The post Gary Player — nearly 90! — still one of the greatest shows on turf    appeared first on Golf.

The post Gary Player — nearly 90! — still one of the greatest shows on turf    appeared first on Golf.

Nobody would call elegance a growth industry, but a vestige of it will be on display this week, most discreetly, at the 153rd Open Championship, in a chic white hospitality suite along the 18th hole at Royal Portrush. There, in the Rolex suite, will be a gent named Arnauld Laborde, a Rolex executive and man you could call The Last Continental. He will welcome players, sometimes with their wives or partners or agents in tow, many business leaders and heads of various international golfing bodies, plus some invited slip-ins. I know this scene as a member of the last category, Timex on wrist, reporter’s notebook in back pocket. 

Whatever language you speak, M. Laborde speaks it, too. Whatever you wish to eat or drink, M. Laborde is happy to make the arrangements. Did you forget your umbrella? M. Laborde has an extra.

You know how some people can wear tennis shoes with a suit and make it work? That is M. Laborde. Some people just have it: true style, no statement hat necessary; a thick, no-fuss head of hair; a warm and unrushed manner; an ability to make easy, sustained eye contact; easy athleticism, too. C’est Arnaud. His age is indeterminable — and who would be so gauche as to ask? — but I can say that he is married with children in school. I have not seen his passport, but I can imagine how crowded it is with stamps and extra pages.

I have known Arnaud for some years, and last year, when the Open was at Troon, he invited me to Rolex suite as I was attempting to get myself invited to play in the 2024 Senior Open pro-am at Carnoustie, an event sponsored by Rolex and run by Arnaud. Stealing from George Plimpton’s classic book The Bogey Man, I played in a bunch of pro-ams last year, a reporting boondoggle for a new book, The Playing Lesson.  

The Playing Lesson: A Duffer’s Year Among the Pros

Nearly fifty years after taking up the game, Michael Bamberger made a pair of startling discoveries: golf had never meant more to him, and he knew almost nothing about it. He decided to cover himself in green in a whole new way. He spent a year inside the ropes of professional golf—playing, caddying, competing, volunteering, and interviewing—looking for a door into the sport’s sanctum sanctorum.

$30 from Amazon

Arnaud motioned for me to join him at his table. Some distance away, Mark Steinberg, the super-agent, was waiting on a plush white leather sofa to see Arnaud. They had, I imagined, actual business to attend. I could have tried to move things along, but it would have been pointless, as Arnaud is not a man to rush anything. 

It was midafternoon, but Arnaud insisted I eat. No menu was needed. He ordered wine for both of us. It was all delicious. As we visited, Arnaud had short chats with various passersby in various languages. He and I talked about golf in the Olympics, the Ryder Cup, Tom Watson’s long association with Rolex. There was a photograph of Watson on a nearby wall, among other Open winners. We talked about various Open winners. 

“You know Gary Player, don’t you?” Arnaud asked.

He held his wineglass with a casualness I would never attempt.

I have interviewed Player often, played golf with him twice, watched him hold a long plank once, his elbows exposed to a cement walkway.

“I do.” I didn’t ask why he was asking, although I could guess.

The visit must have gone acceptably well. Arnaud invited me to play in the Senior Open pro-am, the following week at Carnoustie, with Gary Player as my partner. 

I went to the Marks & Spencer in downtown Glasgow and bought a blazer. You can’t go to a Rolex event without a blazer. Even I know that.

*** 

UNLESS YOU KNEW, you would never guess that Gary Player in approaching 90. Impossible. When I saw him on the morning of our pro-am, he was clear-eyed, dressed impeccably and all in black, the oldest living member of the first generation of global golf stars. Also the most global golf star ever, by far, including Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman. A man dripping with style in every way. In his speech. (Every sentence is a pronouncement.) In his dress. (Every item is expertly tailored). In his golf swing. (Every swing, in basic shape, looks the same. Draw shot, draw shot, draw shot.) His fitness announces itself with his handshake, the right hand coming at you like a punch. Also, the man has the happy gene. Even when he’s railing about something — juiced athletes, hot golf balls, fast-food diets — Gary Player always seems to be having a good time. His life, you could say, is a type of performance art.

Arnold Palmer was drawn to him. He and Winnie traveled to South Africa with Player and his wife, Vivienne, to see their ranch and to see their lives. (The Players had been married for 64 years when Vivienne died in 2021.) The Big Three was a real thing, Arnold and Player and Jack Nicklaus attached at the hip in the name of business and in the name of friendship. Barbara and Jack Nicklaus named the fourth of their five children for Gary. As public personalities, the so-called Black Knight and Golden Bear could not be more different. Nicklaus is as contained as Gary Player is gregarious. You can’t imagine Jack Nicklaus beginning a pro-am round with this: 

“Mike! How are you, man!”

How can you not like being greeted by one of the best golfers ever with that?

