In a continuing new theme this year, here is my Monthly Medal Award winners for August, 2013.
BEST COURSE PLAYED – Beauvallon, France
It was a real pleasure after an absence of some 18 months to again play a round of golf at Beauvallon Golf Club near St. Maxime on the French Med’ coastline.
The course is always in great condition with a wonderful mix of holes, and where you should be walk away with a bunch of pars and maybe the odd birdie.
Beauvallon Golf Club looking out over St. Tropez Bay.
Beauvallon also commands some excellent views out over St. Tropez Bay, and on this occasion the bay with filled with the play things of millionaires.
Special thanks to UK ex-pat J C Buckley who again made the Beauvallon visit memorable.
BIZARRE QUOTE OF THE MONTH – Gary Player
Rory McIlroy has won two Majors in his short pro career but Gary Player says his downturn in form could be all do with his taste in women.
The champion South African born Player, and winner of nine Majors, recently appeared on talk Sport UK’s “My Sporting Life” where he discussed what the young golfer should do to get himself back on the right track.
“He’s got to be intelligent and find the right wife. If he finds the right wife, if he practices and if he’s dedicated, he could be the man,” Player said.
SCOOP OF THE MONTH – Gerry McIlroy
It’s funny how innocently you can pick up on a story. An Australian photo/journalist bumps into Gerry McIlroy. McIlroy, and father to double Major winning Rory McIlroy, asks where in Australia do you live. The response is: “Sydney”.
Next thing you know I’m walking with Rory from the locker room at Oak Hill to the car park following his final round and Rory confirms he’s contesting this year’s Emirates Australian Open.
BEST NATURE FEATURE INSPECTED – Niagara Falls.
The power of the Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls.
It would have been disappointing having been present in up-state New York for the PGA Championship and not visit nearby Niagara Falls.
It had been 20 years since I last inspected Niagara Falls, so along with John ‘Ronnie’ Roberts and good friend, and Express golf writer, Neil Squires we got away early on day three of the Major for the short 90-minute drive to the Falls.
Wisely, we parked the car on the US side of the Falls and simply walked across the Rainbow Bridge that links the USA Canada for a two hour walk along the cliff top overlooking the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls and also the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls.
The sight was remarkable and to stand at the very edge of the Canadian Falls, as you can see from the photo above, was truly breathtaking.
- 3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second. This accounts for 75,750 gallons of water per second over the American and Bridal Veil Falls and 681,750 gallons per second over the Horseshoe Falls.
- The water falls at 32 feet per second over the falls, hitting the base of the falls with 280 tons of force at the American and Bridal Veil Falls and 2,509 tons of force at the Horseshoe Falls
BEST BIRTHDAY IN AUGUST – Bernie McGuire
Apologies to Madonna but there was only one birthday of any importance and that was August 17th.
CULPRIT OF THE MONTH – TIM FINCHEM
Tim Finchem – Arm up for ‘Culprit of the Month’.
PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem was confirmed as the culprit who leaned on the PGA of America to drop the PGA Championship tag – ‘Glory’s Last Shot’.
For the past few years the PGA Championship has been labelled with the tag – ‘The Seaon’s Final Major – Glory’s Last Shot’.
But that was not to the liking of Finchem, as revealed by PGA of America President, Ted Biship.
“We have had conversations the last few months with the PGA TOUR, and one of the questions that we had of Commissioner Finchem and the players was to consider playing the FedExCup in four consecutive weeks the year of The Ryder Cup in 2014,” said Bishop.
“Our captain felt like that it was imperative that our players had a week off prior to THE TOUR Championship and the beginning of The Ryder Cup, and in exchange, one of the things that Commissioner Finchem asked us to consider was dropping the tag line of Glory’s Last Shot.
TEASE OF THE MONTH – Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki.
While one leading Sunday Irish newspaper fueled rumors of a Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki split, the pair seemed to be simply teasing the media after being seen together many times around the time such reporting.
McIlroy tweeted: “I’d love to know who this guy source is… Seems to pop up in the papers all the time and is wrong 99.9% of the time!”
And he added: ““Just because we changed our Twitter profile picture doesn’t mean that we’re not together.”
The Danish tennis ace then changed her ‘baby’ photo she put on Twitter to a photo again of her and McIlroy and Tweeted: “Since my profile pic made big headlines I better change it again lol.. #dontbelieveallyoureadinpapers”
BEST TOURNAMENT – PGA Championship
The PGA of America media team under the guidance of Julius Mason and Una Jones run one of the best tournaments of the year.
With access now big issue at the three other Majors, the PGA Championship could not do more for you with the opportunity to walk onto the range to speak with players, a one arm band for all media policy, a media-friendly ‘flash area’, the courtesy of meals and drink all day along with complimentary wifi.
ARRIVED IN LAMBORGHINI, HOME IN A AMBULANCE – Michael Hoey.
Michael Hoey brings great interest to the Northern Ireland Open arriving in a Lamborghini.
Full credit to Belfast’s Michael Hoey in turning down teeing up in the Wales Open to instead support the Challenge Tour’s Northern Ireland Open.
Hoey single-handed gave the new event huge publicity when he arrived at the course behind the wheel of a $250,000 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera LP570-4, a piece of machinery that can reach 62mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202 miles per hour.
That’s some $25,000 more than the total tournament prize purse of Euro 170,000 or $226,000.
However Hoey crashed out of the event missing the cut.
43 BEERS & A SMALL DOG AWARD Jason Dufner
It’s official! The gleaming Rodman Wanamaker Trophy holds 43 beers and a dog.
That’s according to new PGA Champion Jason Dufner.
If correct, and no one’s to doubt golf’s newest Major Champion, that’s more than the US Open and Claret Jug combined.
The Rodman Wanamaker Trophy stands 27 inches tall and that’s seven-and-a-half inches higher than the Claret Jug and Dufner managed to get 43 cans of beer and a dog, not at the same time, into the gleaming trophy.
