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Michael Block: “I had this intuition that it was going to happen”

Michael Block stole the show at the PGA Championship 2023. (Credit: Getty)

Michael Block was the secret star of the 2023 PGA Championship, not only finishing 15th in the tournament but also hitting a hole-in-one on the final day. For the club pro, the second major tournament of the season was also the ticket to several other events on the PGA Tour. And next year he will also be allowed to play in the PGA Championship. In the interview after the fourth round, Block spoke about his fantastic week.

Michael Block: The secret Star of the PGA Championship 2023

THE MODERATOR: Michael Block is joining us following the 105th PGA Championship. First of all, congrats on an incredible week. Has everything you accomplished the last few days begun to sink in yet?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Not quite yet. I just got a call from Colonial, and I’m in next week as the last sponsor’s exemption, which is really even more mind-boggling now. So I’m readjusting flights to head to Dallas and Fort Worth, so I’m looking forward to that, to say the least.

No, this week’s been absolutely a dream. I didn’t know it was going to happen, but I knew if I just played my darned game, right, that I could do this. I always knew it.

I had this intuition that it was going to happen — I always had this thing: It was going to happen with Tiger Woods, it really was. I always saw myself coming down the stretch with Tiger Woods. I was like, I’m going to do it, even if I’m 45 or whatever it is, I’m going to come down the stretch at an event with Tiger.

It just happened to be that I was in the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, and I had Rory McIlroy in my group. I wasn’t coming down the stretch to win, but at the same time, Sunday at a major with the crowd here at Rochester was unreal.

Question: Just the emotions finally caught up to you after the CBS interview and you had to go into a tent and kind of take a breath. What did you think of as you took that breath?

MICHAEL BLOCK: I didn’t cry when I had my kids. I cried, for some reason. If you love golf, you know. I cry about golf, to be honest.

I have cried only a couple times in my life. When I won the National Championship in 2014 in Myrtle Beach. At The Dunes Club I cried. And after that, my wife hasn’t seen me cry until this week.

If it makes any sense, the one thing in the world that makes me cry is golf. If that puts into context as far as how much I love the game, you know now. It’s everything to me.

Obviously I love my family and everything else and my job and everything, but golf is my life. I live it, breathe it. I made sure of one thing in my life: That I was going to drive to a golf course every day, whether it was a caddy or an onsite service kid or an assistant pro or a head pro or general manager, I what was going to be as a golf course. I came to the golf course today at Oak Hill and played in the PGA Championship.

Question: What was it like, as CBS showed you the tape from your home club with all the people celebrating and cheering you on?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Yeah, it was the most people I’ve ever seen at O’Neill’s ever. It was crazy. It’s busy a lot because it’s a great spot and the food is great and the drinks are great. Armando serves a fantastic cocktail.

But to see how busy it was and to see they actually had what looked like a watch party to me, was pretty darned cool. I can’t wait to get back to them and celebrate with them.

But sad to say, not sad to say, is that I will miss them this week because I’m going to Colonial, so I’ll see them next week.

Question: We asked you yesterday how much fun you’re having, so I’ll ask the same question now. How much fun was this?

MICHAEL BLOCK: It wasn’t nearing as much fun today. I got some really bad lies starting an hole one. The lie I had on one was ridiculous, and I make a bogey. No putts dropped in. I was rolling it the same, but as everyone knows that’s a golfer, right, today they weren’t breaking and dropping in the hole. They were going right over the edges, and I kind of knew it was going to happen. In my heart, I’m going, dude, for three days I made a lot of putts; right?. I’m, like, just stick with it, you know it’s not going to last for four straight days, and so not to get too frustrated.

So I almost preemptively told myself, I’m not going to make everything today. Don’t get frustrated with it. And I did, because I kind of knew what was going to happen. I went through it. I was 2-over and made the hole-in-one out of nowhere. Got back to even par, and I was, like, you know what, that’s what you do. I hate being over par. That’s my deal. I hate being over par.

So I was over par by two. I made a hole-in-one, got back to even, and then I made a really bad bogey on 16 to go back to one, but then I made some crazy up-and-downs on 17 and 18, which I play as short par-5s to finish at 1-over, and to make a decent check.

Question: If at the start of the week someone were to have rattled off, say, Wednesday — if they were to rattle off all the things that have happened this week, what would you have told them?

MICHAEL BLOCK: So I was at the Pittsburgh Pub on Sunday night. Not one single person knew me. I’m going to go there in about an hour, and it’s going to be on. We’re going to have a crazy good time tonight, and I look forward to it.

My life’s changed, but my life’s only changed in the better. I’ve got my family. I’ve got my friends. I’ve got the people that really love me and care about me here. It’s an epic experience. I can’t thank the PGA and Oak Hill enough and you guys enough for being so awesome and enjoying the experience.

Question: With those people at the Pittsburgh Pub and the people on 18 chanting your name like that, your story has resonated with a lot of people this week. Why do you think that is?

MICHAEL BLOCK: I’m like the new John Daly, but I don’t have a mullet, and I’m not quite as big as him yet. I’m just a club professional; right? I work. I have fun. I have a couple boys that I love to play golf with. I have a great wife. I have great friends. I live the normal life. I love being at home. I love sitting in my backyard. My best friend in the world is my dog. I can’t wait to see him. I miss him so much it’s ridiculous, my little black lab.

But, yeah, it’s been a surreal experience, and I had this weird kind of sensation that life is going to be not quite the same moving forward, but only in a good way, which is cool.

Question: Just thinking about your crew back home, your assistant pros, the whole squad at the course, what do you think that — what do you hope that they take away from your performance this week and your success?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Well, I want to take all the assistant pros, not only at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, but all the assistant pros and head pros and future pros that are even thinking about getting into the golf business to say, you know what, you have the opportunity to go play in your section championship and finish, whatever it is, top 5, top 10, whatever it might be, to go to the National Championship. And then there, you finish in the top 20, you’re going to come here, or wherever it might be that year, to play in the PGA Championship.

So the way I’ve always looked at it in my life is like, so you’re telling me this: I’m going to finish top 10 in the Southern California Championship, and then I go and finish top 20 in the National Championship, and I’m going to be at a PGA Championship, which is a major championship. The PGA of America gives you that opportunity. What an inspiration that is; right?

And I’ve lived with that mantra, same way with the U.S. Open. I’ve always said if you shoot 69 at a local qualifier, you’re in the sectionals, and then if you shoot 69, 69 in the sectionals, you’re probably in the U.S. Open. So three 69s, you’re playing The Open; right? That’s how I’ve lived. I’ve lived in those world terms where it makes reality easier.

You don’t have to go shoot 63, 63, 64, something like that, to go do what we’re doing. You just have to be real. You’ve got to practice, and you’ve got to commit your life to the game, and hope you have a supportive family, like I do, and a club like I do. And if you don’t, move on to the next club and find one that does.

Question: The up-and-down on 18, were you nervous over that putt, and did you know where you stood in terms of qualifying for next year’s PGA?

MICHAEL BLOCK: I had no idea. I made sure that I had no idea. I told my caddie, John, at the beginning of the day, I’m not going to look at leaderboards throughout the day, no matter what happens. Good, bad or indifferent, I’m not looking, because in the past, sometimes I get ahead of myself. I start booking rooms at hotels that I’ve never even qualified for, and it’s never worked out well. I no longer get ahead of myself.

I had no idea where I was. And if you put me at 120 yards out on 17, hitting my third shot, and if you put me on 18 hitting my third shot from that 40 yards, sidehill lie out of the rough to a tight pin on 18, and you’re telling me I’m going to get up-and-down on both of those to make next year’s PGA Championship, there’s no way in God’s green earth I would have done it.

