Golf Monthly December 2022

Those of us of a certain age will remember a time when televised sport was not available on tap as it is today. In fact, it was largely confined to weekend afternoons when the most significant (and occasionally less significant) events arrived in our sitting rooms via Grandstand, described by a group of commentators whose voices became the soundtrack for their respective sports. Dan Maskell was Wimbledon and Murray Walker as much the sound of Formula 1 as the roaring engines. When golf was shown, it was accompanied by the dulcet tones and humorous phrases of Peter Alliss. Was ever a twinkle in the eye more audible than when Peter was commentating on the golf? I’m remembering those lazy afternoons listening to Alliss at The Open Championship, or perhaps the…

Down memory lane I read with great interest your article featuring the Warren Golf Club in Essex [Not to be confused with… November issue]. I was junior captain there back in 1980/81 and what an interesting golf club it was. For a start, the club professional was John Hudson, who scored consecutive hole-inones in the 1971 Martini Open at Royal Norwich. The second one was on a par 4 too – five-under for two holes! John was later replaced by Mickey Walker, four-time Solheim Cup captain. Mike Reid, later of Eastenders, played at the Warren, and if you’re approaching 60 like me, you may remember a kids’ TV quiz show that he hosted called Runaround. As he came around to the 11th tee, Mark Smith, another member, would shout “Runaround…

Were you always confident you’d reach the summit again? If someone had told me on the Friday night of the Valero Texas Open when I missed the cut that I would be World No.1 by October, I would have asked them what they were smoking because I would not have believed them! It’s just been a wild six months. I figured a few things out with my game and I’ve just been on a really good run. How important has your putting been to your success? Yeah, it’s massive. I feel like when you can fall back on your putting, it takes pressure off your iron play, it takes pressure off your short game, it takes pressure off your driving. You know that if you can get it up there…

Rafa Cabrera Bello The Spaniard is now outside the world’s top 200 after three missed cuts in a row and a T37 since the Dunhill Links Championship. Rickie Fowler After reuniting with Butch Harmon, Fowler missed out on his first win in three years at the Zozo Championship, but settled for T2. Erik van Rooyen It hasn’t been a great comeback for the South African – T61 at the Andalucia Masters was followed by a missed cut at the Mallorca Open. Min Woo Lee Back-to-back third-place finishes for Min Woo Lee on the DP World Tour have moved the Aussie back inside the world’s top 60.…

History was made at the Japan Open as Taiga Semikawa became the first amateur winner in the tournament’s 95-year history. Amazingly, it was Semikawa’s third pro victory in a row, having tasted success at the Panasonic Open Golf Championship and Japan Create Challenge. The 21-year-old began the final day with a whopping six-shot lead as he looked to triumph over a field which included former Masters Champion Adam Scott. Back-to-back birdies gave the Japanese star the dream start, before a triple-bogey at the 9th opened the door to the chasing pack. His lead was then cut to two when he dropped a shot at the penultimate hole, but he managed to hold his nerve and capture his home title with a closing par. Now that he has a taste for…

SOUND BITES “I HAVEN’T HEARD ANYTHING YET, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY I THINK YOU’D BE MAD NOT TO CONSIDER IT. BUT I’M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE LPGA TOUR AND I LOVE IT THERE” “IF THE TEAM IS BETTER WITHOUT ME, I’D RATHER BE OUT OF IT” “I SEE LIV GOLF TRENDING UPWARDS AND I SEE THE PGA TOUR TRENDING DOWNWARDS. I LOVE THE SIDE THAT I’M ON” “I WILL CREATE MY OWN MAJORS” BRIEFS New Golf Foundation president announced The Golf Foundation, a national charity which works with The R&A and other leading organisations to help bring golf to children of all backgrounds, has announced the appointment of Nick Dougherty as its new president. Record Ruth secures special Sandiway hat-trick Ruth Elliott-Smith made history at Sandiway GC,…