Starr mop top yet he’s redneck as the owner of a General Lee, the orange Dodge Charger from the The Dukes of Hazzard. He’s lovable and simple—in a homespun kind of way. But he’s complicated, too. His caddie once threatened to leave him if he couldn’t control his mood swings, and he upset the French when playing there last year by describing the Louvre as “that building beginning with L” and the Arc de Triomphe as “an arch in the middle of the road.”

But he meant no harm. He’s introvert and wary of celebrity, yet he’s also extrovert and goofy, and came across well recently doing the talk-show circuit as a guest of David Letterman and Piers Morgan.

Bubba is a 33-year-old kid, easily distracted and fidgeting constantly as if he’s sitting on a box of frogs. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are perfect forums to keep his brain buzzing. His videos have become legendary: chipping balls out of his garage into his swimming pool and blasting vegetables with a driver. Does he ever pause for breath? “I probably do have ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder]. I’ve never been tested by a doctor but I guess I do. I just can’t sit still.”

Bubba isn’t even his real name. It’s Gerry, his father’s name. He still has those chubby cheeks that prompted Dad to quip

when the 11lb-plus infant was born: “We seem to have a bubba here, not a baby.”

But Bubba is not as dumb as some people, maybe even the man himself, would have us believe. Without telling anyone on Tour, he completed his final examination papers to earn his consumer economics degree at the University of Georgia in 2008, five years after he’d embarked on a career as a professional golfer.

Bubba rides an emotional rollercoaster and always seems close to tears. But there has been much for him to get emotional about recently, and for more important reasons than winning his first Major. His father (a Green Beret lieutenant during the Vietnam War) died of cancer shortly after the 2010 Ryder Cup. And only two weeks before the Masters, he and his wife Angie, a former professional basketball player who, at 6ft 4in, is a full inch taller than her gangling husband, adopted their first child, a little boy called Caleb.

So what happens next for Watson?

His reply was vintage Bubba, reminiscent of Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates.

“That’s the best part about history, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know the future. Hopefully, I keep crying. Hopefully, I keep having the passion to play golf and keep doing what I’m doing.

I can’t really say this is a dream come true.

I’ve never had a dream go this far.”

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TWO ASTONISHING PERFORMANCES FROM SONS OF NORTHERN IRELAND AND AN UNEXPECTED DISPLAY OF STEELY RESOLVE FROM THE NEPHEW OF A FAMOUS AUNTIE DOMINATED THE LAST THREE MAJORS OF 2011. Peter Phyllisen LOOKS BACK ON A TRIO OF MEMORABLE CHAMPIONSHIPS Like a chastened thoroughbred racehorse, Rory McIlroy completed his amazing 70-day transformation from Masters meltdown to Major marvel by lapping the field at the 2011 US Open.

The wonder kid from Holywood, Co. Down, delivered the golfing equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster, setting record after record at Congressional Country Club as he kept the trophy not just in European, but Northern Irish hands. More than that, he became, at 22, the second youngest European major winner of all time—and the youngest since 1872, the year ‘Young’ Tom Morris captured his fourth and final Open, at the age of 21.

“The whole week was incredible—I couldn’t ask for any more and I’m so happy to hold this trophy,” he said.

“For such a small nation to win two US Opens in a row is pretty special. As Graeme [McDowell] said last year, there’ll be a lot of pints of Guinness going down.”

On his recovery from his debacle at the Masters, where he blew up to a closing 80 after starting the final round with a four-shot lead, McIlroy added: “Augusta was a valuable experience. I knew what I needed to do today to win. I learnt a few things

there about myself and my game. I put a few different things into practice and it paid off.”

Not since Bobby Jones in 1923 has this, the toughest of the four Majors, been lifted by someone of such tender years—and with Padraig Harrington saying that McIlroy has the potential to challenge Jack Nicklaus’s 18-Major record, it ought to be noted that the Golden Bear was a few months older when his first win came, in the same event in 1962.

The most remarkable aspect of McIlroy’s triumph is that this was his first Major since his Masters implosion, yet he was a class apart from the moment he started in the same way he had at Augusta, with a 65.

By the time he raised his arms in triumph to the roars of the crowd—such a contrast to the heckling that runner-up Colin Montgomerie received at the same venue in 1997—everyone present knew they had witnessed something, and somebody, truly special.

Among the first to join in the celebrations was his dad Gerry. “Happy Father’s Day—this one’s for you,” McIlroy said at the presentation ceremony. “I have

A Year to Remember

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THE MAJORS 2012

MCILROY HAD THINGS PRETTY MUCH TO HIMSELF ON THE FINAL DAY AT THE 2012 US OPEN AS HIS FOLLOWERS FELL AWAY ONE BY ONE

to mention my mum too—for everything they have done for me, I can’t thank them enough.”

Following his closing 69 for a tournamentrecord 16-under-par total of 268, a trawl through the annals revealed that these were the new US Open marks he set or shared: lowest halfway total (131), biggest halfway lead (-6, tied with Woods), lowest 54-hole total (199), quickest to 10 under (26 holes), quickest to 11 under (32 holes), quickest to 12 under (34 holes), first to 13 under (35 holes), first to 14 under (50 holes), first to 15 under (55 holes), first to 16 under (58 holes), first to 17 under (64 holes), most under par after 72 holes (-16), lowest 72-hole total (268, by 4). He also became only the third player to have four rounds in the 60s at the event.

While those statistics, inevitably, also said something about how soft the Washington course was all week, only one player took full advantage.

Insistent that he had his Masters nightmare in context within a few days (he was third in Malaysia the following Sunday), a visit to earthquake-hit Haiti the week before coming to Congressional added further perspective. However, he still had to prove that, regardless of his eight-stroke cushion with a day to go, he was capable of remaining in a league of his own. History records he was up to the task.

ONLY TWO PLAYERS HAVE WON THEIR FIRST MAJOR TITLE WHEN THEY WERE OLDER THAN CLARKE

Contrary to the fashionable idea that his best days were behind him, Darren Clarke became the oldest Open champion since 1967 and sparked yet another party across Northern Ireland.

Just a month after McIlroy’s US Open victory, and just over a year after Graeme McDowell’s triumph in the same event, Clarke joined them in the Major winners’ club with an astonishing performance at Royal St. George’s, just outside the town of Sandwich in the county of Kent in southeast England.

The 42-year-old, ranked 111th in the world and seen more as a mentor for McIlroy than a genuine contender when they practised together the day before the first round, lifted the Claret Jug at his 20th attempt. He won by three shots from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, and thus extended America’s record barren spell in the four Majors to six, going back to Mickelson’s victory in the 2010 Masters.

“It’s incredible—it really is,” said Clarke, becoming emotional when mention was made of his two sons, left motherless in 2006 when his wife Heather died of breast cancer. “It’s for the kids,” he added. Nobody has ever waited so long and then won The Open, yet with a closing 70 in relentless wind and rain Clarke finished his 54th Major with a five-under-par total of 275.

The former Ryder Cup star—hero of the 2006 victory at the K Club just six weeks after he lost his wife—could even enjoy the walk up the final fairway knowing the job was done. He had just dropped a shot on the 17th and could even afford to three-putt the last for another bogey. With that, Clarke, watched by his sons, Tyrone and Conor, at their home in Portrush on the north coast of Northern Ireland, punched the air repeatedly, took his cap off and waved it to all parts, and hugged caddie John Mulrooney.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, who failed to hang on to a three-shot lead with four to play on the same course in 2003, finished fourth this time, but Clarke never looked like tossing away the four-shot lead handed to him when Johnson shanked out of bounds on the 14th and Mickelson ran up four bogeys in six holes.

“I’m a bit speechless,” Clarke confessed. “The last couple of holes I was trying not to make stupid mistakes and just play really careful.”

Mickelson, who like Clarke made his Open debut in 1991, had earlier charged into the joint lead by playing the first seven holes in five-under-par, but he came home in 38 and had to settle for merely improving on his previous best Open finish of third at Royal Troon in 2004.

Only two players have ever won their first Major when older than Clarke— Jerry Barber, 45, at the 1961 PGA Championship and Roberto De Vicenzo, 44, at the 1967 Open. And in the Open alone, only three Champions have been older than Clarke—De Vicenzo, Harry Vardon and ‘Old’ Tom Morris.

However, he was not the worst-ranked player to triumph at Royal St. George’s—Ben Curtis was 396th eight years ago. On the last day, Clarke had the vital initial boost of a 15-foot par putt on the 1st, then went two ahead with a five-footer on the next and three in front when he saved par on the difficult short 3rd from nine feet and Johnson missed from six.

A drive into rough on the 4th—the hardest hole all week— led to his first bogey of the day, but he could never have suspected, as he parred the next, that he would be caught by Mickelson. Lefty had birdied the 2nd, but when he added another from 14 feet for only the second below-par score all weekend on the 4th the charge was on. Mickelson went to three-under for the day by finding the target from almost 30 feet on the short 6th, then eagled the 7th from 25 feet to go joint top. The weather was

starting to turn nasty at that stage, but Clarke, who cut his teeth as a links player at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland, had often prospered in such conditions in the past, and he did so again when he answered Mickelson’s eagle with one of his own from a slightly shorter distance.

Two in front again as a result, he stayed there with a real ‘luck of the Irish’ moment at the 412yard 9th when his low recovery from the left rough skipped over a bunker and found the green.

His par there took him to the turn in 33, brilliant in its own right but outshone by Mickelson’s best-ofthe-week 30. There was one between them when the American made an 18-footer on the 10th, but he missed a three-foot par attempt on the next, a sixfooter at the 13th, had another bogey after driving into sand two holes later, and then three-putted the 16th. Johnson, four back at the turn, birdied 10 and 12 to move into second place, but then hit his second shot out of bounds on the long 14th. His double-bogey seven gave Clarke an even bigger cushion than Bjorn had had in 2003. Bjorn could not complete the task, but Clarke did. He’d just become $1.5m richer and at a stroke— or rather 275 of them—had moved back into the game’s top-30. Then the party began.

XXX

History was made in Atlanta when little-known Keegan Bradley, who was five shots behind with only three holes remaining and playing in the first Major of his life, beat fellow American Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff to win the 2011 PGA Championship.

Not only did Bradley become the first player to capture a major with a long putter, but it extended to seven in a row the number of Majors that had been taken by first-time winners.

How it was that Bradley, and not Dufner, took the title, though, almost defied belief. The 25-year-old, whose Hall-of-Fame aunt Pat Bradley won six LPGA Majors, looked to have blown his chances of becoming only the second player since 1913 to win on his Major debut when he triple-bogeyed the short 15th.

But the world No.108, trying to emulate Ben Curtis in the 2003 Open at Sandwich, birdied the 16th and then made a near 40-footer for another at the 160-yard 17th.

In the group behind, meanwhile, world No.80 Dufner also went in water at the 259-yard 15th and, after doing well to escape with a bogey there, failed to get up and down from sand on the next and then threeputted the 17th. Suddenly the pair were level again on eight-under-par. Both parred the last—no mean effort with the lake in play for the first and second shots—to edge out Denmark’s Anders Hansen by one.

Then they returned to the 16th for a three-hole playoff. Dufner almost holed his second shot at 16, but Bradley also hit in to within five feet of the flag and he was the one to make the birdie putt. A par was good enough to make the gap two as Dufner three-putted 17 once more, and even though Dufner

BRADLEY STAGED AN ASTONISHING RECOVERY WHEN HE REELED IN DUFNER OVER THE LAST THREE HOLES OF THE FINAL ROUND

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made a brilliant birdie on the last, Bradley’s par secured the Wanamaker Trophy.

Going down the stretch in real time, Sweden’s Robert Karlsson felt the pressure, just like Dufner. He had been one behind, but bogeyed the last three holes to tie for fourth with veteran Americans David Toms and Scott Verplank, and allow fellow Scandinavian Hansen to sneak through into third place with a closing 66.

The main shock on the first three days was that Dufner was three-under-par for holes 15 to 18, two better than anybody else in the field. But they got him in the end, just like they got almost everyone else at some stage. “Those are tough holes, but it was disappointing,” Dufner admitted. “There’s a lot to be learnt from this. I don’t feel like I was nervous, I knew what was at stake. I was confident with my game, but just didn’t quite execute a couple of shots coming in. I’m disappointed now, but I love the competition and I want to be as good as I can be. If that’s 20th in the world with no Majors, first in the world with 10 Majors, or never win a Tour event, I’ll be fine with it. I’m not going to let this define my career. I have a lot of things ahead of me.”

Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, respectively No.1 and No.2 in the world at the time, finished joint

eighth, their late errors in the third round proving too much to recover from. Donald, annoyed at himself for double-bogeying the last hole on day three and falling six behind, was only three back after playing the first 12 holes of his final round in four under. But he went in the water on the short 15th—start of the fearsome closing stretch—and bogeyed the last as well for a relatively disappointing 68. Westwood also finished on three-under-par and also bogeyed the last—his only dropped stroke of a day when once again he just couldn’t get the putts to drop.

Rory McIlroy grabbed a birdie at the 507yard par-4 18th for the second day running, but his mind was turning to tennis rather than golf by then. The pre-tournament favourite was left with bitter memories of one hole in particular as he shot 74 to finish in a tie for 64th. During the course of the week, the US Open champion played Atlanta Athletic Club’s 475-yard 3rd in six-over par. Not only that, but it was also the hole where he injured his right arm when he illadvisedly hit against a tree root in the opening round.

Fortunately, the pain was only temporary. For Bradley, though, the joy is permanent.

2011 ROLL OF HONOUR US OPEN

Blue Course, Congressional Country Club; Par-71; June 16-19 268 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 65 66 68 69 276 Jason Day (Australia) 71 72 65 68 278 Kevin Chappell 76 67 69 66 Lee Westwood (England) 75 68 65 70 Robert Garrigus 70 70 68 70 Y.E. Yang (South Korea) 68 69 70 71 279 Peter Hanson (Sweden) 72 71 69 67 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 69 71 69 70 280 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 68 74 72 66 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 69 73 71 67 281 Brandt Snedeker 70 70 72 69 Heath Slocum 71 70 70 70 Davis Love III 70 71 70 70 282 Graeme McDowell (N. Ireland) 70 74 69 69 Webb Simpson 75 71 66 70 Bo Van Pelt 76 67 68 71 Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) 74 69 66 73 Matt Kuchar 72 68 69 73 283 Johan Edfors (Sweden) 70 72 74 67 Steve Stricker 75 69 69 70 284 Ryan Palmer 69 72 73 70 Patrick Cantlay {Am} 75 67 70 72 285 Retief Goosen (South Africa) 73 73 71 68 Gary Woodland 73 71 73 68 Robert Rock (England) 70 71 76 68 Dustin Johnson 75 71 69 70 Bill Haas 73 73 68 71 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 70 72 69 74 Brandt Jobe 71 70 70 74 286 Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 72 73 70 71 Seung-Yul Noh (South Korea) 72 70 73 71 Zach Johnson 71 69 72 74 John Senden (Australia) 70 72 72 72 Harrison Frazar 72 73 68 73 Do-hoon Kim (South Korea) 73 71 70 72 Kyung-Tae Kim (South Korea) 69 72 69 76 Ryo Ishikawa (Japan) 74 70 74 68 Gregory Havret (France) 77 69 71 69 287 Sung-hoon Kang (S. Korea), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Adam Hadwin (Canada). 288 Russell Henley {Am}, Lucas Glover, Sang-Moon Bae (S. Korea). 289 Robert Karlsson (Sweden), Charley Hoffman, Michael Putnam, Luke Donald (England), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Chez Reavie. 290 Alexander Noren (Sweden), Marc Leishman (Australia), Scott Piercy. 291 Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, J.J. Henry, Matteo Manassero (Italy), Alvaro Quiros (Spain), Edoardo Molinari (Italy). 292 Justin Hicks, Marcel Siem (Germany), Todd Hamilton.

293 Bud Cauley, Jeff Overton, Brian Gay, Bubba Watson.

295 Kevin Streelman. 296 Kenichi Kuboya (Japan). 297 Alexandre Rocha (Brazil), Christo Greyling (S. Africa) 303 Wes Heffernan (Canada) 305 Brad Benjamin {Am}

US players unless stated

THE OPEN

Royal St. George’s, England; Par-70; July 14-17 275 Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland) 68 68 69 70 278 Phil Mickelson 70 69 71 68 Dustin Johnson 70 68 68 72 279 Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 65 72 71 71 280 Chad Campbell 69 68 74 69 Anthony Kim 72 68 70 70 Rickie Fowler 70 70 68 72 281 Raphael Jacquelin (France) 74 67 71 69 282 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 70 70 74 68 Simon Dyson (England) 68 72 72 70 Davis Love III 70 68 72 72 283 Steve Stricker 69 71 72 71 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 68 69 73 73 Lucas Glover 66 70 73 74 284 George Coetzee (South Africa) 69 69 72 74 285 Richard Green (Australia) 70 71 73 71 Y.E. Yang (South Korea) 71 69 73 72 Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) 70 70 73 72 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 71 67 75 72 Webb Simpson 66 74 72 73 Zach Johnson 72 68 71 74 286 Tom Watson 72 70 72 72 Tom Lehman 71 67 73 75 Anders Hansen (Denmark) 69 69 72 76 287 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 71 69 74 73 Adam Scott (Australia) 69 70 73 75 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 66 71 72 78 288 Ryan Moore 69 74 76 69 Charles Howell III 71 70 73 74 289 Jason Day (Australia) 71 70 76 72 Seung-Yul Noh (South Korea) 69 72 75 73 Ryan Palmer 68 71 72 78 Gary Woodland 75 68 74 72 Bubba Watson 69 72 74 74 Tom Lewis (England) {Am} 65 74 76 74 Stewart Cink 70 71 77 71 Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 68 70 76 75 290 Robert Rock (England), Gary Boyd (England), Trevor Immelman (S. Africa), Jeff Overton, Yuta Ikeda (Japan), Simon Khan (England). 291 Spencer Levin, Kyle Stanley, Justin Rose (England), K.J. Choi (S. Korea). 292 Peter Uihlein {Am}, Robert Allenby (Australia), Jim Furyk, Floris De Vries (Netherlands), Richard McEvoy (England), Gregory Bourdy (France). 293 Rory Sabbatini (S. Africa), Paul Casey (England), Louis Oosthuizen (S. Africa).

294 Ricky Barnes, Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Bill Haas, Bo Van Pelt, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Sweden), Gregory Havret (France). 296 Joost Luiten (Netherlands), Matthew Millar (Australia), Mark Wilson. 297 Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Edoardo Molinari (Italy). 298 Henrik Stenson (Sweden). 299 Harrison Frazar. 301 Kenneth Ferrie (England). 304 Jung-Gon Hwang (S. Korea)

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Highlands Course, Atlanta Athletic Club; Par-70; August 11-14 272 Keegan Bradley 71 64 69 68 Jason Dufner 70 65 68 69 (Bradley won three-hole play-off) 273 Anders Hansen (Denmark) 68 69 70 66 275 David Toms 72 71 65 67 Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 70 71 67 67 Scott Verplank 67 69 69 70 276 Adam Scott (Australia) 69 69 70 68 277 Luke Donald (England) 70 71 68 68 Lee Westwood (England) 71 68 70 68 278 Kevin Na 72 69 70 67 D.A. Points 69 67 71 71 279 Gary Woodland 70 70 71 68 Trevor Immelman (South Africa) 69 71 71 68 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 72 69 69 69 Bill Haas 68 73 69 69 Nick Watney 70 71 68 70 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 71 71 66 71 Steve Stricker 63 74 69 73 280 Brian Davis (England) 69 73 69 69 Hunter Mahan 72 72 66 70 Matt Kuchar 71 71 68 70 Phil Mickelson 71 70 69 70 Ryan Palmer 71 70 69 70 John Senden (Australia) 68 68 72 72 Brendan Steele 69 68 66 77 281 Robert Allenby (Australia) 72 70 71 68 Charles Howell III 72 68 73 68 Bubba Watson 74 68 70 69 Jerry Kelly 65 73 74 69 Mark Wilson 69 71 71 70 Scott Piercy 71 68 71 71 Spencer Levin 71 70 68 72 Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) 68 72 69 72 282 Francesco Molinari (Italy), Chris Kirk, Alexander Noren (Sweden). 283 Ben Crane, Matteo Manassero (Italy). 284 Jim Furyk, Bill Lunde, K.J. Choi (S. Korea), Ian Poulter (England), Harrison Frazar, Johan Edfors (Sweden). 285 Seung-Yul Noh (S. Korea), Ross Fisher (England), Yuta Ikeda (Japan), Andres Romero (Argentina), Brandt Jobe, Pablo Larrazabal (Spain).

286 John Rollins, Simon Dyson (England), Johnson Wagner, Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela), Rickie Fowler.

287 Bryce Molder, Ricky Barnes, Ryan Moore. 288 Zach Johnson, Kyung-Tae Kim (S. Korea), Michael Bradley. 290 Robert Garrigus, Kevin Streelman.

291 Peter Hanson (Sweden), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Sean O’Hair, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Padraig Harrington (Ireland). 292 Mike Small, Y.E. Yang (S. Korea), Edoardo Molinari (Italy). 294 Davis Love III, Paul Casey (England). 295 Rory Sabbatini (S. Africa), Shaun Micheel

XXX 053

The Irish Question

ometimes in life extraordinary things occur. These unexpected, and pleasant, events revitalize even the most jaded amongst us.

Judged by any standards, however, the recent spectacular successes by Northern Irish golfers almost beggars any logical analysis. Unexpected? Extraordinary?

Unpredictable? Absolutely!

For Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke to have won the 2010 United States Open, the 2011 United States Open and then the 2011 Open Championship is not as good as it gets for a wee country that has suffered so much over the past several decades, it is much, much better than that.

In place of weary strife, instead of villains of various hues, Northern Ireland has for now a clutch of genuine sporting

In less than two years, three quIte dIfferent though much-loved golfers from northern Ireland have each won a major champIonshIp. only one northern IrIshman had prevIously claImed a tItle of sImIlar stature (back In 1947), so how and why dId they suddenly get so good over there? Bill Elliott, born and raIsed In belfast, attempts to fInd an answer

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heroes to applaud and appreciate, and though the old troubles continue to hiss and steam not far beneath the surface on occasion, that is more than enough for the 1.6 million inhabitants to be going on with.

Consider this: Until this recent flurry of success, the last time a Northern Irishman won a Major was Belfast’s Fred Daly, who triumphed at Royal Liverpool [Hoylake] in the 1947 Open Championship. Indeed, until Padraig Harrington’s Open victory at Carnoustie in 2007, Fred remained the only Irishman, never mind Northern Irishman, to have won a Major anywhere, anytime.

At which point some modest explanation may be needed as to exactly what Northern Ireland is as opposed to Ireland. Prepare, however, for further confusion. Because whatever else Northern Ireland is—and here one could insert

a great many adjectives, not all of which would be entirely desirable—it is a very small country. Indeed, it is so small that it is open to at least some discussion as to whether it is even officially a country.

The BBC, for example, calls Northern Ireland a province while the European Union prefers the word ‘region.’ Some call it Ulster, but this is incorrect because Ulster is a province and consists of nine Irish counties, only six of which are within the Northern Irish border—and that, in the strictest sense, is not really a border any longer.

No wonder so many of us are confused.

Trying to explain to the uninitiated that one is both Irish and British is, frankly, not worth the effort.

I just call it home or, at least, the place where I was born and grew up (nearly anyway, I left when I was 12 for England, wisely taking my parents with me).

The years spent in Belfast, however, have left their mark and so I stumble through life secure in the knowledge that nothing is entirely predictable and that nothing is so bad that it cannot be cured for a while by a long drink and an even longer chat with someone who mostly holds the opposite point of view but who also offers some wit while arguing the case.

Whatever else the old place is, it is no place for the dour, the uncommitted or the inarticulate.

What also is certain is that the Golf Union of Ireland offers an efficient template when it comes to embracing and encouraging and improving young golfers. Not yet a breeding programme but impressive enough in its industry and ambition.

As with rugby union, golf in Ireland is just that, which is to say the sport is run by an organization representing every inch of the whole island.

Kevin Stevens is the man who runs the Ulster branch and as general secretary he is currently, and understandably, satisfied with how things appear to be going. There are 122 golf clubs in Ulster of which 90 are in Northern Ireland. These clubs have 42,000 members. It’s where the three champions started and where, to an extent, they remain. Curiously, McIlroy, McDowell ulster images: stormont, royal portrush, the giant’s causeway, pints of guinness, lough erne golf club and fred daly celebrating his open win

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and Clarke represent three consecutive they want to try to do it themselves. The “The two games [rugby and golf] don’t generations of players in their 20s, 30s and enthusiasm and passion is there.” mix because the physical requirements are 40s. Everyone, it seems, is included in this This is not just about technical so different,” he said. “Eventually a boy recent stunning burst of success. improvement, or competitive hardening, the who is talented at rugby and golf has to What I came away with after a long and GUI also offers strength and conditioning make a choice.” pleasantly interesting Clarke, of conversation with course, made Mr Stevens is that, precisely that crucially, the core choice as a It’s not as if he [Clarke] lacked the talent for policy the GUI teenager and so such a success, just that at the age of 42 his adopts with its Irish rugby lost a time seemed to have gone young golfers is to potential star even hurl them as soon if the big man as is reasonable still has the look into competitive of someone who play. “Our coaching is done through the programmes designed by the experts at the could, if required, scrum down with the best winter and summer is for playing the game. University of Ulster. This is no ‘how much of them. Certainly, he would not flinch from We have under-12, under-14, under-16 and can you press’ regime, but a programme the traditional games played at the bar after elite boys’ teams all playing competitive designed to add suppleness as well a game. golf. Having Graeme, Rory and Darren as strength. Ulster boys have an often Of the Ulster Three, if I may refer to achieve what they have naturally helps instinctive desire to play rugby (and soccer) them as such, Clarke’s victory at Royal St. us. The boys see what can be done and as well as golf, and this causes headaches.

George’s on the Kent coast was by a country royal portrush

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mile the least expected of the trio of Majors.

It is not that he lacked the talent for such a success, just that at almost 43 his time seemed to have gone, his life so brutally interrupted by the death from cancer of his wife Heather in 2006.

What in retrospect can be said is that his decision to move himself and his two sons back to Portrush on Ireland’s rugged and spectacular northern coast was inspired both personally and professionally.

It meant that his practice time was spent on links more often than not lashed by wind and rain, and this in turn meant that the conditions everyone endured in Kent last summer were exactly to his liking.

While his practice time was focused on clawing back some of the focus and intent he had enjoyed so effortlessly earlier in his career, it was definitely not targeted at winning an Open Championship but it turned out that he had prepared perfectly for what awaited everyone in 2011.

McDowell, meanwhile, was also almost no one’s idea of a potential winner when the 2010 US Open started at Pebble Beach. Of course he was recognized as a brilliantly talented player but he was also viewed as perhaps too unpredictable to select as a champion-in-waiting at a tournament that more than anything else demands dogged determination and abiding focus.

These, however, were the very qualities that G-Mac offered for public consumption so that in the end his win was a tribute to a smart self-confidence that had rarely

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It had to help [mcIlroy] that his close friend mcDowell had won so convincingly a year earlier, but in the end he won his first major alone displayed itself so vividly in earlier weeks.

And while McIlroy’s sublime ability to control the golf ball was already recognised throughout the game, hardly anyone outside his immediate family thought that he could win the US Open at Congressional.

This fact was based not on what he could do but what he had failed to do two months earlier when he fell apart after leading the Masters for 63 holes. No, the question many of us so-called experts were asking was whether he was permanently damaged by this experience?

For him then to win in such a manner so soon afterwards, ripping up a gaggle of seemingly unassailable records along the way, was the most eloquent of testimonies to this very young man’s spirit and determination, not to mention his rawedged ambition.

It had to help that his close friend McDowell had won so convincingly a year earlier, but in the end he won his first Major alone.

It remains impossible, however, to identify exactly why Northern Irish golf should have enjoyed such a dramatic period of collective success other than to point out the blindingly obvious—that Rory, Graeme and Darren are three golfers who on their day are capable of exhibiting the highest class of play in any company.

What may also be factored in is the fact that when a man or woman comes from such a tiny country/region/province, there is a natural inclination to stand a little taller and try a little harder to prove how good you are.

For now, this explanation will have to do. Or as they say in the pubs back in Belfast, “We’ve just got to face up to the fact that occasionally we are actually quite good.” Naturally, they say this with a smile on their faces and a pint in their hands.

Earlier examples of Northern Irish brilliance across sport, music and the arts—men like Van Morrison, George Best, C.S. Lewis and Louis MacNeice, for example—would know exactly what they meant.

Small country, big golf

The ‘craic’ in norThern ireland’s clubhouse bars is legendary, buT beside These fabled waTering holes lie some magnificenT and rugged golf challenges, wriTes Paul Trow In terms of scenery and hospitality, Northern Ireland has it all. The mountains and coastlines have inspired generations of writers, artists and composers while the locals’ innate friendliness makes visitors feel instantly at home. Nowadays golf is an essential ingredient in this beguiling cocktail.

Scotland still brands itself the Home of Golf, the Republic of Ireland is challenging hard and, thanks to the 2010 Ryder Cup, Wales is also in the frame. But for the sheer beauty and quality of its courses, few parts of the Celtic fringe can match Northern Ireland.

Nowhere is golf in Northern Ireland more beautiful than at Lough Erne Resort, just outside the town of Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh, some 80 miles west of Belfast. Lough Erne, the brainchild of supermarket tycoon Jim Treacy, occupies a 600-acre peninsula between Lower Lough Erne and Castle Hume Lough. It is home to both the Faldo links, a

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the the majors majors 2012 2012

superb, Sir Nick Faldo waterside design (2009), and Castle Hume, the original course on site which opened in the late 1990s.

Rory McIlroy, discerning, and lucky, chap that he is, has rejoiced in the title of touring professional here. On the Faldo course in particular, the views are stunning from every vantage point and water comes into play on at least 11 holes. Such is its quality, it is surely only a matter of time before some seriously big tournaments come calling. If you only have time to play one or two courses in this part of the world, then make sure you visit Lough Erne.