So lucky enough, I didn’t look at the leaderboards. I was just grinding my butt off, and I did it.

Question: Can you walk us through what happened on 15?

MICHAEL BLOCK: The hole-in-one?

Question: What you were thinking?

MICHAEL BLOCK: The hole-in-one?

Question: Yeah.

MICHAEL BLOCK: Rory hits. He misses the green right. I’m just like, oh, yeah, you can’t go there; right? So I’m over my tee shot, and the crowd goes crazy. Like, the crowd went nuts and I had not even hit yet. So I had to step back. I’m, like, this is pretty cool; right? This huge reception, and I haven’t seen hit.

So I sit back for a second. I’m, like, this is cool, but I’ve got this nice flight at 7. I could hit a hard 8, but all day long when I tried to hit anything hard, I was pulling it. So I was, like, I’m going to flight a little 7 in there into the breeze from 150. It was playing about 167 in my head.

So I hit it, and it’s just right at it, but I can’t say it, just like now, and all of the sudden it disappears, whatever. I’m like, cool. I’m like, thanks, guys. Rory is walking down the pathway 20 yards away from me and turns around and starts walking back towards me with his arms open to give me a hug. And he goes, you made it.

I go, what? I’m like, seriously?

He’s like, yeah, you did. He had to tell me five times that I made it. So it was a pretty cool experience to have Rory be telling me that I made a hole-in-one in front of God knows how many people that were supporting me.

Question: How many hole-in-ones have you had?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Three before. Never in a tournament in my life. I’ve always talked about how I never had one in a tournament, and the situation under that, I mean, that was it. I don’t need to have another one. I’m good.

THE MODERATOR: Before we take a few more questions, we have something special for you.

(Presentation of 15 flag by Oak Hill Country Club.)

MICHAEL BLOCK: This will be going up in a great spot. I greatly appreciate the thought about it.

I blew the hole out. Rory was like, we need to recut that thing. I walked up there, and half the hole, the hole back was just blown out. So yeah, pretty cool. Great experience. I still just feel like I’m on a cloud nine right now.

Question: Have you bought any drinks yet?

MICHAEL BLOCK: No, I haven’t. They surprised me earlier. They are, like, Michael, so we’ve got some downtime. Just come in this little room. You’ve got some downtime. You can just hang out. I’m like, okay, but I’m going to go sign some autographs. They are like no, no, come on. I’m like, okay.

So I end up walking in there, and it’s a table, and we’ve got a couple bottles of Casamigos and a couple IPAs, which you might have heard. I had all my friends and my general manager right here, Mike Donovan, who allows me to do this.

We sat there and while we’re sitting there, they hand me the phone, and it was on a conference call, speakerphone, and it was Michael from the Colonial event, which is next week in Fort Worth, and he said that — he was offering the last exemption into the Colonial next week for me, which, as you know me, I got emotional again.

And I’m in Colonial next week, which is pretty darned cool, so I’ve got to change my plans for tomorrow’s flights.

Question: Awesome weekend. On that, I mean, with how much you love golf, it is apparent how much you love golf, how does it feel to have these doors opening, Colonial immediately, and then coming back to Valhalla next year for the PGA Championship? You’ve already said your life is changing, but you’re now going to get to do this more often because of today. Has that sunk in at all?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Yeah, and the cool part is I’m super comfortable. I just played with Justin Rose on a Saturday in a major and Rory McIlroy in a Sunday at a major. I’m not sure how it gets any bigger than that.

So when I go play Colonial next week, it’s not going to feel like a down, but it’s going to be like, no problem, right, compared to what I just did the last couple days.

So I’m comfortable. I’m happy. I’m kind of built for this, to tell you the truth, I mean, in a way. I’m just being me, which is the most important thing that happened a year ago with my wife and with Matt where they told me just to be me and not just to be a club pro when I come here and to be a tour pro, which I guess I proved this weekend with a 15th place in a major that — I mean, that makes me choke up even thinking. I didn’t think about it yet, but I got 15th place in a major championship.

Question: Talking about Colonial, what do you expect the reception to be from the PGA TOUR players?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Oh, they are all great. The PGA TOUR boys are great. I mean, inside the clubhouse here at Oak Hill, every single one of them that saw me was like, “Keep it up, do it.” Zach Johnson came to me, he literally sought me out on the putting green yesterday morning. Came up to me, goes, “Just keep being you,” which is cool. We are Iowa boys from back in the day and similar age, so to hear that from him and Min Woo and a couple other guys. Rory and Rosey were fantastic.

Everyone was super supportive. All the TOUR players have been amazing. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how the Fort Worth, Dallas fans are with me. We’ll see how it goes. But, hopefully, you know — and it’s going to be hard to live up to the Rochester folks, but we’ll see how it goes.

Question: A couple of things connected with that. Clearly you were saying you were ready for this moment. You had a vision of this moment. So what is your vision starting next week with Colonial, and what do you expect to do?

MICHAEL BLOCK: The way I’m playing and from what I’ve heard about Colonial, I’ve never played the golf course before, but I think it’s going to set up very well for me, from what I know. It’s tight, it’s fast, it’s hot. Great greens. That’s me. It’s bermuda. That’s what I play on in California.

So all in all, am I expecting I’ll make the cut? Absolutely. I want to go there, top 10, whatever it is. I want to get more phone calls. I want to get more exemptions. I want people to start calling me and saying, we want you in our event because it makes it better. That’s great to me.

Question: You seem very comfortable with the cameras and with the fame and all that. There’s an element here that maybe connects with your student, with the kids at your club and everything which is being a role model. So how do you see that?

MICHAEL BLOCK: That’s just me, to be honest. I mean, I love kids. I love dogs. When I see the kid out there with his hand out to give me five, I had a really big issue with passing him by or her by, I really do. If you would have watched me today, I had 80 hands out, but this little thing was down here, right, and I’m like, I’m giving that one five right there, you know, no matter what. Whether I just made double-bogey, bogey or an eagle, I’m going to go give that person a high five.

That’s how it is. I was born that way, and my parents raised me that way. I’m just having a good time, and I’m going to take that same vibe to Fort Worth next week and have a good time.

Question: You mentioned that you thought you had this in you. Was there any part of this week that surprised yourself?

MICHAEL BLOCK: The hole-in-one. Yeah, that was it. I honestly just played golf outside of that. Blocky golf, hit fairways, hit little baby cuts out there. Putted how I normally do. The greens were perfect here. So the hole looks huge to me.

You know, that’s the big part is I come here, the hole looks like it’s six inches wide. It really does. It’s cut so perfectly. The greens are so good. The hole looks huge.

So I feel like I had an advantage. I’m over a putt, and I’m going, that hole looks big. And then I know a lot of people that get over the putt, and you guys know as golfers, you get over a putt and you’re like, dude, is there even a hole there?

That’s how I felt this week, and hopefully I inspired a lot of people to practice and to work hard at it and to understand the fact that just because they are not on tour right now, they can’t come and live a dream like I did.

Question: You talk about only crying over golf moments in your life. Did that ever lead to any awkward conversations when maybe you didn’t cry over other things?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Oh, 100 percent, yeah. My wife was very disappointed in the fact that I never cried when my children were being born.

But she understands now how important the game of golf is to me, which is, this is it, you know. I live it, breathe it. Like I said, I’m going to go to the golf course no matter what, whether I’m working outside service cleaning clubs on the weekend or cleaning shoes or running the club. I don’t care what it is. I’m going to drive over that hill, and I’m going to go to the golf course in a polo and live my dream.

Question: You’ve said it a few times, and I don’t mean this in a disparaging way, but what’s it like to be living every hacker’s dream?

MICHAEL BLOCK: Yeah, no, I’m — I’m as normal as it gets; right? It’s a thing for me where I’m not trying to be an inspiration.

