The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Golf’s too late for cool Austin
Try as it might, golf just doesn’t seem to manage being “cool”. This week the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay is a case in point. The golf circus is decamping from Florida for a twoweek Texas trip prior to the Masters, and this week it’s in Austin, capital of the Lone Star state and fastestgrowing city in the US.
But they’re coming in just as all the cool kids are leaving. Austin has just finished the annual South By South West festival of music and film, and all the bearded hipsters will be passing the golfers through arrivals and departures.
Austin remains plenty trendy, though, as the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world (only if you like country music, then it’s great; if you don’t, tough) and possibly the only place in Texas that didn’t vote for Donald Trump.
It was a terrific venue for the Matchplay last year, when we had a final four of Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello.
This year the somewhat confused nature of the PGA Tour schedule means as many as five leading contenders will not play. Henrik Stenson – citing a distaste that the event is no longer pure knockout – Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Adam Hadwin (getting married – a viable excuse, I suppose) and Rickie Fowler have withdrawn.
That still leaves a fairly stellar field, however. Dustin Johnson is still unbeaten since ascending to world No 1 (OK, he’s only played the one event, the WGC in Mexico, but it was the strongest field of the season anywhere so far).
Rory McIlroy is back at world No 2 thanks to Jason Day’s recent sabbatical with illness and his own charge at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Rory fell short with three bogeys in the last 12 holes to finish tied for fourth, but there were more signs that he’s simmering nicely.
He had a good run to the semi-finals in Austin last year before losing to Day, who is back to defend his title but surely just a little short on miles played to be as dominant as he seemed last year.
Jordan Spieth ought to do well on what is close to home territory, having spent two years at the University of Texas in Austin before he realised a fall-back degree was not going to be necessary. He’ll certainly have lots of local support.
There are more than a few matchplay specialists as well, including Patrick Reed, who comes from a very different part of Texas.
The clamour for a Rory-Reed rematch from Hazeltine is strong, but I’d love to see Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson go head-to-head in what was a better Ryder Cup singles than the one that got the hype. In addition, both are playing better now than they were then.
I’d also keep a weather eye on the succession of young Englishmen in the field. There’s every chance Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrell Hatton could be dangerous. They were pretty handy matchplayers in the amateurs, which wasn’t that long ago.
Other outside tips? Thomas Pieters, who has been quiet this season so far; Brooks Koepka, who hasn’t kicked on quite yet from the Hazeltine experience, either; and Jon Rahm, who is going to win one of these big events really soon.
Day is back to defend but surely a little short of miles to be as dominant as he was last year
Muirfield goes back to being Muirfield
They’ve only got themselves to blame of course, but few organisations in golf get such a bad rap as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.
There we were last week huddled in the Ladies Lounge around captain Henry Fairweather – never will a man vacate that office so willingly, I bet – actually talking about how necessary it would be that new women members adhered to the three-hour fourballs tradition of the club.
Hastily, incoming captain Peter Arthur pointed out that new men in the club were often guilty of not playing quick enough as well. But the spurious notion of the ‘rebel letter’ before the first vote that women = slow play was indulged again.
Speaking of slow, the waiting list as it stands means it could be six years before a woman actually joins. The club won’t fast-track anyone, and their only honorary member is the Duke of Edinburgh.
In truth there should be a woman member in a couple of years. But these are exceptional circumstances, and surely there would be no harm in tweaking the process a little.
It wouldn’t take much work for them to have more female members than Augusta, for example.
Steinberg’s inaccuracies
Tiger Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg lashed out at reports the great one wouldn’t be playing the Masters.
“I couldn’t give you a fair assessment but to say it’s doubtful is an absolute inaccurate statement,” he said.
Absolute inaccurate? Let’s see: Tiger hasn’t been seen since withdrawing from Dubai, and there are two weeks to go. I’d say his presence at Augusta is, by any reasonable measurement, doubtful.
Furthermore, Steinberg himself can’t give a fair assessment. So he’s not certain. Which means he has doubts. Therefore, surely, Tiger’s doubtful for the Masters. It’s absolutely accurate.