Moving east and north across the province, Royal Portrush, which staged Ireland’s last Open Championship in 1951 when the winner was England’s Max Faulkner, was founded quite a few years earlier—in 1888, to be precise. It also hosted Ireland’s first professional tournament seven years

later when Sandy Herd, the local pro, out-duelled Harry Vardon. Set on the north-east coastline near the Giant’s Causeway, its main course is the Dunluce, a ruggedly beautiful championship links redesigned

by Harry Colt in 1929 and the venue this year for the Irish Open. The last time the Irish Open was played at Portrush, with which McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke all have strong links, was in 1947 when the winner was Harry Bradshaw, the man who might have won the 1949 Open at Sandwich had his ball not finished inside a broken beer bottle.

Formerly a fishing village, Portrush is more of a tourist resort these days, a bolt-hole in particular for citizens of Belfast. But none of its other attractions can eclipse the Dunluce’s daunting 210-yard parthree 14th, known as ‘Calamity’ because the tee shot has to carry a yawning ravine that falls dramatically away to the right.

Important Websites discovernorthernireland.com lougherneresort.com royalcountydown.org royalportrushgolfclub.com portstewartgc.co.uk castlerockgc.co.uk ballycastlegolfclub.com belvoirparkgolfclub.com malonegolfclub.co.uk royalbelfast.com

LEFT: THE 7TH HOLE ON THE FALDO COURSE AT LOUGH ERNE. ABOVE: THE WONDROUS TERRAIN OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP LINKS AT ROYAL COUNTY DOWN

Ideally, visitors should spend four days in the vicinity in order to sample not just the cuisine for which the counties Antrim and Londonderry are rightly famous but three other nearby golfing delicacies—Portstewart, Castlerock and Ballycastle.

The view from the 1st tee on the Strand course at Portstewart, high above a par-4 which doglegs right towards a green hidden behind rolling dunes, is framed by the haunting backdrop of windswept, mountainous Donegal.

Golf at Portstewart began in 1889 while Castlerock, in the mouth of the River Bann six miles from Coleraine, dates from 1901 and was shaped

by Scottish professional and clubmaker Ben Sayers.

Castlerock’s flagship hole is the 200-yard ‘Leg o’ Mutton’ par-3 4th to a raised green flanked by a railway line to the right and a burn to the left.

Ballycastle, at less than 6,000 yards from the back tees, is short by modern standards but possibly the most enjoyable for holiday golfers, and on a mist-free day it provides views of the distant Mull of Kintyre.

As if this corner of Northern Ireland doesn’t command enough of a golf pedigree, work is about to start on its latest links layout at Bushmills Dunes

The latter was founded in 1926 amid some magnificent oak, beech and fir trees. A further 40,000 trees were planted in the 1950s and the sylvan vistas stretching out below the clubhouse are redolent of the finest landscape gardens.

Malone dates back to 1895 and first occupied a polo ground. Following relocations in 1907 and 1919, the club moved to its current home in 1962 when it acquired the Ballydrain Estate. Presided over by an impressive stone mansion built in 1835, the present site, whilst young for a golf course, is mature in terms of landscaping with hundreds of huge trees and a back nine routed around an expansive trout lake.

Royal Belfast, founded in 1881, is the oldest course in Ireland and situated seven miles east of the city at Holywood. Accuracy rather than length is the principal requirement on this parkland setting due to a plethora of deep bunkers and well-established trees.

Some 30 miles south of Belfast, languishing beside the seaside town of Newcastle—“where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea”, according to Romantic poet Percy French—is Royal County Down.

The Championship links was established in 1889 by ‘Old’ Tom Morris for the princely fee of four guineas (£4.20).

Despite the more lucratively rewarded changes made in subsequent years by the two Harrys—Vardon and Colt—it still bears the hallmarks of its rustic origins.

Tight fairway lies, deep pot bunkers, gleaming heather and undulating greens are not exclusive to this majestic layout, but few courses present so many blind shots. White rocks are deployed as marker-posts to show the line and any waywardness

The Championship links at Royal County Down, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea, was established by ‘Old’ Tom Morris for the princely fee of four guineas Golf Resort & Spa, due to open in 2014. The course designer, David MacLay Kidd of Bandon Dunes, Oregon fame, says of the site: “It’s a wild landscape.

It’s gorgeous and it’s closer to the sea than Royal Portrush. Although some arable land will probably have to be remodelled, the most dramatic stretches near the ocean will feature some big, steep dunes.”

Kidd, who recently laid out the Castle Course at St Andrews and Machrihanish Dunes in the west of Scotland, has been hired by a group of investors headed by a New York-based scientist, Dr Alistair Hanna, who was originally from McIlroy’s home town, Holywood, County Down, on the southern shores of Belfast Lough.

But golf in the province is by no means confined to the coast. Like many thriving cities, Belfast has several attractive courses. Among the better known are Royal Belfast, Malone and Belvoir (pronounced ‘beaver’) Park.

is usually punished by thick rough. Factor in an often-fierce wind off the Irish Sea, and it is clear that keeping the ball in play is a far-from-simple task.

These courses are the shop window for Northern Ireland’s golfing charms, but so much more lies in store. Other gems sweeping south along the coastline from Belfast towards and beyond Royal County Down include Clandeboye, Ardglass and Kilkeel. On the mouth of Carlingford Lough, near the border with the Republic, is Warrenpoint where former European No.1 Ronan Rafferty learned his golf, while 30 miles upstream in County Tyrone is Dungannon, home town to Clarke.

There are fewer than 100 courses in Northern Ireland, so it is advisable to book first before pitching up.

But the real emphasis is on pleasure: As a golf-mad Irish tourism executive once said to me: “If you can’t enjoy your golf here, then the game is not for you at all.”

XXX 061

TO LOSE A FOUR-STROKE LEAD AND PLUMMET TO OBLIVION IN THE MASTERS WAS UNFORTUNATE, BUT FRITTERING AWAY AN EIGHT-STROKE LEAD AT THE US OPEN WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ULTIMATE IN CARELESSNESS. HOWEVER, RORY MCILROY PROVED HIMSELF A QUICK LEARNER WHEN HE DISMISSIVELY SWEPT HIS RIVALS ASIDE AT CONGRESSIONAL LAST JUNE. THE BBC’S GOLF CORRESPONDENT Iain Carter CATCHES UP WITH THE MERCURIAL ULSTERMAN

ory McIlroy took off his headphones and put on an anonymous baseball cap, pulling it tight over his unruly shock of jet-black, curly hair. He looked a pretty unremarkable 20-year-old; his jeans were somehow defying gravity to cling fashionably to his waist and an appropriate designer label adorned his somewhat crumpled T-shirt.

Now he was preparing to stride off unnoticed into a crowd oblivious to the fact that a future sporting great was in their midst. This was McIlroy in 2009 on a rare day off in the summertime. He was spending it at Wimbledon’s Centre Court and had just finished an interview with BBC Radio when he headed off to blend into the post-match crowds departing the famous tennis arena.

McIlroy was a one-time winner on the European Tour, having started that year by limping over the line to claim the Dubai Desert Classic for his maiden professional title. The golfing world was well aware of his potential but he had yet to transcend the barrier that leads to public consciousness. For

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Copyright USGA/Hunter Martin

Rory, Rory, Hallelujah! that reason, he could enjoy the anonymity of the crowds as he left the cramped environs of the BBC commentary box.

Fast forward two years and McIlroy was back at Wimbledon and the spectators had to be held at bay. Tennis fans wanted a piece of this golfing phenomenon and security guards flanked his every move around the All England Club. He had become sporting royalty and this was his first public appearance since his coronation courtesy of a record-breaking, eight-stroke victory at the 2011 US Open at Congressional Country Club near Washington DC. It was a life-changing win that hugely heightened his level of celebrity. “I don’t realise if I create such a buzz or an aura, but people from the outside looking in might,” McIlroy later told me. “I have my good friends on Tour and they treat me the same as they did in 2007 when I was just trying to get my Tour card.”

The “buzz” and “aura” are justified. By winning the US Open in such style, at the tender age of 22, he had become the youngest

winner of America’s national championship since Bobby Jones in 1923. Finishing on 268, 16-under-par, McIlroy set records for the lowest total and the lowest score in relation to par.

And what made it all the more remarkable was that this astonishing first Major title came in the immediate wake of a desperate collapse at Augusta National where he had blown a four-stroke lead going into the final round of the 2011 Masters with a miserable closing 80.

It was an apparently catastrophic meltdown that might have savagely undermined the development of his career.

Yet he showed great courage and dignity in post-tournament interviews and although he didn’t win the tournament this engaging youngster certainly won over the hearts of golf fans throughout the world.

Inside, though, he was hurting and for a couple of weeks was wracked with selfdoubt. “You know the sort of things you think, what if that was my last chance to win a Masters?” McIlroy admitted. “And you never

MCILROY BECAME SPORTING ROYALTY AFTER BEING CROWNED US OPEN CHAMPION AT CONGRESSIONAL IN 2011

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MCILROY HAD TIME TO ENJOY HIMSELF ON THE BACK NINE AT CONGRESSIONAL

know if you’re going to get another chance.

I wasn’t ready to win a Major—plain and simple. Looking back, it was a very important day in my career because I was able to learn a lot about myself and my game.”

The lessons were learned at extraordinary speed. This is perhaps the quality that sets this young man from Northern Ireland apart. Yes, he is blessed with what many pundits believe is the best ball striking in golf, but it’s what goes on in his head that makes it so effective.

Ahead of his tilt at the 2011 US Open, McIlroy flew to strife-torn Haiti as a sporting ambassador for UNICEF. If he was lacking any perspective before the visit, it was soon put to rights. “We went to a camp on what is the only golf course on Haiti. There were about 125,000 people living on this nine-hole golf course,” he said before adding with a self-deprecating smile, “and there’s me complaining about the pillows being too hard in a hotel!

“It makes you realise that you are just so lucky and you have to appreciate

your own lifestyle. It definitely makes you a better golfer because it means you don’t put as much emphasis on results. In the grand scheme of things golf doesn’t actually matter.”

With that frame of mind as the 15th club in his bag, banishing those Augusta demons by the time the next Major rolled around two months later was a much easier task.

On a course playing softer and more receptive than usual for a US Open, he destroyed the field, stretching his lead after each of the four rounds. Any doubts over whether he could win were removed with nine holes to go when he nearly holed his tee shot on the long, treacherous par-3 10th across a yawning expanse of water.

“I could actually enjoy it and appreciate the standing ovations that you got walking on to greens,” McIlroy remembers of his triumphant back-nine parade. “When you are in a nip-and-tuck battle to win a golf tournament, you are oblivious to all that stuff, but when you’ve got a bit of a cushion it’s so nice to be able to look around.”

“It had been a dream of mine since I was five years old. Whenever I was following Nick Faldo, I wanted to emulate him in the Majors” 064

THE MAJORS 2012

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) Born: 4 May 1989 Turned Pro: 2007 Major Win: US Open (2011) Other Professional Wins: 5

Memorably, that 2011 Father’s Day, the face he looked for most, and duly found after tapping in to seal victory, was that of his father Gerry, who along with mum Rosie had nurtured his career throughout.

“I spoke to my Mum the day after and I remember just saying to her: ‘I’m a Major champion,’” McIlroy remembers. That was the biggest source of satisfaction because golf’s Holy Grail had been found. “It had been a dream of mine since I was five years old. Whenever I was following Nick Faldo, I wanted to emulate him in the Majors and then watching Tiger grow up and seeing him win them, it’s just something that I always wanted to do.”

As a result of that extraordinary victory just outside America’s capital city, his life changed immeasurably. He rejoined the PGA Tour and when he won the Honda Classic over the Jack Nicklausdesigned Champion Course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in March, he went to the top of the world rankings for the first time—indeed, he became the second youngest world No.1 since Tiger Woods in 1997.

He has set up his American base in West Palm Beach, just down the road from the scene of his third PGA Tour victory. Also, surprisingly and somewhat controversially, he switched management companies after leaving Chubby Chandler’s ISM stable for the smaller, Dublin-based Horizon Sports group that looks after the affairs of his fellow US Open winner and Northern Irish countryman Graeme McDowell.

Bit by bit, McIlroy is arranging his life just as he wants it and that includes starting a relationship last summer with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. To date, they appear totally at ease with each other and their rarefied celebrity status.

And as long as they are together, plenty more Wimbledon visits seem likely. But McIlroy already knows that the standing of his girlfriend is not the only reason the anonymity of these trips is now very much a thing of the past.

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Big Man, Big Golf!

ever had the champion prevailed after so many attempts and never had the champion cheered so many hearts. When Darren Clarke tapped in on the 18th at Sandwich last year to win the 140th Open, the tears flowed almost as prolifically as the Guinness.

The big man had done it. At last!

This was his 20th bid for the Claret Jug and, in the end, the old trophy relented. It was Clarke’s turn, his moment, his chance to look up to the sporting gods to thank them for their patronage. After a day of squalls and downpours, they even shone the sun on the genial Irishman. Quite rightly, too! This was a success of the very highest order, compiled with ball-striking of the very highest order.

From an early age, Clarke was destined to win the oldest Major. The problem is destiny doesn’t follow an agreed timeframe.

Who would have thought that when he won the Irish and Spanish Amateur Championships, and then cut such a swathe through the professional ranks, it would take him a full two decades to prevail?

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DARREN CLARKE WAS INCHING TOWARDS HIS 43RD BIRTHDAY AND MUST HAVE FELT A MAJOR VICTORY HAD PASSED HIM BY. THEN OUT OF THE BLUE (OR RATHER THE GUN-METAL GREY) ON THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF ENGLAND, EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE IRISHMAN, TOUCHED BY TRAGEDY AT TOO YOUNG AN AGE, ROLLED BACK THE YEARS AND FULFILLED HIS DESTINY. James Corrigan OF THE DAILY TELEGRAPH EXPLORES THE REASONS BEHIND THIS POPULAR FIGURE’S LATE AND GLORIOUS RENAISSANCE

The bookies certainly didn’t. At the age of 42, no less, he was the oldest Open winner in 44 years and a 200-1 shot when he walked to the 1st tee on that breezy Thursday morning.

Those were rather remarkable odds, considering that the candidate in question had won only a few months earlier and had figured on the Scottish Open leaderboard the previous week.

He also boasted a CV that included two World Golf Championships, five Ryder Cup appearances and a thoroughbred links golf pedigree. Born in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, Clarke was educated in seaside golf on the revered terrain of Royal Portrush. Believe it, this was his arena.

Except, there were the vast dunes of his temperament to surmount. All too often, the mist would descend and with it would go his form. In golfing parlance, he would “get in his own way.” Indeed, as recently as a few months before his glory, Darren Clarke had found Darren Clarke an impossible hurdle.

“He was one shot behind going into the weekend in Morocco, shot an 81 and 77 to finish 77th and was thinking about giving the game up,” said Chubby Chandler, the manager who signed him up as a young professional in 1990. “It was the lowest I’d ever seen him. I told Darren to go on holiday. He went away for three weeks, came back and won in Majorca.”

He boasted a CV that included two World Golf Championships, five Ryder Cup appearances and a thoroughbred links golf pedigree

Photo: Leon Harris

DARREN CLARKE FINALLY GETS HIS HANDS ON THE CLARET JUG AT SANDWICH AFTER 20 ATTEMPTS

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CLARKE DEFIED A TOUGH GOLF COURSE AND FOUL WEATHER TO LIVE OUT HIS MAJOR DREAM

Eight weeks later, Clarke was winning bad with his putter it was affecting his whole in Kent, except this was no Iberdrola game. He told me, ‘if I don’t hit it to a foot, I’m Open. This was “The” Open. Vindication, not going to make any birdies.’ And that was validation, verification… call it what you putting pressure on the rest of his game.” will. But whatever, Clarke could give the Vs The good doctor, of course, had a cure to any number of doubters who had written up his sleeve. “I said, ‘Darren, you’re going him off as a major waster. to have to go unconscious,’” explained PATFW—Prove All The Critics Wrong— Rotella, who spoke to Clarke for 20 minutes became his mantra. It was an acronym, of immediately before the start of all four course, though the fourth word in the rounds at Royal St. George’s. “I told him I unexpurgated version wasn’t really ‘Critics.’ didn’t want him to think about technique, I It came from Mike Finnigan, the performance just wanted him to look where he wanted it coach who Clarke sought out in the wake of to go and then hit it there, just like he did his Agadir agony and who rekindled his new when he was 12. We do a million different client’s enthusiasm. “Darren’s shoulders things a day when we don’t stop and think were down, so Mike gave him this message about it. Drinking a glass of water—how to tell himself every day and that is exactly did you hit your mouth without thinking? I what he has done,” said Chandler. “It was used to work with stammerers. More than also important him meeting up with Dr Bob.” 98 per cent of them could talk when they ‘Dr Bob’ is Dr Bob Rotella, the famed were in their bathroom; it was just that sports psychologist who helped Padraig little doubt in public which tied them up.”

Harrington to three Majors. Clarke and Never mind The King’s Speech, soon Rotella had worked with each other on and this led to the champion’s speech. “With off for years, but hadn’t done so for more some of the things that have happened to than 18 months when they ran into each Darren it would be easy for him to think a other on the eve of The Open. black cloud was following him,” said Rotella.

While Clarke’s tee-to-green game “Now he can see that’s not the case.” had improved under Finnigan, his putting Rotella referred mainly to the death of remained the deal-breaker. “Darren was tied Clarke’s wife, Heather, six years ago after a up in knots,” Rotella said. “He said he was so long battle with cancer. Of course, golf was

“I told him I didn’t want him to think about technique. I just wanted him to look where he wanted it to go and then hit it there” 068

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Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland) Born: 14 August 1968 Turned Pro: 1990 Major Win: Open (2011) Other Professional Wins: 21

way down his list of priorities as he came to terms with being the sole parent to his two young sons. Looking back, Chandler surmises: “Darren lost five or six years of his career.”

It was the decision in 2010 to move from the English metropolis back to his Northern Ireland roots that triggered the reawakening. In his new wife, Alison Campbell, he found a new life and on his favourite old links he found his old touch.

“Moving back to Royal Portrush played a huge part in the victory,” Clarke said. “I lived in the centre of London and it wasn’t conducive to playing links golf. This past winter I would be out playing with my mates three times a week in all kinds of weather. We might have a few pints before we played and a lot more when we came in, but it definitely helped over the weekend in the bad weather.”

They call him “laid-back” in Portrush—a statement that to this day would probably be laughed out of the locker room on Tour. Clarke knows what he was and feels he has rectified the faults. “I definitely appreciated this more now than if it had happened to me 10 years before,” he said. “A decade ago I took an awful lot for granted as a professional golfer. I played well and won this and I achieved that, blah, blah, blah. But now I’m much more switched on to everything that goes with the tournament—the sponsors, the fans, the other players—so I know what it means. I also appreciate that it’s so much easier to win with a smile than a scowl.”

It may seem a strange thing to say about someone in his forties, but Clarke had come of age. He summed this up with one simple answer. How would the man who once owned a Ferrari with the boastful number plate of “DC60”—after the 60 he once shot at the K Club—be spending the huge windfall heading in his direction? “Been there, done that,” he insisted. “I don’t want to be that flash bloke who lives on top of the hill.”

Clarke always was, and always will be, so much more than that.

HIS FATHER’S A HEAD PRO AND HIS AUNT’S ONE OF THE GREATEST FEMALE GOLFERS OF ALL TIME, SO NO ONE CAN CLAIM KEEGAN BRADLEY DOESN’T HAVE THE PEDIGREE TO PLAY THE GAME. BUT WINNING THE VERY FIRST MAJOR HE PLAYED IN WAS SOMETHING THAT SHOOK UP EVEN HIS GENES. Bob Harig CHARTS A STELLAR YEAR DURING WHICH A TALL, GANGLING TOUR ROOKIE ENDED UP AS PGA CHAMPION

Beginner’s Pluck ou don’t do what Keegan Bradley did.

You don’t show up for your first Major championship, having never competed on such a stage, and contend, let alone win.

You don’t play a Grand Slam event and hoist the trophy at your very first attempt.

Keegan Bradley did, of course, which made him 1-for-1 in the Majors heading into the Masters, where he comfortably failed to make it 2-for-2 at Augusta National. Oh well. That would have been some story, too.

But just winning a Major on the first try is a good enough tale. It’s happened exactly three times in the past 100 years.

Francis Ouimet won the 1913 US Open at the Country Club in Brookline, a historic victory for many reasons, not the least of which was that it was such a moraleboosting success at the time for American golf. Indeed, its importance cannot be overstated as Ouimet defeated two of that era’s sporting icons, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, in one of the most dramatic playoffs ever witnessed at a Major championship.

Ninety years later, it happened again, when Ben Curtis—a rookie on the

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PGA Tour who had gotten into The Open Championship via an obscure exemption category—managed to hold off the likes of Thomas Bjorn, Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods and Davis Love to capture the Claret Jug. Then it was Bradley at last summer’s PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, where he rallied over the final holes and then defeated Jason Dufner in a three-hole aggregate playoff. His finish featured a spectacular rebound from a triple-bogey six at the short 15th hole, where he seemingly had gifted the tournament to his fellow American.

“It’s a really impressive feat for him to do that, especially the way he played the last three holes after tripling 15,” said Phil Mickelson, who serves as a sort of mentor to Bradley. “That type of mental focus is something that you can’t really teach. He just

kind of has it. He has that ability to perform under the clutch, just like he did when he birdied 18 at Riviera. He knows how to do what he has to do to get a win or to get up there. I just have a lot of respect for his game.” Mickelson’s Riviera reference was to the Northern Trust Open in February, where the two played the final round together— and where both made clutch birdie putts on the 72nd green to force a playoff that was eventually won by Bill Haas.

Bradley, 25, was named PGA Tour rookie of the year in 2011 because he also won the HP Byron Nelson championship, again via the playoff route, with Ryan Palmer the unfortunate victim on that occasion.

That made him the Tour’s youngest winner of the season and propelled him onto quite a ride. After all, not that long ago he was

“That type of mental focus is something you can’t really teach. He just kind of has it. He has that ability to perform under the clutch”

KEEGAN BRADLEY WAS ECSTATIC AND AMAZED AS HE FOUND HIMSELF HOISTING THE WANAMAKER TROPHY AFTER THE 2011 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

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Keegan Bradley (USA)

Born: 7 June 1986 Turned Pro: 2008 Major Win: PGA Championship (2011) Other Professional Wins: 5

BRADLEY GOLFING IN HIS ST JOHN’S UNIVERSITY DAYS

playing college golf for St John’s University in New York City and just two years prior to his PGA triumph he was scratching around on the mini-tours. Despite his earlyseason promise last year, Bradley was not eligible for the Masters, US Open or Open Championship in 2011. However, his victory at the Nelson was enough to earn him a berth in the field for the PGA Championship.

But after that lapse at the 15th— where Bradley chipped across the green and into the water at Atlanta Athletic Club—he trailed by five. A combination of Dufner errors and two birdies over the closing holes from Bradley led to the tie, and then victory in a three-hole playoff. “The course is so tough that no lead is safe,” Bradley said of his mindset when trailing by five strokes.

“And I kept trying to tell myself that because I knew that was the case. I knew that even if you got a big lead, you might get a little tight coming down the end. It was pretty remarkable the way I played, and I’m very proud of the way I played. It’s the best golf I’ve ever played and, man, it was so exciting.”

By winning, Bradley became the first player to win a Major championship using a long putter. Bradley uses a belly putter— something he picked up about three years ago, finding it routine on the Nationwide Tour.

“It was no big deal to be in a group with three guys that had unconventional putters,” he said.

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Bradley said. “Some of my earliest golf memories are of watching her play inside the ropes. She’s always giving me advice, always. It’s cool. I can talk to Pat and she can understand what I’m going through. She knows what it’s like to be at a Major and have your whole family in town and figuring out what to do with practice schedules.

So it’s been fun to relate to her about that.

She’s got advice for me every day, and I’m lucky enough to have someone else in my family that’s been able to give that to me.”

Bradley has come a long way in a short time since he was down to his last $1,000 and a family friend wired him some money to keep his pro career alive. Shortly afterwards, he won a mini-tour event.

Long putters have been controversial, Born and raised in Vermont, Bradley especially those anchored to the body. turned pro in 2008 after deciding his career Many in golf have called for them to be lay with golf not skiing. He didn’t make it to banned. To Bradley, trying it just felt right. the PGA Tour until last year and arrived at the “For a guy who is 40 years old and has been PGA Championship ranked 108th in the world. playing with a short putter for 35 years, they Victory gave him a five-year exemption to the grab that thing and it’s a bizarre feeling,” other three Majors, and he can play in the PGA Bradley said. “For me, it was really easy. Championship forever. “That’s unbelievable, It just clicked right away.” So, wielding considering the fact that [a few] years ago I this most modern of implements, Bradley was playing on the Hooters Tour, grinding for joined Ouimet and Curtis in the victorious survival—just to keep playing,” Bradley said. first-time Major players’ club. The Ouimet “It’s amazing what comes with winning a PGA correlation is especially meaningful to Tour event, let alone a Major.”

Bradley given his New England roots.

Not even Tiger Woods accomplished “I’ve been studying the history a little Bradley’s feat, although he did win his first bit,” Bradley, nephew of LPGA Hall of Famer Major as a pro. But when he won the 1997 Pat Bradley and son of Jackson Hole Golf & Masters, it was Woods’ third time at Augusta Tennis Club head professional Mark Bradley, National and he’d already played in six Majors. said. “I’m aware of Francis Ouimet and any In April, Bradley was unable to match time you’re mentioned in the same sentence Fuzzy Zoeller’s victory at the Masters at the as him, it’s pretty cool to me because of my first time of asking in 1979, tying for 27th in New England heritage. Pretty cool for me, the end. Despite’s Zoeller’s achievement, it’s certainly. Every time I look at the Wanamaker a lot to ask of a player to be successful on his [PGA Championship] trophy, I realise how first tilt at Augusta National, and everyone special it is. And I appreciate it more.” else (apart, of course, from inaugural winner It certainly didn’t hurt to have that Horton Smith in 1934) has been found family golfing pedigree. Pat Bradley was wanting in that respect. But winning a known for her intensity and guile in a career Major, any Major, at the first attempt is a that saw her win six Major championships rare, rare feat, and at least Bradley has this and 31 LPGA Tour titles. She was inducted going for him. Now he is 1-for-2 heading to into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1991. the Olympic Club for his first US Open, and “Pat has been a huge influence on me,” that record looks pretty good, too.

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GREATEST SHOTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH GLENMORANG,THIS IS THE FIRST ARTICLE IN A THREE-PART SERIES DEVOTED TO THE MOST MEMORABLE SHOTS EVER PLAYED AT THE MAJORS. WE START BY CELEBRATING SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DAWN OF CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF IN 1860 UP TO THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II. Andy Farrell IS OUR HISTORIAN illie Park was the first man to hole a putt to win a major championship. It came in 1860 at the very first Open Championship, albeit a tournament with a field made up of only eight caddies. The final green at Prestwick was rather bumpy and Park had two putts to claim the Challenge Belt but only needed one. It meant Park beat his rival and the favourite, ‘Old’ Tom Morris, by two strokes, and the pair dominated the early Opens.

But then along came Tom’s son, Tommy, more regularly referred to nowadays as ‘Young’ Tom. The game’s first superstar won his first Open in 1868 and the following year achieved the first hole-in-one in The Open’s history. It came at Prestwick’s 166-yard 8th hole, the Station Hole where the front of the green was guarded by the Sahara bunker. But Morris cleared the sand and his ball landed on the green before rolling a further 15 feet into the hole. There was a stunned silence, since something like this

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WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. THE VERY FIRST MAJOR, THE OPEN, WAS PLAYED AT PRESTWICK IN 1860 WITH A MOROCCAN BELT AS THE WINNER’S PRIZE

outright, there was no championship the following year; then a claret jug was put up in 1872 and Tommy won that as well.

Six years later, in 1878, Jamie Anderson won the second of three successive Open titles and claimed the championship’s second hole-in-one. It came at the penultimate hole, the 11th at Prestwick, and helped the Scot to a two-stroke win over Bob Kirk. But he was fortunate not to incur the ultimate penalty on his final tee shot. Just before Anderson hit the ball he was informed by his marker that he was outside the teeing ground. If Anderson had proceeded with the stroke from there he would have been disqualified!

Around the turn of the century, it was the Great

landed on the green. Braid thus beat Vardon by three shots, not bad after he had started the championship by hooking his opening drive over a stone wall and out of bounds.

Vardon claimed the fifth of his six Open victories in 1911 at Royal St. George’s when he faced Arnaud Massy in a playoff. Vardon was not only 30 yards longer than Massy off the tee, he was also the straightest hitter of his time. Vardon was always in control of the 36-hole playoff. He came to the 17th of the second round well ahead and even though Massy hit his approach to 12 feet, Vardon hit his inside the Frenchman—not for the first time. This was the last straw for Massy, the 1907 champion, who conceded and walked back to the clubhouse

THE 17TH HOLE AT THE COUNTRY CLUB WAS THE SCENE OF THE BIRDIE PUTT THAT EARNED FRANCIS OUIMET A PLACE IN THE 1913 US OPEN PLAYOFF

had never been seen before, but then the cheers rang out and accompanied Morris as he walked the length of the hole from tee to green.

Suitably inspired, Morris won his second Open that year and made it three in a row in 1870, when he opened at the monster 578-yard 1st with a three after holing out from 200 yards with a long-spoon.

With ‘Young’ Tom having won the Challenge Belt

Triumvirate of Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid who dominated the game with 16 Open titles between them. At Muirfield in 1901, Braid hit his approach at the last hole from 200 yards. Such was the force with which Braid swung, the shaft of the club splintered and the head flew towards the clubhouse. But it was also such a well-struck shot that the ball continued on its way unaffected and

There was no Open in 1871 because ‘Young’ Tom Morris won the Belt outright after his third successive win the year before. The Claret Jug was then put up and the Championship resumed in 1872

muttering: “I cannot play this damn game.”

Two years later, Vardon was due to face his compatriot from Jersey, Ted Ray, in a playoff for the US Open. But a 20-year-old amateur who lived across the road from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, was still battling away on the course. Francis Ouimet needed a birdie at one of the last two holes to tie and at the 17th gave himself a 15-footer for a three. It was no simple putt, downhill and breaking sharply but Ouimet hit it firmly.