I’m not trying to do anything, and that’s kind of the big deal is I’m not trying to be anybody outside of myself. Hopefully people gravitate toward it and appreciate it and be themselves and succeed in their goals as I have this week, as they kind of documented my big goal this week was to be the low club pro; right? And that maybe meant shooting 9-over after two days and beating other guys and then shooting 25-over on the weekend; right? I could have been happy with that, but I wasn’t.

I wanted to be low club pro but also changed my aspect and my thoughts about it, and just said, let’s finish as high as we can. I didn’t look at any leaderboards, and now that I know I’m 15th place and I made $288,000 or something like that, is insane, that I did that playing golf and I love the fact that I sit in my backyard by my fire pit with my kids and my dog, and I always tell them this.

I always say: Do you guys know that golf built this? Golf fed you tonight. Golf has the yard; golf supplied the home that I have in Orange County, California. Golf did this for you guys. I always tell this to my kids that golf did it, and golf just did a little bit more for me this week.

Question: I know you have a meeting at the Pittsburgh Pub, so just one more question. Why now? Why do you think all this has come together now at 46, and what might have it been like — why now?

MICHAEL BLOCK: I think I was the second best player at my high school. I played tennis. So I played varsity tennis all my high school years, and then finally my senior year they allowed me to play golf and tennis in spring sports, and so I played both.

Then I wasn’t recruited by anybody to play college golf. I won the St. Louis Amateur Championship my — when I was 19 or 20 or something like that, and all of a sudden the coach from St. Louis — it’s called University of Missouri St. Louis, came up to me and said: Hey, we’ll give you a scholarship, come play for us. I’m like, okay, cool. So I went and did that and played college golf.

And after that, I mean, I didn’t do anything. I opened up a golf course with these guys, with Matt and Jeff, I opened up a golf course with these guys in Orange County, California in 2004 and didn’t play golf for eight years. The only thing I played was the Tuesday morning Skins Game with my outside service kids, that was it. I didn’t have my Class A, I didn’t worry about getting my Class A at that point and I just made sure that we were worried about running golf tournaments and keeping the members happy and keeping Jeff and Matt happy and that’s what I did for eight straight years.

Someone at some point said: Hey, Blocky, you’re throwing money out your sunroof by not going out and getting your Class A and competing against the best PGA professionals in the world. I went out and did that in ten months. Got my Class A in ten months, which is not easy to do by the way and ever since then, it’s been a storybook deal, and especially now.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Michael, congrats again.
(Transcript by asap sports)

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Augusta National Golf Club: How to play a round at the world’s most exclusive golf club

Tiger Woods at the legendary 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Getty)
Tiger Woods at the legendary 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Getty)

Every year, the golf world gathers in front of the TV to watch the pros play the US Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. “Magnolia Lane” leading to the clubhouse, Amen Corner, which has caused many a superstar to despair, and a golf course in perfect condition – the mere thought of Augusta National gives golf fans goose bumps. However, the dream of playing the fairway of the legendary course remains unfulfilled for most. The National Club Golfer shows you how you still have a (admittedly very small) chance of swinging a club in the Mecca of golf one day.

How to play the course at Augusta National Golf Club

As a member of the Augusta National Golf Club, you always have the opportunity to play the course. Only the very fewest are accepted into the select circle of usually around 300 members. Therefore, we take a look at the possibilities to play the Augusta National Golf Club without becoming a member.

As a top amateur golfer

Beginning in 2019, the world’s top women amateur golfers will have a chance to play a round at Augusta National. Although the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship will be played at the Champions Retreat Golf Club on the first two days, after the cut the top 30 will play the final round at Augusta National Golf Club. As a consolation for the rest of the field, all players are allowed to play a practice round on the legendary course on the Friday before the final round.

As an employee at Augusta National

Whether volunteering at the US Masters, caddying for the club or holding another position at Augusta National Golf Club, employees get to play the course. Since the same volunteers help out at the US Masters every year over the tournament days in Augusta, it’s not easy to get on the course this way. If you do make it, you play the course a month after the tournament with the other volunteers. Caddies and other employees have the chance to enter the course with their bag once a year.

As a student

If you study at Georgia Regents University and play on the golf team there, you are particularly lucky. Because once a year, students are invited to the Augusta National Golf Club. And those who study at Emory, Queen’s, Western Ontario or Georgia Tech universities have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to the university in St. Andrews and, in the course of this, to play once on the Augusta National course. Many students write dissertations for scholarships using the dissertation writing help service from the edbrodi project, where you can order qualified help and support for students of various levels.

As a member of Augusta Country Club

According to the National Club Golfer, if you are a member of the neighboring Augusta Country Club, you also have the opportunity to tee it up at Augusta National. It is common for members from the country club to be recruited as flight partners if there are not enough players at the National Golf Club for a flight of four.

As an author about the club

Golf Digest’s David Owen gained access to Augusta National in a special way. As part of his book, “The Making of The Masters,” the club allowed the author to play a few rounds with members on the course. “One of them was getting married one day and there was a party at 5 p.m. in the golf store. We realized we weren’t going to make it in time and went straight from the tenth green to the 15th tee. So we skipped Amen Corner. But by that time I had played the holes so many times that I didn’t even notice,” Owen writes about his experience.

As the winner of the lottery among media representatives

If you manage to get accreditation for the US Masters as a journalist – which is difficult enough in itself – you have the chance to win a round of 18 holes in a lottery. 20 media representatives play the course on Monday, the day after the big tournament.

As a friend of a member

The safest way to get into the Augusta National Golf Club is probably to become a member. However, the full list of members is not known and only very few golf fans are likely to get along well with Jack Nicklaus, for example. Despite numerous opportunities, it remains almost impossible for the amateur golfer to set foot on the “hallowed turf”.

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Augusta National Golf Club as a normal person: the good ones stay below 100

Normal golfers face some difficulties at Augusta National. (Photo: Getty)
Normal golfers face some difficulties at Augusta National. (Photo: Getty)

There are plenty of them, places of longing, with which the average golfer would like to measure himself. One of them surely being Augusta National Golf Club. Anyone who doesn’t have a “bucket list” in this regard, as it’s called, probably lacks the sense of dreamy longing. Many of these flags on the golf globe are certainly attainable – if the appropriate travel budget is available, no pandemic is currently grounding air traffic and blocking the joy of travel, one has a lucky hand in a starting time draw … And so on.

Experience before result?

For many, Augusta National, where the 87th Masters is currently being held, is probably high up on the leaderboard. So, assuming there was a chance for the once-in-a-lifetime pleasure of a round of the legendary course behind Magnolia Lane – and there is – how would “normal mortals” fare on the Major turf between hole 1, “Tea Olive,” and 18, “Holly”? Or would the result not matter anyway, because the experience outweighs everything?

Colleague Auf der Heyde and his birdie at the 16

That was the case for our colleague Peter Auf der Heyde. The South African, who has been reporting on-site from the Masters for Golf Post for many years, was one of the chosen few at the traditional “after-work” golf for media representatives in 2013 and was allowed onto the course of the Augusta National Golf Club on Monday after Adam Scott’s play-off triumph over Angel Cabrera.

“On the first hole,” Peter writes of that day of all days, “I felt like Scott [in the playoff] on the tenth.” And when the mid-handicapper shot birdie on “Redbud,” the par-3 16th, from the tournament tees moreover, “none of the world’s best golfers would have beaten me on that hole, because there was no hole-in-one in the four rounds.” By then, at the latest, the overall score was a minor matter anyway; even today, Auf der Heyde “merely” goes into raptures when asked about 2013. So it doesn’t help.