The other pro in our group was Colin Montgomerie. If Colin Montgomerie devoted himself to broadcast booth commentary, he’d combine the best of both worlds, a color commentator with Peter Alliss’s wit and Johnny Miller’s insights. But he prefers to play. His am was Neil Donaldson, the captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, a Scotsman and scion of a Scottish timber family going back forever, not that you’d know it. The previous week, during the Open at Royal Troon, he had an intimate view of all the proceedings. He found the winner, Xander Schauffele, to be humble and unassuming, and was struck by how gutted Justin Rose was after finishing two shots behind the winner. Deep on the back nine, Neil saw a focus in Rose’s eyes that made him think of a matador in the ring with a bull, ready to kill or be killed. He attempted to console Rose in the players’ lounge. Colin told me later that he was struck by Neil’s unassuming manner, given his status in business and in golf, and the depth of his insights.

We were on the first tee of one of the great championship courses in the world on a day with the wind down and the sun out. This was not the bleak Carnoustie of yore — the opposite.

“I’ll take care of the pars, you take care of the net birdies,” Colin said to Neil before the first shot was played. Colin then made a bogey on the first and a bogey on the second. Nobody seemed too worried, not about Monty’s golf or anything else.

There was a lot of chat. Player asked Colin, “How many times did you win the Order of Merit?” That is, the European Tour’s money list.

“Seven in a row, eight total,” Colin said. 

“Eight times!” Player said. “That’s about how many wives you’ve had!” 

Pros poking at one another — once it was part of the culture. Colin seemed fine with it. Besides, Sarah is only Colin’s third wife. She was also Colin’s long-standing manager. At Carnoustie, wherever you saw Colin, there was Sarah, a portrait in new-marriage bliss.

Neil asked Gary how many times he had shot his age or better.

“Three thousand seven hundred and twenty-one times!” he said.

That was a new one on me. Other items from the Gary Player set list I knew. For instance, the 16 million air miles he had flown — “a record for an athlete that will never be broken!” Later in the round, we heard about the 18 majors he had won, counting his nine senior majors along with his three British Opens, three wins at Augusta, two PGA Championships, and his victory at the 1965 U.S. Open in a playoff, where he completed his career Grand Slam before turning 30. (The next day, Colin Montgomerie, as witty as anybody in golf, said to me, “Usually you hear about the 18 majors before you get to the first tee.”) Player made a familiar claim, that one day all pro golfers will be the size of LeBron James, and they will all be able to drive the first green at Augusta. It’s some picture.

This, too, came out of Player’s regular rotation, but I think it’s important — I think it gets to the core of the man: “I envy the ease with which Tiger Woods has been able to travel the world. His equipment. The science available to him about nutrition and exercise. But I wouldn’t trade what he has for what we had for all the money in the world.” 

We. The Big Three, along with Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Hubert Green, Tony Jacklin, and other greatest-generation golfers from the 1960s and ’70s he didn’t need to name. Gary Player was part of a wandering tribe, golfers traveling the world and especially the United States, trying to bash in one another’s heads for money and glory, going to the bar together when it was all over. I was lucky to catch some of that era, and to get to know many of its stars.

The length and reach of Player’s life in golf is staggering. He sought swing advice from Ben Hogan, who was born in 1912. At his first Open Championship, in 1956, he and Henry Cotton, born in 1907, both finished in the top 10. At Augusta each April, he visited with Bobby Jones, who was born in 1902. When he cites any of those three legends in conversation, he’s not name-dropping. He’s telling you about people he knew well.

Player’s admiration for Jones was profound. Hogan once asked Player how much he was practicing. “Constantly,” Player said. (Probably the only answer that could land with Hogan.) Sir Henry Cotton, winner of three Opens, told Player that a golfer’s hands cannot be too strong. Player spent the rest of his career trying to improve his hand strength.

Player brought up the subject of hand strength as we were walking down the 15th hole. He told Martin, my firefighter caddie and a strong young man, that he would pay him two hundred pounds if he could hold two golf clubs shoulder-high horizontally while weaving the shafts through three fingers of one hand. Martin did not collect. Player did it with ease. All the while, three kids from Carnoustie, all golfers, had casually attached themselves to our group without any sort of parental involvement. Montgomerie was struck by the depth of the questions they were asking Player, but also how unusually engaged Player was with the kids.

Gary Player won all those majors — I’ll say nine but you say whatever you wish — hitting pretty much all draw shots. At the pro-am at Carnoustie, Player hit every last shot with a hook stance, hook path and hook spin. Every drive, every putt, every everything. I had seen it before but had never paid so much attention to it.

On the 14th hole, a short, excellent par-5, Gary had about 40 yards for his third shot from the right side of the fairway. He couldn’t see much of the flagstick from where he was because of a bunker protecting the front right of the green. Colin was standing on it. Player asked Monty for the distance from the bunker to the pin. “Ten paces,” Monty said. Gary Player then hit a low, hooded, drawing wedge to a firm green that I would consider one of the most memorable shots I have ever seen. It finished hole-high. It was beautiful. Gary Player has spent his life playing similar shots.