The ball banged into the back of the hole, jumped up and dropped in. The green was packed with spectators and a huge roar went up. The

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GENE SARAZEN, LEFT, PRODUCED THE SHOT ‘HEARD AROUND THE WORLD’ WHEN HE HOLED A 4-IRON FOR AN ALBATROSS-2 ON THE 15TH AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL EN ROUTE TO WINNING THE 1935 MASTERS

AN UNLIKELY FAIRY TALE WAS COMPLETED WHEN OUIMET, A 20-YEAR-OLD AMATEUR, DEFEATED THE TWO MIGHTY BRITISH PROFESSIONALS, HARRY VARDON AND TED RAY, IN A PLAYOFF

following day an unlikely fairy tale was completed when the youngster defeated the two mighty British professionals in the playoff. Ouimet scored a 72 to a 77 by Vardon and a 78 by Ray. It was the moment that American golf came of age and as well as entering the folklore of the game, Ouimet’s putt at the 71st hole remains a strong contender as the most significant in the whole history of the game.

Walter Hagen became America’s first great professional and despite his image as a flamboyant showman, there was no doubting his golfing skill or courage. At the 1919 US Open at Brae Burn Country Club, West Newton, Massachusetts, Hagen made up five strokes in the final round but still needed a birdie at the last to win. The hole on the 18th green was cut on the top tier but a low stone wall marked the out-of-bounds just past the green. This was no time for caution. Hagen blasted a long-iron to eight feet and refused to hit his putt until his closest rival, Mike Brady, came out of the clubhouse to watch.

Hagen missed the putt but victory was merely delayed as he won the playoff the next day.

Bobby Jones was the amateur who eclipsed Hagen and Gene Sarazen as the greatest player of the 1920s. He was the consummate golfer, a genuine hero who hit many of golf’s famous shots.

But he was a little hot-headed in his early days and his first major title, the US Open in 1923 at Inwood Country Club, New York, was when that image was dispelled. The playoff with Bobby Cruickshank was level as the match came up the 18th but Jones needed to hit his second shot from a bare lie from 195 yards over a pond in front of the green. He hit it to 6 feet and won by two strokes having proved he could hit the decisive shot when it mattered.

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JONES HIT A BLIND SECOND SHOT FROM A SCRUBBY, SANDY LIE WITH A MASHIE OVER DUNES, ROUGH AND BUNKERS. WATROUS, WHO WAS SHOCKED, PROMPTLY THREE-PUTTED BOBBY JONES PUTTS ON THE 8TH GREEN DURING THE INAUGURAL MASTERS IN 1934. HIS PLAYING PARTNER, HORTON SMITH, WAS THE EVENTUAL WINNER

Three years later, Jones was in a battle with Al Watrous for the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Jones had trailed for most of the final round before catching his compatriot with just two holes to play. But while Watrous made it onto the green safely in two at the 17th, Jones pulled his drive into a scrubby, sandy area inside the dogleg of the fairway. The second shot was blind as he had to go over some dunes as well as clearing rough and bunkers. Jones hit his mashie iron perfectly and his ball finished inside Watrous, who was so shocked he promptly three-putted.

Jones retired from competitive golf after winning the Grand Slam in 1930—the US and British Opens and Amateur Championships—and then devoted his time to creating Augusta National

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THE MAJORS 2012

Golf Club. In 1934, Jones instituted an invitational tournament for his friends which became known as the Masters. But it might not have taken off so quickly without the “shot heard around the world” a year later. Hearing a roar from the 18th green, Sarazen soon realized he was three behind as he stood over his second shot at the par-5 15th hole.

Hagen, his playing partner, said: “Well, that’s it then.” But Sarazen was not so pessimistic.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he replied, “they could go in from anywhere.” Taking a 4-iron from 232 yards down the hill and over the pond, Sarazen “hit it pure”. His ball landed just short of the green and rolled into the hole for an albatross, or double-eagle. Sarazen was now tied for the lead and eventually beat Craig Wood in a playoff.

Finally, a word for Byron Nelson, one of the purest ball-strikers the game has ever seen. At the 1939 US Open over the Spring Mill course at Philadelphia Country Club, Nelson hit the flagstick six times in 72 holes, each time with a different club: wedge, 9-iron, 6-iron, 4-iron, 1-iron and driver. He ended up in a playoff with Wood and Denny Shute, with Shute falling out after the first round. Nelson faced Wood over another 18 holes and at the 453yard 4th he holed out with a one-iron for an eagletwo on his way to the title. When the USGA developed a machine to test equipment, they had every reason to call it “Iron Byron”.

Andy Farrell is author of The 100 Greatest Ever Golfers (published by Elliott & Thompson)

©2012 Pinehurst, LLC

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Unlikely Lads NOT EVERY MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP IS WON BY A GLOBAL SUPERSTAR. INDEED, A FAIR PROPORTION EITHER FALL INTO THE LAP OF AN UNExPECTED VICTOR OR ARE SNATCHED WITH NEVER-TO-BEREPEATED APLOMB BY A JOURNEYMAN ENJOYING THE MOMENT OF HIS LIFE. Ross Biddescombe CASTS HIS MIND BACK TO RECOLLECT A FEW NOTABLE ExAMPLES OF MICE THAT BRIEFLY ROARED 080

THE MAJORS 2012

paul lawrie (facing page), francis ouimet and todd hamilton (right) all won majors from under the radar

If all the hIghest-profIle sporting events were won by one of the pre-tournament favourites, then think how dull the world would be. Golf is certainly not like that and the sport’s Major championships, three of them involving fields of 156 players, nearly all of whom believe they have the ability to win, produce plenty of surprise winners.

Over the past 150-plus years of Major championships, the shock victories have come thick and fast, often from players who enjoy one inspired week and never come close to challenging for another similar title for the rest of their journeyman careers.

Dating back to 1860, a mere 76 players have won more than one Major compared to a total of 128 golfers who have only once donned a green jacket, lifted The Open’s claret jug or claimed one of the silver trophies on offer at the US Open and PGA Championship. In addition, among those 128 solitary wins can be found some of the most astonishing successes in the whole of sport.

Of course, the oldest Major will always be The Open Championship, and the first one-time, surprise winners were a pair of Scots—Andrew Strath at Prestwick in 1865 and Tom Kidd, whose victory in 1873 took place in his home town, St Andrews. In the case of the latter, it was the first time the Old Course had hosted the event, the first time it had been staged over two 18-hole rounds (as opposed to three loops of 12, as had been the norm at Prestwick), and the first time Kidd had entered a tournament that, at the time, was only in its infancy. Whether it was local knowledge or the horrid, stormy weather that suited ex-caddie Kidd, he was no doubt delighted with the cash prize he received for his efforts—£11 ($17 at today’s exchange rates).

Well over a century later, another unheralded Scot, Paul Lawrie from Aberdeen, was the beneficiary of an even more incredible story. In 1999, Lawrie went into the last round 10 shots behind on a Carnoustie course with rough thicker than anything seen in living memory. Undaunted on a course he probably knew better than anyone else in the field, he shot a remarkable 67 in these ultratough conditions while others—particularly longtime leader Jean Van de Velde—crumbled around him. After Lawrie beat the Frenchman and American Jason Leonard in a playoff, the record books showed that no one had ever come from so many shots back in the last round to win a Major.

Within five years of Lawrie’s triumph, there were two more underdog winners at The Open, both nearunknown Americans. At least Todd Hamilton, the

2004 champion, had a history of wins on the Japan Golf Tour and had won the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour in Florida just four months previously. He was also using a rescue club, newly available on the market, to fashion some crucial bump-and-run shots on the bone-hard Royal Troon links. The 39-year-old had been scrapping around at Q School only two seasons beforehand, yet he still found the inspiration to beat former champion Ernie Els in a playoff.

However, Hamilton’s win only registered a minor tremor on the shock-o-meter compared to Ben Curtis’s exploits at Royal St. George’s the previous summer. Curtis was a handful of starts into his rookie season as a PGA Tour pro at the time, ranked 396th in the world and with just one top-25 finish to his name. The man from Columbus, Ohio, was a complete unknown and a 300-1 outsider—indeed, few of even the most ardent of golf fans had heard of him prior to his moment in the sun (although, in truth, there wasn’t much of that about during a pretty bleak week)—yet he still managed to sneak through a crowded leaderboard to win by a stroke.

Perhaps the oddest part of the story was that Curtis’s caddie for the week, local bagman Andy Sutton, was just as shocked as everyone else.

Sutton’s regular pro had failed to qualify for the Open, so he called the IMG sports agency on the offchance of picking up a week’s work. “They had a guy called Ben Curtis coming over from the US I’d never heard of him,” said Sutton. And even though the pair were in the mix for the final round, a victory never crossed the caddie’s mind. After all, why would it

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have with the likes of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Davis Love and Nick Faldo in the mix. “I was fully expecting him to shoot 80 and for us to finish 20th. Unbelievable.”

On the final day, however, Curtis set a clubhouse lead at one-under-par that was not beaten. He thus became the first Major championship debutant to win since Francis Ouimet in 1913 (Keegan Bradley emulated this feat at last year’s PGA Championship, but he was already well above the radar after a successful debut season on the PGA Tour).

Ouimet’s triumph in the US Open has been hailed in both print and on celluloid because of its fairytale qualities. An amateur player, aged just 20, Ouimet had grown up over the road from the 17th hole at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and was easily the best young player in the state. None the less, it took an invitation from the USGA to persuade Ouimet to play with the pros.

However, after the regulation 72 holes he found himself tied with two of Britain’s greatest players from that sepia-tinted era before World War I, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. The fact that Ouimet then won an 18-hole playoff by five strokes was enough to put the Before the 2002 PGA sport of golf on the Championship at Hazeltine front pages of every National, Rich Beem had made major newspaper across America, just one cut in three Majors coast-to-coast.

Forty years later, another wonder winner came along. Dick Mayer was a disciple of the late Claude Harmon before his Tour career gathered pace in the 1950s and he should have won the 1954 US Open, but for a final-hole triple-bogey that left him tied for third.

The fact that Mayer actually recovered from this disaster to win the same championship three years later, after a playoff against defending champion and seasoned Tour veteran Cary Middlecoff, does him immense credit.

The following year also witnessed a playoff. On Tom Lehman down the stretch at Congressional in this occasion, every expert, both amongst the press 1996 shortly after missing most of the previous four corps and amongst the galleries, was convinced that seasons through injury; and Georgia’s Jerry Pate the legendary Ben Hogan only had to turn up to claim in 1976, his rookie season on Tour, who sealed his his fifth US Open win against unsung underdog Jack career-defining moment with a towering 5-iron to Fleck from Iowa. But Fleck, a World War II veteran within a few inches of the cup on the 72nd hole of who took part in the Normandy landings, beat his Atlanta Athletic Club. hero by three strokes at the Olympic Club in San The final Major of the year, the PGA Francisco, which had already acquired a reputation Championship, was a match play event from 1916 to as a place “where champions go to die”.

1957, a format that resulted in a number of relatively The roll call of completely unexpected US Open unfamiliar names appearing on the Wanamaker champions who had to qualify for the event also Trophy, such as Tom Creavy, a 20-year-old club pro includes New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, who from Rhode Island who beat the highly-fancied held off Woods to win by two shots at Pinehurst Densmore Shute in the 1931 final.

No.2 in 2005; Steve Jones, who saw off Love and Since the tournament turned itself into a 72-

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THE MAJORS 2012

hole event in 1958, there have been plenty of further surprises. At the 2002 PGA, Rich Beem, who had made just one cut in the three previous Majors in which he had played, spectacularly fended off another Tiger-in-full-flow challenge at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota.

In the following year’s PGA at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, Shaun Micheel hit the shot of his life—a 7-iron to two inches on the final hole—to take the spoils and thwart fellow American Chad Campbell. Micheel, 169th in the world rankings before the event, said: “I showed up to play a practice round and saw how difficult the golf course was. I was just trying to make the cut. I probably would have been happy with that.”

from left: pga champions rich Beem and john dalY. Below: 1987 masters winner larrY miZe celeBrates the miracle shot that jettisoned the hopes of a dejected greg norman

“I had to look him [John Daly] up in a PGA Tour player guide so I’d know what he looked like in case I had to go find him” CONQUERING NORMAN

It was his first, and to date only, PGA Tour win, though he did finish a distant, and highly creditable, second to Woods three years later at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Just over a decade earlier, another first-time Tour winner to make his breakthrough at the PGA, John Daly, pulled off perhaps the most outrageous piece of Major championship gatecrashing in the history of the game.

Daly was famously the ninth and final alternate for the 1991 tournament, and only got in on the eve of the first round because Nick Price pulled out at the last minute to attend the birth of his son Gregory.

The PGA of America’s own administrator in charge of filling the tournament with a replacement, Ken Anderson, had never even heard of Daly. “I had to go look him up in a PGA Tour player guide so I’d know what he looked like in case I had to go find him and get him registered,” he said.

The man who would become known as the ‘Wild Thing’ drove through the night to take up his spot at Crooked Stick near Indianapolis, and, crucially, teamed up with Price’s caddie—the late Jeff ‘Squeaky’ Medlin. But his chances seemed almost nonexistent as the rookie from Arkansas had

already missed 11 cuts in 23 starts by that point during the season.

However, Daly’s length helped him on the thenmonstrous 7,295 yard course, particularly as he was able to fire his drives continually over most of the trouble. For example, on the dogleg 14th, there was a 280-yard carry over water. “I was hitting L-wedge into that hole. Other guys were hitting 3- or 2-irons in. It was a big, big advantage,” remembers Daly.

Even caddie Medlin had little idea what he was working with. He confessed to his wife during the tournament: “I can’t club this guy. He hits it longer than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

Daly took the tournament lead on day two and never relinquished it, shooting a 12-underpar total of 276 and winning by three shots from Bruce Lietzke. “It’s a miracle,” said Daly at the time of his victory.

However, miracles sometimes happen more than once, and ‘Long John’ went on to become perhaps golf’s biggest surprise packet of all time by winning his second Major title, The Open Championship, in 1995 in almost arctic conditions over the Old Course at St Andrews.

The question of which shock Major winner hit the most surprising shot to win when defeat seemed inevitable is perhaps a split decision, and on both occasions Greg Norman was on the receiving end.

Perhaps it was Bob Tway in the 1986 PGA Championship at the Inverness Club in Ohio after Norman had led for almost the entire four days.

Tway, who trailed the Australian by four shots going into the final round, holed a greenside bunker shot on the 72nd hole for an unlikely birdie three while Norman then took three from up against a collar of rough on the edge of the green to lose the title by two shots.

However, the other serious contender has to be the outrageous 140-foot chip-in by Larry Mize to win the three-man sudden-death playoff for the Masters green jacket on the 11th hole at Augusta National eight months later. Seve Ballesteros had dropped out of the playoff on the 10th green, leaving Mize and Norman to contest the title. And as Mize stood over his ball in a swale some way to the right of the green, Norman, safely on the putting surface in two, was clear favourite. Of course, the rest is history as Mize’s ball sped along the glassy surface of the green, rattled against the pin and dropped like a stone to break his opponent’s heart. Had he missed, his ball could easily have trundled off the green and into the water beyond. By such margins are legends made, even by unexpected heroes.

A Gold Medal Layout

The Olympic Club’s Lake Course in San Francisco was designed by Willie Watson and opened in 1924. Storm damage to both the Lake and the less difficult Ocean Course led the superintendent, Sam Whiting, to redesign both layouts for 1927. Robert Trent Jones, Snr toughened the Lake before the first US Open there in 1955, and Bill Love has made alterations—especially to the 8th hole—for the 2012 Open, the fifth to be staged at Olympic, where underdogs have tended to thrive. Jack Fleck beat Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff in 1955. Another playoff was needed in 1966 when Billy Casper, seven shots back with nine holes to play, thwarted Arnold Palmer. Scott Simpson edged Tom Watson in 1987 and then, in 1998, Lee Janzen repeated his 1993 victory at Baltusrol at the expense of Payne Stewart. Three US Amateur Championships have also been held at ‘OC,‘ Charlie Coe winning in 1958, Nathaniel Crosby in 1981 and Colt Knost in 2007. Art Spander, a Bay area native, gives us his guided tour 084

THE MAJORS 2012

No.2

Par-4, 428 yards Mike Davis calls the 2nd hole on the Lake Course “one of the longest 428-yard holes competitors will ever play.” Extended 30 yards from the 1998 and 1987 Opens, the fairway here narrows some 270 yards from the tee, so players probably will tee off with a 3-wood or hybrid. The approach is uphill to a green severely sloped from back to front, and a poorly hit shot is likely to roll back off the front of the green, possibly into one of several steep bunkers. Competitors would do well on their uphill approach to hit one club longer than indicated by the yardage.

No.3

Par-3, 247 yards Standing on the tee of Olympic’s most picturesque and perhaps most famous hole, a golfer on a clear day can see the top of the suspension towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. The question on this downhill hole, which will play some 25 yards longer than at previous Opens, is can they see a way to make par? From the tee, embraced by trees, a player may not feel the prevailing left-to-right wind off the neighbouring Pacific Ocean. A shot that misses right may end up near the 4th tee.

All photos Copyright USGA/John Mummert

No.1

Par-4, 520 yards This is the beginning of what USGA executive director Mike Davis says “may well be the most difficult start in Major-championship history.” The 1st hole has been set up as a par-4 after being played as a par-5, the members’ par, for each of the four previous US Opens staged at Olympic. The fairway, running atop the San Andreas earthquake fault, is largely downhill. Two bunkers which appear close to the green are actually positioned 40 yards in front of it.

No.4

Par-4, 438 yards This is the first of Olympic’s several “reverse camber” holes, as they are known, an uphill dogleg left to a fairway which decants away to the right. “Probably the hardest tee shot to keep in the fairway,” said the club’s head pro Chris Stein. It is also the stroke-index 1 hole on the scorecard. Many golfers will use a long-iron or 3-wood off the tee rather than run the risk of rolling into the rough. The green slopes from back to front, and the area around it is closely mown.

No.5

Par-4, 498 yards This is the mirror image to the previous hole, downhill, longer (it was 457 yards at the last US Open) and dogleg right to a fairway sloping left. The tee shot will generally be played with a 3-wood or long-iron, faded around a row of tall firs which line the right side. The approach should be short and left of any pin location on a green that slopes from right to left, is fast from back to front and subtly bunkered.

But, as is the case with so many greens at Olympic, it is open in front.

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No.6

Par-4, 489 yards The first of the par-4s where a golfer can go with a driver and the only hole on the course with a fairway bunker, which the USGA has brought into play by extending the hole 50 yards further than in 1998. A tee shot of 295 yards is required to clear that bunker, so some golfers will choose to use a 3-wood from the tee. Where many golfers hit a wedge to the green in 1998, competitors this time will need mid-irons for their approaches to a green with a pronounced false front.

No.7

Par-4, 288 yards This hole, just as it was in 1998, is drivable— the USGA said it probably will be as short as 265 yards for one round. However, the historic three-tiered green has been shifted and changed, and now is a two-level target.

Because there is no intermediate rough, only the 5-to-6 inch cut, the penalty for missing the putting surface is serious. Golfers who lay up with an iron off the tee will have a 70- to 90yard approach.

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THE MAJORS 2012

No.8

Par-3, 200 yards In what is the biggest change at Olympic, and one which has perturbed some club members, the hole has been extended and shifted. What was a charming 137-yarder requiring only a 9-iron or wedge now stretches 200 yards. The cypress trees to the left of a green which slopes left to right have been thinned— in the 1955 US Open, Dick Mayer lost a ball in the branches—but they still could come into play.

No.10

Par-4, 424 yards This hole is virtually the same distance as at the previous four Opens to be staged at Olympic, but the angle of the left-to-right dogleg has been increased, so a tee shot that doesn’t fade could run through the fairway. The green tends to run away, so the ideal approach, with a short iron, would be to land the ball on the front. Expect a good number of birdies here.

No.11

Par-4, 430 yards The fairway has been moved several yards to the left to create more of a left-to-right dogleg. Most players will hit driver on a hole that is slightly uphill and plays longer than the yardage due to the prevailing wind. As the green is two-tiered, club selection is critical. Players probably will use a wedge or 9-iron approach but in 1998 Janzen used a 7-iron that flew into the deep rough, then caromed out onto the green.

No.9

All photos Copyright USGA/John Mummert

Par-4, 449 yards Another reverse-camber hole, although not as dramatic as the 5th, with a left-to-right dogleg and a right-toleft slant to the fairway. The green slopes severely right-to-left and front to back. Any approach which misses the green will probably run away from the hole because the area will be mown short. Golfers at the US Open probably will opt for a 3-wood off the tee.

No.12

Par-4, 451 yards More than 35 yards have been added to this hole since the 1998 US Open, and the drive now is struck through a chute of Monterey pine and cypress trees.

Players who draw the ball will have trouble. The approach to a very small green could be from a hanging lie into the wind. Any shot that misses to the right could end up near the adjacent 13th tee.

No.13

Par-3, 199 yards This straightforward hole has been lengthened 15 yards. Bunkers front the green, which, because the wind is from the golfer’s back, may be difficult to hold unless the shot is shaped. Right-handed golfers will try to hit a cut, but overhanging cypress trees on the right have snared many a ball. None the less, this is a definite birdie opportunity.

No.14

Par-4, 419 yards The fairway on this right-to-left dogleg has been moved several yards left, opening a better angle to a firm green that is open in front but with huge bunkers left and right. The ideal tee shot is a 3-wood turning right to left, although those who go with driver can take advantage of a downhill slope leaving only a wedge to the green. Trees border the left edge of the fairway.

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No.15

Par-3, 154 yards Although this hole is short, golfers must not be too aggressive when hitting to the front-left and back-left pin positions because of two deep bunkers. There is no intermediate cut around the green, just 5-6 inch rough. During the final round in 1966, Arnold Palmer found one of those bunkers, bogeyed the hole and surrendered two shots to Billy Casper, who eventually beat him in an 18-hole playoff.

No.16

Par-5, 670 yards From a temporary tee, which may be used for only two rounds, this hole will be the longest in US Open history. A huge arc of a left dogleg, this hole narrows past the 300-yard mark. Golfers thus may choose a 3-wood off the tee. Arnie clipped an overhanging tree with his drive in the 1966 Open, but nevertheless managed a great up-and-down bogey out of a greenside bunker. Despite this, he still lost a further two shots to Casper.

No.17

Par-5, 522 yards This is a par-5 that for the first time in five US Opens will be played as a par-5. The 1st hole, which is also usually a par-5, has been changed to a par-4, but not this one. The fairway slopes left to right more severely than any other at Olympic, and the tee box has been moved 20 yards left, thus making the angle more challenging. The option to reach the green in two will be there, but a shot missed right may bounce down towards the 18th tee. A new bunker has also been put in on the right side of the fairway about 60 yards short of the green to increase the danger facing those players attempting to get up in two. This hole will yield plenty of birdies; and bogeys.

No.18

Par-4, 344 yards Short but narrow, and even a perfect tee shot leaves players barely able to see the top half of the flagstick. The smallest green on the course has been significantly reworked, so no one should, as Payne Stewart had to in 1998, watch a 10-foot birdie attempt end up as a 20-foot par attempt. It takes no great imagination to notice that the bunkers in front of the green spell I-O-U. All photos Copyright USGA/John Mummert

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THE MAJORS 2012

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With narrow fairways and 206 bunkers (90% of which are disconcertingly deep and none merely decorative), a railway line beside six tight outward holes and arguably the most testing final five holes anywhere when the wind is blowing, Royal Lytham & St Annes is “a beast of a course, but a just beast”, as Bernard Darwin put it. There are very few blind shots, no tricks, no gimmicks, just the severest of target lines into fair, comparatively flat but subtle greens, all protected either by deep, larger traps, or by ‘pot’ bunkers. While greats like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have endured heartbreaking days on these links, Lytham has also brought out the very best in its champions—Bobby Jones (1926), Bobby Locke (1952), Peter Thomson (1958), Bob Charles (1963), Tony Jacklin (1969), Gary Player (1974), Seve Ballesteros (1979 and 1988), Tom Lehman (1996) and David Duval (2001). All were genuine worldbeaters in their day and that could well be the requirement for this year’s champion. He will be accurate, brave and probably putt brilliantly. The R&A and Royal Lytham have lengthened the course, with help from designers Mackenzie & Ebert, to 7,086 yards. Lines of houses and a large school separate the links—co-created in 1897 by the club’s first professional, Scotsman George Lowe (an apprentice of Tom Morris)—and the ‘sea’ (in this case, more accurately, the Ribble Estuary). Ben Evans, who grew up playing this great course, escorts us round the premises

The Beast of Lytham

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the majors 2012

No.1

205 yards, Par-3 A rare par-3 opener for a Major course, requiring a demanding long-iron to a green protected by pot bunkers. The real threat is the flattish putting surface that belies subtle borrows and is difficult to judge, pace-wise, first-up. Best then to hit your tee-shot stiff as Ian Woosnam did in the final round of 2001 when level with Duval. His caddie then revealed he had packed 15 clubs in the bag with the immortal words, “You’re going to go ballistic,” and the 1991 Masters champion copped for a two-shot penalty. Locke had his own club crisis in 1952. He needed an early-morning lift in a milk-truck to recover clubs locked in a Blackpool garage, before rushing on to the 1st tee with no warm-up. Minutes later he sank a 30ft birdie putt.

No.2

481 yards, Par-4 A railway line polices the right side and kettles boiling in the nearby houses have been heard on the tee. The brave tee shot (this hole is 43 yards longer than in 2001) needs to land on that side of the fairway to open up the green for a birdie opportunity, but you have to clear deep bunkers in the centre of the fairway to get there. Opt left and you can roll into more sand, or play conservatively left and leave a very long second. The green sits at an angle, sloping from left to right and protected by two difficult bunkers—front-left and behind the first portion of green on the right. Scores of 3 and 6 are equally possible here.

No.3

478 yards, Par-4 The fairway, flanked by thick rough down the left and the railway right, is firm underfoot, narrow and undulating. Probably the most precise tee shot on the course has been made tougher by alterations in bunkering and landing areas. Many players will find sand or worse from the tee.

Extreme control of the second shot is needed with the prevailing wind behind to a narrow, slightly raised green, which feels about the firmest and quickest of the 18, and where wicked slopes can channel your ball away towards deep bunkers and gullies. In the first round of the 1988 Open, Ballesteros was able to hit long-iron, short-iron, tap-in to go 3-under after 3. Meanwhile, lefty Charles hooked out of bounds here when winning his playoff against Phil Rodgers in 1963.

No.4

392 yards, Par-4 Turning back into the prevailing wind and for the fourth time hitting it right will find big trouble, with deep rough and scrub willow covering little hillocks as soon as you leave the fairway. Again, the hole favours flirting with the right side of the fairway to enjoy a decent view of the flag beyond clusters of fairway bunkers (left will leave a blind second).

The green complex is slightly raised and protected by bunkers at the front but this nevertheless may present the competitor with his first opportunity for a red number. The green is a little more sloping than many on the course, but provides a clearer read because of this.

No.5

219 yards, Par-3 The longest of the par-3s is disguised by 40 yards of dead ground in front of the green which makes the hole play longer than it appears. One of your straightest irons of the day is compulsory as the narrow landing area falls away on both sides into bunkers so deep that competitors will certainly leave shots in these traps during the championship. The wind can whip down this hole and make stopping the ball extremely difficult. Nicklaus aced this back in 1979 with a sweetly-struck 5-iron.

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No.6

492 yards, Par-4 Once a great birdie chance after that tough opening five (Player’s eagle in 1974 propelled him towards victory while Ballesteros and Price birdied it in 1988). This hole is now a stiff challenge as it has been re-badged from par-5 to par-4. Wind on your shoulder and a little more room in the landing area makes this a less problematic tee shot but there is plenty of rough on both sides. The gentle dogleg left turns into undulating ground that requires a second hit over a line of cross-bunkers. It has beefed-up security around a forward-sloping green, which includes a treacherous deep bunker with a straight face (left-front) and tricky pot bunkers right. Par may just feel like a birdie here.

No.7

592 yards, Par-5 Long straight drives are rewarded with plenty of run on a wider fairway, past acres of trouble on the right.

The newly designed approach is radically different from, say, 1988, when Faldo, Price and Ballesteros hit into a deep bowl that gathered in their shots (Faldo’s three-putt to the others’ eagles ended his challenge).

Nicklaus thumped a 350-yard drive in 1963 on the way to a dazzling eagle of his own. But these may be rarer birds in 2012. The new green is back and to the left (the hole is 35 yards longer than 2001), raised to hamper the running ball, quite small and well protected. This toughening of 6 and 7 means Jacklin’s adage of making your score on the front nine no longer applies.

No.8

416 yards, Par-4 The railway comes back into play again to the right of the hole and presents a real threat from an elevated and exposed tee. However, a full drive isn’t needed and the fairway is one of the wider on the course, but one of Mackenzie & Ebert’s cleverest introductions is a pot-bunker just right of centre. The true test is hitting up over enormous cross-bunkers in a raised bank—the ball must then carry a wide gully of turf before reaching a green that looks 30 yards high from the fairway. The green offers more room than it appears, but a bunker to the left-front attracts balls like a magnet—the deepest and most dangerous of all on the course.

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No.12

198 yards, Par-3 The green is angled from the tee and raised, making it difficult to hold with the trajectory of the shot required.

The wind often ushers the ball to the right where an out-of-bounds fence waits. Landing the shot safely at the front means a putt or chip up a 5ft ridge onto the top layer where the flag will be placed. Like the 5th, deep bunkers easily turn a promising tee shot into a bogey or worse. Lehman made a critical 8ft birdie in his final round in 1996 after a brilliant 4-iron to keep him ahead of the chasers. Jacklin always recognized the danger of 11 and 12, and his control of the ball around Lytham’s testing back nine was second to none.

No.13

No.9

165 yards, Par-3 When the holes had names in Jones’s time, this was called ‘Monkey’ and it’s certainly cheeky.

Nine bunkers protect this green, a wonderful golf shot played from a raised tee. The longer you look at it, the tougher it gets. It has changed a bit from 1926 when Jones just couldn’t hit the green, while Irishman Paul McGinley aced this hole in 1996. Club selection is vital as the high tee accentuates error; a slight pull can find trees or the thick, newly-grown lyme grass left, while out-ofbounds is just a couple of strides off the back of the green.

No.10

387 yards, Par-4 Turning for home is usually greeted with a feeling of wind in your face. An accurate tee shot here with a bit of shape will get you through the narrow gap between two mounds but there is a dastardly new pot bunker just to the left. Anything hit right of centre can meet a deep bunker or worse as the land leaks away down to an out-of-bounds beside the road. The next shot is into a green which tilts sharply towards the fairway. Control the ball in the wind, however, and the big slope on the putting surface is the main barrier to a first birdie on the back-nine. There is a history of great putters like Ballesteros (in 1988), Christy O’Connor (65 in 1969) and Charles (with putting in 1963 described as “almost inhuman”) piling up the birdies on the excellent greens between 6 and 13.