High 90 on a perfect day

Let’s perhaps quote the playing professionals instead of the writer. The answers are unanimously sobering. At “Golf.com” Jason Day once said in 2018: “Someone with a 15 handicap? If you’re in a really good mood, everything goes according to plan and the weather also plays along, then maybe a mid to high 90 is in there. But for that, everything really has to fit.” Of course: “Under tournament conditions, an average golfer will never crack 100 – no chance! Something between 100 and 105 would be possible, I would say. On a bad day, more like 110,” added Adam Hadwin at the time.

Incidentally, the worst Masters round by an active player “ever” was completed by US amateur Charlie Kunkle in 1956. The self-taught golfer needed 95 strokes for the par-72 layout on the final Sunday and finished the tournament with a total score of 340 (52 over par). By comparison, then-winner Jack Burke Jr. of Texas had a 289-stroke total.

“The breaks are huge”

Augusta National’s green complexes in particular are a brutal touchstone, their enormous undulations and false fronts, as well as the undulating surface contours, forming the true defensive bulwark of the vaunted terrain. “It’s mainly the chipping and putting that counts,” Nick Wright noted for Today’s Golfer. The 8.1 handicap journalist played Augusta two years ago and says, “The breaks on the greens are tremendous.”

On 16, where Peter Auf der Heyde had holed out from 40 centimeters to win the shot six years earlier, Wright aimed for a break of 1.2 meters and had to be corrected by the caddie: “Better aim for three meters!” The player did as instructed and felt he was “putting 90 degrees off the hole.” Nevertheless, the ball ran straight into the target with a clean curve – also for birdie.

Speed control is the key at Augusta National Golf Club

“The most difficult thing for mid handicappers is the uneven lies around and on the greens,” says equally Rickie Fowler, who would be playing his eleventh Masters this year, meanwhile has slipped to world number 95 and therefore has to watch. “Even if you play the ball ‘in regulation’ in the middle of the green, the par is by no means certain,” he said. “A good putt can still end up 1.5 to 1.8 meters from the hole – and then converting those is no fun at Augusta, and certainly not a given.” Speed control is key on the greens, he said, and three-putts should be more the norm for amateurs and already a success.

Hardly bad locations – but the bunkers…

For all that, the course itself, with its sweeping fairways, is “pretty benign from the members’ tees,” judges Nick Wright: “With a little precision, it’s easy to keep the ball in play. There are hardly any bad lies, even off the fairways, in the ‘second cut’ or even in the pine litter.” Dr. Alister MacKenzie, the mastermind behind the congenial creative duo with Bobby Jones, wasn’t big on rough; he wanted to see a weak shot punished not by ball loss or chopping, but by an awkward angle of play; that philosophy holds true to this day.

Moreover, the Scottish architect was stingy with bunkers for cost reasons, but the twelve in the fairways and the 32 around the greens are really something despite the innocent-looking white sand. Literally. The hazards are deep, and it is often difficult to see over the edge from the bottom of the fairway; it is not unusual for a sideways escape shot to be the better option.

The real genius of design

What impresses everyone who experiences Augusta National Golf Club is the ondulation and expansiveness of the terrain. On hole 10, for example, the tee is 34 meters above the green.

And although holes 1 and 18, 2 and 8, and 3 and 7 run almost parallel, it is almost a “day trip” to Amen Corner and the wonderful “Golden Bell” (hole 12) as the centerpiece.

You don’t have to favor Parkland golf to still state that the Masters course is a perfect course: full of beauty and tranquility, varied and strategic, spiced with “risk-and-reward” options, well dosed with water. “The most striking feature, however,” says Nick Wright in “Today’s Golfer,” “is the fact of offering golfers of any skill level the appropriate challenge. In this, in particular, the real genius of its design is revealed.”

Game with highest scores per hole

The 8.1 handicapper shot a fine 81 in his round – from the Members Tees; he found the course “manageable and well playable.” Nevertheless, the “bunkered” portal had the fun of extrapolating the worst possible round at Augusta National. For each hole, the highest score ever played in Masters history was picked out – Ernie Els’ 9 on hole one in 2016, for example, Henrik Stenson’s 8 on the fourth in 2011, Tom Weiskopf’s 13 on the 12th in 1980 or Sergio Garcia’s 13 on the 15th three years ago.

No matter on which hole, the “worst case” was everywhere at least 7 strokes, and in total a notional round score of 169 comes out. In words: one hundred and sixty-nine. 78 for the first nine, 91 for the second, 97 over par. At least to underplay that should be doable.

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Stacy Lewis Named Captain for 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup Team

Stacey Lewis will captain Team USA at the Solheim Cup two years in a row. (Photo: Getty)
Stacey Lewis will captain Team USA at the Solheim Cup two years in a row. (Photo: Getty)

Two-time major champion Stacy Lewis has been named captain of the 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup Team. Lewis is already hard at work as captain for the 2023 Team and will now also lead the top 12 American female golfers as they represent their country at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., on Sept. 10-15, 2024.

Stacy Lewis: back-to-back Solheim Cup Captain

“This is such an amazing honor, to be asked to again captain the U.S. Solheim Cup Team. Receiving the first call was one of the highest points of my career, and I am truly grateful to add this second opportunity,” said Lewis. “I’ve said it many times – representing the United States and wearing our colors are experiences that stand out in any player’s career. To have the chance to lead our country’s best players twice, and especially in 2024 outside our nation’s capital, is a true privilege.”

“Stacy has already proven to be an outstanding captain as she prepares for the 2023 Solheim Cup,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “She has embraced the role in every way and has implemented several innovative ways to help her team reach peak performance, including the use of advanced data and analytics. Her Solheim Cup experience, proven leadership and passion coupled with the many benefits of consistency in 2023 and 2024 led the selection committee to enthusiastically invite Stacy to captain the team in 2024.”

Successful career

Lewis is a 13-time LPGA Tour winner, earning major titles at the 2011 Chevron Championship and the 2013 AIG Women’s Open. She spent 264 consecutive weeks from 2011-16 ranked in the top 10 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including 25 weeks at No. 1, and was the 2012 and 2014 Rolex LPGA Player of the Year. In 2016, Lewis was a member of Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Brazil, finishing tied for fourth.

Lewis represented the U.S. on the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 Solheim Cup Teams. In 2019, Lewis served as an unofficial assistant captain under Juli Inkster after withdrawing from competition due to injury, and she worked in that role in an official capacity under Pat Hurst in 2021.

In February 2022, Lewis was named captain for the 2023 U.S. Solheim Cup team, which will take on Team Europe at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain. At 38 years, 7 months and 6 days old on the first day of competition in 2023 and 39 years, 5 months and 28 days old in 2024, she will be the youngest American captain in Solheim Cup history. She will also join World Golf Hall of Fame members Juli Inkster (2015, 2017, 2019), Judy Rankin (1996, 1998), Patty Sheehan (2002, 2003) and Kathy Whitworth (1990, 1992) as the fifth person to captain the U.S. Team at least twice.

Dedication to equal opportunities

Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Lewis enjoyed a standout amateur career as a four-time All-American at the University of Arkansas, taking the NCAA Division I national title in 2007 as one of her 12 titles. She graduated in 2008 with a degree in finance and accounting, the same year she became the first player in Curtis Cup history to go 5-0 during a 13-7 USA victory over Great Britain and Ireland on the Old Course at St Andrews.

Lewis currently serves as a Player Director on the LPGA Board of Directors and is also an ambassador for LPGA-USGA Girls Golf. She is a vocal proponent for pay and sponsorship equity in sports and has advocated for improved maternity clauses in the women’s game.  