In my own ridiculous golf, I try to hit fades with the long clubs and draws with the short ones. Gary Player, taking an active interest in my golf, wanted every swing with every club to come from the inside. I have been told this before. But on some level, I must not have accepted it. For a reason I cannot articulate, the wedge shot Player hit into 14 was a trip switch for me.

On 18, I hit a tee shot with a driver that was a low, running from-the-inside draw shot that went forever. I almost made my short putt for par.

***

THE NEXT MORNING, as Player was leaving, I saw him at the front door of the hotel. A couple came over to talk to him and he asked, “How long have you been married?”

“Fifteen years,” the husband said.

“It’s a record!” Player said. 

He turned to me and said, “Mike, man, that was so much fun yesterday! The way you hit those shots the last few holes — you rotated, your hands followed. It was like a mirage!” 

During our round, Gary talked some about his girlfriend, his first since his wife had died. He described his lady friend most vividly. She was in her 80s, Jewish, from New York, a person who loved to golf, fish, read, work and travel. “And she has her own money!” Gary said. You could imagine them as a couple. Making his exit from Carnoustie, Gary Player looked like a movie star, right down to his black slip-on boots, the kind the young people in Lower Manhattan wear, and his sharp black suit.

I thanked him for the lesson he had given me and said, “Not that you need it, but good luck with your new lady friend.” 

Gary Player laughed, shook my hand, and said, “Mazel tov!”

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: How Mike Commodore failed to be a Major good luck charm for Rickie Fowler appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: How Mike Commodore failed to be a Major good luck charm for Rickie Fowler appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by Stanley Cup Champion Mike Commodore who shares the story of following Rickie Fowler around Carnoustie during the 2018 British Open in hopes of becoming a Major good luck charm.

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The post Police officer’s body found in Carnoustie’s Barry Burn, witnesses urged to come forward appeared first on Golf.

The post Police officer’s body found in Carnoustie’s Barry Burn, witnesses urged to come forward appeared first on Golf.

One local told The Scottish Sun that the burn wouldn’t typically pose a threat. But Saturday’s conditions were different. “The weather was just horrible on Saturday and it was raining for hours non-stop. The wind could easily blow you off your feet.

“The burn was much, much higher than I’d ever seen it. If you ended up in there, you wouldn’t stand much of a chance.”

Chief Superintendent Andrew Todd, Divisional Commander for Tayside Division, spoke about Morrison.

“Dean was a highly respected officer, who was extremely well liked and popular with his colleagues. He was thoroughly professional in his work,” he said. “His death is a great tragedy and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him and we will do all we can to support them during this distressing time.”

Morrison leaves his wife Emily, a doctor, and a 10-year-old son.

The original story can be found below.

The body of an unidentified man washed up in Carnoustie’s Barry Burn on Sunday afternoon. Police believe the man, who remains unidentified, was dropped off in Carnoustie on Saturday night. While there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, it is “unexplained” and the taxi driver who dropped the man off on Saturday was encouraged to come forward.

The body was discovered at 12:40 p.m. on Sunday near the Carnoustie Golf Hotel. A “major investigation” ensued, according to the Courier, which included the presence of a number of police officers.

Detective Inspector Ray Birnie made an appeal to the driver. “We need to confirm the last movements of the man and we need to speak to a taxi driver who we believe picked the man up at 11:13pm on Saturday, December 15th in Fort Street/Brook Street in Broughty Ferry and dropped him off in Carnoustie.

“If this was you, or you know the identity of the taxi driver, then we need to speak to you urgently.”

The body was found close to the beach in the Barry Burn. Golf fans know the burn well; it snakes through Carnoustie Golf Links, the site of this year’s British Open, which was won by Francesco Molinari. The winding stream, which is banked with bricks, has played host to some of the Open’s most memorable moments, including Jean van de Velde’s 1999 collapse.

One passerby told the Courier that the body could have come in from the ocean. “The tides here seem to bring things on to the beach. About 50 years ago a boat called the Fendyke was washed ashore. It’s a rough part of the sea and that can bring things in.”

Another passerby lamented the grim news. “Carnoustie is normally such a quiet place so it’s shocking to see something like this happening.”

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The post British youth shocked to find Claret Jug in his bedroom appeared first on Golf.

The post British youth shocked to find Claret Jug in his bedroom appeared first on Golf.

When Laura Marshall posted a photo of her son’s British Open-themed bedroom to Twitter, she had no idea the Claret-themed surprise she set in motion.

Marshall’s 11-year-old son Joshua had thoroughly enjoyed his trip to Carnoustie over the summer. He’d collected signatures, photos, and merchandise from the course and some of the game’s best players, including Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.

Thank you so much to @McIlroyRory for making Joshua's year! Not sure he'll use that glove again. Good Luck for The Open. ⛳🏌 #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/DVIRJL0zsl

— Laura Marshall (@Lauralou_m) July 17, 2018

Another fantastic day at @TheOpen – Joshua set out to get 3 Signatures on his little glove of his favourite golfers, Thank you to @McIlroyRory @JustinRose99
he's now hoping @TigerWoods helps him complete it before Sunday. ⛳🏌#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/ShZ8aKp5Sx

— Laura Marshall (@Lauralou_m) July 18, 2018

Upon returning to his Dundee home, Joshua was determined to turn his room British Open-themed. With the help of his parents, his wall got a makeover. Yellow autographed flags, a “QUIET” sign and a framed golf glove dressed up a neat navy wall. The color scheme matched that of Carnoustie itself. Laura’s tweet showed off her son’s room and mentioned that he was “still buzzing” from his summer adventure.