No.11

598 yards, Par-5 The combination of the prevailing wind and the decision to push the tee back 56 yards makes this a true three-shotter to probably everyone but Bubba!

Driving from a newly-installed tee means a big carry over mounds with a brave swing. Your second shot needs to be accurate as the rough is deep on the right and the intended fairway landing area narrows between the bunkers as you approach the green.

An undulating green awaits but it is definitely one of the more receptive on the course, so this is a good wedge-and-putt chance. Jones said it was a “new experience” to hit three full wood shots and then a pitch into this green. Duval’s excellent birdie after finding sand in 2001 steadied his ship under pressure.

355 yards, Par-4 Probably the easiest hole on the course, the lull before the storm. Find the left half of the fairway from the tee with a long-iron or wood, and the gentlest of right doglegs turns to offer a straightforward shortiron to the green. Undulations in the green often cause three-putts as first efforts can drift by easily.

The need for birdie before the next five holes, though, pressurizes the players. Not Ballesteros and Price in 1988, who stiffed electrifying wedges for birdies.

No.14

444 yards, Par-4 The tee shot has to avoid bunkers on the right and mounds covered with thick rough on the left. The margin for error is minimal as a good drive will skirt the left side of the fairway. In 1988, Seve hooked into trees and took a penalty drop before hitting a high, blind wedge over the trees to 10 feet and holing the bogey putt. The big flat green is difficult to hit—a subtle change to the ground pushes shots into the bunker right, with out-of-bounds two strides off the right edge. Nick Price (1988), Al Watrous (1926) and knickerbockered Aussie Rodger Davis (1979) all bogeyed this hole on their final nine to lose momentum, but Duval (2001) struck a wonderful shot from heavy rough to save par and set up his sole Major victory.

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No.15

462 yards, Par-4 Darwin called this “a hole for giants” and the wind is usually against or across. The drive is relatively straightforward, but the second shot is long and semiblind between sinister dunes and deep cross-bunkers.

Small left greenside bunkers can gather in good shots a mite off-line. Palmer surprised Peter Alliss here during the 1961 Ryder Cup match. The Englishman was expecting to go two-up before Palmer holed from the right bunker to steal the hole and later deny Alliss a win (the match was halved). Nicklaus would threeputt here in the final round of 1963 to damage his challenge after a “perfect” 2-iron right over the flag (he finished one-behind Charles). 1958 winner Peter Thomson carded a 6 here in the final round before rallying to beat Welshman Dave Thomas in a playoff.

No.16

336 yards, Par-4 The tee shot is blind, and needs to be well-placed to provide a trouble-free route to the green. In 1979, Ballesteros struck his ball to the right into a temporary car park before getting a free drop and conjuring up a birdie with a sand wedge and 15ft putt. More than that, the roars from the green and the posted red number on the scoreboard were heard and seen by Nicklaus from the 18th fairway who then missed the green. The brilliant Spaniard loved this hole and hit a sumptuous 9-iron in the final round in 1988 from a perfect fairway position for a 2-inch birdie to inch clear of Price by a shot. Els, pressing Lehman hard in 1996, bunkered his drive on 16 and again on 18 to miss out by two.

No.18

413 yards, Par-4 One final frightening drive to finish. “There’s nowhere to go but straight,” says Jacklin. Bunkers everywhere in two lines, the first needs clearing with the driver rather than an iron but any slight pull brings the second line of traps into play. In 1988, Seve felt the heat on the final tee and was hugely fortunate to push a hanging drive to clear the right-hand trap by inches, just yards from the bushes. Jacklin in 1969 hit the perfect final drive to set up victory. “What a corker!” purred Henry Longhurst. The green is the longest on the course from front to back and of Jacklin, Player and Ballesteros in their respective moments of destiny, only the Englishman hit a controlled approach. Seve missed the green left with a 7-iron while Player, 14 years earlier, was against the red-brick clubhouse wall with no swing! If Player’s left-handed shot with a putter was the shot of an ice-man under pressure, Seve’s punched chip to the lip of the hole was one of the greatest Open shots—a beautiful way to finish.

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No.17

453 yards, Par-4 The landing area from the tee is small but fair on this well-bunkered fairway, and many have to settle for seeing the flag only and not the green for the second shot. Jones pulled his drive left into a bunker in 1926 when level with Watrous. Watrous found the edge of the green in two and Jones responded by striking an exquisite 175-yard mashie-iron inside that effort from the sand. A plaque now marks the spot. Watrous three-putted and the rest is history. Famous also, was the scramble to find Player’s pulled 6-iron left of the green in deep rough in 1974. Found, with a minute left on the clock, Player hacked it out in two tries to salvage a bogey, adding to a first-round 6 on this same hole. Darren Clarke (2001) and Ben Crenshaw with a six (1979) both faltered on this hole when well-placed to lift the Claret Jug.

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The Key to Kiawah The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island near Charleston, designed by Pete Dye for the 1991 ‘War on the Shore’ Ryder Cup, is widely regarded as one of the toughest tests of golf in the US. Since the 1997 and 2003 World Cups, and the 2007 Senior PGA Championship, Dye has lengthened this Lowcountry course to an intimidating 7,676 yards. As a result, South Carolina’s first Major will also be the longest in history. If the anticipated Atlantic breezes blow—30mph on hot August afternoons is not unusual—the winner will be a long accurate hitter who stays out of the salt marshes, sweet grass and sunken sandy waste areas that line the fairways, and has the short-game skills to master the elevated paspalum greens. Peter Swain examines the challenge that will confront the field during the 2012 PGA Championship 096

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No.1

Par-4, 396 yards This relatively generous opening hole needs a drive positioned down the left to open up a gently undulating green that is guarded by sand to the front right and water just six yards off the back right edge. Some players will ease their way into the tournament with a 3-wood for accuracy, which still should leave only a short-iron with a touch of fade into a target that is 26 yards wide. It’s a definite birdie opportunity. A front right pin placement will bring one of the many compacted bunkers that define the Ocean Course into play. From them, the club of choice is a sharp-edged wedge to minimize bounce.

No.3

Par-4, 390 yards Position off the tee is everything. An accurate drive onto the plateau down the left side leaves just a wedge to the narrow elevated green on this short but potentially deadly hole. There’s a larger margin for error on the right of the fairway but keeping the ball on the sloping putting surface from that angle is more difficult. Players whose balls roll off the collar-less green will find themselves at least six feet below the hole on a tight lie. Some will putt up while others will ‘bump and run.’ A brave few will attempt the aerial route, but any up-and-down here is good.

No.4

Par-4, 458 yards This may be the toughest hole on the front nine. Off the tee, the marsh crossing at 320 yards will be in play with the wind behind, and there’s no chance of reaching the angled green in regulation from the three pot bunkers down the right. On the approach, the safest miss is short and left, with anything else almost certainly finding a waste area from which recovery could be difficult. The Sunday back-right pin location requires the ball to land softly just over two deep hazards onto one of the course’s more contoured putting surfaces, so most players will happily take a par and move on.

No.5

Par-3, 188 yards At the first par-3, players make a 180-degree turn and head west, back toward the ocean and often into a headwind. The hourglassshaped green, angled from front right to back left and running away, is 49 yards long, so there can be a three-club difference between pin placements. Dye has lengthened the bunker on the left side of the putting surface so a flagstick back left is difficult to get at while the mound at the constricted waist of the green makes it vital to land the ball on the same half as the pin.

Evan Schiller / golfshots.com

No.2

Par-5, 557 yards Let battle begin. The first decision for the players is how much of the intimidating salt marsh down the left to bite off from the tee. To open up the skinny front-left-to-back-right angled green, the ideal drive on this S-shaped hole flies 280 yards or so with a touch of draw to land on the left side of the generous fairway—anything to the right brings the front right greenside bunkers into play on the approach, making a lay-up the percentage shot.

The long second requires a high fade with a soft landing onto an elevated putting surface—quite a challenge if the wind’s up because anything long is in deep trouble.

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No.6

Par-4, 480 yards The middle tree of three live oaks framing the tee shot is the perfect line on this relatively generous driving hole where all the trouble is on the second shot. The undulating green, measuring 44 yards from front to back, isn’t elevated, so players can bounce the ball on if the flagstick is near the front edge. The toughest pin is back left, bringing a reshaped left greenside bunker on the kidney-shaped putting surface into play. If long putts can be avoided, this is a definite birdie opportunity.

No.7

Par-5, 579 yards Unless there’s a strong headwind, the second par-5 is certainly reachable in two. Encouraging big hitters, the landing area for the drive is wide open, so any tee shot that finds the massive waste area on the right is downright clumsy. On the approach, with a fairway wood or long iron, players need to avoid the deep swale front right of the green from which an up-and-down is not easy. If the hole is playing downwind, they also need to avoid running through the front-to-back sloping green into a deep transition area behind. This hole could see the majority of the week’s eagles.

No.8

Par-3, 198 yards With sand on three sides, the angled teardropshaped green on this shortish hole narrows toward the back right, which is three foot lower than the front half. So off the tee, it’s all about wind direction and club selection. The typical back-right Sunday pin needs a brave shot right at it with plenty of check, or a mid-iron into the heart of the two-tier green that allows the ball to release on down the slope. Anything long will run straight off the putting surface down a steep bank into which a set of wooden steps has been thoughtfully set. A player forced to use them will struggle to make par.

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No.9

Par-4, 494 yards This gentle dogleg left has a huge fairway to aim at, so only errant drivers need worry about the water down the right or the waste area all the way along the left side. But length off the tee is important, especially if the wind is against and the pin is at the back. The gently elevated green is shaped to suit a high draw, with the only safe bail-out being short of the target. A tricky up-and-down awaits anything left, long or, worst of all, snared by the pot bunker back right, so this contoured green should provide plenty of putting drama for the clubhouse grandstands.

No. 12

Par-4, 412 yards Like the preceding two holes, there’s trouble, both wet and sandy, all the way down the right, but if a tee shot avoids the new bunkers either side of the left-to-right sloping landing area, this relatively short par-4 is a definite birdie opportunity. A 3-wood off the tee for accuracy still leaves only a mid-iron into a large green slanted from front to back and left to right. Just a few feet from the water, the most difficult back-right pin position will concentrate minds, but otherwise the 12th invites attack.

No.10

Par-4, 447 yards After a front nine featuring marshland and trees, the back nine plays through dunes. Off this tee, there’s trouble down the right with water and sunken wasteland, so the ideal drive flies 280 yards over a mound to the right half of the fairway, then kicks off a downslope to set up a short-iron to an angled green running away from the players. If the onshore breeze picks up, it’s a high-risk shot. The safer drive to the left half leaves a tough approach over another waste area to a skinny green nestling down in the dunes with a wickedly deep bunker catching anything long.

No.13

Par-4, 497 yards Once again, it’s all about accuracy off the tee. Dye has artfully added new fairway bunkers down the left, forcing players to flirt with the water on the right if they are to avoid a 200-yard second shot into a narrow contoured green. The new landing area is not much more than 20 yards wide. If they then find any of the three re-contoured pot bunkers guarding the left of the green, they are faced with an alarming shot onto a narrow green with alligator-infested water immediately behind. On this ferociously long hole, a four is always a good score.

No.11

Par-5, 593 yards This long, serpentine-shaped hole leads up to an elevated green that only the very longest hitters can reach in two. The smart tee-shot uses some fade to stay close to the deep waste bunker on the right, but the real challenge is the second. Two deadly pot bunkers guard the front left of the green, while a precipitous hazard catches anything flying too far right, so an accurate lay-up with a touch of draw is essential for the third to stand a chance of stopping on the collarless, table-top green surrounded by steep runoffs on all sides. Once safely on, the green is relatively flat.

No.14

Par-3, 238 yards Perhaps the toughest par-3 on the course, the first hole heading back toward the clubhouse now features an elevated tee with dramatic views over the closing stretch. The green falls off severely in every direction, so if the wind is blowing off the beach just a few yards away, keeping the ball on the short stuff could be a nightmare. On singles day of the 1991 Ryder Cup, not one player managed to hold it. Anything short left will find a waste bunker 15 feet below the green or get hung up in the deep rough on the bank in front.

No question, a most intimidating hole.

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No.15

Par-4, 444 yards This is a relatively benign hole, so it presents a golden opportunity to claw a stroke back. The blind tee-shot to a saddle-shaped fairway that collects balls towards the centre is a breeze after the challenges of the 14th. A decent drive opens up the green to a short-iron approach, with two pot bunkers right and long the only real obstacles. The waste area that runs all along and below the left side of the green only comes into play if the pin is tucked onto that side.

No.16

Par-5, 581 yards This long par-5 is reachable in two if the drive finds the right (higher) side of the fairway, offering a clear view of the green, rather than the left side, which is six feet lower and leaves a blind second over a deep hazard. With a draw, the approach can be bounced onto the green from the right-front fringe, but when players are down in the dunes and hitting up to an exposed target, judging the wind is difficult. If it’s blowing off the sea, the 10-foot-deep waste area guarding the front left could see plenty of action.

Evan Schiller / golfshots.com

No.18

Par-4, 501 yards Dye has moved the dune-top tee back and closer to the ocean to accentuate this sweeping dogleg right.

Players will aim to fade their drives onto the crest of the hill, leaving a 200-yard approach. Trying to drive over the elbow risks landing in the new green complex on the right of the fairway, and thereafter there is little or no hope of reaching the green in two. An accurate second to the right half of the green is then needed to avoid the wicked sunken tongues of sand licking the left side. This magnificent if brutally long finishing hole is described by the designer himself as “the best par-4 on the course.”

No.17

Par-3, 223 yards The iconic 17th was rated the hardest hole on the course in the 2007 Senior PGA Championship. A 197-yard carry over water makes it visually very intimidating, so correct club selection is absolutely vital, especially if the wind is up. The two bunkers guarding the left side are best avoided and anything right or short of the 45-yard deep green is wet, so almost any ball that finds the putting surface will be greeted by a burst of applause from the 5,000 or so spectators in the greenside grandstands. Getting too aggressive on the 17th is risky—most players will happily take a par.

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Whatever Happened to ‘Berckmans’ Place’?

The iconic clubhouse aT augusTa naTional has journeyed from iTs origins as a 19Th-cenTury planTaTion owner’s manor house Through iTs dark days as an early 20Th-cenTury ruin To iTs 21sTcenTury sTaTus as one of golf’s spiriTual homes.

Robin Barwick dips inTo iTs resplendenT hisTory

For many generations in Georgia, before the American Civil War, the crops of cotton, rice and indigo were cornerstones of a strong local economy.

Indigo dye was extracted from the indigo plant, and was traditionally what made denim blue. In the northern reaches of the town of Augusta in eastern Georgia, a 400-acre indigo plantation was established on fertile ground. Just a mile further east as the crow flies is the Savannah River, which serves as the border between Georgia and South Carolina. An impressive, 14-room manor house was built on the top of the hill overlooking the plantation by the owner of the time, Dennis Redmon, in 1854—ironically, the very same year that the R&A clubhouse was constructed.

The late Charles Price, an American golf writer whose book, A Golf Story, charts the evolution of Bobby Jones’ twin projects, Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, records that

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the manor house swiftly became a point of local interest: “The Manor… had a degree of fame in the area for the stately simplicity of its architecture and the historical significance of having been the first house in the South to be constructed of ‘artificial rock’… or what would become known as concrete.”

In 1857, four years before the outbreak of the Civil War, a Belgian baron called Louis Mathieu Berckmans bought the plantation and collaborated with his son, Prosper, to establish Fruitlands Nurseries on the property. The success of the nurseries lived up to the name of the younger Berckmans, and as well as producing a broad variety of fruit, the Fruitlands became renowned in the South for its azaleas. The Berckmans also lined the 300-yard carriage path up to the front of the ‘Manor’—as it was known—with orderly rows of magnolia trees. Prosper Berckmans would no doubt be impressed with how his magnolias,

A side view of the clubhouse in the 1890s when it wAs used As A residence by the berckmAns fAmily

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which provide a shady canopy over what has become known as Magnolia Lane, have been nurtured in the century that has followed his life.

The Berckmans clan moved away from Augusta following the death of Prosper in 1910 and, after a failed attempt by a Florida developer to build a hotel there, the property was left unoccupied until 1931, almost two years after the Wall Street Crash. Then, according to Price, “On July 15 [1931], the [Augusta] Chronicle carried its largest headline since the Armistice of 1918: BOBBY JONES TO BUILD HIS IDEAL GOLF COURSE ON BERCKMANS’ PLACE.” Jones described the ‘Manor’ as “charming” when he first visited the property, although it had by then fallen into such a state of disrepair that cracks had even appeared in the 18-inch concrete walls—the result of an earthquake in 1886. Ultimately, the ‘Manor’ was well positioned to fit in with the golf-course layout conceived by designer Alister MacKenzie, and to serve as the hub of the new golf club. And Jones, a man with a keen appreciation for history, would have been delighted that the original ‘Manor’ survives to this day as the clubhouse of Augusta National. It is now, arguably, the most hallowed clubhouse throughout the game of golf, and a silver model of it sits upon the Masters trophy—a fact that is often overshadowed by the iconic status of the Green Jacket into which every champion slips his arms, accompanied by smiles, and in some cases tears, of joy.

It was not until 1938, four years after the inaugural ‘Augusta National Invitation Tournament’, that the old ‘Manor’ was fully restored and renovated in order to serve in its new role as clubhouse. The cost to the club of such a renovation project far outweighed

the eisenhower cAbin is one of 10 properties thAt members And their guests cAn use As lodgings

It is tempting to think that the Butler Cabin is as old as the clubhouse but it was only built in 1964

bobby Jones (left) congrAtulAtes the winner henry picArd during the presentAtion ceremony following the 1938 mAsters

the expense of razing the ‘Manor’ to the ground and building a clubhouse from scratch, illustrating an enduring philosophy at Augusta National not to let budget considerations dictate policy. The original three-story house has been extended over the years, with a short walkway today linking the main building to the ‘Men’s Grill’ and locker room to the west, with the pro shop and bag room further down the slope, parallel to the start of the 1st fairway.

To the other side of the clubhouse, en route to the Par-3 course at Augusta National, can be found a cluster of 10 cabins, the most famous of which is the Butler Cabin where, traditionally, the initial presentation of the Green Jacket is staged in front of the CBS cameras before it takes place again beside the 18th green for the benefit of the patrons. It is tempting to think that the Butler Cabin is as old as the clubhouse but in fact it was only built in 1964, fully three decades after the first Masters, and named after Thomas Butler, a regular golfing partner of fellow Augusta National member, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, after whom one of the other cabins is named. A third cabin is named after Clifford Roberts, President Eisenhower’s personal adviser and friend, the club’s first chairman and Jones’ business partner when the course was first built. For most of the year, Masters week being an obvious exception, the 10 cabins are available to members, and guests of members, as lodgings.

There are three rooms in the Augusta National clubhouse that have entered golfing legend, specifically, the upstairs Library, the Champions’ Locker Room and the Crow’s Nest. The spacious Library is used as a members’ dining room, but on the Tuesday evening preceding every Masters it

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plays host to what is undoubtedly golf’s most famous annual meal, the Champions’ Dinner. The criteria for receiving an invitation are straightforward: either win the Masters or become chairman of Augusta National. No one else gets a seat, without exception.

The Library is decked with bookshelves, and is also home to display cabinets devoted to Jones, Roberts and Eisenhower. The Library door is adorned with the Augusta National crest at about waist height, and as Jim Hawkins recalls in his book, Tales from Augusta, Sam Snead, Masters champion three times (in 1949, 1952 and 1954), devoted particular attention to the crest. As a man never slow to remind people how limber he remained into his senior years, Snead would kick the crest as he entered the library for the Champions’ Dinner, and the ritual became a Champions’ Dinner tradition. Hawkins remembers: “Without warning one year, Snead walked through the door and announced: ‘The old man can’t do it anymore.’ Fitness fanatic Gary Player groaned, ‘Man, I never thought I’d see the day when the great Sambo couldn’t kick that door seal.’ Immediately, Arnold Palmer challenged Player. ‘I’ll bet $100 he can kick it if he tries again,’ Palmer said. Snead, who long ago had earned a reputation as quite a hustler, walked out of the room, came in again and kicked the seal, just as he had always done. Reportedly, Palmer and Snead then split Player’s $100.”

Also on the second floor of the clubhouse, behind a large oak door, is the Champions’ Locker Room, and like the Champions’ Dinner, only past champions are permitted entry. While the media at the Masters are allowed access to the main locker room downstairs, the Champions’ Locker Room remains strictly ‘out of bounds’ for non-winners. As part of what was the original Manor, the Champions’ Locker Room is not spacious—reportedly—and in reality the Masters winners share lockers, although the club tries to pair new winners with champions who are deceased or who no longer attend the tournament.

On arriving at Augusta each year, past winners enter the Champions Locker Room to find their Green Jackets hanging up, ready and waiting for the Tuesday night dinner (one of the club’s many rules is that Green Jackets may only be worn at Augusta National, apart from by the reigning champion who is entitled to wear the jacket away from the club

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rooms in the crow’s nest

the Crow’s Nest is a modest suite of four rooms behind partitions, all off a central living room

until the following year’s Masters). “I love going back to Augusta National each year,” says Germany’s Bernhard Langer, Masters champion in 1985 and 1993. “I have a lot of memories from Augusta, and it is a unique place. Being able to go into the Champions’ Locker Room, and up to the Champions’ Dinner on the Tuesday evening, show some friends around, share some stories, it’s amazing.”

Along the way, through a door marked ‘Telephone’, past the aforementioned telephone, through another, smaller side door and up a narrow staircase is the Crow’s Nest, which is as hard to find as it is to win an invitation to stay there. The Augusta National clubhouse is not fitted with convenient directional signs like the Holiday Inn up the road.

The Crow’s Nest is reserved for use by amateur golfers competing in the Masters each year. As Jones, the club’s ‘president in perpetuity’, remained amateur throughout his playing days, Augusta National has always invited an elite group of the world’s leading amateur players to the Masters, to stay in the Crow’s

Nest for a nominal B&B rate, and to enjoy the club’s hospitality throughout their stay. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are among the golfers who have stayed in the Crows’ Nest, so staying there comes with compelling omens. “It’s the one room, the one spot at Augusta National that is off-limits to everybody but the amateurs,” American PGA Tour player Brandt Snedeker told Golf Digest magazine, having stayed in the Crow’s Nest in 2004. “It’s our escape.”

The Crow’s Nest is a modest suite of four ‘rooms’ behind partitions, all off a central living room, and there is a single bathroom for all occupants to share. It has the feel of a college dormitory, but without the inappropriate posters, beer stains on the carpet and loud music. Like the golf course, the floor of the Crow’s Nest is green (carpet) and the walls, ceilings and window frames are white.

Legend has it that a young and brazen Ben Crenshaw ventured out of the Crow’s Nest and onto the main roof of the clubhouse on the Thursday morning to watch the honorary starters, wearing just his underwear. A 20-year-old Phil Mickelson snuck out one night just to stand alone on the 18th green, letting his imagination run wild. “There in the pitch black, [I was] dreaming about one day winning the Masters on that green.” Some dreams are crazier than others.

The walls of the Crow’s Nest are decorated with black and white photographs of Masters players: among them is Palmer in his prime, but bigger than the others is one of Jones from 1930—the finest amateur golfer in the history of the game. Not only will Jones’ amateur golfing achievements never be matched, but his legacy at Augusta National won’t be either.

apart from winning four opens, ‘old’ tom was the r&a’s honorary professional, the leading course designer of his generation and the inventor of top dressing and hand mowing for greens

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Photo: oldgolfimages.com

The name’s Tom Morris

The earliesT colossi To besTride The panTheon ThaT is Major chaMpionship golf were a faTher and son who beTween TheM won eighT of The firsT 12 open chaMpionships. They shaped The growTh of The Modern gaMe wiTh Their exploiTs and achieveMenTs, buT Their personal Tales, ouTlined here by Colin Callander, were as Much scarred by Tragedy as gilded wiTh TriuMph

It was on Monday, May 25th, 1908, that the good people of the ancient city of St Andrews awoke to learn that their fellow citizen, Tom Morris, Snr, had died just 12 days shy of his 87th birthday.

On the day of his death, on Sunday, May 24th, Morris and his great friend George Murray had attended a service at St. Mary’s Church in Market Street and then ambled down to the New Club for a glass of Black Strap ale and a chat with the local worthies.

At about 4.00pm, the sprightly octogenarian rose to visit the lavatory but on the way fell through an open hatch leading to the cellar and sustained a serious head injury from which he never recovered. He was found unconscious at the bottom of a stairwell and rushed by horse-drawn ambulance to the town’s new Memorial Cottage Hospital only to be pronounced dead soon after his arrival.

The next morning, the news of Morris’s tragic death was reported the length and breadth of Scotland and a large group of dignitaries, including a former Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, and a future one, Henry Asquith, queued up to eulogize about the man and his career.

“Tam was a guid [good] man,” confirmed Balfour. “It will be a while afore we see anither like him and a damned sicht [sight] longer afore we’ll see another ane [any] better.”

The former Prime Minister might also have added that Morris’s tragic accident brought to an abrupt end a remarkable chapter in the history of golf, one that is unlikely ever to be forgotten. His death is now more than a century in the past but his reputation as the ‘grand old man of golf’ has not diminished.

Far from it, in fact! In 2004, when the Royal Bank of Scotland commemorated the 250th anniversary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, it issued a special £5 note with a picture of ‘Old’ Tom on it.

The 18th hole on the Old Course is still named in his honour and the history books are crammed with stories of how both Tom Morris,

Snr and his son, Tommy, dominated the rudimentary competitions of their day.

‘Old’ Tom is sometimes described as the godfather of modern golf and that is no idle claim because he played a seminal role in the development of the game in the years that straddled the beginning of the 20th century.

His father was a hand-loom weaver by trade, then a mailman, but Morris started his own working life as an apprentice “featherie” (golf ball) maker to Allan Robertson, who is sometimes described as the world’s first professional golfer. Robertson became his mentor, friend and playing partner until the pair fell out over Morris’s endorsement of the new gutta-percha ball. In later years, ‘Old’ Tom was employed as the keeper of the links at both Prestwick and St Andrews (among other things, he invented top dressing and hand mowing for greens), was the first ‘honorary professional’ of the R&A, and became a course architect (his creations include the New Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch and Royal County Down). But it was as a player, and then as the father of ‘Young’ Tom, that this legendary figure made his most indelible marks.

‘Old’ Tom’s name is synonymous with the birth of what is now referred to as The Open Championship. He made his first appearance in the inaugural tournament back in 1860, when he finished second behind Willie Park of Musselburgh, and was to make his last some 36 years later at Muirfield. He won the title four times (in 1861, ’62, ’64 and ’67) and remains both the oldest champion (46 years and 99 days) and the oldest competitor (74 years, 11 months and 24 days).

His stunning 13-shot victory at Prestwick in 1862 was particularly impressive but he was soon to be eclipsed by the genius of his son, who made his Open debut in 1865, aged just 14 years, 4 months and 25 days, and, for an all-too-short period, was to

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dominate the Championship like no one else before or since. Some feats are likely never to be repeated and one of those is the achievement of a son (‘Young’ Tom) succeeding his father (‘Old’ Tom) as Open champion. In 1868, when the former secured his first Open title at Prestwick, it signalled the start of an unequalled run of four successive victories in the space of a memorable five-year period. He secured his second title in 1869, his third in 1870, when he was awarded the original Championship Belt in perpetuity, and then, after no championship was played in 1871, he returned to Prestwick in 1872 to complete the set with his fourth and final victory.

Thereafter, the closest ‘Young’ Tom came to duplicating those successes was in 1874 when he came second, behind Mungo Park, on the Championship’s first visit to Musselburgh. It remains unclear whether he entered the 1875 Open at Prestwick but what we do know is that little more than three months later he suffered a tragedy which is said to have destroyed his will to live.

On September 2nd, 1875, the Morrises, father and son, had just defeated brothers Willie and Mungo Park by a single hole in a ‘money match’ at North Berwick when Tommy was handed a telegram informing him his wife of less than 12 months, Margaret, had developed complications after going into labour. One of the match sponsors, Mr John Lewis, immediately put a schooner and a full crew at the Morrises’ disposal, but just as they were leaving the harbour a second telegram arrived with the grim news that both mother and child had died.

“What can one say at such an hour,” the Reverend William Tulloch wrote many years later in his biography, The Life of Tom Morris. “I will never forget the poor young man’s stony look, stricken was not the word: and how, all of a sudden, he started up and cried, ‘It’s not true!’ I have seen many sorrowful things; but not like that Saturday night.”

Tulloch went on to report that Tommy never recovered from the double bereavement. He started to drink heavily and all but ceased to play golf although, in November, he did accept one last challenge match against an English amateur, Arthur Molesworth from North Devon who, foolishly, had let it be known that, upon receipt of “a third”, or six shots over 18 holes, he would play any professional in Scotland for money. The match was played over three days, with two rounds a day, and while Morris won, the driving snow and blinding sleet it was played in was clearly too much for him in his weakened state. Indeed, it might have been the final straw because, just over a month later, on Christmas Eve 1875, he passed away in his sleep. Earlier that evening, he had eaten with friends and then returned home to 6 Pilmour Links to bid goodnight to his invalid mother, Agnes, or Nancy as she was more often called.

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‘old’ tom morris lived to within 12 days of his 87th Birthday and was mourned at his funeral By two British prime ministers

‘old’ tom might well have asked himself why he was the only member of his immediate family to enjoy a long life He did not surface the next morning and the subsequent post mortem examination revealed his death had been caused by a burst blood vessel in his right lung.

However, many who knew him thought otherwise. They attributed his passing to a broken heart.

We shall never know what ‘Young’ Tom might have gone on to achieve but for the tragic loss of his wife and child, but his father never doubted he possessed a unique talent which put him head and shoulders above all his peers.

“I could cope wi’ Allan [Robertson] myself, but never wi’ Tommy,” he once said. Certainly, his son’s performance in winning the 1870 Open suggested this was no exaggeration.