Solheim Cup 2024 in the USA

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, the 2024 host venue located just outside Washington D.C., was founded and designed by famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., who considered the layout to be one of his finest designs. The course and its designer have long worked to join the game of golf with the American presidential lineage, with Jones first installing a putting green at the White House in 1954 for President Dwight Eisenhower. The club was the host venue for the 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005 Presidents Cups, with four presidents serving as honorary chairmen, as well as the PGA Tour’s 2015 Quicken Loans National.

(Text: Press release LPGA)

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Nicolas Colsaerts named as vice captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup

Nicolas Colsaerts will be Ryder Cup vice-captain of Team Europe next year. (Photo: Getty)
Nicolas Colsaerts will be Ryder Cup vice-captain of Team Europe next year. (Photo: Getty)

Luke Donald has named Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts as his third Vice Captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup which will be played at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy from September 26 – October 1, 2023.
 
Colsaerts was part of the most famous European victory in the annals of the Ryder Cup in the 2012 contest at Medinah; producing one of the most memorable debuts in the history of the event when he carded eight birdies and an eagle in partnership with Lee Westwood to help defeat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker on the final green in the Friday fourball session.
 
Outside of the Ryder Cup arena, Colsaerts has won three times on the DP World Tour, previously known as the European Tour. His most recent was a dramatic triumph in the 2019 Open de France, where he entered the week battling to keep his Tour card and ended it style with a one shot victory. To date, he has played in 436 Tour events to lie 84th in the list of all-time appearances.
 
Colsaerts is a well-liked figure on Tour and will undoubtedly be a popular addition to Team Europe. The Belgian joins Dane Thomas Bjørn, the successful 2018 European Captain, and Italian Edoardo Molinari as Vice Captains for the 2023 contest; his appointment being the perfect belated birthday gift for him as he turned 40 only last week.
 
Colsaerts said: “My first reaction when Luke asked me was sheer joy. Every time I hear the words ‘Ryder Cup’, it takes me back to the edition I played in, how proud I was to wear the European colours and be part of such an unbelievable event. Of course, Luke was in that team too and when we spoke he mentioned how much he has always loved what the Ryder Cup means to me.
 
“Being a Vice Captain is a different role to being a player but, nevertheless, my mission in 2023 will be exactly the same as it was in 2012, namely, to make a contribution to the team in any way I can. Rest assured, whatever I am asked to do, I will do it.
 
“We already have two fantastic Vice Captains in Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari and we already have a special bond between us. We are all different personalities but that is interesting because when you put us all in a room together you will have different angles, and Luke will be able to take what is best from each of us.
 
“When you play team sport as a youngster you are told that the most important thing is to participate and while that is true then, when you are a professional golfer in the Ryder Cup, when you wear the colours and you step onto that first tee, the only thing you want to do is to win; not only for the other guys on the team, but also for the Continent you are representing. That is what we want to do in Rome.”
 
Captain Donald said: “Nico has been on my mind for a couple of months now to be honest. I played in the team with him in 2012 and you could just see how much it meant to him. He understands what it means to represent the European crest and what it means to be part of the Ryder Cup set-up. When I asked him, he literally had goosebumps – so I am very happy to have him as my third Vice Captain.
 
“Nico gets along extremely well with all the guys out here on the DP World Tour and he will be a great person to help keep an eye on things here in Europe in periods when I might be in the US. There is already great communication between us – myself, Thomas, Edoardo and Nico – and I couldn’t be happier with the way my backroom team is shaping up.”

Text: Team Europe/ DP World Tour

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Countdown to the 2023 Solheim Cup begins

(Photo: Interface Tourism Spain)
(Photo: Interface Tourism Spain)

An extraordinary celebration event, called “One Year To Go”, made up of various events, marked the start of the countdown to the 2023 Solheim Cup coming to Spain for the first time. There is only one year left until the most important women’s golf competition in the world comes to Finca Cortesín, Málaga, from 22 to 24 September 2023.

To highlight those 365 days that will be crossed off the calendar for the European and US teams to meet on the Costa del Sol, the dyke of the emblematic Puerto Banús in Marbella (Málaga), brought together 365 children from different golf schools in Andalusia in which, in unison, they did the “Longest Swing”.

The little golfers took their places and, forming a huge multicoloured wave, hit an approach shot into the sea with totally biodegradable balls.
Afterwards, the captain of the European Solheim Cup team, Suzann Pettersen, arrived by helicopter and, with the magnificent tournament trophy in her hands, greeted each and every one of the children.

Exhibition match at Finca Cortesín

A few hours earlier, the protagonist was the new hole 1 at Finca Cortesín, where an exhibition match took place in which Suzann Pettersen challenged the model and actor Andrés Velencoso and the guitarist of the group D’Vicio Alberto González, “Missis”, while the ambassadors of the tournament recreated the great atmosphere of the Solheim Cup.
The European captain highlighted the design of hole 1, perfect for an event like the Solheim Cup and wished it to be “a very noisy hole, with all the Spanish passion cheering on the European team”.

Vicente Rubio, general manager of Finca Cortesín, recalled how the LET “honoured us naming us as the venue for the 2023 Solheim Cup and since then, our team has been working to make it a success. And over the next 12 months we will continue in this line of improvements to guarantee both players and fans a unique and unforgettable experience”.

This moment concluded with a tribute to Raquel Carriedo, the first Spaniard to play in a Solheim Cup and who shared with all those present her memories of that historic experience in the 2000 edition.

Triple countdown

The celebrations of this “One Year To Go” had as an extraordinary culmination the launch of three countdowns, one in each of the municipalities involved in the organisation of the Solheim Cup 2023 (Benahavís, Casares and Marbella), to remember the time left for the celebration of this great event.

The Mayor of Benahavís, José Antonio Mena, was in attendance, accompanied by Pablo Mansilla, President of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation.

“We have been fighting for a long time for the arrival of this tournament in Spain and Andalusia, and now there is only one year to go. Once again, Andalusia will once again be the world epicentre of golf and women’s sport thanks to the Solheim Cup,” said Mansilla.

“The golf industry is perhaps the most important industry in Benahavis and therefore, from the first moment we have wanted to be part of the Solheim Cup, and this commitment will bring numerous benefits, both to our municipality and to the entire Costa del Sol,” said Mena.

José Carrasco, Mayor of Casares, said he was “very proud to be able to offer our innumerable tourist resources and I am convinced that the Solheim Cup will mark a before and after for our municipality and for Andalusia”.

And Manuel Cardeña, Deputy Mayor of Marbella and CEO of Acosol, stressed that “the arrival of the Solheim Cup for the first time in Spain, and more specifically on the Costa del Sol, offers us a great opportunity to strengthen our position as a tourist destination and to be the epicentre of world golf in 365 days, something we have to take advantage of”.

Cardeña was accompanied by Arturo Bernal, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Junta de Andalucía; Francisco Salado, President of the Diputación de Málaga; and Margarita del Cid, Vice President of the Diputación de Málaga, among other personalities such as Alan Solheim, representative of the firm that gives its name to the tournament, and people from the Ladies European Tour (LET), the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and Deporte & Bussines, the organising company.

Arturo Bernal was in charge of bringing to a close a marathon programme of events that has focused on the arrival of the Solheim Cup in Spain in just twelve months.

“The celebration of the Solheim Cup next year will allow Andalusia to demonstrate once again that we are the best destination in Europe for the organisation and development of major sporting events in general and golf in particular,” concluded.

The Solheim Cup 2023, an event of exceptional public interest whose official venue is Finca Cortesin, is sponsored by PING, Costa del Sol and Rolex as global partners; and by the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, with co-financing from the European Union, Acosol, the Marbella Town Hall and the Benahavís Town Hall as official partners, and Reale Seguros as official sponsor. Solán de Cabras, Eversheds Sutherland, Casares Town Hall, Toro, Vithas, E-Z-GO and Jet Set Sports are official suppliers. Marca and Radio Marca are official media. Promoted and organised by Deporte & Business. LET, LPGA, RFEG, CSD and RFGA collaborate in its organisation.