When your 11 year old is still buzzing from the @TheOpen and wanted his room done to keep all his memories from Carnoustie. Lots of great signatures on that wall. #CarnoustieOpen #TheOpen18 #Golf #Memories pic.twitter.com/COX3buyOXW

— Laura Marshall (@Lauralou_m) December 3, 2018

She had no idea the post would go viral; neither did Joshua. “I didn’t know she was putting it on Twitter until she had actually done it,” he said. “My dad was like, ‘Your mom has 106 likes!’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And then he said, ‘107…108.’ And we just watched it go up and up and up.”

The post soon amassed well over 1,000 likes, garnering the attention of the R&A itself. The governing body decided to surprise Joshua by topping off the room decor with…the Claret Jug itself. They sent a camera crew to document the moment where the young golfer walked in to the surprise. “No way,” he said, open-mouthed. “Are you joking?”

You can watch the complete video below:

Imagine coming home to find the Claret Jug in your bedroom 👇😄 pic.twitter.com/RLQSzGgyUL

— The Open (@TheOpen) December 5, 2018

Laura took to Twitter again after the video was released to thank the R&A as well as the general public. “WOW, what a 24 hours!!!” she wrote. “Huge Thank you to @RandA & @TheOpen for this huge surprise for Joshua, The Claret Jug in his Bedroom & the bag of open goodies – Such a kind gesture, and one we are very grateful for. Thank you to everyone to you all kind responses too!”

WOW what a 24 hours!!!
Huge Thank you to @RandA & @TheOpen for this huge surprise for Joshua, The Claret Jug in his Bedroom & the bag of open goodies – Such a kind gesture, and one we are very grateful for. Thank you to everyone to you all kind responses too! #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/yDjKcKyMCF

— Laura Marshall (@Lauralou_m) December 4, 2018

According to the Daily Record, Joshua has been playing golf since he was two years old and plays to a handicap of 27. He plays for the junior team at Ballumbie Castle Golf Club and Angus County.

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The post Bryson DeChambeau leads in Europe one week after epic range tantrum appeared first on Golf.

The post Bryson DeChambeau leads in Europe one week after epic range tantrum appeared first on Golf.

This week, Bryson DeChambeau is leading the Porsche European Open on the European tour. Last week, he struggled to keep himself from exploding while on the range at the British Open. Welcome to golf, folks.

DeChambeau’s late-night range session on Thursday, July 19, was caught on camera by Golf Channel after he posted a first-round 75 at Carnoustie. The uber-talented 24-year-old was working himself into a fury, even so much as throwing his clubs around the range in disgust. Check it all out in the video below.

Not sure if this came out last week but last night was first time I saw it.

L’Artiste battling the demons on the range in the middle of a major. Appears at one point he must have upended the studio in a fit of rage — paintbrushes scattered all over the range. Heavy stuff. pic.twitter.com/SOYP2wZh6X

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) July 27, 2018

Clearly DeChambeau — who rallied to make the cut — was upset with himself but possibly just as clear is that he’s remedied whatever ailed him. He carded a 66 exactly one week after this bout, and followed that up with a 68 Friday to regain the 36-hole lead in Germany. Through 54 holes, he’s tied with Richard McEvoy at 12 under. Chasing after them is another testy pro: Patrick Reed, who got involved in his own on-camera bout earlier this week.

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The post #AskAlan: Does Jordan Spieth get a pass for his major championship blowups? appeared first on Golf.

The post #AskAlan: Does Jordan Spieth get a pass for his major championship blowups? appeared first on Golf.

Was Tiger’s flop shot on 11 more an indicator of his confidence in his game or realization he has few chances left to win a major and feeling he to go all-in when he has a chance? #AskAlan – David (@dleect)

I keep thinking back to that shot. It was such a brutal mistake. Given the downslope on the back side of the bunker behind which the flag was tucked, and the inability to spin the ball out of the thick grass, the best flop of Tiger’s life was still going to trickle 12 or 15 feet past the hole. So even with a high-risk shot he was likely to make a 5, which would have kept him tied for the lead.

The glaringly obvious play is to knock it 25 feet past the hole and take all the risk out. But by trying pull off a too-perfect shot, Tiger suffered maybe the worst pressure-induced implosion of his career. Poor execution compounded their inexplicable decision. For sure there is urgency to cash in every opportunity now. Who knows how long his fused spine will hold up, or how many times at a major he’ll get a very fast setup that allows him to mostly leave his driver — which remains a weakness — in the bag.