That year, on his way to being awarded the Moroccan belt outright, the younger Morris posted scores of 47, 51 and 51 to claim a 12-stroke victory over the rugged 12-hole links at Prestwick. To put that performance into perspective, his 149 aggregate was six shots better than anyone else achieved during 18 Opens contested over that circuit and was no fewer than 21 shots lower than the total his father had achieved while winning the title just three years earlier. The sole modern equivalent

might well be Tiger Woods’ monumental 15-shot victory in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach.

Tommy was laid to rest on December 29th, 1875, near to the walls of the ruined St Andrews Cathedral and alongside his beloved Margaret and stillborn son. There was no golf that day in St Andrews. Shops and businesses closed in his honour and hundreds of mourners followed the funeral cortege, headed by ‘Old’ Tom, the Reverend A.K.H. Boyd (the minister) and representatives from many of the golf clubs where Tommy had played. Time is a great healer, but ‘Old’ Tom was to endure considerably more heartache before he passed away 33 years later on that Sunday afternoon in May 1908. Ultimately, the great Custodian of the Links of St Andrews outlived his entire immediate family. His wife died just eleven months after Tommy; John, his paraplegic son, died in 1893, aged 33; Elizabeth, his daughter, in 1898, aged 45; and James, another son, in 1906, aged 50. During moments of quiet contemplation, ‘Old’ Tom might well have asked himself why, among his immediate family, he was the only one to enjoy a long life.

Certainly, the name Tom Morris seems to have been particularly cursed. Incredibly, ‘Young’ Tom was not just named after his father, but also an older brother, Tom, who had died in 1850, aged just four; and he then went on to name his stillborn son Tom. But despite the misfortunes that befell so many of its owners, the revered name of Tom Morris is sure to live for as long as men and women are able to play golf.

IN THE CUT-THROAT WORLD OF ELITE SPORT, THERE’S STILL A PLACE FOR LIFE’S LITTLE LUXURIES, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE END OF THE DAY. Paul Trow (WORDS) AND Leon Harris (PICTURES) MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR THE OPENING CLAUSE OF THIS SENTENCE, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THEIR CLAWS ON A GLASS OR TWO OF WHISKY THEY CAN CONFIRM THERE’S NO FINER STIMULATION TO A GOLFER’S PALATE THAN GLENMORANGIE

They say it’s impossible to have too much of a good thing, but our cups were perilously close to running over during a two-day visit to the historic Glenmorangie distillery in the Scottish Highlands, especially as the sun had got his hat on and a round of golf over one of the world’s outstanding links courses was also on the menu.

The Glenmorangie distillery was founded in 1843 by William Matheson in Tain, a millenniumold royal burgh on the south shores of Dornoch Firth. However, the role played in its gradual yet inexorable evolution into Scotland’s leading malt whisky name by countries like Spain, Portugal, France and the United States cannot be overstated.

Today, Glenmorangie, Gaelic for Valley of Tranquillity and rhyming with ‘orangey,’ offers its discerning customers 11 different whiskies with approximately 140 different aromas. Now the official whisky of The Open Championship, it is not surprising that awareness of this ethereal spirit is spreading amongst golfers. To the previously uninitiated, the information gleaned from a morning spent at the Glenmorangie distillery is on a par with a whole year of high-school chemistry studies. And an evening spent sampling its stellar products—matured in a variety of casks that originally nurtured Bourbon, Sherry, Port, Sauternes or Burgundy—eclipses several lifetimes spent in the company of inferior tinctures.

Naturally, we were in our element when we resided for two nights at the exclusive, sixbedroom Glenmorangie House beside the hamlet of Cadboll overlooking the Moray Firth (about five miles south of the distillery). This secluded retreat, proud possessor of the prestigious Michelin Hotel Guide single ‘Red House’ symbol (one of only nine in Scotland), offered us a warm welcome, superblyappointed accommodation, sumptuous local cuisine

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glEnMorAngiE housE EArnEd thE coVEtEd ‘rEd housE’ syMBol froM MichElin

and, most importantly, a shrine dedicated to that most spiritual of drinks—Glenmorangie whisky in all its hallowed variety of flavours, and prices.

Around 1,500 years ago, the Picts—swarthy, painted folk who famously thwarted the Romans and, legend suggests, might have originated from Egypt (certainly not Ireland whence the red-headed Scots came)—started growing barley, the crop used to make malt for whisky. Ever since, it seems, the area has been devoted to this one purpose above all others.

Glenmorangie House is a mid-17th-century property, though its current incarnation—a tastefully restored country home abutted by two walled gardens and a private beach—dates from around 200 years later. Among the activities it was born to host are fishing in the well-stocked local lochs and rivers, claypigeon shooting in the adjoining field, and chess on a giant outdoor board beside the entrance with pieces bigger than traffic cones. A couple of miles south on the Tarbat Peninsula in Easter Ross is a replica (floodlit

illity

BARRY GROVE WITH HIS REPLICA OF THE HILTON OF CADBOLL STONE WHICH IS LIT UP AT NIGHT

at night) of an 8th century Pictish slab known as the Hilton of Cadboll Stone and created by local sculptor Barry Grove. Parts of the original, shamefully vandalized during the 19th century, have been reconstructed and are on display at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Appropriately, the kaleidoscopic pattern on the lower panel of the Stone—a network of interlocking spirals and twirls—has been adopted as its official emblem by Glenmorangie, to the extent that it informs the recentlyinstalled main window in the distillery’s still room.

Our Glenmorangie whisky trail began in earnest with an introduction to the ‘18 Years Old’ single malt.

This honey-gold-coloured confection is matured for 15 years in former Bourbon casks made of American white oak from the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri before being transferred into Oloroso sherry barrels from Spain for its final three years of maturation. Once it celebrates its 18th birthday and is introduced to the market, this whisky has a rich bouquet and full, rounded flavour that combines the raisin-like, sherry sweetness with a complex floral fragrance, oaky nuttiness and a hint of woody smoke.

Our next Glenmorangie encounter was with the delightful Signet blend. Its melting sweetness and explosive spiciness derives from roasted ‘chocolate’ barley malt, again matured in American white-oak casks, this time for 30 years. Its aromas range from chocolate orange and coffee to pecan pie and plum pudding, with a dash of mint and lemony-green citrus thrown in for good measure.

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Add WAtEr to glEnMorAngiE And ‘rElEAsE thE sErpEnt’

Just for the record

Glenmorangie Whisky Age Original 10 years Quinta Ruban 12 years Lasanta 12 years Nectar D’Or 12 years Astar Unrevealed Sonnalta PX 12 years Finealta 11-13 years 18 Years Old 18 years Signet 30 years Quarter Century 25 years Pride 1981 28 years

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ABV 40% 46% 46% 46% 57.1% 46% 46% 43% 46% 43% 56.7%

Cask (oak+) Just oak Ruby Port Oloroso Sauternes Unrevealed P. Ximenez Oloroso Oloroso Just oak Oloroso/Burgundy Sauternes

Aroma hints Citrus, peaches, vanilla Mint, chocolate, tangerines Lime, sultanas, butterscotch Ginger, nutmeg, almonds Toffee, menthol, cinnamon Raisins, Demerara, ginger Caramel, marmalade, meringue Honey, dates, figs Espresso, plum, mocha Blackberries, cherries, currants Pears, pineapple, aniseed

As our tasting commenced, we were enjoined to add water to our glasses of Signet and, to our amazement, the resultant change of taste, and eruption of smoothness at the back of the tongue, took place at precisely the moment our hosts said it would. Andy MacDonald, the distillery manager, told us that the effect of adding water to Glenmorangie’s whiskies was known locally as “releasing the serpent.” There’s no doubt that a smoother sensation was indeed released, but as for a serpent—well, to me, it seemed a lot less diabolical than that.

During the tasting, we were reminded of the original men of Tain who were always the backbone of the business and the only people allowed to take the distillery, and its warehouses, forward from generation to generation. “Throughout our history we have only ever entrusted a select group of local craftsmen with the secret of our distillery,” says the Glenmorangie website (glenmorangie.com).

It all started back in the 19th century with 16 Men of Tain (the initial workforce—and to this day only local people work in the distillery), the local Tarlogie springs from which Glenmorangie draws its supply, and a couple of gin stills (far taller than the usual whisky stills) that Matheson brought from London to kick things off back in 1843. The gin stills, a pronounced success according to every connoisseur we encountered, remain in operation. The rest of the distillery, where all stages of the whisky-making process, from mashing and fermenting to distilling and maturing, can be viewed, has been built around them. The distillery is open to the public all year and expert guides are available seven days a week apart from over the Christmas period, though it is advisable to pre-book your tour.

As well as the ‘18 Years Old’ and ‘Signet,’ the nine other Glenmorangie whiskies on the market are all matured for a minimum of 10 years in the American white oak ex-Bourbon casks at a temperature of between 7-9 degrees Celsius. The

Eight of thE 16 MEn of tAin ArE picturEd outsidE thE distillEry in 1910

‘Original,’ the Glenmorangie brand most commonly available in a regular bar, is the only 10-year-old while the 12-year-olds—‘Lasanta,’ ‘Quinta Rubin,’ ‘Sonnalta PX’ and ‘Nectar D’Or’—are topped off by a further two years of maturation in, respectively, Oloroso (sherry), ruby port, Pedro Ximenez (sherry) and Sauternes (white wine) casks. Another sherrymatured whisky, the ‘Finealta,’ might spend more or less than two years in the casks, depending on how well this blends with the light touch of peatiness with which it’s prepared. And as for the ‘Astar,’ which weighs in at a mighty 57.1% proof without losing its velvety flavour, suffice to say that the process of maturation seems to be a closely guarded secret, apart from the admission that at some stage it is chill-filtered (cooled to between -10 and 4 degrees Celsius to remove the cloudiness that neater alcohol always seems to induce).

The ‘Quarter Century’ is matured in a range of casks, including Oloroso and Burgundy, and then there’s the ‘Pride 1981.’ This deep-gold, limited-edition malt—only 1,000 bottles, each costing more than $4,000, have been produced—is the culmination of 28 years of passion, patience and artistry. As its name implies, the original liquid for the ‘Pride 1981’was distilled and laid down for maturation 30 years ago.

After 18 years, it was transferred for a further decade to a limited number of Sauternes barriques from the fabled vineyards of Chateau d’Yquem.

At the end of a recent guided tour of the distillery, a Chinese nightclub owner from Shanghai asked if he could buy two bottles of ‘Pride 1981’ but he was only allowed to take away one as Glenmorangie carefully monitors the number of bottles that enter each geographical region around the world. On this particular trip we didn’t get to taste Glenmorangie’s ‘Pride’ and joy. Mind you, given its alcoholic strength—56.7%—it could have given a new twist to the words: Pride comes before a fall.

And while we were there... there was some golf to be played

It was a glorious afternoon (not always the case in this part of the world), so we visited one of golf’s oldest heartlands, on the north shores of Dornoch Firth, 10 miles from Glenmorangie House. The earliest record of golf being played on this evocative stretch of coastline beside the town of Dornoch was 1616. After centuries of ad hoc golf over this classic linksland, with its sandy shores and fine, grassy turf covering the irregular, undulating terrain, a formal course was laid out by ‘Old’ Tom Morris in 1886. Twenty years later, the club received its royal charter. The gorse that flanks so many of the holes here is a riot of yellow in the spring while in the autumn the purples and mauves in the heather stand out in equal measure, and all year round the sand on the beaches is as white as snow. Today, there are two 18-hole courses at Dornoch—the Championship, a classic out-and-back links, and the Struie, aimed at family golfers and beginners. Ostensibly, the Championship is pretty straightforward, but there are a few elevation changes and the wind is obviously a huge factor. Many of the greens, though, are built on raised plateaux making approach play especially challenging. In 1901, Dornoch’s links with the US were established when Andrew Carnegie, the American steel industrialist, presented a huge silver shield for open competition at Dornoch. Carnegie, who originated from the east coast of Scotland, had moved to Dornoch a few years earlier and lived at Skibo Castle, a nearby stately home with its own course that fell fallow before being re-designed by Donald Steel in 1992. Of the other courses worth visiting in the area, two James Braid gems, Brora and Golspie, are located a short distance north of Dornoch, while Tain, just over the Dornoch Firth, along with Nairn and Castle Stuart Golf Links, further south across the Moray Firth, are all within half an hour’s drive. Much attention will be focused on Castle Stuart the week before The Open in July when the Gil Hanse creation again hosts the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

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Five to Follow RARELY HAVE SO MANY GOLFERS STOOD A CHANCE OF LANDING A MAJOR CROWN. THE LAST 14 MAJORS HAVE ALL BEEN WON

BY DIFFERENT PLAYERS AND, GIVEN THE NUMBER OF TOUR PROS ROUTINELY SHOOTING IN THE LOW-TO-MID 60S ON THE WORLD’S HARDEST COURSES, THAT TREND COULD EXTEND THROUGH 2012.

MODERN EQUIPMENT, IMPROVED FITNESS AND FLEXIBILITY, AND JUDICIOUS USE OF SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY HAVE ALL PLAYED A PART IN KEEPING SEVERAL STARS OF THE PREVIOUS GENERATION IN THE HUNT AS WELL AS ACCELERATING THE PROGRESS OF THE UP-AND-COMING YOUNGSTERS. SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, THOUGH, ARE NAMES THAT HAVE GRACED THE UPPER ECHELONS OF TOURNAMENT LEADERBOARDS FOR WELL OVER A DECADE, SEASONED CAMPAIGNERS WHO MIGHT FEEL THAT NOW IS THEIR TIME. IT MAKES FOR A HEADY COCKTAIL AS WE ANTICIPATE A POTENTIALLY ELECTRIFYING TWO-MONTH PERIOD WITH THREE MAJORS AT STAKE. HEADING OUR CAST OF HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGERS FROM THIS SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC IS OCCASIONAL WORLD NO.1 LUKE DONALD, CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY HIS FELLOW RYDER CUP TEAMMATES IAN POULTER AND LEE WESTWOOD. TO COMPLETE OUR QUINTET OF POSSIBLE WINNERS WE ALSO HIGHLIGHT TWO OTHER EUROPEANS ON THE RISE, FREDRIK JACOBSON AND ROBERT ROCK. WORDS Paul Mahoney & Adam Hathaway They’re not booing; they’re chanting his name, as any Bruce Springsteen fan will know. Not “Bruuuuuuce” but “Luuuuuuke.” Luke Donald doesn’t have the chart-topping charisma of Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods (and he knows it, too) but he has earned the respect of galleries across the world from his home town of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire to his adopted city of Chicago and all stops in between on golf’s globetrotting circus. Getting to No.1 will do that, even though he and McIlroy appear to be playing musical chairs at the pinnacle of the game.

Validating his position as one of the best players in the world is no longer a priority for the 34-year-old Englishman. He did that last year with an imperious run of form that included barely a three-putt and two victories each in Europe and the United States. Consistency and brilliance propelled Donald to the mountaintop.

But with Donald, there has always been a ‘but.’ “But he hasn’t won a Major,” say his critics. Donald is all too aware of this and honest enough to say so. “I’m my own worst critic,” he says. “I really want to win one and, you know, until I do, it will be disappointing and frustrating. I’m not going to lie about that. I can’t really get sucked into what everyone else thinks. That’s where you get into a bit of a problem. I certainly want to win them.”

Donald spoke about how his friend Sergio Garcia is having such a tough time mentally dealing with his Major drought. It gives an insight into what Donald is feeling, too. “I’m sure it’s wearing on him,” Donald says. “Like it does on all of us.”

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Luke Donald (England)

Born: 7 November 1977 Turned Pro: 2001 Best Major Finish: Tied 3rd (Masters 2005; PGA Championship 2006) Professional Wins: 12

Donald jetted in to Augusta in April full of confidence for his latest tilt at a Masters green jacket. But his inconsistent 2012 saw him take on the role of the invisible world No.1. Despite winning the Transitions Championship, Donald has been struggling to come up with an encore to follow his 2011 ‘greatest hits’ tour, though his third place finish in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at the end of April suggested that normal service might be about to resume. He tied 42nd at the Masters and at times sounded as flat as a balloon at the end of a children’s party. “You probably learn more from not playing well than you do from playing well,” he said. “The margins are so small at Augusta. That’s the difference between Majors and normal events. Obviously I’ve got to work on being able to bring the game that I play at normal tournaments to the Majors. I’m getting closer each time. It just takes more experience.”

Failure at Augusta meant it is 16 years since an Englishman won the Masters—or any Major for that matter. The history pages have to be flicked all the way back to 1996 when Sir Nick Faldo was merely a commoner as he reeled in Greg Norman.

Predicting who will win the next three Majors is a thankless task. The time has passed, it appears, for the champions to be identified by their world ranking.

Gone are the days when the best players always seemed to win—the days of Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, Ballesteros, Faldo and Woods. Indeed, since Donald broke into the world top-10 in June 2010, only McIlroy’s victory at the 2011 U.S. Open came from a highly ranked player. The last 14 Majors have been won by a different player and Bubba Watson’s victory at Augusta was the 11th first-time champion in a row—the longest streak in history.

Such randomness probably gives hope to Donald, especially as he has not played any of the next three Major courses before as a professional. First up is the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, next Lytham, then Kiawah Island for glory’s last shot, as the PGA Championship, the final Major of the year, is sometimes known. Donald, who plans to make a reconnaissance trip to each venue, feels that sometimes unfamiliarity can breed contentment. “You go with fewer expectations,” he says. “When I went to Augusta, having played there a bunch of times, my expectations were very high. That can be good and bad. Going to places where I expect less is probably better for me.”

To get back into the swing of links golf in July, Donald plans a private mini-tour either in Scotland (where he defends his Scottish Open title at Castle Stuart) or Ireland, or maybe somewhere near Lytham. “In the last couple of years, I’ve figured out and started to win more consistently on the PGA and European Tours,” he says. “Obviously the Majors are the next step up. The more times I put myself into contention, it’s going to happen. Slowly but surely, I’m going to figure it out with the Majors.”

Donald figured out how to become the first player ever to win the money list on both sides of the Atlantic last year. “Creating history is important to me. Being ranked world No.1 is self-satisfying. Winning a Major makes you seem more accepted as a great player by your peers. I’m getting closer. When great players are playing great, like Tiger, Rory and Lee [Westwood], it just inspires me to work harder to find another level. I would obviously love to win The Open but the one my game is best suited for is the Masters. But I would take any of them,” he says, smiling. “I’ll keep fighting. You need one guy to inspire a generation. For me that was Padraig [Harrington] when he won his two Opens in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship in 2008. If he can do it, so can I.”

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Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) Born: 26 September 1974 Turned Pro: 1994 Best Major Finish: Tied 5th (U.S. Open 2005) Professional Wins: 4

Two top-10s since 1998 may not strike fear into the rest of the field at the remaining three Majors this season, but Jacobson has only played in 18 Grand Slam events since making his debut at The Open at Royal Birkdale 14 years ago. A spell in the top-50 in the world rankings has seen the Swede play in the last four Majors and he has managed three top-20s, signalling that he is a potential shock winner waiting to happen. He was 14th in the U.S. Open at Congressional last year and 16th at The Open at Royal St. George’s, but missed the cut in the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. He turned up at Augusta this year for only his second Masters and tied for 19th place. Jacobson is one of the most improved performers in the game and is spending more time in the United States, where he has been based since 2004. A promising ice hockey and table tennis player as a youngster, Jacobson took up golf aged 10, was scratch five years later, turned pro in 1994 and won twice on the European Tour in 2003—in Portugal and Spain. He claimed his first PGA Tour title, the Travelers Championship in 2011, in his 188th start, making good on his promise to his young daughter Emmie that he would get her a trophy like the ones she saw other players holding on TV. Last year he was also second in the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, being denied by a late surge from Germany’s Martin Kaymer.

That high finish left Jacobson dreaming of a first appearance in the Ryder Cup at Medinah in September, and good performances in the three remaining Majors of the season would do him no harm. Sweden is still waiting for its first Major winner—maybe Jacobson is the man.

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Ian Poulter (England)

Born: 10 January 1976 Turned Pro: 1994 Best Major Finish: 2nd (Open 2008) Professional Wins: 15 Poulter is an inspiration to any aspiring golfer who does not possess a handicap of plus-five—after all, he turned professional when he was still playing off four and working full-time in the pro shop at Chesfield Downs Golf Club in Hertfordshire. A few years ago, notoriety for his natty on-course dress sense, including the Union Jack trousers he wore during one Open Championship, threatened to overshadow his talent. But with 15 wins to his credit, he has shown he is more than a mere clothes horse.

Now Poulter just needs a Major title to send his 1.2m-plus followers on Twitter into ecstasy. The closest he has come to landing a Major was when he was second behind Padraig Harrington in The Open 2008 at Royal Birkdale. Poulter’s most recent tournament victory came in the Australian Masters in Melbourne last November but the start of his 2012 season was disrupted by the birth of his fourth child in January and a bout of pneumonia at the beginning of March. However, the 36-year old put those distractions behind him to finish third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and two weeks later he was seventh in the Masters, his fourth Major top-10 finish. Not the longest, or straightest, driver on Tour, Poulter has a nerveless short game and he has shown during his three Ryder Cup appearances for Europe that he is not one to wilt in the heat of battle. Coming down the stretch in contention for a Major would hold no fears for the charismatic Englishman, nor should it be a surprise. Everything about his development into a worldclass player, including his status as Tour professional attached to the prestigious Woburn Golf & Country Club in Bedfordshire, proves that the humble duties of his youth, selling chocolate bars and tee pegs, are well and truly behind him.

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“Woburn is a big championship venue.

It will be a great test for Open hopefuls when Final Qualifying is held in July 2014.”

—Ian Poulter 2014 Open Final Qualifying Venue Woburn Golf Club is centrally located in England approximately one hour from London, Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge

woburn.co.uk/golf

Robert Rock (England) Born: 6 April 1977 Turned Pro: 2008 Best Major Finish: Tied 7th (Open 2010) Professional Wins: 2

Rock is one of the few players on the European Tour not to wear a hat when he plays, but the man from Staffordshire has had his head screwed on over the last few years. The 35-year old broke his European Tour duck when he won the BMW Italian Open in Turin last June and showed his aptitude for Major championship golf a week later. Despite turning up at the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club at 3.30am on the morning of his first round—he’d had visa difficulties— he finished the tournament on three-under par for a share of 23rd place. Possibly even more impressive was his win in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January this year where he stared down Tiger Woods in the final pairing to claim his biggest victory. A look down the leaderboard after three rounds would have spooked most players with not only Woods, but Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Thomas Bjorn also in the mix. However, Rock held on despite, sensibly as it turned out, taking a penalty drop on the last. If that doesn’t give him confidence to play in the Majors nothing will.

It was all a far cry from Rock’s years working on a driving range in Lichfield before joining the European Tour in 2003. Even then it took him six years before he really made his mark in 2009 with three top-10 finishes, including second place at the Irish Open where he collected the top pro’s prize because the winner, Shane Lowry, was at the time still an amateur. Apart from his sleepdeprived heroics at Congressional, he also tied seventh in The Open at St Andrews two years ago. Now he is targeting a place in the world top-50, which should guarantee that crowds will see more of him in future big tournaments, especially in the US.

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Lee Westwood (England) Born: 24 April 1973 Turned Pro: 1993 Best Major Finish: 2nd (Masters 2010; Open 2010) Professional Wins: 38

‘Frustrating’ does not even begin to sum up Westwood’s fortunes in Majors over the last few years.

Widely acknowledged as the best player in the world from tee to green, the Englishman tied for third at Augusta to make it seven top-10s in his last 10 Majors, including two runners-up spots and two thirds. In the first three rounds of the Masters, he took 21 more putts than Phil Mickelson had by that stage and his annoyance with the flat stick was growing. By the end of the tournament he described his putting as “pathetic.” Clearly, if Westwood has a decent four days on the greens a first Major is there for the taking, and four or five might follow given the confidence that victory should inject. It would not be the first time Westwood has recovered from a setback. After winning the Scandinavian Masters in 1996, taking four victories on the European Tour in 1998 and five in 2000, he enjoyed almost continued success until a barren spell without a title from 2001 saw him plummet to 266th in the world. With a remodelled swing, he rose back up the rankings, winning the BMW International Open in 2003 to signal his recovery and in November 2010 he displaced Tiger Woods as world No.1. Since then, he has twice relinquished the top spot— firstly to Martin Kaymer and then to Luke Donald—and his sole victory this year came in the Indonesian Masters. With an impressive Ryder Cup record—he has made seven appearances and has one of the biennial match’s outstanding records—and more than 21 European Tour titles in his locker, the only thing missing for the burly east midlander is one of the big ones. But he turns 40 next April and time is not on his side, so he has to land one soon.

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best of the rest Other players to watch out for...

ricKie fowler USA

Born: 13 December 1988 Turned Pro: 2009 Best Major Finish: Tied 5th (Open 2011) Professional Wins: 2 After representing the US twice in the Walker Cup, this Oklahoma State graduate has been a breath of fresh air on the PGA Tour over the past two and a half years. Already known for wearing his alma mater’s trademark orange colours on the final day of a tournament, Fowler, quarter Japanese and quarter Navajo, rides motorbikes in his spare time. Won his maiden professional title in Korea last October and claimed his first PGA Tour victory in the Wells Fargo Championship in May. Distinguished himself as a Ryder Cup rookie in 2010 after receiving a captain’s pick.

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Thomas bjorn Denmark

Born: 18 February 1971 Turned Pro: 1993 Best Major Finish: Tied 2nd (Open 2000, 2003; PGA 2005) Professional Wins: 19 The Great Dane won three times in Europe in 2011 after having an uneventful time during the previous four seasons. He also finished fourth behind Darren Clarke in last year’s Open at Royal St. George’s, scene of his 2003 meltdown when, holding a two-shot lead with three holes to play, he took three from a greenside bunker on the short 16th and had to settle for a share of second spot behind shock winner Ben Curtis. In addition to these two high finishes at Sandwich, Bjorn has had three other Major top-fives.

Born: 19 May 1970 Turned Pro: 1994 Best Major Finish: 3rd (Masters 2004) Professional Wins: 19 Chalked up his eighth PGA Tour victory in May 2011 when he beat David Toms in a playoff for the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and immediately donated $200,000 of his winnings to tornado victims in the southern US states. In 2007, his best year to date on the PGA Tour, he won the Memorial Tournament and AT&T National, hosted respectively by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. A former powerlifter, Choi has a distinctively thick grip on his putter. He has so far had a quiet 2012 with only one top-10 in 10 starts.

K.j. choi South Korea

sTewarT cinK USA

ben curTis USA

jason day Australia

jason dufner USA

ernie els South Africa

jim furyK USA

Born: 12 November 1987 Turned Pro: 2006 Best Major Finishes: 2nd (US Open 2011); Tied 2nd (Masters 2011) Professional Wins: 2 Born in Queensland to an Australian father and Filipino mother, Day’s victory in the Legend Financial Group Classic in July 2007 made him the youngest ever winner on the Nationwide Tour and in May 2010 he became the youngest Australian to win a PGA Tour title at the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas.

Last year was the finest of his brief career—even though he failed to win again he finished second in both the Masters and US Open. His appearances have been curtailed during the early part of this season by an ankle injury.

Born: 24 March 1977 Turned Pro: 2000 Best Major Finish: 2nd (PGA 2011) Professional Wins: 3 Largely a journeyman professional until 2009 when he established himself on the PGA Tour with six top-10s. After a modest 2010, this phlegmatic young man with pronounced pre-shot waggles bounced back to form with two second places, both following playoffs—in the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the PGA Championship in Atlanta, where he succumbed to Keegan Bradley. This season, after sharing the 36-hole lead at the Masters, he finally broke into the winners’ circle with a playoff victory over Ernie Els in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Born: 21 May 1973 Turned Pro: 1995 Major Win: Open (2009) Other Professional Wins: 13 One of the PGA Tour’s most consistent players though not a prolific winner, Cink’s last win came at the 2009 Open Championship when he gate-crashed 59-year-old Tom Watson’s swansong by beating the five-time champion in a playoff. A veteran of five Ryder Cup matches, Cink has a dependable longgame and can be a streaky putter. His form has been patchy in 2012, but he showed welcome signs of revival in the recent Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. He is probably the most popular golfer on Twitter, where he has well over a million followers.

Born: 17 October 1969 Turned Pro: 1989 Major wins: 3 (US Open 1994, 1997; Open 2002) Other Professional Wins: 63 A cold putter in 2011 led to a dramatic dip in form following four victories in 2010. Despite finding himself outside the world top-50, and thus unable to earn an invitation to the Masters, the ‘Big Easy’ has recently shown glimpses of the form that has earned him three Majors and 15 other PGA Tour titles. His three top-five finishes in 2012 include a playoff defeat by Jason Dufner in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Won two of his Majors in playoffs, but lost a third to Todd Hamilton at the 2004 Open.

Born: 26 May 1977 Turned Pro: 2000 Major Win: Open (2003) Other Professional Wins: 4 Caused one of the biggest upsets in the game’s history when winning his very first Major, the 2003 Open at Royal St. George’s where he showed a cool head under extreme pressure. However, it took him a while to establish himself on the PGA Tour before winning twice in 2006 and earning a place on the 2008 US Ryder Cup side. A slump in form last year saw him slip to 149th on the money list and he found himself only partially exempt at the start of this season. But a two-stroke victory in the Valero Texas Open in April has restored his status through 2014.

Born: 12 May 1970 Turned Pro: 1992 Major Win: US Open (2003) Other Professional Wins: 25 Three victories in 2010 ended a threeyear PGA Tour title drought for the man with the eccentric, looping swing. Putting problems pushed him down to 53rd on the money list last year, but recent results—including a tie for second at the Transitions Championship—suggest his best form is not far away. His career highlight came when he won the 2003 US Open at Olympia Fields, but the $10m FedExCup jackpot he scooped in 2010 can’t have ranked far behind. An ever-present on US Ryder and Presidents Cup teams since 1997, Furyk has had 18 Major top-10s.

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sergio garcia Spain

Born: 9 january 1980 Turned Pro: 1999 Best Major Finishes: 2nd (PGA 1999; Open 2007); Tied 2nd (PGA 2008) Professional Wins: 22 Lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington in the 2007 Open and was again confounded by the Irishman in the 2008 PGA Championship. The last of his seven PGA Tour victories came in the 2008 Players Championship, but after a slump in form on the greens, and missing out on the 2010 Ryder Cup, he climbed back up the world rankings last year with wins in the Castello and Andalucia Masters in Spain. Fifteen Major top-10s testify to his consistency from tee-togreen but he keeps ending up a few strokes shy of the really big prizes.

bill haas USA

Born: 24 May 1982 Turned Pro: 2004 Best Major Finish: Tied 12th (PGA 2011) Professional Wins: 5 Followed father Jay, now a Champions Tour stalwart, as a golf scholar at Wake Forest, Arnold Palmer’s alma mater.

