Golf Monthly April 2024

neil.tappin@futurenet.com There’s a magnolia tree that, if I crane my neck, I can just about see from my office window. Over the last few days, a handful of pink flashes have emerged from the dull brown that’s been in residence over the last few months. By the time you read this, that tree will be nearing full bloom and the general dreariness of winter will be fading away. Spring is, without question, my favourite time of year. The prospect of playing golf consistently is back on the table for the first time in months and I, like many of you, will be heading to the range, trying to get my swing back in the groove. Of course, the biggest date on the horizon for most golf fans will be April…

State of the game I am writing out of frustration with the current state of the professional game. It seems the ‘lunatics have taken over the asylum’. At a time when golf has recovered popularity, the professional game is becoming increasingly fractured. It is essential that the divide between the PGA Tour and LIV is resolved so the best players compete against each other consistently. Instead, the PGA Tour has wasted time and effort finding an alternative partner to pump up the prize funds for a declining number of top golfers. Viewing figures in America are poor and getting worse. Sponsors are withdrawing, presumably as the product is becoming less attractive. There is too much competition in sport to allow this to continue. Recently in America, fewer than a million…

Congratulations on winning the Genesis Invitational. How big an achievement is that in the context of your career? Winning this tournament has been one of my goals since becoming a pro. After Tiger became the host, that goal became a lot bigger. I was a little disappointed I wasn’t able to take a picture with Tiger, however [ed: Tiger had to withdraw through illness]. Riviera is actually a very special place for me. I know the owner, he’s Japanese, and I’ve known him for a very long time. So winning at Riviera is something very special for me. How proud are you to have passed KJ Choi’s PGA Tour wins tally? Reaching nine wins and passing KJ Choi was one of my big goals [ed: he’s now got the most…

LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch believes that if Rory McIlroy achieves his long-standing ambition of completing a Career Grand Slam at The Masters this year, the achievement could be diminished because some of the best players in the world are not in the field. As things stand, Gooch, who won three LIV Golf events in 2023 to become the individual champion, will be excluded. The American is currently 449th in the world rankings, and without an invite, the only other route for him to tee it up at the April tournament would be to reach the top 50 the week before – something that’s pretty close to impossible given his LIV commitments and limited scope for starts in events that award world ranking points. “Hopefully the day will turn when the…

Gary Player competed in 52 Masters between 1957 and 2009, the most appearances ever 52 BEST CAREER SCORING AVERAGE (MINIMUM 25 ROUNDS) HARDEST HOLES AT AUGUSTA IN MASTERS HISTORY $3,240,000 Jon Rahm’s winning share of the 2023 Masters prize fund 100/1 Tiger Woods’ odds of winning The Masters this year 506 The astonishing number of Masters career birdies made by Jack Nicklaus PLAYERS WITH THE MOST MASTERS TITLES 20 There were 20 eagles on the par-5 13th in 2015, the most ever recorded on one hole in The Masters 11 Anthony Kim made the most birdies ever during a single Masters round on Friday in 2009 13 Highest score on a hole (Garcia, 15th, ‘18; Weiskopf, 12th, ‘80; Nakajima, 13th, ‘78)…

Yes Says Fergus Bisset The Rules of Golf will always be complicated. It’s unavoidable given the extraordinary number of circumstances that can, and do, arise. But that’s not to say it isn’t desirable for the Rules to be more straightforward. The R&A and USGA work very hard, constantly reviewing them and considering ways to improve them and make them easier to understand and more practical. In other words, they’re always seeking ways to make the Rules less complicated. If golf’s governing bodies believe it’s worth striving for the Rules to be simplified where possible, ergo, they’re too complicated. The Rules are certainly a complicated prospect for those starting out. Where would you begin if you had no idea on any of the procedures and decided to teach yourself without any…