(Text: Solheim Cup)

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Cameron Smith: “This type of golf suits a lot of Aussies”

Cameron Smith after his victory at the British Open 2022. (Photo: Getty)
Cameron Smith after his victory at the British Open 2022. (Photo: Getty)

Cameron Smith talks about his historic win at the 150th Open Championship, being the fourth Australian to win the Open and the state of his game, especially his putting, which he excelled in.

Cameron Smith after. his British Open win

MIKE WOODCOCK: I’m delighted to welcome the Champion Golfer of the Year, Cam Smith, to the interview room with a 20-under par total of 268.

Cam, fantastic round. To shoot 64 in the final round of a major and to win in the style you did is some achievement. Can you sum up how you feel right now?

CAMERON SMITH: I feel like I can breathe. These last four or five holes aren’t easy around here, especially with the wind up off the left. Yeah, just stuck to what I was doing. Yeah, just really proud of how I kind of knuckled down today and managed to get it done.

Q. Cameron, congratulations. Kel Nagle won the 100th Open. You’ve won The 150th. How does that make you feel?

CAMERON SMITH: That’s pretty cool. I didn’t know that. I think, to win an Open Championship in itself is probably going to be a golfer’s highlight in their career. To do it around St Andrews, I think is just unbelievable.

This place is so cool. I love the golf course. I love the town. Yeah, hopefully we can keep that trend going with the every 50 years. That would be nice, wouldn’t it? (Laughter).

Q. Cam, you’ve had some heartbreaks at the majors the last couple of years, putting your hand up in a lot of them. Does this make it all worthwhile winning The Open at the home of golf?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, I think so. I’ve definitely kicked myself a couple of times over the past few years. To do it the way I did today was pretty cool to be back and really apply pressure, keep holing putts. Yeah, it was awesome.

Q. Cameron, just a couple of parts of the question. The first is can you just talk us through that second shot on the 17th hole and how crucial was that? Including the putt that you made, the first putt. Secondly, I was talking to Anirban Lahiri yesterday, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised at all if Cameron wins it from here just on the basis of his putting. That is the kind of belief, I mean, that’s the kind of like what other players think about you. Can you just talk a bit about that?

CAMERON SMITH: That second shot on 17, it’s just really an awkward shot, especially where I was. I kind of had to draw a 9-iron in there. You’re only trying to get it to 40 or 50 feet anyway. Just didn’t quite commit to the shape I wanted to hit and got it a little bit toey and turned over a touch more than I would have liked.

Then the putt next to the green, I mean, I was just trying to get it inside 15 feet, and the putter felt really good all day. I knew, if I could get it somewhere in there, that I’d be able to give it a pretty good run. Yeah, managed to get away with a 4 there.

Q. Cam, you said yesterday that it was actually the best you hit it all week. Did that sort of spur you on to go after it today?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, I don’t think I hit the ball any differently all four days, to be honest. I felt like I kept hitting quality golf shots and kept giving myself looks at birdie, even from a distance, which is sometimes what you have to do around here.

The only difference today, was the putts were dropping. I spent a little bit of time on the green yesterday night, last night, and just really wanted to see a few putts go in. Yeah, it turned out it was a pretty good thing to do.

Q. In a weird way, did yesterday’s round that put you behind help to bring out the mongrel and the fight in the dog, if you will, and get you to chase him down?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, I think I was really frustrated yesterday with how the round went. I just really put it down to links golf. I think you really have those days on these courses where you get a bit of a weird bounce here and there and puts you in a bad spot.

So I shrugged it off pretty good, I think, last night. I really didn’t dwell on it too much. Yeah, but to go out there and really stick my head down and keep making birdies and keep making putts, yeah, it was really cool. I think that definitely helped yesterday.

Q. Kenneth said that definitely saw that Queensland spirit, seeing the Maroons win as underdogs, he saw that come out of you on the back nine — you tell me if that’s wrong. He said, look, this guy’s not losing, and you went for it. Fair?

CAMERON SMITH: I mean, you’ve got to try and win (laughter). That’s what we’re all here to do.

Yeah, I’m not sure anything changed, to be honest. I really wanted to stay patient on that back nine. I think I was maybe three back at the turn. I knew I just had to be patient. I felt good all day, and those putts just started going in on that back nine and just got a lot of momentum going. I mean, from there it was just really solid stuff.

Q. Congratulations, Cameron. A few hours ago you were a chaser in the tournament, and then later you were the leader at the clubhouse. Explain your feelings to have the Claret Jug now and if there was a shot that you can remember that says this is going to be the shot of the tournament.

CAMERON SMITH: It’s obviously nice that it’s all done now. I sometimes think that being behind on certain golf courses and in certain situations is maybe a good thing. I think it’s very easy to get defensive out there and keep hitting it to 60, 70 feet, and you can make pars all day, but you’re not going to make birdies.

Yeah, I think it was a good thing that I was definitely behind. I think my mindset would have been a touch different coming in, especially on that back nine, if I was ahead.

I think my shot into — my second shot into 13 was really when I thought that we can win this thing. I think I had three birdies in a row before that, and then to hit that shot in there, or the two shots, the drive and the second shot, were two of the best all week. For that to go in, I think, that was it for me.

Q. Cameron, congratulations. Brilliant today. Just wondered if you could talk us through the loved ones you got here today. Also, is the lucky mullet here to stay?

CAMERON SMITH: Actually, I don’t have any family here. I’ve got all my team here. My dad was actually meant to come over, and he pulled out in the last minute basically. I had a quick chat with him before. He’s kicking himself now (laughter).

Q. Why didn’t he come? Sorry, your dad. Why wasn’t he able to?

CAMERON SMITH: Just kind of the thought of doing all that travel for one week basically.

(Laughter).

Yeah, he’s definitely kicking himself now. I really wish he was here too. It would have been such a cool week, even without this, to be at the home of golf. Dad loves his golf as well. It would have been awesome.

Q. Have you had a message from him yet at all?

CAMERON SMITH: I haven’t looked at my phone yet. When you win golf tournaments, you have friends that you didn’t even know were friends. So I’m sure it’s going to be busy.

(Laughter).

Q. And the mullet?

CAMERON SMITH: I think it’s going to stay, mate.

Q. Golf’s such a mental game. Talk a bit about maybe the mental progress you’ve had to make to get to this stage where you’ve been able to win a major. You’ve been so close.

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, I think — I don’t think I’ve changed a lot mentally. I think sometimes you get away from what you’re doing, and I think it’s just a thing of just getting back to what you know and what you know works.

I’ve definitely been on that track a few times in my career. But I think it’s just honestly belief. THE PLAYERS at the start of the year, with the best field in golf, to go away with the win was a really big confidence booster. I knew it wasn’t going to be too long before I got one of these. I’ve knocked on the door, I think, maybe one too many times now. So it’s nice to get it done.

Q. A few Aussies here, mate. Congratulations to you. You said outside a few beers tonight and fill the cup. Have you estimated how many beers it’s going to take in there to drink it up?

CAMERON SMITH: I’m going to guess two, two cans of beer.

Q. And how many more will you have after that?

CAMERON SMITH: I’ll probably have about 20 Claret Jugs.

(Laughter).

I’m not sure, mate. To be honest, I’m really tired. It’s been a long week, so I’d be surprised if I make it past 10:00 or 11:00 tonight.

Q. If you need me to drive you, I can do that.

Q. Cam, can you take us through what you told yourself last night and this morning just to get yourself ready for the final round?