After a slow start, Haas blossomed in 2010 when he won both the Bob Hope and Viking Classics. Since then, he has contested four playoffs. The first two— at the 2011 Bob Hope and Greenbrier Classics—resulted in defeat, but he triumphed in the next two—last year’s Tour Championship, where he beat Hunter Mahan to clinch the $10m FedExCup bonus after splashing out of a greenside lake, and the Northern Trust Open in February.

miguel angel jimenez Spain dusTin johnson USA Born: 5 january 1964 Turned Pro: 1982 Best Major Finish: Tied 2nd (US Open 2000) Professional Wins: 21 Like his favourite Rioja red wines, this red-haired, pony-tailed, cigar-smoking, espresso-drinking Spaniard from Malaga has steadily improved with age. An advanced vintage at 48, he could well add to the 18 European Tour titles he has garnered over a two-decade career, although, despite three second places, victory eluded him last year and again so far in 2012. Known as the Mechanic because of his love of Ferraris, Jimenez finally won a Ryder Cup singles point at the fourth attempt at Celtic Manor when he beat Bubba Watson 4&3.

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Born: 22 june 1984 Turned Pro: 2007 Best Major Finish: Tied 2nd (Open 2011) Professional Wins: 7 This long-hitter has already won five titles since joining the PGA Tour in 2008. He might also have won three Majors had things gone his way down the stretch at the 2010 US Open and PGA Championships, and the 2011 Open. His greatest misfortune came on the final hole of the PGA at Whistling Straits when he grounded his club in what he thought was sandy wasteland but was in fact a bunker, thus incurring a two-shot penalty and missing out on a playoff. His appearances have been restricted this year by knee surgery and a back injury.

peTer hanson Sweden

padraig harringTon Ireland

marTin Kaymer Germany

maTT Kuchar USA

Born: 4 October 1977 Turned Pro: 1998 Best Major Finish: Tied 3rd (Masters 2012) Professional Wins: 10 The consistent Swede, four times a European Tour winner and now making his mark in the US, is regarded by his peers as one of the game’s best ball strikers, though not the most reliable of putters. Earned his place in the 2010 European Ryder Cup team with a playoff victory in the Czech Open, the penultimate qualifying event, and followed up last year by tying for seventh in the US Open—his first Major top-10. He has already had several high finishes in 2012, including a tie for third at the Masters where he led after 54 holes.

Born: 28 December 1984 Turned Pro: 2005 Major Win: PGA (2010) Other Professional Wins: 16 After beating Bubba Watson in a playoff for the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and then reaching the final of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship the following February, the personable young German rose to No.1 in the world rankings. Even though he won twice on the European Tour in 2011—in Abu Dhabi and at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in China—he only hung on to the mantle for eight weeks. Has had a quiet start to 2012 though at least he made the cut at the Masters for the first time in five visits.

Born: 31 August 1971 Turned Pro: 1995 Major Wins: 3 (Open 2007, 2008; PGA 2008) Other Professional Wins: 23 One of few multiple Major champions in recent times, this genial, articulate Irishman has lost his way a little since the giddy heights of his three big victories in just over 12 months in 2007-08. Having tinkered extensively with his technique since then, it seems his renowned work ethic might have started to count against him. Played well from tee to green to tie for eighth at the Masters but couldn’t buy a putt, usually his strong suit, on the last day; but at the age of 40, he is not a player that can be easily written off.

Born: 21 june 1978 Turned Pro: 2000 Best Major Finish: Tied 3rd (Masters 2012) Professional Wins: 6 Tied 14th in the 1998 US Open at Olympic as a teenage amateur, but took time to reach fruition as a pro. He first won in 2002 at the Honda Classic, then underwent some swing changes and did not return to the podium until 2009. In 2010, he claimed his third PGA Tour title at The Barclays, made his Ryder Cup debut in Wales and lifted the Arnold Palmer Award for topping the money list. Combined with Gary Woodland to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup last November and tied for third at the Masters in April.

marTin laird Scotland

paul lawrie Scotland

hunTer mahan USA

graeme mcdowell N.Ireland

phil micKelson USA

francesco molinari Italy

louis oosThuizen S.A.

jusTin rose England

Born: 29 December 1982 Turned Pro: 2004 Best Major Finish: Tied 20th (Masters 2011) Professional Wins: 4 The tall Glaswegian is based in the US and joined the PGA Tour in 2008. That year, he holed an 8ft putt on the 72nd green of the final event, the Children’s Miracle Network Classic, to retain his card. Since then, he’s had two victories, the most recent in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March 2011, and two playoff defeats. He started 2012 well, finishing second in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and reaching the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship quarter-finals, but has since gone slightly off the boil.

Born: 16 june 1970 Turned Pro: 1992 Major Wins: 4 (Masters 2004, 2006, 2010; PGA 2005) Other Professional Wins: 44 The Californian left-hander finally took his seat at golf’s top table at the 2004 Masters, his 47th Major. Since then he has collected two further green jackets and also won the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. An eighttime Ryder Cup contestant and five times a US Open runner-up, he endears himself to fans with his playing flair, ready smile and courteous manner. In February, he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but could only tie for fourth in the Masters after a triple-bogey at the short 4th in his final round.

Born: 1 january 1969 Turned Pro: 1986 Major Win: Open (1999) Other Professional Wins: 10 The 43-year-old Aberdonian became the 1999 Open champion at Carnoustie in a playoff after France’s Jean Van de Velde had famously collapsed on the final hole when, needing a doublebogey six to win, he contrived to take seven. Alas, this tale detracts from the quality of Lawrie’s play on that last day over a course he probably knew better than anyone else in the field. After eight barren seasons, he won his sixth European Tour title in Malaga, southern Spain in March 2011 and followed that up this February with victory in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

Born: 8 November 1982 Turned Pro: 2004 Best Major Finish: Tied 10th (PGA 2009) Professional Wins: 5 One of the game’s finest ball-strikers, the younger Molinari’s maiden win came in his native Italian Open in 2006, at the Arnold Palmer-designed Castello di Tolcinasco near Milan. After playing alongside brother Edoardo for Europe in the 2010 Ryder Cup, he ended his season on a high by holding off Lee Westwood to win the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in China. He had a quiet year in 2011, but his tie for 19th in the Masters followed by victory in the Open de Espana suggests his best form is returning. Also won the 2009 World Cup for Italy with Edoardo.

Born: 17 May 1982 Turned Pro: 2003 Best Major Finish: Tied 6th (Open 2007; US Open 2009) Professional Wins: 6 The Californian has had four top-10s in Majors and two WGC victories—in this year’s Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, where he beat Rory McIlroy 2&1 in the final, and the Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio in 2010. He claimed his fifth PGA Tour win in April at the Shell Houston Open and tied 12th at the Masters. Next time he finds himself in contention for a Major, though, he must blank out memories of the duffed chip in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor that handed the final singles point, and the trophy, to Europe.

Born: 19 October 1982 Turned Pro: 2002 Major Win: Open (2010) Other Professional Wins: 9 Proved he can put a disappointment behind him when he won the Maybank Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur just a week after coming agonisingly close to landing his second Major before being beaten at the Masters in a playoff by Bubba Watson’s miracle shot from the trees. Earlier on the last day, he put himself in the driving seat by holing out for an albatross at the downhill, par-5 2nd, but Watson’s glittering back nine gradually reeled him in. Prior to this, his main claim to fame was his runaway victory in the 2010 Open at St Andrews.

Born: 30 july 1979 Turned Pro: 2002 Major Win: US Open (2010) Other Professional Wins: 7 Following his remarkable 2010—when he won the US Open at Pebble Beach, claimed two other European Tour titles, brought home the decisive point in the Ryder Cup and beat Tiger Woods head-to-head in his own tournament— McDowell’s 2011 was an anticlimax. He finished 16th on the European money list, but many promising performances were sabotaged by unexpected disasters—most notably at the Players Championship. Still, he tied a creditable 14th in defence of the US Open and has shown some decent form this year, finishing joint 12th in the Masters.

Born: 30 july 1980 Turned Pro: 1998 Best Major Finish: Tied 4th (Open 1998, as an amateur) Professional Wins: 11 Pitched in from 50 yards as a 17-yearold amateur to tie fourth in the 1998 Open at Birkdale. Turned pro straight away but missed 21 consecutive cuts before settling down to life on Tour and winning four times in 2002. Topped Europe’s order of merit in 2007 when he recorded four top-12 finishes in the Majors and won the Volvo Masters. Has since won four times on the PGA Tour, all prestigious titles: the Memorial and AT&T National in 2010, last year’s BMW Championship and the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in March.

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charl schwarTzel S.A.

Born: 31 August 1984 Turned Pro: 2002 Major Win: Masters (2011) Other Professional Wins: 7 The slim South African enjoyed an annus mirabilis in 2011. Since joining the European Tour in 2003, his progress had been steady, helped largely by some impressive performances in dualsanctioned events in his native South Africa. But after finishing eighth on the order of merit in 2010, Schwartzel took his game to a whole new standard last year with his spectacular victory in the Masters. With ties for 9th, 16th and 12th in the other three Majors of 2011, his form at the highest level was as consistent as anyone’s, but he is yet to reproduce such performances in 2012.

adam scoTT Australia

Born: 16 july 1980 Turned Pro: 2000 Best Major Finish: Tied 2nd (Masters 2011) Professional Wins: 17 This engaging Australian, once ranked third in the world, has long looked a Major winner in waiting. But after tying third behind Tiger Woods in the 2006 PGA Championship, he went quiet for the next three seasons. He burst back to form in April 2011, though, when his final-day charge led to a tie for second in the Masters. He claimed a long overdue win last August in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, his eighth PGA Tour title, then produced more closing-round fireworks this year at Augusta with a 66 that lifted him into a tie for eighth.

webb simpson USA

Born: 8 August 1985 Turned Pro: 2008 Best Major Finish: Tied 14th (US Open 2011) Professional Wins: 2 Simpson endured two frustrating nearmisses early in 2011—by a shot at the Transitions Championship after bogeying the last and at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans where he lost a play-off after calling a penalty shot on himself in regulation play—before landing his first PGA Tour title. Simpson, like Arnold Palmer a student at Wake Forest, came good in August, claiming the Wyndham and Deutsche Bank Championships.

Later, he lost another playoff, in the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island, but ran Luke Donald close for the Vardon Trophy.

sTeVe sTricKer USA

Born: 23 February 1967 Turned Pro: 1990 Best Major Finish: 2nd (PGA 1998) Professional Wins: 19 Despite being acknowledged as one of the best pitchers and putters on Tour, Stricker’s career has still been far from a model of consistency. After spending his early years playing in Canada, he established himself on the PGA Tour in 1994. He has undergone two catastrophic losses of form since then, but he has also won 12 times, most recently at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii at the beginning of this year. But of his nine top-10 finishes in Majors, he came closest when runner-up by two strokes to Vijay Singh in the 1998 PGA Championship.

Tom waTson USA

nicK waTney USA

Born: 25 April 1981 Turned Pro: 2003 Best Major Finishes: 7th (Masters

2010); Tied 7th (Open 2010)

Professional Wins: 7 The loose-limbed Californian has had his ups and downs since joining the PGA Tour in 2005. He won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2007 but two more years elapsed before his second title—the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. He suffered a setback at the 2010 PGA Championship where he held a three-shot lead after 54 holes only to slump to an 81 and a tie for 18th, but recovered well to win the WGCCadillac Championship at Doral in March 2011 and the AT&T National at Aronimik four months later, results that sealed his Presidents Cup debut.

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Born: 4 September 1949 Turned Pro: 1971 Major Wins: 8 (Masters 1977, 1981; US Open 1982; Open 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983) Other Professional Wins: 62 Now in his sixth decade as a professional, Watson is one of golf’s greatest and most durable players. His true passion has been the Open Championship which he first won in a playoff against Australia’s Jack Newton at Carnoustie in 1975. Two years later, a few months after thwarting Jack Nicklaus in the Masters, he squared up to the Golden Bear again at Turnberry where the pair of them took the game to heights of excellence the rest of the field could only dream about. Watson prevailed by one stroke following a shoot-out that has since famously been dubbed the ‘Duel in the Sun’. Watson, who won three more Opens and the 1981 Masters, saw off Nicklaus for a third time at the 1982 US Open with a chip-in from thick rough beside the 17th green at Pebble Beach. He now plays mainly on the Champions Tour, but perhaps his finest hour came three years ago back at Turnberry when, six weeks shy of his 60th birthday, he led the Open by a stroke with one hole to play. After a perfect drive, his approach was a little firm and his ball rolled off the back of the green. Three putts from there left him drained and he succumbed in the playoff to his fellow American Stewart Cink. Had he taken two putts, he’d have been the oldest Major winner by more than a decade. But it was not to be.

Tiger woods USA

Born: 30 December 1975 Turned Pro: 1996 Major wins: 14 (Masters 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005; US Open 2000, 2005, 2008; Open 2000, 2005, 2006; PGA 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007) Other Professional Wins: 85 The dominant player of his generation, arguably in history, is not quite the golfer he once was, for well-documented reasons. He no longer sweeps up titles for fun, but he proved at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March—his 72nd PGA Tour victory—that he’s still a force to be reckoned with if he can swing smoothly. Immediately, he was installed as the favourite for the Masters, but he seemed strangely out of sorts amongst the azaleas and limped home tied 40th.

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the the majors majors 2012 2012

wns ed sneed looKs on despairingly as his putt to win the masters teeters on the edge of the cup. he went on to lose the playoff to fuZZy Zoeller

SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY IS ONE OF SPORT’S RECURRING NARRATIVES, BUT NOWHERE ARE THE PAIN AND EMBARRASSMENT OF SUCH COLLAPSES FELT MORE ACUTELY THAN OUT ON THE GOLF COURSE—WHERE YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO BLAME AND NOWHERE TO HIDE. Clive Agran, NO STRANGER TO GOLFING HUMILIATION, EMPATHISES WITH FELLOW VICTIMS LIKE RORY MCILROY CALL THEM COLLAPSES, meltdowns, implosions, chokes, or whatever you will.

It makes no difference. They are horrible, embarrassing and as unpleasant to witness as road accidents. Although, as two recent victims—Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley—will reluctantly confirm, they can occur at any tournament, they are disproportionately well represented in the Major championships. The explanation is simple. The bigger the event the more desperate a player is to win, the more intense the pressure, and the greater the likelihood of it all suddenly going horribly wrong. And when things begin to unravel, they do so in such a grimly inevitable way that no individual seems capable of resisting the fiendish forces that eventually result in the final, ignominious disaster.

What occurred in the concluding round of last year’s Masters is still all too vivid in the memory. Instead of Rory McIlroy’s coronation, we witnessed a nightmare. Three days of beautiful, flawless golf were followed by a few hours of utter, undiluted ugliness. Four shots clear as the final day dawned, the young man from Northern Ireland began nervously and bogeyed the first two holes. At least he had snatched a shot back before the turn and

somehow he was still in front, though only just, as he stepped onto the 10th tee. After clattering into trees with his drive, he knocked his ball back into play from just in front of the Butler Cabin, only to pull his third. A chip from beneath the green that rolled back towards him was followed by a further chip and two putts. His triple-bogey seven dropped him from the lead into a tie for seventh. It got worse. At 11 he three-putted from barely five feet, four-putted the 12th and limped home with an 80. Concerns that he might never recover were, of course, very soon proved unfounded when he ran away with the US Open at Congressional a couple of months later.

Gorgeous Augusta had seen it all before. In 1979 Ed Sneed had a five-shot lead going into the final round, was comfortably in front all the way round and three clear as he played 16. However, on 16 and 17 he left putts hanging on the lip and bogeyed them both before missing a par putt on the last that would have won him the Masters. Instead he had to settle for a place in the play-off with Tom Watson and Fuzzy Zoeller, which the latter won.

Unlike McIlroy who achieved swift redemption, Ed Sneed never did win a coveted major.

Although Greg Norman already had two majors to his name by 1996 and wasn’t therefore trying to break his duck, he nevertheless had never won the Masters. The Shark, however, had come incredibly close on several occasions, never more so than when Larry Mize holed a ‘miracle’ chip on the second play-off hole to steal the green jacket off his back in 1987. But 1996 looked certain to be Norman’s year.

After an opening course-record 63, he continued to look rock-solid through days two and three and took a seemingly unassailable six-shot advantage over Nick Faldo into the final round.

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scott hoch tosses away Ten years earlier, the flamboyant Aussie had his hopes and his putter seen a similarly healthy final-round lead turn to dust when he misses a tiddler for the 1989 masters in the PGA Championship at Inverness, Ohio when playing partner Bob Tway holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole for victory. Could history repeat itself, or was the Great White Shark too savvy this time round? Well, yes and no. Norman struggled from the outset on the Sunday and his cushion over Faldo was soon deflated. Trailing by the 12th, his chances of realising his Masters dream finally sank without trace when, with possibly the worst shot of his entire career, he hooked it off the tee into the water at the 16th. His final round of 78, Norman struggled from the outset which included no fewer than five on the sunday and his six-shot bogeys and two cushion over Faldo eventually double-bogeys, presented a grim like Norman, reversed into a five-shot deficit contrast to Faldo’s he led from the immaculate 67. In opening round starkly mathematical terms, his six-shot lead had and had what seemed an unassailable four-shot reversed into a five-shot deficit. lead going into the final round. However, in very Until Norman’s nightmare, the dubious honour windy conditions he racked up an ugly 80 yet still of having the worst final-round collapse in the only finished one shot behind Jack Burke, Jnr. It Masters belonged to Ken Venturi. In 1956, just was especially disappointing because Venturi would have been the first (and almost certainly the last) amateur to have won the Masters.

Faldo, the beneficiary when Norman disintegrated, picked up the first of his green jackets in 1989 when Scott Hoch inexplicably handed it to him. Although it wasn’t a full-blown, 18-hole catastrophe, Hoch’s mini-meltdown had all the essential wobbly elements—tension, anxiety and fear—one looks for in the larger version. Like so many other top players who had never won a major, Hoch was desperate to break his duck and led Faldo by a single shot playing the 17th. But he missed a relatively short par putt and so it went to a suddendeath playoff, starting at the 10th. Faldo struggled to a bogey five while Hoch had two putts for the Masters. His birdie attempt rolled about two-anda-half feet past. Unwisely, he then spent a couple of minutes studying the short putt, backed off once and then knocked the ball five feet past the hole. To his credit, he holed the one back but his chance was gone and Faldo, doubtless buoyed by the reprieve, sank a long one at the next to win.

Think of short missed putts and your mind inevitably wanders back to 1970, Doug Sanders and the final hole at St Andrews. Like Hoch, Sanders was a successful PGA Tour player who had never won a Major when he stood on the famous 18th green with two putts for The Open. His lag stopped rolling less than three feet above the hole to leave him a tricky little slider that broke left to right. As he was about to putt, Sanders spotted what he thought was

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sand on his line and bent down to pick it up before realizing it was just a blade of brown grass. Instead of stepping away and beginning again, he putted and the ball slid over the right lip, which left him in a tie with Jack Nicklaus. Although he played creditably the next day in the 18-hole playoff, he lost.

Possibly the most famous final hole meltdown in The Open was at Carnoustie in 1999 when Jean Van de Velde threw away a three-shot lead.

Standing on the tee of the 444-yard 18th, Van de Velde merely needed to card a double-bogey six to become the first Frenchman to win The Open since 1907. Rather than play safe with an iron though, he chose driver for his first and proceeded to find all manner of trouble including rough, sand, water and even a grandstand before holing a decent putt for a triple-bogey seven. Not surprisingly, after enduring such trauma, he lost the three-man playoff and Paul Lawrie took home the Claret Jug. Van de Velde’s nightmare mirrors a similar unhappy episode that occurred at the US Open fully six decades previously. Although he won an amazing 82 tournaments on the PGA Tour, including no fewer than seven Majors, ‘Slammin’ Sam Snead never captured his national championship. He was runnerup four times and possibly had his best chance of clinching the title at the Philadelphia Country Club in 1939. On the final par-5 18th, Snead is reported to have mistakenly believed he needed a birdie to win whereas a par would have been sufficient. Anyway, he played the hole too aggressively, found two bunkers and ran up a heart-breaking eight, thereby missing the playoff by two shots.

Snead’s chance for redemption came in 1947 when the US Open was staged at St Louis Country Club. On this occasion he holed a fine putt on the final green to make it into the playoff where he came up against Lew Worsham. In the playoff, Snead had a two-shot lead with three holes to play

Sam Snead was undoubtedly one of golf’s greats and even Arnold Palmer, a man whose name is synonymous with ‘charges’ up the leaderboard, has suffered a final-day Major reversal. The threeshot lead with which Arnie began the final round of the 1966 US Open at the Olympic Club, venue for this year’s championship, had swollen to seven when he and Billy Casper teed off at the 10th.

By the time the pair Needing a double-bogey six to reached the 15th, win, Van de Velde contrived to there was still a healthy five shots take seven, via the grandstand, between them. Yet, thick rough, sand and water what appeared a comfortable cushion had disappeared by the 18th, though Palmer did hold on up the last to force an 18-hole playoff.

Again he saw a decent lead evaporate in the San Francisco sunshine. Two shots clear with six holes to play, Palmer gave up six strokes over the first. Whether or not Worsham was guilty of remaining holes and his closing score of 73 was gamesmanship is uncertain but Snead missed the comfortably eclipsed by Casper’s tidy 69. putt while Worsham holed his to claim the greatest Although Palmer’s final-round 71 in regulation victory of his life. The unhappy combination of play hardly constitutes a collapse, because it was blowing a two-shot lead and missing a tiddler at the none other than the ‘King’ who let slip a seven-shot last justifies including this sad episode in the horror- lead, it shows that no Major is ever won until the chamber of Major disasters. very last putt is sunk. to this day doug sanders admits to being haunted by the 3ft putt he had to win the 1970 open championship

but the two players were tied as they came to the 18th. Both reached the green in two and had similar short putts of about two-and-a-half feet for birdies.

Snead addressed the ball and was about to pull the trigger when Worsham interrupted him saying he wasn’t sure that Snead was away. A measurement was taken and, indeed, it was for Snead to putt

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Golf’s four preMier chaMpionships all have an inDepenDent anD unique history. Mark Garrod charts their separate DevelopMent anD evaluates soMe of the contrasts between these classic events that survive to this very Day

Major Differences

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TIGER WOODS HOBBLED ROUND TORREY PINES FOR 91 HOLES IN 2008 BEFORE LIFTING THE US OPEN TROPHY. TIED WITH ROCCO MEDIATE AFTER 72 HOLES AND AN 18-HOLE PLAYOFF, WOODS, WHO WAS BATTLING A KNEE INJURY, EVENTUALLY PREVAILED IN SUDDEN-DEATH

Aside from the two-week Christmas and New Year vacation period, professional golf is a non-stop, global, annual merry-go-round.

But four events each season—three in America, one in Great Britain—stand head and shoulders above the rest and shine like beacons during weeks when the sport’s leading players most hope that they will be able to hit peak form.

These events are the Majors, and whole careers in professional golf are defined by them.

Ask Tiger Woods what record he most wants to eclipse and his answer would not require a moment’s thought—it is the 18 Major titles achieved by Jack Nicklaus between 1962 and 1986. Going into this season Woods was stuck on 14, but the pressure was on. His last victory in one of the ‘big four’ came in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

Scotland where, in 1999, he needed only a closing double-bogey six to win, somehow contrived to take seven and subsequently lost a play-off to local hero Paul Lawrie.

That came in The Open Championship, oldest of the quartet of modern-day Majors with a history that dates back to 1860. The US Open followed in 1895, the PGA Championship in 1916 and finally the Masters in 1934.

All four have grown into huge sporting spectacles, televised live around the world; but even though the basic playing structures are now identical—72 holes of stroke play stretched across four consecutive days, from Thursday to Sunday— each has had its own evolutionary process and to this day there are still fundamental differences.

Take this for starters. The Open Championship began with a mere eight players taking part in a three-round, one-day competition on a 12-hole course at Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland in October, a time of year when the weather in that part of the world is generally far from clement.

Only later did 18 holes become the standard layout for golf courses and it was not until 1892 that the Championship became a two-day, 72-hole affair. It was Ask Colin Montgomerie what is first staged over three days in 1904— the biggest regret of his 25 years as a the number of entries by then had swelled tournament professional, a period during to 144—and finally it was scheduled over which he won eight European Tour order of four days from 1966 onwards. merit titles and starred in eight Ryder Cup By then it had become an established matches, and he would point immediately fixture on the British sporting calendar to the fact that he was five times a runner- during the third week in July. Not that this up in Majors but never once a winner. move guaranteed good weather in Britain, And if you were to ask Jean Van de of course; indeed, one Japanese journalist Velde to nominate a hole he would like famously asked the question as the wind to play again, it would have to be the howled and the rain lashed down one year: 18th at Carnoustie on the east coast of “Why do you not hold The Open in summer?”

the open Championship began with eight players taking part in a three-round, one-day competition on a 12-hole course

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JACK NICKLAUS SPEAKS AFTER HIS VICTORY IN 1966 AT MUIRFIELD ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND, THE FIRST OPEN TO BE PLAYED AS A FOUR-DAY CHAMPIONSHIP

Greg Norman set a record low score at sandwich in 1993, but on the same layout 10 years later Ben Curtis was the only player under par Being at the mercy of an unpredictable climate is part of The Open’s charm for many and certainly part of the very different test of golf it presents to the competitors than that faced most years at the other three Majors on the western side of the Atlantic.

The governing body, The R&A, have always staged it on a links course—that is, coastal stretches of land invariably set amid sand dunes where the wind provides the greatest defence. Of course, the relative difficulty of the venues on the roster— currently the Old Course at St Andrews, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Turnberry and Royal Troon in Scotland; Royal St. George’s (Sandwich), Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and Royal Lytham in England— is by and large dictated by the weather.

For example, Greg Norman won with a record low score at Sandwich in 1993 and on the same layout 10 years later Ben Curtis was the only player to finish under par.

In contrast, the Masters is always held at Augusta National in Georgia, and given that it is operated by the club itself there is no possibility of that ever changing.

Even though the original design of Augusta National owed more than just a passing nod to the Old Course at St Andrews, it is fair to say that there is generally very little resemblance between the wildness of Open Championship venues and the manicured magnificence of Bobby Jones’ pride and joy down in the heart of Georgia.

In truth, Augusta National is a world apart from links golf and what is demanded of the players is vastly different too.

Its lack of rough, severely undulating fairways and greens, and risk-and-reward nature—water comes into play on five of the last eight holes— guarantees a dramatic finale to each round as the crowd’s cheers and sighs echo around the statuesque pines that fence in each hole.

From the players’ viewpoint, the Masters is also the toughest of the four

Majors to qualify for. It has the smallest field, these days around 100 players, and entry to it is by invitation only.

However, there are now some strictly laid-down criteria with the world’s top 50, main tournament winners on the PGA Tour, top performers in the other Majors and some leading amateurs automatically earning places in the field alongside all the former champions.

It has its unique traditions too. A Par3 competition is staged on the eve of the main event and the ceremony at the end culminates in the awarding of not a trophy, but a green jacket held by the previous year’s winner for the new champion to don in the fabled Butler’s Cabin.

The Masters is now also the only one of the Major quartet to have a suddendeath playoff in the event of a tie, perhaps because there is less daylight in early April than at the height of summer. The Open and PGA Championships have adopted playoffs over four and three extra holes

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THERE WAS NO DANGER OF THE USGA HAVING TO STAGE A PLAYOFF TO DECIDE LAST YEAR’S US OPEN AT CONGRESSIONAL, THANKS TO RORY MCILROY’S RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE

When rodman Wanamaker donated the trophy that bears his name to the PGa of america in 1916, the championship was a match-play event respectively to determine the outcome, but the US Open sticks rigidly to its long-held policy of requiring the players who have tied after 72 holes to return the following morning for a further 18 holes. If they are still tied, only then will the process revert to sudden-death.

The very title “Open” separates two of the four championships from the other two as regards their labyrinthine mechanisms for qualifying. The United States Golf Association runs the US Open and it holds a series of local and sectional qualifying tournaments throughout the country, and also in England and Japan, while The R&A spreads its wings even wider by offering chances in Europe, Australasia, South Africa, Asia and America at varying times during the year in addition to its regional, final and international qualifiers in Britain and Ireland.

The Professional Golfers’ Association of America is responsible for the PGA Championship and their field each year contains a minimum number of club professionals, although this figure was reduced from 40 to 25 in 1995 and then to 20 in 2006. This reduction was in order to make room for more of the world’s

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better-known players and many argue that this championship now attracts the strongest field of all the four Majors, and thus in the whole of golf.

The PGA Championship began its life as a match-play contest and continued in that vein until 1958 when it fell in line with the other three Majors and adopted the standard 72-hole stroke-play format.

Despite the excitement generated by headto-head combat, its fickleness ran the risk of big names crashing out on the opening day, whereas stroke play tends to bring the cream rising to the top more, especially towards the latter stages—a highly important factor in an age dominated by TV ratings when golf is competing fiercely against numerous other sports for exposure.

The US Open is historically known for being played on difficult courses that have narrow fairways, challenging greens and thick rough, thus placing a considerable premium on accuracy and a conservative approach to course management, although graduated rough and risk-reward options have been introduced with great success in recent years.

The championship is rarely won with a score more than two or three shots under

par, although last June saw 22-year-old Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy break the record by four with his 16-under total at Congressional near Washington, D.C. As for the future, the return of golf to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016—after a gap of more than 100 years— will inevitably alter the game’s championship landscape, especially as more countries without much of a golfing pedigree can be expected to take up the game with relish.

That is not to say the men’s golf tournament at the Olympics will instantly become a fifth Major—or a sixth in the case of the women’s game by then—but it may necessitate a change to the traditional mid-August date of the PGA Championship once every four years, and that in itself could have knock-on effects for other tournaments across the Tour schedules, perhaps even the recently introduced FedExCup playoffs.

But, as has been the case with the evolution of the four ‘Grand Slam’ tournaments in tennis over the past century, the big four events in golf, despite their marked differences, look set to remain the ‘big four’ as a collective package for the foreseeable future...

