Nine months of 2013 already has passed by under the bridge and with less than nine tournaments left remaining where I will be in attendance this yea
Here then is the recipients of my Monthly Medal awards for the month of September.
GOLFER OF THE MONTH – Henrik Stenson
Henrik Stenson’s already taken delivery of one trophy in the Play Off Series and is now four shots clear and set to sign for a second.
Henrik Stenson had been banging on victory’s door ever since the Scottish Open championship at Castle Stuart.
The Swede was then runner-up in the following week’s Open Championship, second in the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, third in the PGA Championship before breaking through to capture the Deutsche Bank Championship and then hold aloft the FedEx Cup and collect $11.4m in prizemoney is also winning the season-ending Tour Championship.Special mention also to Dutchman Joost Luiten.
There can be no tougher task for any professional golfer to win his or her own national Open. Joost did that in style handling the weight of home expectation to become the first Dutch born player in a decade to win the KLM Open.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE MONTH – David Howell
England’s David Howell ended a seven-year winless drought in capturing the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
‘Howeller’ as he is more affectionately known defeated American Peter Uihlein in style by holing a birdie putt at the second extra play-off hole for his first victory since lifting the BMW PGA Championship trophy in 2006.
“It’s been a long, long road from the depths of despair,” as he rightfully pointed out.
However in the intervening period ‘Howeller’ conducted himself brilliantly forever obliging and accommodating with the media, so it was naturally a victory delighting everyone present at Old Course.
MARRIAGE OF THE MONTH – Graeme McDowell
Graeme McDowell took to Twitter to thank well-wishers following his marriage to American-born Kristin Stape a sun-soaked Caribbean island in the Bahamas.
“I’m a very Lucky man”, was how the ace golfer summed up the day.
The Portrush man also told his half-a-million Twitter followers: “Thank you all for your messages. Kristin and I are very excited for our big day. New chapter in our lives and I’m a very lucky man.”
Graeme and Kristin met when he hired the interior designer to carry out work on his Florida home.
WORSE KEPT SECRET – Rory McIlroy Incorporated.
In what had been expected for four months double Major winning Rory McIlroy finally confirmed he has terminated his contract with Horizon Sports Management and formed a new company – Rory McIlroy Incorporated.
It had surfaced earlier this year during a Tour event in Bulgaria that after just 18 months McIlroy was leaving the Dublin-based Horizon Sports.
The termination of McIlroy’s reputed five-year business contract with Horizons is official and a month less than two years with company.
GOLF’S NEWEST ’59 CLUB’ MEMBER – Jim Furyk.
Jim ‘Mr 59’ Furyk.
American Jim Furyk became the newest member of one of the more exclusive clubs in golf – The 59 Club – after shooting the magical score on day one of the BMW Championship in suburban Chicago.
Furyk became the sixth player in PGA Tour history to shoot golf’s magical number.
But just to prove how fickle the ancient club-and-ball game can be the American went out the next day a 60 and 10 shots more than the day prior.
However Furyk wasn’t expecting another low round as no one ever shot better than 68 on the PGA Tour following a 59.
WORST TRAIN EXPERIENCE – European Tour’s Scott Kelly.
The European Tour’s Scott Kelly is not the first victim and unfortunately will not be the last when it comes to theft on Swiss trains.
Scott was sitting in a carriage on route to Crans-sur-Sierre when, and in full view of a number of other passengers, a male person grabbed his handbag from the luggage rack above where Scott was sitting.
Scott hurried after the culprit and with train staff obliging by not opening any of the doors of the carriages as the train pulled into a station. Unfortunately, as a door swung open the thief jumped off with Scott in hot pursuit, and informed by Swiss Rail staff they would hold the train.
But while Scott could not find the thief he got back to the station to find his train had departed and with his suitcase on board.
Thankfully Scott is fully conversant in French and was able to get the train staff to locate his suitcase.
Sadly, thieving on Swiss trains is a common occurrence and the country’s liberal laws don’t allow the installation of CCTV cameras on carriages.
Tom Watson and Paul McGinley with the Ryder Cup. (Photo –
UPPERCUT OF THE MONTH – European Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley.
European Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley delivered the perfect uppercut to USA rival Tom Watson during the course of their joint press conference at Gleneagles as part of the ‘One Year To Go’ celebrations for the 2014 Ryder Cup.
McGinley had spoken about next year’s Gleneagles showdown as a heavyweight boxing encounter.
But then Watson had been asked about the importance of Tiger Woods to the USA Team and the Kansas-born golfer recalled how he had felt being partnered in Ryder Cup’s with legendary Jack Nicklaus: “When I played in The Ryder Cup, I stood on the tee several times, “And now on the tee, I heard several times, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.” You don’t think that was kind of a (taking deep exhale) moment; God, I’ve got Jack Nicklaus on my six.”
As those in the room tried to fathom such a scenario McGinley jumped up with the perfect counter punch: “We’ve got Ian Poulter!”
GOLF COURSE OF THE MONTH – Balcomie Course, Crail
Strangely, I played little golf in September and sadly just eight games and five at Crail so this award was an easy one.
The club is the seventh oldest in the world having been founded in 1786 and with both the Balcomie course and newer Craighead Course in superb condition.
BEST WEEK SPENT – Travelling with my brother and his wife on visit to WW1 Battlefields & D-Day Beaches.
The best week spent in September was easily with my brother, Steve and his wife, Sally who ventured to the UK for a few days break but not knowing they would spent just over a week visiting the WW1 battlefield sites in Belgium and France and then inspect the D-Day Beaches of Normandy.
It was a very fascinating and sometimes very moving occasion particularly walking along row after row of young soldiers senselessly sacrificed.
We ended the trip with a few days in Paris leaving my brother still pinching himself that after having only previously visited the States, UK and Ireland he managed to squeeze in visits to Amsterdam, Belgium and France.
Thanks to Steve and Sal for a great week!
CAREER LOW ROUND -Euan McLean, Sports Writer, Daily Record.
Good friend and colleague Euan McLean and myself have been making it a practice to play a round of golf early one day during the week of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Last year Panmure Golf Club kindly allowed Euan and myself to play the course ahead of covering the day’s play at nearby Carnoustie.
I played one of the best rounds of my golfing career at Panmure, and one of the Final Qualifying Venues for a Carnoustie Open Championship and where Ben Hogan qualified for the 1953 Open that he eventually won by four shots.
This year, Euan and I were out early on the Balcomie course at Crail, and just next door to Kingsbarns and one of the venues each year for the Dunhill.
Well, it was overwhelming Euan’s day as he in the zone to also produce his best-ever round of golf in a stroke score of 76 playing off a 12 handicap for a net 64, and in a round that included a first hole birdie and closing with nine straight pars.
In the process Euan humbled his host (myself) a absolute drubbing winning 3 & 1 and amassing 39 Stableford points.
It’s the last time I’ll be extending him an invitation – only joking!
WORST EXPERIENCE OF THE MONTH – Losing my wallet.
Beauvallon – great golf course but beware of off-course thieves.
It was a beautiful day when I had the occasion to again play the Beauvallon course in France.
I was playing half-decent and just enjoying competing on a wonderful golf course that overlooks St. Tropez Bay.
However it was completely ruined when at the end of my round I could not find my wallet that I had put into my golf bag.
As you do, I began wracking my brain as how I could have lost a wallet containing not only a considerable sum but credit cards, driving licence and frequent flyer cards.
The club later advised me local police had raided a disused house close to the 14th tee finding a collection of clothes, a Romanian passport and many credit cards including my own.
* Stay tuned for my September awards.