CAMERON SMITH: Again, not much, to be honest. I knew my game was there. I felt really comfortable. At the end of last week, I started playing some really good golf. Yeah, I just really needed to keep doing what I was doing. I didn’t do anything wrong yesterday. It was just really one of those days.

So I shrugged it off pretty good, hit a few putts. I just wanted to see a few putts go in. I didn’t think there was really anything wrong technically. I just wanted to see a few putts go in before I went to sleep, and that kind of put me at ease to know that it really wasn’t me, it was just kind of one of those days.

Yeah, I think that was the best thing I did all week was just to go out there and spend five minutes on the green. Yeah, that was it basically.

Q. Cam, apologies for having to bring this up in these circumstances, but your name continues to be mentioned, has been mentioned to me this week about LIV golf. What’s your position? Are you interested? Is there any truth to suggestions that you might be signing?

CAMERON SMITH: I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that. I think that’s pretty not that good.

Q. I appreciate that, but the question is still there. Are you interested at all? Is there any truth in that?

CAMERON SMITH: I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.

Q. Did you have spaghetti bolognese last night? How did you sleep? And how was the process?

CAMERON SMITH: What was that?

Q. Did you have spaghetti bolognese? Because I know that’s what you like.

CAMERON SMITH: That’s what I like to make at home. I just had a quick meal here in the clubhouse. I think I had some chicken and veggies or something and went straight back to sleep. I was pretty tired after yesterday’s round. We teed off so late yesterday as well. So I was just keen to get back and get the eyes shut.

Q. You talked a little bit already about your day yesterday. Missing another chance on 9 and then you run off five in a row. I’m just curious if there was ever anything that clicked, if the hole, at what point started looking a little bit bigger than it was. And was there one kind of key moment for you there?

CAMERON SMITH: I felt as though I hit really good putts all day. I really didn’t have a lot of close opportunities, I think, on the front nine. I just kind of stuck in there, kept hitting really good lag putts.

For me, the putt on 11 was a pretty good distance, probably 20 feet. When that one dropped, yeah, I could see the hole getting a lot bigger on that back nine for sure.

Q. What club did you hit on 11?

CAMERON SMITH: 9-iron.

Q. I wonder, could you give us a word, please, on Rory McIlroy? He was leading today. He was the British guy, would have been extra special for him to win here at St Andrews. He had the Tiger Woods thing, that you just basically ruined his weekend for him. Just want you to give us a word on Rory.

CAMERON SMITH: He’s obviously a great player. He’s one of those guys that you can’t help but stop when he’s hitting balls on the range, and he just keeps knocking on doors every week, it seems like. He’s probably the most consistent player out here.

Yeah, he’s going to get a major, I’m sure, very soon. He’s just really solid. For me, I’ve played with Rory a few times, and there’s really nothing that you can fault.

Q. Did he speak to you afterwards? Have you had a chance?

CAMERON SMITH: No, I haven’t had a chance to speak to him, no.

Q. Obviously 150 years, there have only been four Australians that have won that trophy. Do you pinch yourself to think you’re joining the likes of Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Kel Nagle and Ian Baker-Finch?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, that’s pretty cool. I think just in general, all the names on there, every player that’s been at the top of their game has won this championship. Yeah, it’s pretty cool to be on there. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think it will for a few weeks. Yeah, it’s just unreal.

Q. Cam, on Wednesday you said you didn’t want to jinx yourself but you’re feeling really good. So you didn’t jinx yourself. Just how good were you feeling pre-tournament?

CAMERON SMITH: I started to feel really good with where my game was at last weekend at the Scottish Open. I had a really, really solid weekend. I just felt really good about my game. I’d played this golf course before, but it had been a while. It was almost like relearning the place.

I love this type of golf. I think this type of golf suits a lot of Aussies, the firm and fast fairways. Having to hit away from pins, I think, is another one, where Aussies are brought up doing that. Yeah, I just felt really good with where my game was at and how the course was set up.

Q. When you feel good like that, do you actually think you can win it or just envision yourself contending?

CAMERON SMITH: I think what you’re trying to do at the start of the week is just get yourself in contention, just kind of let the tournament, let the golf course come to you. And I did a really good job of staying patient this week.

The first couple of days were really nice to hole a lot of putts, but yeah, got a little bit impatient, I guess, yesterday and a little bit frustrated. Just did a really good job of that again today.

Q. Cam, in hindsight now, how crucial was that holing it to get it up to 14 through 18 yesterday afternoon?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, it was a bit of a struggle yesterday afternoon, I think. To come in there — I think I probably played those last few holes maybe even-par or 1-under. So to do that and really keep myself in the tournament, I think, was good, especially when things aren’t really going your way. It’s easy to just kind of throw the towel in and really let it get away with you. Yeah, just stuck in there, and it was worth it today.

Q. For people who don’t follow golf closely, can you describe the differences and similarities between TPC Sawgrass and The Old Course?

CAMERON SMITH: No, I can’t, to be honest. There’s not a lot of similarities, to be honest. I think they’re two really different golf courses.

I think when Sawgrass plays firm and fast, it can be similar in some aspects. But two really different golf courses. I think you have to be two completely different golfers to contend at both of those golf courses.

Q. So what does that say about your golf game, the fact that you won on two very different golf courses?

CAMERON SMITH: I think that’s just where I’m at at the moment. My game feels really good. I felt like, towards the end of last year, I had a lot of chances and really didn’t get over the line. I think that made me more eager, I guess, at the start of the year to really knuckle down and try and get over the line.

For it to happen three times this year is pretty unreal. I really wasn’t expecting that. I would have been happy with one. So, yeah, just lots of hard work and keeping at it.

Q. Cam, just given the astonishment that everyone has about your putting, can you just give us an idea as to how much you have to work hard and what kind of process goes into your putting practise and doing things?

CAMERON SMITH: I definitely keep on top of it. I think, for me luckily, putting comes quite naturally. For me it’s just about getting back to the same setup position, basically.

I practise with a mirror for probably 20 minutes a day, and to be honest, that’s about it. I don’t really hit a lot of long putts at home. I try and focus probably 10 to 15 foot and in and just seeing those putts drop. When I get out here at the start of the week, I start hitting some more lag putts and just getting the speed right.

Q. Watching that back nine, it felt incredibly tense. Can you just try and explain how you felt at various points? Because obviously you made it look quite easy out there.

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, it was pretty tense. I think maybe after my second or third birdie there on the back nine, I was starting to think that I could really win this thing. I think I was three back with nine holes to go, and I really needed to make something happen.

But, yeah, I would say those first three holes on that back nine really came to me, and then from there I was starting to get different emotions and really had to keep an eye on what I was thinking and just different shots into greens.

MIKE WOODCOCK: Cam, thank you very much. Congratulations again. It’s a wonderful performance.

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Farewell from St. Andrews? Crying Woods gets standing ovation

Tiger Woods is celebrated like the winner on the final hole of his second round at the 2022 British Open. (Photo: Getty)
Tiger Woods is celebrated like the winner on the final hole of his second round at the 2022 British Open. (Photo: Getty)

The sporting outcome was to be expected after the first round of the British Open 2022. Tiger Woods fails to make the cut. But he had probably not expected the elemental force with which he was met by the love of the fans as he walked down the final fairway. Riotous cheers from the tee to the green. Standing ovations on the grandstand at the last hole. Even the 46-year-old, who won the British Open here in 2000 and 2005, had to shed a few tears.

“And I don’t know if I’ll be physically able to play another British Open here at St Andrews”. The next Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews is not scheduled for another eight years, in 2030, due to the chaos caused by the Corona pandemic. It’s actually the “Home of Golf’s” turn to host golf’s oldest major tournament every five years.