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THE IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE OF AN AMERICAN MODEL

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

New York wears black because black looks good, Tests from leading car magazines have put the 0–60 terms of stopping power. On the subject of the top, and in the case of the new Mercedes-Benz SL500 it time closer to 4 seconds flat. In fact, the numbers it can be quietly lowered or raised in less than 20 looks great—no matter where it’s parked. are close to the outgoing SL63. seconds, thanks in part to its light magnesium frame.

On this sunshine-filled day in Brooklyn, it looks The 500’s power comes via a new 4.6-litre twinParticularly nice on a bright day in Brooklyn exceptional to this writer, though we’re guessing that turbo V8, which makes 435 horsepower at 5,250 rpm, (and exclusive to Mercedes-Benz), the Panorama the newest offering from the Patron of the [British] Open delivered to the optional 19-inch alloy wheels by roof can feature the company’s Magic Sky could wear any colour and still get past the velvet rope. the industry’s first 7-speed automatic transmission, Control, which allows for opacity changes via an The sixth generation SL to come out of Stuttgart manually controllable with readily accessible paddle electronic signal. has everything you’d expect from Mercedes in shifters behind the wheel. Just one of the more At its darkest setting, Mercedes claims the terms of luxury, performance and overall excellence, notable differences comes in the torque, which is thermal energy entering the cabin is near that of but it’s shed some weight since last a household light bulb. Completely year. And while slimming down clear, the roof still blocks UV and helps the rest of us fit a bit better infrared rays, keeping the interior The SL500 boasts an all-aluminium body, in a suit, the difference it’s made for comfortably cool. shaving 125kg off the previous model to the SL goes far beyond good looks Also helping with temperature (though we believe the SL500 isn’t is the sun-reflecting leather considerably improve performance short of those, either). upholstery, which is as beautifully For the first time ever in Mercedes’ tailored as it is effective. The series production history, the SL500 boasts an all- up to 700 Nm from last year’s 530 Nm and which double-stitched seams underline the sport-luxury aluminium body, shaving approximately 125kg off the accounts for some of the considerable “oomph” trim, while a special treatment rejects the ravages last family member, improving rigidity by more than 20 factor when it comes to the new SL’s get-up-and-go. of the sun—but the 12-way power seats with percent and, it’s safe to say, considerably benefiting The little two-seat monster is brought under control memory don’t stop there. Optional systems allow performance as well. by the antilock brake system’s 14.2-inch ventilated for both seat heating and cooling (dual-zone Less than a tenth of the car’s structure is steel, and perforated disc brakes in the front and 12.6-inch climate control via the air-conditioning system is and that’s mostly relegated to the pillars and other ventilated brakes in the rear, the strength of which standard), making drop-top cruising comfortable safety-critical areas. While Mercedes claims a 0–60 might rattle the two sets of golf clubs that fit nicely in any weather. Mercedes’ lauded AIRSCARF necktime of 4.6 seconds, the company is traditionally in the boot with the top up or down, but which will level heating system uses warm air to help increase quite conservative with its performance figures. certainly meet performance drivers’ expectations in comfort on cooler days.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Test Drive

Mercedes-Benz SL500

Power: 435hp 4.6-litre twin-turbo V8 with 700 Nm of torque Transmission: 7-speed automatic Passenger capacity: 2 Boot capacity: 13.5 cu ft

Additionally, other optional systems offer massage on longer drives (helping to prevent fatigue) and near-instant adjustments to lateral support during cornering manoeuvres, which makes a dramatic difference in terms of increasing controlfeel. In our test car this feature was particularly impressive and almost anticipatory, quickly increasing stiffness for the left lumbar region at the entrance to a tight right turn to help maintain seating position, and vice-versa during left turns. It also functions in the event of a potential accident, which, along with the 8-way air bag protection system, sincerely increases the safety of the vehicle.

Electronics are as high-end as one would expect from one of the world’s top marques, with a central COMAND system that offers control of all audio, video, hands-free calling and navigation functions (many controllable from the comfortably sporty steering wheel). The 80GB navigation system is among the best available, while the audio systems are superlative—both the standard sound system and the optional premium system are exemplary.

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The number of technologies and luxury amenities at work on the new SL500, from the systems designed to keep you comfortable and safe

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THE THE MAJORS MAJORS 2012 2012

to those designed to keep you on the road during highperformance driving, is absolutely overwhelming, but all of them function sensibly and discretely with no need for distracting interactions or heavy hours spent studying manuals. At the end of the day, the new SL500 is a sports car built in the true spirit of the SL family’s “Sport Leicht” ethos, lightweight and fast, with tremendous performance and a truly rewarding driving experience. Despite all of the dramatic improvements and changes, the price is basically unchanged from previous models, making the new SL500 an incredible buy in our opinion.

Whether you dress it in black, like our test car, or in any of the other numerous colour options from Mercedes-Benz, the SL500 is a stunner and, from where we sit, a new classic from one of the world’s great auto makers.

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We picked it up at a garage in Brooklyn, and its effect was immediate.

The SL500 from Mercedes-Benz is beautiful and strong in terms of presence.

The more upright front end and bold logo on the grill are, to our eyes, an inspired and welcome departure from the elegantly sloped noses of recent examples. With its gills and sharp lines, the new car looks tough without looking unrefined, as it should. After all, it’s a sports car, and it holds to the truest form: There’s no attempt at a back-seat excuse, merely a small shelf that sits over a relatively large amount of behind-seat space. The top drops quickly and leaves plenty of room for weekend bags in the boot. The engine note is gorgeous, power-forward and intimidating without being obnoxious. And the interior is sexy, performance-oriented but still comfortable. We got a lot of looks growling our way down Brooklyn’s more crowded streets, and by the time we hit the freeway and opened it up, we were getting thumbs ups and audible yells of appreciation—no kidding. Throwing the SL500 into a corner at speed yields no pause for concern, no momentary anxieties. The car’s Active Body Control suspension system, which instantly adjusts for reactions to roll, vibration, pitch, dive and squat while cornering, kept us unconcerned while the Direct-steer system meant that directional adjustments were made with a minimum of effort and without losing feel. Piloting the SL500 through the notoriously thick traffic near New York’s VerrazanoNarrows Bridge was effortless, while the experience of breaking free into the unobstructed highway beyond the bridge access was absolutely thrilling. Amazingly, despite rapid changes in speed, cabin disruptions remained at a minimum even with the top down. Credit top engineering for keeping my wife’s hair intact, and credit the tremendous engine and fantastic transmission for keeping the smile stuck on my face. Comfortable, exhilarating, responsive and absolutely impressive at every turn, it was tough to give up the keys to the new SL500. At a price point nearly matching the current offering, but delivering so much more, we’d happily park one in our garage. Consider this a win for Mercedes-Benz.

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Majors in Waiting The 2013 US Open will be The 16Th naTiOnal champiOnShip awarded TO meriOn by The USGa

Three of the game’s most historic courses—Merion, Muirfield and Oak Hill—have been selected to join Augusta National as venues for the 2013 Majors. After an absence of more than three decades from the US Open roster, America’s national championship will be staged over the East Course at Merion, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, for the fifth time next year. Meanwhile, the Open Championship will take place for the 16th time on the east-coast Scottish links at Muirfield, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and a course built back in the early 1890s specifically to host the game’s oldest championship. And over at Rochester in New York State, Oak Hill is gearing up for its third PGA Championship, to go with the three US Opens it has also held.

Tony Dear (Merion), Martin Vousden (Muirfield) and Jack Ross (Oak Hill) tell the story of this trio of golfing monuments 146

THE MAjORS 2012

US Open

Merion Golf Club’s roots trace back to October 1865 when 15 young men, aged between 14 and 22, formed Merion Cricket Club. All residents of Philadelphia’s western suburbs, this band of merry willow-swingers agreed to meet for a weekly match, starting the following spring.

Initially, they settled on a few acres in Wynne Wood on the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, eight miles northwest of downtown, but they soon found themselves playing at least twice a week. Seven and a half years after the first ball was bowled, the club upped-stumps and moved a mile west to Ardmore, to five acres they leased at first but purchased outright in October 1875. They moved again in 1892, to a 13-acre site near Haverford College Station. By now lawn tennis was popular with members and golf was also gaining momentum. In December 1894, four east-coast golf clubs—Saint Andrew’s in Yonkers, New York; Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York; The Country Club in

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Brookline, Massachusetts; and Newport on Rhode Development Company and held about 300 acres. on either side of Ardmore Avenue, but crept onto land Island—formed the United States Golf Association It was willing to sell the club roughly 100 of them, that neither the club nor the Haverford Development (along with Chicago GC). From that point, Merion “or whatever would be required,” for the discount Company yet owned. Two parcels were acquired members’ fascination with this strange new ball price of $726.50 an acre, hoping that proximity to in November 1910, bringing the total acreage to game from across the Atlantic overtook cricket. an exceptional new course would inflate the value 117, three short of the minimum Macdonald and The Haverford property was obviously too of its remaining 200 or so acres.

Whigham had proposed. Some creative cutting and small for a golf course, though, so the club leased To sweeten the deal further, it brought in H.H. pasting finally enabled all 18 holes to squeeze into 100 acres in nearby Bryn Mawr from the railroad Barker to devise the course’s routing. Barker, an the site, and in January 1911 the club announced it company, building a 9-holer that opened for play English-born professional who played out of Garden had secured the land it needed. in May 1896. Four years later, a second nine was City GC on Long Island, proposed a course of about A construction committee was established. added on land belonging to club member Clement 100 acres, but apparently it didn’t match the vision Headed by Scottish-born former Princeton University Griscom. The course provided a place to play for of the site committee which then went to C.B. golfer Hugh Wilson, it met Macdonald and ten years, but with golf Whigham for advice on how exploding in popularity a to build the course. Wilson, Wilson crossed the Atlantic to examine the great courses of club with Merion’s growing 31 at the time, had no prior Scotland and England, returning to Philadelphia in May 1912 experience of course design reputation needed to own its own course. or construction, so it’s no Ideally, the club would simply buy the land Macdonald and H.J. Whigham for a second opinion. surprise there remains a question mark over who on which its existing course was laid out, but Macdonald, a native of Chicago, and Whigham, a actually designed Merion. Henry Fownes had proved real-estate prices were rising and Merion couldn’t Scot, were giants of the early American game having at Oakmont that a total novice could design a great afford it. Two local developers anticipated Merion’s shared the first three US Amateur Championships course while George Crump did the same at Pine desire for a home course and bought up land on and (Macdonald in 1895, Whigham in ’96 and ’97) and Valley, and amateurs Jack Neville and Douglas Grant around College Avenue. By the summer of 1910, subsequently opened the National Golf Links of laid out Pebble Beach. Much of Merion’s routing the consortium they put together (including several America on Long Island together in 1909. probably was due to Macdonald and Whigham, but Merion members) was operating as the Haverford The course they envisaged occupied 120 acres the overall credit surely goes to Wilson.

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UnUSUally fOr a linkS, There iS Only One blind Tee ShOT aT mUirfield

Having constructed and seeded the course by September 1911, Wilson crossed the Atlantic to examine the great courses of Scotland and England.

He returned to Philadelphia in May 1912 with hundreds of photographs and sketches that he used when adding features to many of Merion’s holes.

Working alongside William Flynn, the course’s superintendent who himself developed into a fine architect and is thought to have been behind the wicker baskets on Merion’s flagsticks, Wilson continued to improve the East Course (he also opened the West in 1914) until his death in 1924, aged 45.

But what a course he left. The USGA has awarded it 16 individual championships (five US Opens, six US Amateurs, four US Women’s Amateurs and a US Girls)—more than any other course. It has also staged a Curtis Cup, a World Amateur Team Championship and the 2009 Walker Cup. Some of golf’s most momentous achievements have occurred there. In 1916, 14-year-old Bobby Jones made his US Amateur debut at Merion, and eight years later he returned to win the first of his five titles. On September 27th, 1930, Jones beat Gene Homans 8&7 in the final to become the first (and only) man to win the year’s four biggest

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THE MAjORS 2012

tournaments—at the time, the Open and Amateur Championships of Britain and the US In June 1950, just 16 months after the nearfatal automobile crash that doctors said would end his career, Ben Hogan won his second US Open and third Major after hitting a superb 1-iron up the hill on the 72nd hole to set up an 18-hole play-off with Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio which he won with a one-under-par 69.

In 1981, Australia’s David Graham hit all 18 greens in regulation in the final round to shoot a 67 that gave him a three-shot victory. In 2009, Rickie Fowler and Peter Uihlein each won four matches in helping the US team to a 16½-9½ victory over GB & Ireland in the 42nd Walker Cup. Thirty-two years will have elapsed since Merion hosted its last US Open, but that Walker Cup and the 2005 US Amateur (won by Italy’s Edoardo Molinari) proved the enduring worth of the East Course. It may be short compared with every other Major venue, and its cramped confines mean fewer spectators than is the US Open norm. The USGA will therefore suffer a financial hit by taking its flagship event back to Ardmore. But Merion is definitely worth it.

The Open

The history of Muirfield, venue for the 2013 Open Championship, is inextricably interwoven with the history of the game itself.

The course is home to the wonderfully named Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest golf club in the world and the one responsible for the first ever set of codified Rules of Golf. Not surprising really when the club has a reputation for attracting to its membership a number of Scotland’s most senior legal figures.

But as with any golf club, no matter the richness or depth of its history, reputation rests with the quality of the course, and in this respect Muirfield has few equals, either in its own country or worldwide.

While Carnoustie may be regarded as the toughest course on The Open rota, Turnberry the most beautiful and St Andrews the spiritual home of the game, Muirfield has always been considered the fairest test, and in consequence the roll call of those who have lifted the Claret Jug over these magnificent links is second-to-none.

Harry Vardon, James Braid, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom

OMETiMES iN LifE ExTRAORdiNARY THiNGS OCCUR. THESE UNExPECTEd, ANd PLEASANT, EvENTS REviTALizE EvEN THE MOST jAdEd AMONGST US.

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Watson, Lee Trevino, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo Open venue Royal St. George’s, nor any challenging, And there are many more impressive tales of have all won golf’s oldest championship here. It is dangerous water hazards, nor even much of a view disaster to match the triumphs seen in this corner doubtful that any national championship venue can out to sea. But to understand its attraction it is best, of Scotland. In 1972, for example, Jack Nicklaus match this impressive roster of victors because perhaps, to heed the words of Nicklaus, who said arrived in the form of his life, having already won every single one of them is a multiple Major winner. of it: ‘Muirfield makes you play more shots than any the first two Majors of the year (just like Woods, Muirfield’s reputation for fairness rests on other championship course in the British Isles. It has three decades later) and he emerged from the pack three elements—the quality and challenge of a few quirks but no tricks, just honest golf.’ with a last day 66 that would ordinarily have been the holes themselves; the comparative absence Player added: ‘I think it’s the fairest of them all. enough. But Lee Trevino was touched by golfing of mounds and hollows in the fairways, meaning It’s a brilliant design. It’s just a golf course I’ve never gods that week. In the third round he contrived competitors are far less likely to suffer an heard anyone say they don’t like.’ consecutive birdies over the last five holes through a idiosyncratic bounce; and combination of outrageous the configuration, which Muirfield was laid out by ‘Old’ Tom Morris in 1891 and a year putts and even more consists of two loops of nine, improbable chip-ins. Joint later it staged the first of its 15 Open Championships one inside the other, played leader Tony Jacklin no in opposite directions. doubt felt the MexicanAs a result of this last feature, the ubiquitous But if you want further endorsement, best American had used up a lifetime’s supply of good wind, so often a factor in links golf, is never blowing perhaps not to ask Tiger Woods. In 2002, the last fortune, especially when they reached the 71st hole in the same direction on two consecutive holes. time The Open came to Muirfield, after two rounds with the Englishman safely on the green, about 15 Also, unusually for a links and in direct contrast to St the undisputed best player in the world was two feet away in three, and Trevino hopelessly through Andrews, there is only one blind tee shot. strokes off the pace and still in with a chance of the back of the green in four.

Perversely, having sung its praises with such recording a calendar year Grand Slam, having already But Trevino had one more chip-in up his sleeve, enthusiasm, honesty compels me to admit that won the Masters and US Open. Round three brought Jacklin three-putted and dropped another stroke at Muirfield cannot match the visual splendour of the kind of weather in which you wouldn’t walk your the last to finish third, leaving Nicklaus runner-up— many other layouts. It does not have the magnificent dog unless it was for punishment, and Tiger shot 81— one stroke away from a playoff. It took Jacklin a long sand dunes and cavernous bunkers of last year’s which remains his worst score as a professional. time to concede just how damaging the experience

149

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

in the five majors played at oak hill, only ten players have finished under par

had been but he later said: “I had the heart ripped Although trees generally were not integral to the legacy he left is still, in large part, the course out of me. I stepped off the 18th a shattered man, which is played today. And it shouldn’t be forgotten Ross’s designs, the famed Scottish course architect broken by what had happened.” He was never to be and the amateur Rochester botanist achieved a that Colt carried out his work in an era when players a force in the Majors again. sublime symbiosis at Oak Hill. Longtime Rochester simply didn’t have the equipment to be able to Something similar could easily have happened golf writer and Oak Hill historian Sal Maiorana regularly crush high-tech balls 300 plus yards. to Player in 1959. Having started the week Whatever happens at next year’s Championship, commented: “As you walk the grounds of Oak moderately, he faced the final 36 holes—all played Hill today, you can’t help but gaze skyward at the if history is anything to go by it certainly won’t on the same day—as a contender for the ‘good but majestic trees that dominate the landscape. They be dull. no cigar’ prize. But with soar to the heavens, lending rounds of 70, 68 he made both an unmatched beauty “The quick greens will test the best players in the world. up eight strokes on leaders and a treacherous detriment Fred Bullock and Flory van to one’s scorecard.” it’s a really challenging, exceptionally tough golf course” Donck but was kicking Thirty years later, as himself for a double-bogey in Field of Dreams, they PGA Championship six on the 72nd hole that he thought would deny (the USGA) came to Oak Hill to stage the 1956 US In the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, an Iowa farmer him victory. It didn’t, and after an extremely nervous Open, and were so enthralled by Ross’s splendid and (played by Kevin Costner) hears a haunting voice two-hour wait in the clubhouse he landed the first demanding East Course that they (and the PGA) have emanating from his corn field: “If you build it, he will of his nine Major titles. More than half a century kept coming back ever since. Oak Hill has hosted come.” Defying rationality, he builds a baseball field later, only Nicklaus, Woods and Walter Hagen have three US Opens, two PGA Championships, two US which ultimately lures Shoeless Joe Jackson and the captured more of golf’s greatest prizes.

Amateurs, a Ryder Cup and, for good measure, a Although the Honourable Company was 1919 Chicago Black Sox from their ethereal realm. couple of senior Majors. Ernie Els remarked after the Perhaps Dr John Williams of Rochester, NY heard founded in 1744, the members originally played over 2003 PGA Championship: “It is the best, fairest and a similar voice in 1926 when Oak Hill Country Club Leith Links and then Musselburgh before deciding toughest championship course I’ve ever played in all agreed to a land swap with the University of Rochester to build themselves a new 18-hole playground in my years as a professional.” Heady praise, indeed, and relocated from its tract adjoining the Genesee the small town of Gullane, about 20 miles south from someone who has played all of the best.

River to a barren and virtually treeless farm in Pittsford. of Edinburgh in the county of East Lothian. It was The PGA Championship returns to Oak Williams proceeded to immerse himself in horticulture laid out in 1891 by ‘Old’ Tom Morris and was Hill for the third time in 2013 and, if previous and spearheaded a forestation campaign that led to immediately hailed as such an outstanding track championships contested over the arduous East the planting of 75,000 oak, maple, elm and evergreen that a year later it hosted The Open for the first of Course are any indication, the world’s best players seedlings across the 355-acre parcel, leaving just 15 occasions to date. In 1922 Harry Colt, one of the will have their hands full threading shots between enough space for the 36 fairways and greens of the game’s outstanding course architects, demonstrated Dr Williams’ trees and deciphering Ross’s diabolical two 18-hole courses designed by Donald Ross. his worth by updating the layout so successfully that greens. Fans hoping to see a lot of red numbers on

151

“As you walk round the grounds of Oak Hill today, you can’t help but gaze skyward at the majestic trees that dominate the landscape. They soar to the heavens” the leaderboard are likely to be disappointed. In the five Majors played at Oak Hill to date, only ten players have finished under par. Clearly, the East Course has stood the test of time: Ben Hogan’s 64 in 1942 still stands as the course record, albeit fittingly tied by Curtis Strange in 1989 when he became the first person to win back-to-back US Opens since the ‘Hawk’ himself in 1950-1951.

While somewhat off the beaten track in upper state New York, in a city better known for producing cameras and film than championship golf, there has been no shortage of history and drama at Oak Hill.

In its inaugural US Open in 1956, Dr Cary Middlecoff edged out Hogan by a stroke after the steely-nerved Hawk uncharacteristically missed a 30-inch putt on the 71st hole. In 1968, Lee Trevino won for the first time on the PGA Tour in the US Open at Oak Hill.

He finished four shots ahead of Jack Nicklaus and became the first player in history to record four sub70 rounds in the championship.

Oak Hill was kinder to Nicklaus in 1980.

Determined to bury the moniker of the “Olden Bear” and dismiss critics after going winless in 1979, the Golden Bear bounced back with a vengeance and capped his US Open victory at Baltusrol two months earlier with a record, field-lapping, seven-stroke win at the PGA Championship.

It was a fitting site for Nicklaus’ fifth PGA Championship, matching the record of Rochester native Walter Hagan who hosted the first tournament at Oak Hill in 1934.

In 2003, a less luminary figure took home the Wanamaker Trophy. Shaun Micheel, a virtual unknown who was winless in 163 starts on Tour and ordinarily would have been thrilled just to make the cut, nailed a 7-iron from the rough on the 18th hole to within two inches of the cup to clinch the title.

Eight years earlier, Oak Hill had captured the attention of the entire golf world when it hosted the 1995 Ryder Cup. The European team rallied from a two-point deficit on Sunday to win the Cup as a succession of prominent United States players could not buy a par on the treacherous closing holes of the East Course. Strange, who six years earlier had prevailed so thrillingly at Oak Hill, could summon none of his old magic as he bogeyed the last three holes to hand a critical point to Nick Faldo. Then Jay Haas’s double-bogey on the final hole of the last match sealed the Americans’ fate.

Kerry Haigh, the PGA Managing Director for Championships who oversees course modifications and conditioning for PGA Championships, is excited

152

THE MAjORS 2012

about returning to Oak Hill in 2013. “It’s a beautiful test of golf which is steeped in history and presents all sorts of challenges,” he remarked. “There’s not a weak hole on the golf course. We’re also very appreciative of the great support we get from the club and the community.”

Haigh observed that, collectively, the 17th (a 495-yard, uphill par-4) and 18th (a 488-yard par-4 featuring a valley in front of the green) present one of the most difficult finishes in golf. “There’s so much history there,” he noted, alluding to some of the dramatic championship finishes at Oak Hill.

The East Course will look much the same as

in 2003. Haigh explained that the greens on the 5th and 6th holes have been rebuilt to achieve consistency with the other greens, and that the lake on the 181-yard par-3 15th has been modified to bring the water hazard more into play. “It’s a more attractive hole now,” said Haigh.

And more dangerous!

As in previous Oak Hill championships, Haigh expects the bent-grass greens to run extremely fast in August 2013, and the thick bluegrass rough to penalize wayward tee shots. “The quick greens will test the best players in the world,” he said. “It’s just a really challenging, exceptionally tough golf course.

Every hole is tree-lined.”

One has to believe that Dr Williams would have taken great pleasure in seeing all his trees playing such a decisive factor in major championships. He planted them, and they came.

Confirmed dates and venues for future Majors Year 2012

Major US Open Open Championship PGA Championship

Dates June 14-17 July 19-22 August 9-12

Venue Lake Course, The Olympic Club, San Francisco, CA Royal Lytham & St Annes GC, Lancashire, England Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, SC

2013

Masters US Open Open Championship PGA Championship

April 11-14 June 13-16 July 18-21 August 8-11

Augusta National GC, GA East Course, Merion GC, Ardmore, PA Muirfield Golf Course, East Lothian, Scotland East Course, Oak Hill CC, Pittsford, NY

2014

Masters US Open Open Championship PGA Championship

April 10-13 June 12-15 July 17-20 To be decided

Augusta National GC, GA Course No.2, Pinehurst Resort, NC Royal Liverpool GC, Merseyside, England Valhalla GC, Louisville, KY

2015

Masters US Open Open Championship PGA Championship

April 9-12 June 18-21 July 16-19 To be decided

Augusta National GC, GA Chambers Bay Golf Course, Tacoma, WA Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland Straits Course, Whistling Straits, Kohler, WI

2016

Masters April 7-10 US Open June 16-19 PGA Championship To be decided

Augusta National GC, GA Oakmont CC, Pittsburgh, PA Lower Course, Baltusrol GC, Springfield, NJ

2017

Masters April 6-9 US Open June 15-18 PGA Championship To be decided

Augusta National GC, GA Erin Hills Golf Course, Hartford, WI Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, NC

2018

Masters April 5-8 US Open June 14-17 PGA Championship To be decided

Augusta National GC, GA Shinnecock Hills GC, Long Island, NY Bellerive CC, St. Louis, MO

2019

Masters US Open

Augusta National GC, GA Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, CA

April 11-14 June 13-16

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ROLL OF HONOUR NiCKlaus (70) beat toMMy JaCobs (72) aNd gay breWer Jr. (78) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

MASTERS TOURNAMENT played every year at augusta NatioNal golf Club, georgia

Year Winner (usa unless stated) 1934 Horton smith 1935 gene sarazen

Score 284 282

sarazeN (144) beat Craig Wood (149) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942

Horton smith byron Nelson Henry picard ralph guldahl Jimmy demaret Craig Wood byron Nelson

285 283 285 279 280 280 280

NelsoN (69) beat beN HogaN (70) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1943-45 NO CHAMPIONSHIP (Second World War) 1946 Herman Keiser 282 1947 Jimmy demaret 281 1948 Claude Harmon 279 1949 sam snead 282 1950 Jimmy demaret 283 1951 ben Hogan 280 1952 sam snead 286 1953 ben Hogan 275 1954 sam snead 289 sNead (70) beat beN HogaN (71) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962

Cary Middlecoff Jack burke Jr. doug ford arnold palmer art Wall Jr. arnold palmer gary player (south africa) arnold palmer

279 289 283 284 284 282 280 280

1963 1964 1965 1966

Jack Nicklaus arnold palmer Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus

286 276 271 288

palMer (68) beat gary player (soutH afriCa) (71) aNd doW fiNsterWald (77) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

themajors majors2012 2012 xxx 154 the

1967 1968 1969 1970

gay brewer Jr. bob goalby george archer billy Casper

280 277 281 279

Casper (69) beat geNe littler (74) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

Charles Coody Jack Nicklaus tommy aaron gary player (south africa) Jack Nicklaus raymond floyd tom Watson gary player (south africa) fuzzy zoeller

279 286 283 278 276 271 276 277 280

1980 1981 1982

seve ballesteros (spain) tom Watson Craig stadler

275 280 284

1983 1984 1985 1986 1987

seve ballesteros (spain) ben Crenshaw bernhard langer (germany) Jack Nicklaus larry Mize

280 277 282 279 285

1988 1989

sandy lyle (scotland) sir Nick faldo (england)

281 283

1990

sir Nick faldo (england)

278

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

ian Woosnam (Wales) fred Couples bernhard langer (germany) Jose Maria olazabal (spain) ben Crenshaw sir Nick faldo (england) tiger Woods

277 275 277 279 274 276 270

zoeller beat ed sNeed aNd toM WatsoN after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

stadler beat daN poHl after oNe Hole of a suddeNdeatH playoff

Mize beat greg NorMaN (australia) aNd seve ballesteros (spaiN) after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

faldo beat sCott HoCH after tWo Holes of a suddeNdeatH playoff faldo beat rayMoNd floyd after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Mark o’Meara Jose Maria olazabal (spain) vijay singh (fiji) tiger Woods tiger Woods Mike Weir (Canada)

279 279 278 272 276 281

2004 2005

phil Mickelson tiger Woods

279 276

2006 2007 2008 2009

phil Mickelson zach Johnson trevor immelman (south africa) angel Cabrera (argentina)

281 289 280 276

2010 2011 2012

phil Mickelson Charl schwartzel (south africa) bubba Watson

272 274 278

Weir beat leN MattiaCe after oNe Hole of a suddeNdeatH playoff

Woods beat CHris diMarCo after oNe Hole of a suddeNdeatH playoff

Cabrera beat CHad CaMpbell aNd KeNNy perry after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

WatsoN beat louis oostHuizeN (soutH afriCa) after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

US OpEN chAMpiONShip Year Winner (usa unless stated) Score courSe 1895 Horace rawlins (england) 173 Newport golf Club, ri 1896 James foulis (scotland) 152 shinnecock Hills golf Club, long island, Ny 1897 Joe lloyd (england) 162 Chicago golf Club, il 1898 fred Herd (scotland) 328 Myopia Hunt Club, south Hamilton, Ma 1899 Willie smith (scotland) 315 baltimore Country Club (east), Md 1900 Harry vardon (Jersey) 313 Chicago golf Club, il

1901

Willie anderson (scotland) 331 Myopia Hunt Club, south Hamilton, Ma

aNdersoN (85) beat alex sMitH (sCotlaNd) (86) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1902 1903

laurie auchterlonie (scotland) garden City golf Club, Ny Willie anderson (scotland) baltusrol golf Club, springfield, NJ

1925

Willie Macfarlane (scotland) Worcester Country Club, Ms

291

1951

MaCfarlaNe (147) beat bobby JoNes {aM} (148) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

307

1926

307

1927

bobby Jones {am} 293 scioto Country Club, Columbus, oH tommy armour 301 oakmont Country Club, pittsburgh, pa

aNdersoN (82) beat david broWN (sCotlaNd) (84) iN a playoff over 18Holes

arMour (76) beat Harry Cooper (78) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1904

Willie anderson (scotland) 303 glen view Club, Cook County, il Willie anderson (scotland) 314 Myopia Hunt Club, south Hamilton, Ma alex smith (scotland) 295 onwentsia Club, lake forest, il alex ross (scotland) 302 philadelphia Cricket Club (st. Martin’s), pa fred Mcleod (scotland) 322 Myopia Hunt Club, south Hamilton, Ma