I’ve written many times in regards to Tiger that the chips yips never go away but rather live inside you like a sickness, just waiting to bloom again. Tiger’s work around the greens this year has been terrific. The fateful shot on 11 wasn’t a classic yip but it did look like a decel born of tentativeness. Tiger’s brain used to be the most powerful weapon in the sport. Now, we have to wonder just how much emotional scar tissue he’s grappling with.

Your thoughts on Eddie Pepperell’s “hungover” confession? #AskAlan – Peter (@pkeen52)

What’s not to love? The guy is a breath of fresh air, and has been for a good long while. If I was a college golf coach I’d probably cringe, but Pepperell is one of the game’s originals and kudos to him for giving it to us straight.

Is Rory being honest with himself? Instead of the “I gave it a good go and ran out of holes” line he was taking Sunday evening, how about “If my wedge play and putting was 5-10% better I would have won by 5 shots?” Is he working on this hard enough I wonder? – @MrEdwardLight

No doubt McIlroy’s weak wedge into 18 when he absolutely had to have a birdie was one of the most disappointing shots of the tournament, right up with there with his blown three-footer on the 12th hole. One thing I loved about peak-Rory was his fire. He was burning to be an all-time great, and he exuded an alpha male energy that other players felt. These days he’s much more philosophical and happy-go-lucky. Maybe that was a necessary shift in a long career; that old intensity might have been unsustainable.

These days it’s trendy to question McIlroy’s desire. Only he knows what’s in his heart, or if he’s still willing to put in the work to maximize his gift and unlock his genius. But he didn’t run out of holes – he had just as many as Molinari. The difference is McIlroy make some crucial mistakes under the gun, which has become a disconcerting habit.

Do you think Spieth gets a pass for his semi-frequent blow-ups in majors? #AskAlan – Jesse @JShamp

I mean, at this point it’s part of his brand. Even two of his major championship victories came with near-fatal mistakes: the 71st hole double bogey at Chambers Bay and the drive off the planet on the 13th hole last year at Royal Birkdale.) To Spieth’s credit, he’s not afraid to acknowledge and even joke about his frailties. But this birdieless 76 at Carnoustie is as damaging to his reputation as the meltdown at the 2016 Masters. For a guy who is a preeminent ballstriker (2nd on Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green last year, 14th so far this year) his swing simply vanishes too often under pressure. And for such a great putter he can be very shaky on Sundays. (As electric as his final round at this year’s Masters was, missing that do-or-die putt on the 72nd hole lingers.)

Spieth already has a Hall of Fame resume, so he’s clearly doing a lot of things right. But he’s quickly becoming Mickelsonian, known as much for the tournaments he loses as those he wins.

#AskAlan Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas stormed off without speaking to media after they missed the cut at the Open. They are number 1 and 2 in the world and they should answer questions, like Nadal and Federer do, whether they win or lose. Agree? – Yannick (@Ycochenne)

I wasn’t chasing either of them on Friday so I don’t know the particulars of their escape. I will say the R & A cooked up a cumbersome and ineffective arrangement in which reporters were cordoned off from the scoring area so we couldn’t grab the players ourselves – we had to request they be brought to a mixed zone and were at the mercy of random staffers to fetch the players. So it’s possible they whiffed on Thomas or Johnson or both.

But I agree with the thesis of your question. For Tour pros, talking to reporters should be as much a part of the post-round ritual as signing their scorecard. They’re in the entertainment business and pro golf events exist for only one reason: to entertain the fans. Reporters are the fans’ representatives, deputized to help add context to the competition and bring the competitor to life. Without reporters being allowed to do their job, fan interest plummets, and ultimately this has a chilling effect on the economics of the sport. Tiger gets it, which is why he always talks. For a top player not do so just because they’ve had a bad round is unprofessional and lame.

Given the success of links tournaments, why don’t they play the Ryder Cup on more traditional links courses when it is in Europe? – @Spencer_Wideman

At the majors we obsess about the venue because it defines the competition. It’s the players vs. the course, and every green complex and fairway contour looms large. At the Ryder Cup the playing field doesn’t really matter. Sure, you want a good mix of holes and lots of risk-reward, but ultimately the players are battling each other, and the merits of the course recedes into the background. Now, would a Ryder Cup on a great links be more fun to watch? Of course. But these ancient links are all hemmed in by the sea and the towns around them.

The Ryder Cup is a huge part of the financial underpinnings of the PGA of America and the European PGA Tour, and they go where the money is, which is to say lesser courses that can offer enough space for the Ryder Cup’s massive infrastructure, namely corporate entertaining and packing in more fans than makes sense. So I’m afraid we’re stuck with K Clubs and Le Golf Nationals, which are perfectly fine though not exactly thrilling venues.

You may also like Jim Furyk not ready to commit to selecting Tiger Woods for Ryder Cup

This is going to be one of Capt. Jim Furyk’s toughest decisions. Based on their perch on the points list, their Ryder Cup pedigree and/or simply who they are, there are already nine locks for the U.S. team: Tiger, Phil, DJ, Spieth, Brooks, JT, PReed, Rickie, and Bubba. Webb Simpson is tenaciously holding onto the last automatic spot in the point race, with two defining events coming up: Firestone and the PGA Championship.

