In My View

Autumn 2011

What a fantastic golfing year we've had since the first two majors of the year back in April!

The next major on the golfing calender was the U.S.Men's Open played at Congressional Country Club in Maryland. Once again, there was much attention on the top British and European players. Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland was defending the Championship that he won at Pebble Beach twelve months previously. When Rory McIlroy took the lead early on in the Championship, everyone started talking about his final round collapse at The Masters and wondering what would happen should he find himself leading going into the last nine holes at Augusta. The world's media and fans didn't have long to wait for the answer, with Rory winning by an emphatic eight shots from Australia's Glen Day, who for the second successive major finished in the runners-up spot. Rory's golf throughout was sublime, and the way that he handled himself in the full glare of the media was exemplary. In fact, his reaction to his last round nightmare at The Masters was that of a true Champion. Rory had studied what had happened and worked hard on his putting, rhythm, body language and most of all his thinking, to great effect resulting in his extraordinary talent realising what must surely be the first of many major victories.

The week after the men's U.S.Open, the women played the second of their major Championships – The Wegman's LPGA Championship. Sadly, this received hardly any coverage in the UK with no TV exposure, and only the actual results carried in some sports sections of the written press. As it was, the current and fast becoming firmly established world number one from taiwan – Yani Tseng had another comfortable win to take her tally of majors to four, a remarkable achievement for the twenty-two year old!

In early July, the women headed for to Colorado Springs to play The East Course at The Broadmoor. Once again Yani Tseng started as the hot favourite, and all the pre tournament talk was of Yani adding The U.S.Women's Open to her CV to become only the fourth woman to win all four of the modern majors, and to become by far the youngest to do so. It soon became apparent, that it wasn't going to be Yani's week, and with some twenty odd hours of rain delays, it was hard to keep up with who was leading the Championship! In the end, two youn Korean players – Hee Kyung Seo and the eventual winner, twenty-one year old, So Yeon Ryu had a three hole play off to decide the winner on Monday. So Yeon Ryu won having had virtually no experience of playing golf in America, not being an LPGA card holder. Ryu, the friendly, Korean who always seemed to have a smile on her face, and possessor of a smooth rhythmical golf swing immediately returned to her native Korea to continue her young professional career, but will be offered LPGA membership following her victory, and will return to compete on the LPGA Tour in 2012.

Next up for the majors, was the men's Open, played at Royal St.George's on the Kent coast. All the pre Championship talk was about whether or not either Luke Donald or Lee Westwood – the two Englishmen ranked first and second in the world would win their first major. As it was, they both missed the cut, so it was left to firstly local amateur Tom Lewis to grab the headlines, and then the ever popular Ulsterman, Darren Clarke, who went on to win his first major. It was a fairytale victory for Darren, and when his thinned long iron to the par four eighth hole somehow managed to jump over the two fairway bunkers between him and the green, you had a sense that the claret jug was destined to be his! After his win, Darren paid tribute to all the people who had helped him, in particular his "mind" coach Dr.Bob Rotella whom he'd worked with between rounds, and Heather, his wife who sadly had died of breast cancer some five years earlier.

The final women's major of the year was up at Carnoustie for the first time. Most of the women hadn't played the course, only watched at previous men's Opens which had been held there, in particular in 1999, when the course had been nicknamed Carnastie when due to the severity of the course and weather conditions, many men had struggled to break 80! Many thought that Carnoustie would prove to be too stern a test for the women, but friendly tee placements and virtually benign weather conditions meant that Carnoustie didn't show its teeth. Once again Yani Tseng proved why she has become totally dominant as the world's number one female golfer by cruising to a comfortable win, but not before the locals had much to cheer about with Catriona Matthew once again showing what a world class player she is, and the young German professional showing everyone that she is a potential star of the future.

The final major of the year was the U.S.P.G.a. Championship played at The atlanta Athletic Club. After the first three majors being won by Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke, could America restore some balance and pride by claiming the last major of the year? The answer was a resounding yes, with two young and relative newcomers to the Tour Jason Dufner and Bradley Keegan, who incidentally is Pat Bradley's nephew, playing off. Keegan Bradley, not only claimed his first major win, but was also the first person to win a major using a long handled putter. What a wonderful rookie year he's having!

With all of the major Championships over for the year, there was still two of the four transatlantic team matches, The walker Cup and The Solheim Cup to look forward to. The Walker Cup took place at Royal Aberdeen, and it was arguably the best ever American team according to the world amateur rankings that started as overwhelming favourites. We all know though that matchplay and the British weather mean little in these circumstances. The weather throughout the matches was horrible, with gusts of over 30 mph blowing across the links course over the two days. GB&I as so often happens seemed happier in the brutal conditions, and eventually won back The Walker Cup for the first time in eight years by a score of 14 – 12. Congratulations to Captain Nigel Edwards and his Team.

Next it was the turn of the women when Alison Nicholas Captained The European Team to meet Rosie Jones's Americans at Killeen Castle just outside Dublin. With the overall match record standing at 8 – 3 to the Americans, a European win was seen as essential for the health of the matches. Some members of the media had already been talking of extending the match to be The World vs. America! Once again, going by the Rolex World rankings, the Americans were overwhelming favourites, but home advantage had been the deciding factor on all but two previous occasions, and of course matchplay is no respector of someone's strokeplay record. In previous matches, based on the foursomes and fourballs Europe would be leading by 7 and a half points to three, but as soon as the singles are factored in, America lead the biannual contest by 8 matches to 3! Once again, following the two series of foursomes and fourballs the matches were tied at 8 – 8 going into the singles. On this occasion since America where defending the Cup, Europe needed to win 6 and a half of the twelve matches to win The solheim Cup back. The Sunday of the singles dawned in dramatic fashion, when in the anchor match, in which Crisie Kerr was due to play Karen Stupples, when Cristie withdrew after aggrevating a longstanding wrist injury, thus giving Europe their first point of the day. Two more points swiftly followed when Catriona Matthew easily defeated Paula Creamer in the top match, then Europe's top points scorer also played superbly to beat one of America's best – Stacy Lewis. The middle order then seemed if not to collapse, seemed to turn red on the giant scoreboards positioned around the course. The match was certainly in the balance, then the momentum swung towards the Americans with Suzann Petterson going one down to Michelle Wie on the fifteenth hole, Caroline Hedwall being two down with three to play against Ryan O'Toole, and Azahara Munoz all square with Angela Stanford. In the meantime one of the unsung heroines of The European Team – The Netherlands Christel Boeljon had defeated Brittany Lincicome with some of the best scoring of the day. Just as it seemed that the Americans had gained the initiative, the tide turned in favour of Europe, Caroline Hedwall somehow winning the final two holes of her match to get a half, Suzann Petterson birdieing the final three holes to beat Michelle Wie one up, and after birdieing the 17th hole to go one up, Azahara Munoz was conceded the final hole to earn Europe a 15 – 13 victory. It was matchplay golf at its very best, and no one watching or present will forget Europe's historic win. Once again the weather played its part, with a literal deluge halting play for some forty minutes or so, then there being a spell where play was stopped because of the threat of lightening. The fans stayed throughout, and with some estimated11,000 Americans coming to Ireland to support their team, at times it wasn't easy to recognise which team was playing at home! In the end, the loudest cheers were for the Europeans who did everyone associated with them proud. This match will be a tough one to follow when the matches are next played in Denver in two years time!

So, the main events of the year are over with, but there's still lots of golf to look forward to with The climax to The Race to Dubai, the winner of the Let Henderson money list and the LPGA Player of the Year all still to be decided!

Happy golfing!

Mickey