In a largely unnoticed ceremony during the Ryder Cup, the European Tour conferred honorary membership on Jack Nicklaus.
The reason given for this other than it was a cool thing to do – was the great man’s role in “saving” the Ryder Cup. In the late 1970s he suggested to the PGAs of Great Britain and the USA that a European team rather than Great Britain and Ireland would produce more competitive matches.
Interestingly, at the ceremony Jack downplayed his role. He did write the letter to Lord Derby of the PGA suggesting the change, he said, but added that they had it in mind anyway.
One was struck by this as the PGA of America last week announced plans suggesting they would invite Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to join a committee aimed at improving the USA’s fortunes in the cup.
Tim Rosaforte of the Golf Channel, a distinguished commentator on the game, even suggested that Tiger and Phil had to be involved in any Ryder Cup assessment going forward as they were the biggest figures in golf.
That made me think of being in the bus on Sunday night heading out of Gleneagles after the now infamous US team press conference when Mickelson strafed Tom Watson in what was – even if Phil was broadly right in his assessment – a sadly disrespectful episode.
A US journalist with me in the bus agreed about the disrespect, but added: “Yeah, but Watson also disrespected Phil. I mean, you just don’t drop Phil Mickelson.”
Earlier at the press conference, Phil self-deprecatingly referred to his sorry record in the event. Looking at Tiger’s record, and recalling his general attitude at successive Ryder Cups, one wonders whether he’s much interested either.
Yet the first people even authoritative figures want to consult are Tiger and Phil. And it seems it was then same with golf in the Olympics.
A majority of golf people wanted some element of team golf when our game goes to The Games in Rio in 2016. However, after “consultation with the players” (read: Tiger and Phil, prominently) we’ve been landed with same-old individual strokeplay.
If golf’s retained in the Games, at their advanced ages Woods and Mickelson will get just the one, maybe two shots at the gold medal. Yet they’ve been given an overriding influence for the event for years to come?
Similarly, the pair haven’t given two figs about the Ryder Cup; the USA’s only win in the last seven came when Tiger was absent and Phil played like a drain all week. Yet although they’re probably part of the problem (“you just don’t drop Phil”) it’s essential they’re part of the solution?
Jack Nicklaus, played several Ryder Cups, captained the USA twice and clearly treasured the event. His influence was subtle and even now he modestly deflects credit.
The greatest player in the game has always known he was not greater than the game. The same, despite their fame, is true of Woods and Mickelson.
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I’m loathe to go against a coach and pundit as distinguished as Peter Kostis, but the CBS commentator’s premise that the recent spate of injuries on the PGA Tour are due to the new “wraparound” schedule” is complete pants.
Kostis cites injuries to Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner and Brandt Snedeker being the result of over-taxed players due to the Tour pulling the events from now until Christmas back on to the official schedule last year.
Well, the four players he mentions actually played a grand total of four full-field events BETWEEN THEM in the last three months of 2013. One each over three months, clearly and obviously enough to tip that back twinge over the edge into surgery.
The top players do not play these newly re-admitted early season events. They do as they have always done at this time of the year, take the appearance cheques in Asia and Australia, and play limited field knockabouts like Tiger’s World Challenge.
Who plays then? Well, David Hearn, Billy Hanley III, Andrew Svoboda, Scott Langley and William McGirt do.
You’ll no doubt know who they are but I have to admit that I, a professional golf writer, had to double-take. They all won in excess of $1 million on the PGA Tour last year and only one of them, Svoboda, finished as high as second.
16 players won $1 million in 2014 without actually winning an event. Let’s not get upset about players getting “overworked”, please.
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David Howell talked about getting back into the Ryder Cup at St Andrews the other week. We thought he meant playing.
Instead, he’ll be the Tournament Players Committee rep on the panel to pick the next European Ryder Cup captain, when most thought it would be the chairman, Thomas Bjorn.
That certainly suggests the Dane is putting his hat in the ring for Hazeltine. There’s no question that he will get a great deal of grassroots support and there appears to be some mobilising too for Miguel Angel Jimenez.
The popular Spaniard’s English has been suggested as a reason why he might not get the job. So long as his players understand him, and they clearly already do, that’s a red herring.
Darren Clarke is still the clear frontrunner, but it’s not a done deal. One aspect of Ryder Cups going forward is that Europe already has a surfeit of captaincy candidates, and some distinguished and deserving people will miss out.