If Simpson maintains his position that would leave only two captain’s picks for a group that includes Schauffele, Kuchar, Kisner, Finau, DeChambeau and Zach Johnson. Given that the U.S. hasn’t won in Europe in a quarter-century, you gotta think Furyk will want hardened Ryder Cuppers, which would point to Kuchar and Z. Johnson. If would-be rookies like Schauffele and Finau and DeChambeau want to be on the team they better leapfrog Simpson for that last automatic qualifying spot.

My dad thinks Thursday and Friday are better days to go to next year’s Open because we’ll see everyone and it’s more chill. I’m of two minds because Saturday and Sunday are obviously the biguns. Based on your knowledge, what would you say? # AskAlan – @RachelGlass_

It depends on what kind of experience you want. If you want to park it on an interesting hole and see a lot of different players come through, the opening rounds are definitely better, because many big names will undoubtedly miss the cut. And over the opening rounds the crowd is certainly more spread out across the course, making for a more pleasant viewing experience. But obviously the weekend crackles with more tension, and with leaders going off last you can ensure you see the most relevant action. But it’s a madhouse following the final groups on Sunday and you have to be really motivated to fight the teeming masses, and even if you do you’ll undoubtedly miss most of the best action, unless it’s a Phil-Henrik situation and a couple of players have separated themselves.

If you can only go for two days, my suggestion is make it Friday and Saturday. That way you get the best of both worlds and then on Sunday you can sit in front of a TV and have a great view as all the drama unfolds.

Will you now be giving the R&A some credit for setting the course up the way they did, following your ludicrous tweet 90 minutes into day one when you claimed that over-watering had ruined it? # AskAlan – @RichCousins

If you follow me on Twitter you should already know that I tend to traffic in hyperbole on that platform. I still believe the greens were a bit too soft over the opening rounds and it robbed us of some fun and intrigue. But overall the R & A did a fabulous job setting up the course across a very varied weather week. They were certainly correct to err on the side of caution with the greens, and even with Sunday being the hottest and windiest day of the week the course played perfectly. So all credit to the R&A.

Why were the course conditions accepted at Carnoustie (fast brown fairways, slow greens) but bashed at Shinnecock Hills (firm green fairways, fast greens)? Both seemed to give non traditional conditions compared with Augusta where the consensus is perfection?# AskAlan – @GoranBarnes

The R & A mostly lets Mother Nature dictate the conditions, while the USGA likes to play god and micromanage every inch of the course. Which approach is likely to generate more criticism? The big difference between the setups at this summer’s Opens was that the USGA pushed Shinnecock’s undulating greens to the very edge, and on Saturday afternoon disaster inevitably ensued. Carnoustie’s greens are much flatter and still the R&A still resisted the urge to stress them. It was a wise choice. One lovely benefit could be seen in pace of play. On Saturday at Carnoustie, the final group played in 3:46. That’s close to an hour and a half faster than it took the last pairing to navigate Shinny! Eliminating 3-putts and endless grinding on 6-footers is one of the easiest ways to speed up the game.

It’s interesting that you cite Augusta National. A lot of folks probably agree it’s the template for perfection, but not me. It’s an artificial reality made possible only with an obscene amount of water, land, fertilizer and manpower. (In our post-Open podcast Bamberger and I discuss this at some length.) Golf is not supposed to be played in a dome. It’s an outdoor game, and the vagaries of the playing field is part of the charm. I’d take Carnoustie’s quirks over Augusta National’s perfection any day of the week.

Carnoustie has never failed, in my golf lifetime, to deliver outstanding and memorable Opens. So why the long gaps between its appearance in the rota? Is it already scheduled for a future Open? I read somewhere that the R&A isn’t as big a fan of Carnoustie as most of us are. # AskAlan – @Bill_L_Duke

There was a lot of chatter last week about Carnoustie’s place in the rota. Previous Opens there had underwhelming attendance and I heard from two different members of the British golf firmament that the R & A had told the club it needed to draw 180,000 fans to earn another Open. The announced attendance was 172K, which seems like a push to me, but the tweedy old chaps in the R&A may see it differently. Geography is certainly an issue – it’s 2+ hours to drive to Carnoustie from either Glasgow or Edinburgh. The town itself is tiny and has very few hotel beds available, which is not ideal. The R&A has made a 30-year commitment to Royal Portrush; they haven’t announced any future dates yet but the new site will almost certainly get at least two more Opens. It looks like these might come at Carnoustie’s expense.

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The post Jim Furyk not ready to commit to selecting Tiger Woods for Ryder Cup appeared first on Golf.

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) — Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk says it was fun to watch Tiger Woods contend at the British Open and briefly take the lead in the final round. Whether that means Woods is a lock for the U.S. team is still to be determined.

“I’m going to handle him the way I do everyone else,” Furyk said Monday before boarding a flight for the Canadian Open. “I’ll ask my top eight guys. The way he’s playing, he might be one of them. I’ll ask the vice captains, collectively, and I think we’ll do the best we can to round out the team. We want the guys playing the best.”