Tiger Woods: “You could feel the warmth”

That might be too long for Woods, who remains very limited in his walking. And so the walk down the final fairway amounted to a farewell tour. Everyone present seemed aware of the significance of the moment. And even though Woods still talks about wanting to continue working hard to play tournaments, it’s quite possible that this could never again be the case on his self-declared favorite course.

The closer he got to the 18 green, Woods explained, the more emotional it became. He said he saw Rory McIlroy, who had just started on one, coming toward him. “As I walked further along the fairway, I saw Rory right there. He gave me the tip of the cap. It was a pretty cool — the nods I was getting from guys as they were going out and I was coming in, just the respect, that was pretty neat. And from a players’ fraternity level, it’s neat to see that and feel that. And then as I got into the shot — or closer to the green, more into the hole, the ovation got louder and got — you could feel the warmth and you could feel the people from both sides. Felt like the whole tournament was right there.”

And it felt like a very special moment for the spectators, too. Something big was in the air, a big goodbye. At the very least, a big uncertainty. Tiger was probably not the only one who had “a few tears” in his eyes. But Woods made one thing clear right away during the subsequent media talk: “I’m not retiring from the game. I will continue to play British Opens in the future.”

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British Open 2022 – Tiger Woods: “Have to shoot a 66 tomorrow”.

Tiger Woods at the British Open 2022 (Foto: Getty)
Tiger Woods at the British Open 2022 (Foto: Getty)

Q. Overall thoughts?

TIGER WOODS: Well, probably highest score as I could have shot. Didn’t get off to a great start. Hit a good tee shot down 1, ended up right in the middle of a fresh divot. And I hit a good shot. Wind gusts hit it and ended up in the burn, and start off with a W.

So I think I had maybe four or five 3-putts today. Just wasn’t very good on the greens. And every putt I left short. I struggled with hitting the putts hard enough. They looked faster than what they were putting, and I struggled with it.

Q. Obviously you can’t dismiss the physical issues you faced, but was today less about that than at any time in the golf you’ve played?

TIGER WOODS: My other two events I played this year? Yeah, it was a lot easier today, physically, than it has been the other two events, for sure.

Q. How fast — have you ever seen anything quite like this, this firm?

TIGER WOODS: We played Liverpool like that. But it was just different. Liverpool doesn’t have the amount of slopes that St Andrews has. The fairways are flatter. So the ball obviously, you have more control on the ground. Here you really don’t have as much control. They were quick.

The greens were very firm but slow. And it’s an interesting combo. And we weren’t exactly speed demons out there either. The whole round took a long time, and we were getting waved up. And it was a long, slow day.

Q. So unlucky to have that first shot going into a divot. Do you feel good luck and bad luck balance over time?

TIGER WOODS: Over the course of a career or a round? (Laughter). Yes. Yeah, over the course of a career, yes. But in a round sometimes it just goes that way. It just goes one way and it never seems to come back. No matter how hard you fight. And then I compounded problems, as I said, with my bad speed on the greens. I hit the ball in the correct spots a couple times, leave myself some good lag putts, the correct angles and I messed those up.

And so when I had opportunities to make a few putts, I missed them, and as I said I compounded with some bad lag putts. And just never got anything going.

Q. What was the most disappointing aspect of today?

TIGER WOODS: I think just the total score. It feels like I didn’t really hit it that bad. Yes, I did have bad speed on the greens, yes. But I didn’t really feel like I hit it that bad but I ended up in bad spots. Or just had some weird things happen. And just the way it goes. Links is like that. And this golf course is like that. And as I said, I had my chances to turn it around and get it rolling the right way and I didn’t do it.

Q. Despite the way you played, were you heartened by the crowd, the way they reacted?

TIGER WOODS: They were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. So supportive. Obviously they’re not going to be quite as loud because you don’t hear them in the middle of the golf course. They’re only on the perimeter. But just the support coming off each tee and each green, when they were in proximity. Most of the tees they were, yes; but some of the greens they weren’t. But when the greens that they were, they were very respectful and very appreciative of all of us out there today, which was great.

Q. How meaningful was it to have your return here at St Andrews and play here again?

TIGER WOODS: Very, very meaningful. All things considered, where I’ve been, I was hoping I could play this event this year. Looking at it at the beginning of the year, end of last year when I was rehabbing, trying to see if I could do it, but somehow I was able to play two of the major championships in between then and now, which was great. But this was always on the calendar to hopefully be well enough to play it. And I am. And just didn’t do a very good job of it.

Q. When you were on the first hole, this moment came, you were here, you were able to overcome. Was there a moment that you took a step back and said to yourself, I did this, I’ve accomplished this?

TIGER WOODS: No. No, I looked at that bush down there. I said hit that 3-iron right at that bush, hit a flat draw. And I did. I hit a perfect shot. I get down there I’m right in the middle of a fresh divot. Well, either just, one, don’t hit it flat and don’t blade it. I didn’t do either. But I still hit it in the burn.

Q. Tomorrow, are you going to bounce back?

TIGER WOODS: Looks like I’m going to have to shoot 66 tomorrow to have a chance. So obviously it has been done. Guys did it today. And that’s my responsibility tomorrow is to go ahead and do it. Need to do it.

Q. Did you have the same putting issues in practise, or did the greens maybe change?

TIGER WOODS: I still have the same thing. I still struggle with hitting the putts hard enough. Just because they look faster, and especially when you consider actually the fairways are faster than the greens, it’s just a different dynamic than we were accustomed to.

Pitch shots around the greens, you allow for more speed and then for them to slow up on the greens, which is the exact opposite of what we would normally play.

But I’ve played British Opens where they’ve been like that. And it’s up to me to make those adjustments and I didn’t do it.

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British Open 2022: Rory McIlroy hits a piece of history

(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Getty)

Rory McIlroy is playing big in the first round of the British Open, but a shot from the Northern Irishman caused puzzled looks from the spectators. On the fifth hole of the St. Andrews Old Course, McIlroy teed off with the driver and managed a picture-perfect trajectory. After a scant 260 meters, his ball tithed up twice and ultimately hit a green plastic bucket in the middle of the fairway. This bucket, however, is not what is unusual, but what is hidden underneath.

What are the odds on that??#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/b61kS8Iq2M

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2022

What Tom Morris has to do with the green buckets.

The covers are scattered throughout the Old Course and cover the old boundary stones of the original golf course at St. Andrews. The covers are intended to protect these contemporary witnesses from the harsh Scottish weather. But the covers also provide protection when it comes to golf’s long hitters.

If you take a closer look at the stones, some of which are heavily weathered, you will find a “G” on one side and a “C” on the other. The letters indicate the former boundary of the course, with “G” standing for Golf Club and the “C” for Common Ground. True, the stones have been obsolete since Old Tom Morris expanded the course to 18 holes in the 1800s. However, the historical significance of the small hazards means that they are still valued in the overall appearance of the course today.

And Rory McIlroy is not the only player who has already been bothered by the unusual obstacles in the middle of the fairways. A boundary stone also awaits golfers on the 7th hole, as well as scattered throughout the golf club’s grounds. A legendary story about the stones occurred in 2010 during the British Open. There Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson all played unerringly on the stone of the 5th hole. And even as an immovable obstacle, the stones come into play more often when a player plays just off or in front of it. As happened to Victor Hovland just one flight ahead of McIlroy.

In the end, McIlroy still managed a great score despite the hit and the resulting much shorter tee shot. He placed the second shot safely and left the 5th hole with a birdie.

The stone that Rory just bounced off is one of the March Stones on the Old Course. They mark the original boundary of the course. There’s a “G” on one side of each of them. If you saw the G, you’re standing on the golf course side of the boundary. pic.twitter.com/dW9GP6Q3qU — Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) July 14, 2022