1928

george sargent (england) 290 englewood golf Club, NJ alex smith (scotland) 298 philadelphia Cricket Club (st. Martin’s), pa

burKe (297) beat george voN elM (298) iN a playoff over 72 Holes

John Mcdermott Chicago golf Club, il

307

1934

John Mcdermott Country Club of buffalo, Ny francis ouimet {am} the Country Club, brookline, Ma

294

1905 1906 1907 1908

MCleod (77) beat Willie sMitH (sCotlaNd) (83) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1909 1910

sMitH (71) beat JoHN MCderMott (75) aNd MaCdoNald sMitH (sCotlaNd) (77) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1911

1912 1913

304

ouiMet (72) beat Harry vardoN (Jersey) (77) aNd ted ray (eNglaNd) (78) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1914

Walter Hagen 290 Midlothian Country Club, blue island, il 1915 Jerome travers {am} 297 baltusrol golf Club, springfield, NJ 1916 Charles ‘Chick’ evans {am} 286 Minikahda Club, Minneapolis, MN 1917-18 NO CHAMPIONSHIP (First World War) 1919 Walter Hagen 301 brae burn Country Club (Main), West Newton, Ma HageN (77) beat MiKe brady (78) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1920 1921 1922 1923

ted ray (Jersey) 295 inverness Club, toledo, oH Jim barnes 289 Columbia Country Club, Chevy Chase, Md gene sarazen 288 skokie Country Club, glencoe, il bobby Jones {am} 296 inwood Country Club, Ny

JoNes (76) beat bobby CruiCKsHaNK (78) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1924

Cyril Walker (england) oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi

297

bobby Jones {am} Winged foot golf Club (West), Mamaroneck, Ny

294

JoNes (141) beat al espiNosa (164) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1930 1931

1932 1933

1935

MCderMott (80) beat MiKe brady (82) aNd george siMpsoN (sCotlaNd) (86) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

Johnny farrell 294 olympia fields Country Club, Matteson, il

farrell (143) beat bobby JoNes {aM} (144) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1929

1936 1937 1938 1939

bobby Jones {am} 287 interlachen Country Club, Minneapolis, MN billy burke 292 inverness Club, toledo, oH gene sarazen 286 fresh Meadow Country Club, flushing, Ny Johnny goodman {am} 287 North shore Country Club, glen view, il olin dutra 293 Merion Cricket Club (east), ardmore, pa sam parks Jr. 299 oakmont Country Club, pittsburgh, pa tony Manero 282 baltusrol golf Club (upper), springfield, NJ ralph guldahl 281 oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi ralph guldahl 284 Cherry Hills Country Club, denver, Co byron Nelson 284 philadelphia Country Club, pa

NelsoN (68, 70) beat Craig Wood (68, 73) aNd deNNy sHute (76) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1940

lawson little Canterbury golf Club, Cleveland, oH

287

1941

Craig Wood 284 Colonial Country Club, fort Worth, tx 1942-45 NO CHAMPIONSHIP (Second World War) 1946 lloyd Mangrum 284 Canterbury golf Club, Cleveland, oH MaNgruM (144) beat viC gHezzi (145) aNd byroN NelsoN (145) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

lew Worsham st. louis Country Club, Mo

282

WorsHaM (69) beat saM sNead (70) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1948 1949 1950

1952 1953 1954 1955

ben Hogan 276 riviera Country Club, pacific palisades, Ca Cary Middlecoff 286 Medinah Country Club (No.3), Chicago, il ben Hogan 287 Merion golf Club (east), ardmore, pa

ben Hogan 287 oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi Julius boros 281 Northwood Club, dallas tx ben Hogan 283 oakmont Country Club, pittsburgh, pa ed furgol 284 baltusrol golf Club (lower), springfield, NJ Jack fleck 287 olympic Club (lake), san francisco, Ca

fleCK (69) beat beN HogaN (72) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1956 1957

Cary Middlecoff 281 oak Hill Country Club (east), rochester, Ny dick Mayer 282 inverness Club, toledo, oH

Mayer (72) beat Cary MiddleCoff (79) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1958 1959 1960 1961 1962

tommy bolt southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, oK billy Casper Winged foot golf Club (West), Mamaroneck, Ny arnold palmer Cherry Hills Country Club, denver, Co gene littler oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi Jack Nicklaus oakmont Country Club, ardmore, pa

283 282 280 281 283

NiCKlaus (71) beat arNold palMer (74) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1963

Julius boros 293 the Country Club (Composite), brookline, Ma

boros (70) beat JaCKy Cupit (73) aNd arNold palMer (76) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1964 1965

little (70) beat geNe sarazeN (73) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1947

HogaN (69) beat lloyd MaNgruM (73) aNd george fazio (75) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

Ken venturi 278 Congressional Country Club (blue), bethesda, Md gary player (south africa) 282 bellerive Country Club, st. louis, Mo

player (71) beat Kel Nagle (australia) (74) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1966

billy Casper 278 olympic Club (lake), san francisco, Ca

Casper (69) beat arNold palMer (73) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1967 1968 1969 1970 1971

Jack Nicklaus 275 baltusrol golf Club (lower), springfield, NJ lee trevino 275 oak Hill Country Club (east), rochester, Ny orville Moody 281 Champions golf Club (Cypress Creek), Houston, tx tony Jacklin (england) 281 Hazeltine National golf Club, Chaska, MN lee trevino 280 Merion golf Club (east), ardmore, pa

treviNo (68) beat JaCK NiCKlaus (71) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

xxx 155

1972 1973 1974 1975

Jack Nicklaus 290 Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, CA Johnny Miller 279 Oakmont Country Club, Ardmore, PA Hale Irwin 287 Winged Foot Golf Club (West), Mamaroneck, NY Lou Graham 287 Medinah Country Club (No.3), Chicago, IL

A HAPPY tiger woods celebrAtes His 15-sHot victorY in tHe millennium us oPen At Pebble beAcH

GrAHAM (71) BeAt JOHN MAHAFFeY (73) IN A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984

Jerry Pate 277 Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands), Duluth, GA Hubert Green 278 southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, OK Andy North 285 Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver, CO Hale Irwin 284 Inverness Club, toledo, OH Jack Nicklaus 272 Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower), springfield, NJ David Graham (Australia) 273 Merion Golf Club (east), Ardmore, PA tom Watson 282 Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, CA Larry Nelson 280 Oakmont Country Club, Ardmore, PA Fuzzy Zoeller 276 Winged Foot Golf Club (West), Mamaroneck, NY

ZOeLLer (67) BeAt GreG NOrMAN (AustrALIA) (75) IN A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

1985 1986 1987 1988

Andy North 279 Oakland Hills Country Club (south), Birmingham, MI raymond Floyd 279 shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Long Island, NY scott simpson 277 Olympic Club (Lake), san Francisco, CA Curtis strange 278 the Country Club (Composite), Brookline, MA

strANGe (71) BeAt sIr NICK FALDO (eNGLAND) (75) IN A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

1989 1990

Curtis strange 278 Oak Hill Country Club (east), rochester, NY Hale Irwin 280 Medinah Country Club (No.3), Chicago, IL

IrWIN (74) BeAt MIKe DONALD (74) AFter ONe HOLe OF A suDDeN-DeAtH PLAYOFF FOLLOWING A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

1991

Payne stewart 282 Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, MN

eLs (74) BeAt LOreN rOBerts (74) AND COLIN MONtGOMerIe (sCOtLAND) (78) AFter tWO HOLes OF A suDDeN-DeAtH PLAYOFF FOLLOWING A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

steWArt (75) BeAt sCOtt sIMPsON (77) IN A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

1992 1993 1994

tom Kite 285 Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula,CA Lee Janzen 272 Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower), springfield, NJ ernie els (south Africa) 279 Oakmont Country Club, Ardmore, PA

themajors majors2012 2012 xxx 156 the

2001

Corey Pavin 280 shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Long Island, NY steve Jones 278 Oakland Hills Country Club (south), Birmingham, MI ernie els (south Africa) 276 Congressional Country Club (Blue), Bethesda, MD Lee Janzen 280 Olympic Club (Lake), san Francisco, CA Payne stewart 279 Pinehurst resort (No.2), NC tiger Woods 272 Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, CA retief Goosen (south Africa) 276 southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, OK

GOOseN (70) BeAt MArK BrOOKs (72) IN A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

2002 2003

tiger Woods 277 Bethpage state Park (Black), Long Island, NY Jim Furyk 272

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Olympia Fields Country Club (North), Matteson, IL retief Goosen (south Africa) 276 shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Long Island, NY Michael Campbell (New Zealand) 280 Pinehurst resort (No.2), NC Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 285 Winged Foot Golf Club (West), Mamaroneck, NY Angel Cabrera (Argentina) 285 Oakmont Country Club, Ardmore, PA tiger Woods 283 torrey Pines Golf Course (south), san Diego, CA

WOODs (71) BeAt rOCCO MeDIAte (71) AFter ONe HOLe OF A suDDeN-DeAtH PLAYOFF FOLLOWING A PLAYOFF Over 18 HOLes

2009 2010 2011

Lucas Glover 276 Bethpage state Park (Black), Long Island, NY Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 284 Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, CA rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 268 Congressional Country Club (Blue) Bethesda, MD

1889

ThE OpEN chAMpiONShip Year Winner (usa unless stated) courSe

parK (158) beat aNdreW KirKaldy (sCotlaNd) (163) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

Score

Willie park sr. (scotland) tom Morris sr. (scotland) tom Morris sr. (scotland) Willie park sr. (scotland) tom Morris sr. (scotland) andrew strath (scotland) Willie park sr. (scotland) tom Morris sr. (scotland) tom Morris Jr. (scotland) tom Morris Jr. (scotland) tom Morris Jr. (scotland)

174 163 163 168 167 162 169 170 154 157 149

tHe belt, CoNtested froM 1860-70, Was tHriCe WoN by toM Morris Jr. aNd tHeNCe beCaMe His property. tHere Was No CoMpetitioN iN 1871 aNd a Medal Was aWarded for tHe oNly tiMe iN 1872

1872

1890 1891

(1860-1870 prestWiCK golf Club, ayrsHire, sCotlaNd)

1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870

tom Morris Jr. (scotland) 166 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland

1874 1875 1876

tom Kidd (scotland) 179 st andrews (old), fife, scotland Mungo park (scotland) 159 Musselburgh links, Midlothian, scotland Willie park sr. (scotland) 166 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland bob Martin (scotland) 176 st andrews (old), fife, scotland

david stratH (sCotlaNd) tied WitH MartiN but refused to play off

1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883

Jamie anderson (scotland) 160 Musselburgh links, Midlothian, scotland Jamie anderson (scotland) 157 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Jamie anderson (scotland) 169 st andrews (old), fife, scotland bob ferguson (scotland) 162 Musselburgh links, Midlothian, scotland bob ferguson (scotland) 170 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland bob ferguson (scotland) 171 st andrews (old), fife, scotland Willie fernie (scotland) 158 Musselburgh links, Midlothian, scotland

ferNie (158) beat bob fergusoN (sCotlaNd) (159) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1884 1885 1886 1887 1888

Jack simpson (scotland) 160 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland bob Martin (scotland) 171 st andrews (old), fife, scotland david brown (scotland) 157 Musselburgh links, Midlothian, scotland Willie park Jr. (scotland) 161 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Jack burns (scotland) 171 st andrews (old), fife, scotland

themajors majors2012 2012 xxx 158 the

John ball Jr. (england) {am} 164 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Hugh Kirkaldy (scotland) 166 st andrews (old), fife, scotland

after 1891, tHe opeN CHaMpioNsHip Was exteNded to 72 Holes aNd eNtry MoNey Was CHarged

1892 1893 1894 1895 1896

Harold Hilton (england) {am} 305 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland Willie auchterlonie (scotland) 322 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland J. H. taylor (england) 326 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england J .H. taylor (england) 322 st andrews (old), fife, scotland Harry vardon (Jersey) 316 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland

vardoN (157) beat J.H. taylor (eNglaNd) (161) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1897

tHe Claret Jug Was aWarded for tHe first tiMe iN 1873

1873

Willie park Jr. (scotland) 155 Musselburgh links, Midlothian, scotland

1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911

Harold Hilton (england) {am} 314 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england Harry vardon (Jersey) 307 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Harry vardon (Jersey) 310 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england J. H. taylor (england) 309 st andrews (old), fife, scotland James braid (scotland) 309 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland sandy Herd (scotland) 307 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england Harry vardon (Jersey) 300 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Jack White (scotland) 296 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england James braid (scotland) 318 st andrews (old), fife, scotland James braid (scotland) 300 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland arnaud Massy (france) 312 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england James braid (scotland) 291 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland J. H. taylor (england) 295 Cinque ports, deal, Kent, england James braid (scotland) 299 st andrews (old), fife, scotland Harry vardon (Jersey) 303 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england

iN a playoff over 36 Holes, arNaud Massy (fraNCe)

CoNCeded defeat at tHe 35tH Hole WitH vardoN aHead by five stroKes

1912

ted ray (Jersey) 295 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland 1913 J. H. taylor (england) 304 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england 1914 Harry vardon (england) 306 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland 1915-19 NO CHAMPIONSHIP (First World War) 1920 george duncan (scotland) 303 royal Cinque ports, deal, Kent, england 1921 Jock Hutchison 296 st andrews (old), fife, scotland

HutCHisoN (150) beat roger WetHered (eNglaNd) {aM} (159) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933

Walter Hagen 300 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england arthur Havers (england) 295 troon golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Walter Hagen 301 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england Jim barnes 300 prestwick golf Club, ayrshire, scotland bobby Jones {am} 291 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england bobby Jones {am} 285 st andrews (old), fife, scotland Walter Hagen 292 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england Walter Hagen 292 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland bobby Jones {am} 291 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england tommy armour 296 Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland gene sarazen 283 prince’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england denny shute 292 st andrews (old), fife, scotland

sHute (149) beat Craig Wood (154) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1934 1935 1936 1937 1938

sir Henry Cotton (england) 283 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england alf perry (england) 283 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland alf padgham (england) 287 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england sir Henry Cotton (england) 290 Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland reg Whitcombe (england) 295

Arnold PAlmer sAYs His tHAnk-YoUs After winning tHe oPen At birkdAle in 1961

royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england 1939 richard burton (england) 290 st andrews (old), fife, scotland 1940-45 NO CHAMPIONSHIP (Second World War) 1946 sam snead 290 st andrews (old), fife, scotland 1947 fred daly (Northern ireland) 293 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england 1948 sir Henry Cotton (england) 284 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland 1949 bobby locke (south africa) 283 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england loCKe (135) beat Harry bradsHaW (irelaNd) (147) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1950 1951 1952

bobby locke (south africa) 279 troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland Max faulkner (england) 285 royal portrush golf Club, Co. antrim, Northern ireland bobby locke (south africa) 287 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club,

1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958

lancashire, england ben Hogan Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland peter thomson (australia) birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england peter thomson (australia) st andrews (old), fife, scotland peter thomson (australia) royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england bobby locke (south africa) st andrews (old), fife, scotland peter thomson (australia) royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england

282

1962

283

1963

281

CHarles (140) beat pHil rodgers (148) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

286

1964 1965

279 278

1966 1967

tHoMsoN (139) beat dave tHoMas (Wales (143) iN a playoff over 36 Holes

1959 1960 1961

birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england arnold palmer 276 troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland bob Charles (New zealand) 277 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england

gary player (south africa) 284 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland Kel Nagle (australia) 278 st andrews (old), fife, scotland arnold palmer 284

1968 1969

tony lema 279 st andrews (old), fife, scotland peter thomson (australia) 285 royal birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england Jack Nicklaus 282 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland roberto de vicenzo (argentina) 278 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england gary player (south africa) 289 Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland tony Jacklin (england) 280 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club,

xxx 159

1970

lancashire, england Jack Nicklaus st andrews (old), fife, scotland

283

NiCKlaus (72) beat doug saNders (73) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1971 1972 1973 1974 1975

lee trevino 278 royal birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england lee trevino 278 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland tom Weiskopf 276 troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland gary player (south africa) 282 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england tom Watson 279 Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland

WatsoN (71) beat JaCK NeWtoN (australia) (72) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

Johnny Miller 279 royal birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england tom Watson 268 turnberry golf Club, ayrshire, scotland Jack Nicklaus 281 st andrews (old), fife, scotland seve ballesteros (spain) 283 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england tom Watson 271 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland bill rogers 276 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england tom Watson 284 royal troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland tom Watson 275 royal birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england seve ballesteros (spain) 276 st andrews (old), fife, scotland sandy lyle (scotland) 282 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england greg Norman (australia) 280 turnberry golf Club, ayrshire, scotland sir Nick faldo (england) 279 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland seve ballesteros (spain) 273 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england Mark Calcavecchia 275 royal troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland

CalCaveCCHia beat greg NorMaN (australia) aNd WayNe grady (australia) iN a playoff over four Holes

1990 1991

sir Nick faldo (england) st andrews (old), fife, scotland ian baker-finch (australia) royal birkdale golf Club, southport,

themajors majors2012 2012 xxx 160 the

270 272

1992 1993 1994 1995

lancashire, england sir Nick faldo (england) 272 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland greg Norman (australia) 267 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england Nick price (zimbabwe) 268 turnberry golf Club, ayrshire, scotland John daly 282 st andrews (old), fife, scotland

daly beat CostaNtiNo roCCa (italy) iN a playoff over four Holes

1996 1997 1998

tom lehman 271 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england Justin leonard 272 royal troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland Mark o’Meara 280 royal birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england

o’Meara beat briaN Watts iN a playoff over four Holes

1999

paul lawrie (scotland) 290 Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland

laWrie beat JustiN leoNard aNd JeaN vaN de velde (fraNCe) iN a playoff over four Holes

2000 2001 2002

tiger Woods 269 st andrews (old), fife, scotland david duval 274 royal lytham & st. annes golf Club, lancashire, england ernie els (south africa) 278 Muirfield golf Course, east lothian, scotland

els beat tHoMas levet (fraNCe), steve elKiNgtoN (australia) aNd stuart appleby (australia) iN a playoff over four Holes

2003 2004

ben Curtis 283 royal st. george’s golf Club, sandwich, Kent, england todd Hamilton 274 royal troon golf Club (old), ayrshire, scotland

HaMiltoN beat erNie els (soutH afriCa) iN a playoff over four Holes

2005 2006 2007

tiger Woods 274 st andrews (old), fife, scotland tiger Woods 270 royal liverpool golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, england padraig Harrington (ireland) 277 Carnoustie golf links (Championship), angus, scotland

HarriNgtoN beat sergio garCia (spaiN) iN a playoff over four Holes

2008 2009

padraig Harrington (ireland) 283 royal birkdale golf Club, southport, lancashire, england stewart Cink 278 turnberry golf Club, ayrshire, scotland

CiNK beat toM WatsoN iN a playoff over four Holes

2010

louis oosthuizen (south africa) st andrews (old), fife, scotland

272

2011

darren Clarke (Northern ireland) royal st. george’s golf Club sandwich, Kent, england

275

pGA chAMpiONShip froM 1916-57, tHe latter stages of tHe pga CHaMpioNsHip Were CoNtested iN a MatCHplay forMat

Year reSult of 36-hole final Score (usa unless stated) courSe 1916 Jim barnes beat Jock Hutchison 1 Hole siwanoy Country Club, bronxville, Ny 1917-18 NO CHAMPIONSHIP (First World War) 1919 Jim barnes beat fred Mcleod (scotland) 6&5 engineers Country Club, long island, Ny 1920 Jock Hutchison beat J. douglas edgar 1 Hole flossmoor Country Club, Chicago, il 1921 Walter Hagen beat Jim barnes 3&2 inwood Country Club, New rockaway, Ny 1922 gene sarazen beat emmett french 4&3 oakmont Country Club, pittsburgh, pa 1923 gene sarazen beat Walter Hagen at 38th pelham Country Club, pelham Manor, Ny 1924 Walter Hagen beat Jim barnes 2 Holes french lick springs resort (Hill), iN 1925 Walter Hagen beat bill Mehlhorn 6&5 olympia fields Country Club, Matteson, il 1926 Walter Hagen beat leo diegel 5&3 salisbury golf Club (red), long island, Ny 1927 Walter Hagen beat Joe turnesa 1 Hole Cedar Crest Country Club, dallas, tx 1928 leo diegel beat al ispinosa 6&5 five farms Country Club, baltimore, Md 1929 leo diegel beat Johnny farrell 6&4 Hillcrest Country Club, los angeles, Ca 1930 tommy armour beat gene sarazen 1 Hole fresh Meadow Country Club, flushing, Ny 1931 tom Creavy beat denny shute 2&1 Wannamoisett Country Club, rumford, ri 1932 olin dutra beat frank Walsh 4&3 Keller golf Club, st. paul, MN 1933 gene sarazen beat Willie goggin 5&4 blue Mound g&CC, Milwaukee, Wi 1934 paul runyan beat Craig Wood at 38th park Club of buffalo, Williamsville, Ny 1935 Johnny revolta beat tommy armour 5&4 twin Hills g&CC, oklahoma City, oK 1936 denny shute beat Jimmy thomson 3&2 pinehurst resort (No.2), NC 1937 denny shute beat Harold Mcspaden at 37th pittsburgh field Club, aspinwall, pa 1938 paul runyan beat sam snead 8&7 shawnee Country Club, shawnee on delaware, pa 1939 Henry picard beat byron Nelson at 37th pomonock Country Club, flushing, Ny

1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957

byron Nelson beat sam snead 1 Hole Hershey Country Club (West), pa vic ghezzi beat byron Nelson at 38th Cherry Hills Country Club, denver, Co sam snead beat Jim turnesa 2&1 sea view Country Club atlantic City, NJ NO CHAMPIONSHIP (Second World War) bob Hamilton beat byron Nelson 1 Hole Manito g&CC, spokane, Wa byron Nelson beat sam byrd 4&3 Moraine Country Club, dayton, oH ben Hogan beat ed oliver 6&4 portland golf Club, or Jim ferrier beat Chick Harbert 5&4 plum Hollow Country Club, detroit, Mi ben Hogan beat Mike turnesa 7&6 Northwood Hills Country Club, st. louis, Mo sam snead beat Johnny palmer 3&2 Hermitage Country Club, richmond, va Chandler Harper beat Henry Williams Jr. 3&2 scioto Country Club, Columbus, oH sam snead beat Walter burkemo 7&6 oakmont Country Club, pittsburgh, pa Jim turnesa beat Chick Harbert 1 Hole big spring Country Club, louisville, Ky Walter burkemo beat felice torza 2&1 birmingham Country Club, Mi Chick Harbert beat Walter burkemo 4&3 Keller golf Club, st. paul, MN doug ford beat Cary Middlecoff 4&3 Meadowbrook Country Club, Northville, Mi Jack burke Jr. beat ted Kroll 3&2 blue Hill Country Club, Canton, Ma lionel Hebert beat dow finsterwald 3&1 Miami valley golf Club, dayton, oH

after 1957, tHe pga CHaMpioNsHip Was CoNverted to 72 Holes of stroKeplay

1958 1959 1960 1961

dow finsterwald 276 llanerch Country Club, Havertown, pa bob rosburg 277 Minneapolis golf Club, MN Jay Hebert 281 firestone Country Club (south), akron, oH Jerry barber 277 olympia fields Country Club, Matteson, il

18 Holes

1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977

1963 1964 1965 1966 1967

gary player (south africa) 278 aronimink golf Club, Newtown square, pa Jack Nicklaus 279 dallas athletic Club (blue), tx bobby Nichols 271 Columbus Country Club, oH dave Marr 280 laurel valley golf Club, ligonier, pa al geiberger 280 firestone Country Club (south), akron, oH don January 281 Columbine Country Club, denver, Co

JaNuary (69) beat doN MassiNgale (71) iN a playoff over

1990 1991 1992 1993

1994 1995

1996

1997 1998

2000

1979

david graham (australia) oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi

272

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987

NelsoN beat laNNy WadKiNs after oNe Hole of a suddeN-deatH playoff

1988 1989

Jeff sluman oak tree golf Club, edmond, oK payne stewart

2001

2003

Jack Nicklaus 274 oak Hill Country Club (east), rochester, Ny larry Nelson 273 atlanta athletic Club (Highlands), duluth, ga raymond floyd 275 southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, oK Hal sutton 274 riviera Country Club, pacific palisades, Ca lee trevino 273 shoal Creek golf & Country Club, birmingham, al Hubert green 278 Cherry Hills Country Club, denver, Co bob tway 276 inverness Club, toledo, oH larry Nelson 287 pga National golf Club, palm beach gardens, fl 272 276

277

davis love iii 269 Winged foot golf Club (West), Mamaroneck, Ny vijay singh (fiji) 271 sahalee Country Club, sammamish, Wa tiger Woods 277 Medinah Country Club (No.3), Chicago, il tiger Woods 270 valhalla golf Club, louisville, Ky

Woods beat bob May iN a playoff over tHree Holes

2002

graHaM beat beN CreNsHaW after tHree Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

Mark brooks valhalla golf Club, louisville, Ky

brooKs beat KeNNy perry after oNe Hole of a suddeNdeatH playoff

1978

MaHaffey beat Jerry pate aNd toM WatsoN after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

Nick price (zimbabwe) 269 southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, oK steve elkington (australia) 267 riviera Country Club, pacific palisades, Ca

elKiNgtoN beat ColiN MoNtgoMerie (sCotlaNd) after oNe Hole of a suddeN-deatH playoff

1999

John Mahaffey 276 oakmont Country Club, pittsburgh, pa

Kemper lakes golf Club, Hawthorn Woods, il Wayne grady (australia) 282 shoal Creek golf & Country Club, birmingham, al John daly 276 Crooked stick golf Club, Carmel, iN Nick price (zimbabwe) 278 bellerive golf Club, st. louis, Mo paul azinger 272 inverness Club, toledo, oH

aziNger beat greg NorMaN (australia) after tWo Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

WadKiNs beat geNe littler after tHree Holes of a suddeN-deatH playoff

barber (67) beat doN JaNuary (68) iN a playoff over 18 Holes

1962

Julius boros 281 pecan valley golf Club, san antonio, tx raymond floyd 276 National Cash registers Country Club (south), dayton, oH dave stockton 279 southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, oK Jack Nicklaus 281 pga National golf Club, palm beach gardens, fl gary player (south africa) 281 oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi Jack Nicklaus 277 Canterbury golf Club, Cleveland, oH lee trevino 276 tanglewood park (Championship), Clemons, NC Jack Nicklaus 276 firestone Country Club (south), akron, oH dave stockton 281 Congressional Country Club (blue), bethesda, Md lanny Wadkins 282 pebble beach golf links, Monterey peninsula, Ca

2004

david toms 265 atlanta athletic Club (Highlands), duluth, ga rich beem 278 Hazeltine National golf Club, Chaska, MN shaun Micheel 276 oak Hill Country Club (east), rochester, Ny vijay singh (fiji) 280 Whistling straits (straits), Kohler, Wi

siNgH beat CHris diMarCo aNd JustiN leoNard iN a playoff over tHree Holes

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

phil Mickelson 276 baltusrol golf Club (lower), springfield, NJ tiger Woods 270 Medinah Country Club (No.3), Chicago, il tiger Woods 272 southern Hills Country Club, tulsa, oK padraig Harrington (ireland) 277 oakland Hills Country Club (south), birmingham, Mi y.e. yang (south Korea) 280 Hazeltine National golf Club, Chaska, MN Martin Kaymer (germany) 277 Whistling straits (straits), Kohler, Wi

KayMer beat bubba WatsoN iN a playoff over tHree Holes

2011

Keegan bradley 272 atlanta athletic Club (Highlands), duluth, ga

bradley beat JasoN dufNer iN a playoff over tHree Holes

xxx 161

Magic Major Moments

WHERE’S THE BALL? So you hole your second shot to jump into a three-shot lead early in the final round of the first Major of the year. What do you do next?

Throw the ball away? It sounds daft, but this is exactly what happened...

One of the questions many golf fans were asking throughout the final round of the 2012 Masters was ‘whatever happened to the “albatross” ball that South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen tossed into the gallery after holing his 4-iron second shot at the downhill par-5 2nd hole at Augusta National’?

The answer is ‘quite a lot’. The Titleist ProV1x in question was caught by Wayne Mitchell, 59, of New Tripoli, Pennsylvania. Mr Mitchell, a vice-president of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and his wife were guests at the tournament of an executive of Dow Chemical. They had been seated beside the green since 10am that Sunday, patiently waiting for more than four hours for the leaders to come through.

Shortly after catching the ball, Mitchell met with Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, in the Butler Cabin where he presented the ball to the club for display in the Trophy Room, which also showcases the ball with which Gene Sarazen holed out for his iconic double-eagle at the par-5 15th in 1935.

Mitchell said: “I’m not a souvenir-grabber.

For me, the ball clearly represented a special moment in history. Now, it’s in the hands of the club, where it belongs.”

XXX 162

THE THE MAJORS MAJORS 2012 2012

WAYNE MITCHELL (L) OF PENNSYLVANIA SHAKES HANDS WITH AUGUSTA MEMBER PETE CAYE AFTER MITCHELL CAUGHT A BALL THROWN BY LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN

Mitchell and the club declined to discuss the details of their conversation, but it has been reported that in exchange for the ball Mitchell was offered two lifetime passes to the Masters and also asked for the opportunity to play Augusta National—a treat that Payne indicated could be arranged.

If Oosthuizen, the runaway Open Champion of 2010 at St Andrews, had gone on to win his playoff against Bubba Watson, the ball, suitably mounted, would have been elevated even further in stature. As it is, the shot has already gone down as one of the greatest ever played at this most historical of golfing shrines.

UNWAVERING TRUST. MAJOR SUCCESS.

Bubba Watson – Pro V1x Masters Champion

Success at Augusta requires confidence, creativity, focus and a lot of heart. It also takes unwavering trust in your golf ball. On Sunday, Titleist Pro V1x™ loyalists Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen demonstrated all this, competing their way into a dramatic playoff for a chance to make history. Ultimately, it was Bubba who did just that, earning his first major and taking home the coveted Green Jacket along with memories that will last a lifetime. At the Masters,® and across competitive golf, players strive to realize their dreams.

That’s why the overwhelming majority trust Titleist.

Join Team Titleist at titleist.co.uk

©2012 Acushnet Company. Masters is a registered service mark of the Augusta National Golf Club.®