Woods moved from No. 31 to No. 20 in the Ryder Cup standings with two tournaments remaining before the top eight qualify for the Sept. 28-30 matches in Paris. Points are based on money, and the two events left for Woods — a World Golf Championship and PGA Championship — offer two of the largest purses.

Woods already has been appointed an assistant captain, just as he was at Hazeltine two years ago. He has hinted at being a playing assistant.

He has played just 12 events that offer Ryder Cup points, about half as many tournaments as most American prospects.

Woods had the lead for three holes at Carnoustie until a double bogey at No. 11, and he wound up tied for sixth. It at least moved him to No. 50 in the world ranking, making him eligible for the $10 million Bridgestone Invitational next week at Firestone, where he has won eight times.

Furyk looked at more than just Woods.

Over the weekend at Carnoustie, no fewer than seven players had a chance to move into the top eight in the standings — Woods, Xander Schauffele, Kevin Kisner, Kevin Chappell, Tony Finau, Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar.

“We had a lot of guys in pretty good form,” Furyk said. “Flip over to Tiger, you look at him because he’s Tiger, and he’s earned a lot of attention. … I loved seeing him play well. I loved seeing him jump to 20th. It’s fun to watch. But we’ll handle him like everyone else.”

Furyk was a vice captain under Davis Love III at Hazeltine in 2016 and was under consideration for one of the four captain’s picks. He was involved in frank discussions with the captain, and he sees this situation — if it comes down to that — unfolding the same way.

Furyk said a big part of his decision on captain’s picks would be matching players with the course at Le Golf National, where the matches will be played. Furyk and a few Americans took a scouting trip on the weekend before the British Open. He said Finau played the course mainly with a 3-iron, and Justin Thomas hit only seven drivers over 72 holes during the French Open.

“It’s a good second-shot golf course,” he said.

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The post British Open staff lessons: What it’s like playing St. Andrews’ Old Course at 1 a.m. appeared first on Golf.

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A moonless night and a par to remember
By Alan Shipnuck

I’m not that old but I am a dinosaur. I started covering the Open long before the Internet existed. In those halcyon days, writing only for a weekly magazine, I would routinely sneak out of the press tent around supper time and play golf until the sun set, around 10 p.m. Some combination of fellow SI warriors Michael Bamberger, John Garrity and Gary Van Sickle served as wingmen. These twilight rounds on the linksland were one of the great pleasures of the job.

Times change. Last week I was at Carnoustie until dark every night — typing for GOLF.com, tweeting, taping videos and podcasts. My clubs were locked away in the trunk of my rental car, like a dirty secret. On Friday, after a long day at the paragraph factory, I met Bamberger and fellow colleague Sean Zak for a late dinner in St. Andrews. It’s a bit of a drive to get from there to Carnoustie but I had chosen to stay in the Auld Grey Toon because I love it so much. It was ’round midnight when dinner adjourned. There was never any doubt of the next stop: the 18th tee of the Old Course. We parked on The Links road and walked briskly across the ancient sod.

It was a moonless night, but the hotels lining the fairway provided some ambient light, as did the flashlights on our phones. Mike, Sean and I ripped our drives, the sound echoing off the buildings like gunfire as the balls disappeared into the gloaming. Searching for the balls was like an Easter egg hunt, only more fun. My drive turned up well across the road that bisects the fairway. It was too dark to see the pin so I aimed for a streetlight that was roughly the center of the green. My wedge shot felt a hair thin but right on line. Mike played his shot just short of the green, while, sadly, Sean was in pocket, both his drive and mulligan having disappeared into the night.

MORE: Tour Confidential discusses Molinari’s win and Tiger’s finish

We walked toward the green. The big clubhouse was dark and foreboding, the town deserted. My heart skipped a beat when I finally saw my ball: perched tenuously on the precipice of the Valley of Sin, 20 feet below the hole. With Sean acting as caddie and gaffer, Mike rapped a putt up the hill to 25 feet. I grinded with absurd intensity on my putt and hit a good one, leaving a couple of feet.

As Mike was lining up his putt I became aware of a presence on the edge of the green, a gent watching us intently. Gulp. Johnny Law? Still, nothing was keeping me from consummating the hole. I stroked in a left-edge bender for one of the most satisfying pars of my life.

The dude who was watching us turned out to be another wayward Yank. He saw us on the green, snagged a putter from his hotel lobby and came out to join us. We parted ways and then Mike, Sean and I wound up having up-and-down contests out of the Road Hole bunker among other hijinks.

Across my whole time at the Open, this was all the golf I played. It’s a lot of work to lug your clubs to Scotland to play only one hole. It was worth it.

