Lucky fans rewarded with a near-perfect day of sport
GOLF is by no means a fast-paced, thrill-a-second, all-action sport guaranteed to keep the heart rate at Olympic levels for a solid two-hour stretch. But it is ours. And yesterday, on a beautiful stretch of East Lothian links, it came home. For the first time since the Dunhill Links Championship in September 2019, Scottish fans were permitted entry to watch the game’s elite players do battle in a top-level European Tour event. While they may have been relatively few in number, with Covid restrictions imposing strict limits on ticket sales, the collective joy of simply being back at live sport permeated every corner of the course at the Renaissance Club. From the front-line workers who had been handed tickets as a gesture of thanks for their efforts in the pandemic, to the kids more than happy to be handed an over-sized ice cream as a bribe for traipsing up hill and down dale in the wake of mum and dad, this was all about a proper oldfashioned sporting experience. Whether it was the diehards there to see Robert MacIntyre tee off in bright sunshine at just after 8am, or the late arrivals planning to stay until the very last putt was sunk, the sense of enjoyment was palpable. The only thing golf has going against it, apart from some of the clobber, is the early starts. Those who pitched up in good time to see MacIntyre tee off in the company of Lee Westwood and Collin Morikawa yesterday could feel both righteous and rewarded, though, by the experience. For starters, it was a simply glorious morning. No wonder so many were gathered around the tenth tee to watch this big-name trio start their day on the back nine. MacIntyre and Westwood both birdied the par five, with the 24-year-old Scot showing off his brilliant scrambling skills to hole out from the fringe. When the local favourite then birdied the next thanks to a superb approach shot, well, maybe it was just the first four cups of coffee kicking in. But suddenly everyone had an extra spring in their step. Even MacIntyre beginning to struggle didn’t dampen the mood too much. Thanks, in no small part, to the man himself refusing to be knocked off course. Playing the third, his 12th, the lefty sent his drive miles right into the woods — and was grateful for the presence of fans to help look for his ball. After a lengthy delay and consultation with a roaming rules official, MacIntyre decided to play out backwards, with a well-struck three-wood and two excellent putts seeing him escape with a par. It was, on balance, a perfect example of what golf is. A lot of waiting. Plenty of frustration. But, every now and then, moments that make ordinary mortals simply shake their head in disbelieving admiration. Those lucky enough to have been on site were rewarded for their powers of endurance, their indefatigability, their achievement in simply making it through the past 18 months with body and soul (mainly) intact — by a near-perfect day of sport.