A tranquil run and chance meeting with an old friend
By Michael Bamberger

I stayed in St. Andrews during the Open, or on its outskirts, and I jogged several times through the old town. The Senior British Open is being played this week on the Old Course, but that’s not why the course was closed for play on Sunday, the day Francesco Molinari won 45 minutes up the coast in Carnoustie. It was closed on Sunday because it is always closed on Sundays. It is closed on Sundays because Old Tom Morris, famous custodian of the links, wanted it closed on Sundays. He famously leaned out of his window one Sunday, in a house overlooking the 18th green, and said to the players below, “If you dinna need a rest on the Sawbath, the links does.”

I jogged the course, or parts of it, on Sunday. I avoided Swilken Bridge. The tourists, without any sort of official help, were lined up to take snaps of it.

I first became aware of this bit of golf lore in 1991, courtesy of a man named David Joy, an artist and actor and native son of St. Andrews who just then was developing Old Tom as a character. I had heard about him from a faculty member at the University of St. Andrews and went to visit him, in an old stone farmhouse on the outskirts of town. It was an extraordinary afternoon. We talked for a while, he left, came back in all his wooly Old Tom garb and told me his life story — that is, Old Tom’s life story — in character. Holy crow. I wrote it up in a book. I’ve thought of Joy often over the years, but I had never seen him since that day.

On Wednesday of Open week, I went for a run, first into town, then up a long, long hill out of town. I don’t map or plan my runs. I just run until I don’t feel like it anymore, or until something captures my interest, and I kept going up this country-lane hill and for some reason was not getting tired. When I saw a spectacular-looking restaurant in the middle of farm fields I stopped to take a look.

Then I noticed an artist’s studio behind it, filled with spectacular modernistic seascapes. There was a note from the artist inside: if you wanted to see him, knock on the door in the house behind it. It was starting to feel familiar.

I knocked on the door and David Joy answered. He remembered our visit and he had the book on his shelf, with hundreds of others. He’s in his late 60s and recovering from a stroke and learning to paint again and doing it spectacularly well. He knows all about the movie about Young Tom Morris that came out last year but kept his distance from it. He played Old Tom hundreds of times in various parts of the world.

“Did you ever get bored with it?”

“Never,” he said. “It was never scripted. I never did it the same way twice.”

I asked him what his lowest handicap ever was. “A grumpy two,” he said.

He talked about how practice was frowned upon, in his golfing boyhood. Even practice swings. “We practiced by playing,” he said.

We talked about his sons, the books he has written and is writing, working with John Cleese in Titleist spots from long ago, the modern game, the old game. He didn’t lapse into Old Tom. We were in the here and now.

If you like mystery and weird coincidences, Scotland is a good place to be.

We’re all players in Scotland
By Sean Zak

Between the bed and breakfast host, the cheery folks at the Dunvegan, the Carnoustie road signs that say FAMOUS GOLF TOWN or even the Edinburgh airport’s Delta attendant, there’s a consistent reminder in Scotland: we’re all players of this crazy game.

When I spotted a caddie on Carnoustie’s 4th tee box all alone Tuesday evening, I was reminded of that again. There was Martyn Thompson, charting the course for Rhys Enoch, the (now) 412th-ranked player in the world. It was 6 p.m. local time and Thompson held a 58-degree wedge.

One half of me thought, “Leave him alone. Let the man do his job.” The other half said, “Damn it, ask him about Carnoustie’s wicked-fast fairways!” Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it nurtured our convo.

“Oh, gosh, they’re probably running 20-plus,” he said of the hard-pan runways. “The greens, maybe 10 1/2.”

Next question: Why the wedge?

“I’ve just had this one re-shafted,” he said, sounding like a player. “I struggle to walk anyway without a club in my hand.”

He didn’t mean that literally, of course. He would be lugging a Tour bag all week, and he’s plenty fit to do so. “I teach for a living and always teach with a club in my hand,” Thompson clarified. “It’s like I was born with one in my hand. It’s always a part of me.”

As we walked up the fairway, my new friend was an open book. Thompson, who teaches in central England, just so happened to make the cut on the number at the 1999 Open at Carnoustie, when it was dubbed Car-Nasty. To play four days at an Open, he admits, is a feat. (He’d help Enoch make the cut, too. On the number, because of course.)

Thompson took over conversation. I just nodded and kept up. He talked about how much the rough had changed at Carnoustie. “The second shots are pretty easy around here,” he said. “It’s about where you’re playing from.” Francesco Molinari might agree. All of this information came mostly unprompted within the first 10 minutes of meeting him.

That was the first time I met Thompson. The second time came five days later. He was seated on a curb with a sharpie and British Open flag in hand. Throughout the week he had snagged an autograph from every Open champion on the property. Ernie Els, Jordan Spieth, Gary Player and 17 others. Even Tiger Woods. His caddying gig had finished hours earlier, so Thompson sat alone, flag in hand. There was one more champion signature to obtain, and Molinari was just finishing his press conference. Thompson was tired, but committed to the task. He didn’t drive six hours, caddie (successfully) for seven days and pester 20 legends for autographs just to let Mr. Molinari off the hook. Rest assured, he’d get that signature.

After that? Well, it was time for some well-deserved rest. Not too much, though. The English PGA Professional Championship begins Tuesday and he has a 2:13 local tee time.

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