Friends & heroes, old & new
The 2021 U.S. Open was one of the most exciting golf championships I have seen in a long time. Lots of big names swapping places high on the leaderboard, and then a birdiebirdie finish from Jon Rahm to clinch his first major title. He did it the hard way, too, visiting bunkers on both of the last two holes; the Spaniard took a route to victory that would have made his childhood hero Seve Ballesteros smile.
Rahm plays with passion and creativity that is reminiscent of Seve, who was one of my heroes as I grew up in the 1980s. (And I am fascinated to see if Rahm can bring some of Seve’s drive and leadership to the Ryder Cup in September.) When Rahm paid tribute to Seve in his winner’s speech at Torrey Pines, I raised my glass to both the late maestro and the young champion. Fittingly, I was drinking the superb Dewar’s 19-Year-Old that the famous Scottish distiller introduced this year to commemorate its own partnership with the U.S. Open. As Rahm wore his gold medal around his neck, I savored a golden dram and found it the perfect way to close a summer’s weekend.
While Rahm was exploring the sand traps of Torrey Pines, we have been busy embracing the theme of exploration in our summer issue. Don’t miss our interview with peerless mountaineer Ed Viesturs, while far closer to sea level I am delighted to report that not only did our intrepid editor make a trip to the Everglades in the name of journalism, but he also returned to tell the tale.
Lastly, I would like to pay tribute to a dear friend of Kingdom magazine who recently passed away, the inimitable Carolyn Giles. Carolyn and her husband Howdy were among Arnold Palmer’s closest friends and have been two of Kingdom’s most enthusiastic supporters. I send all best wishes to the Giles family.
Thinking of friends around the world, the pandemic has prevented me from making my regular visits to and from Europe and further afield. I hope very much that global travel will open up widely soon, and when it does, I look forward to meeting up with old friends and forging new friendships along the way.
Enjoy your summer while it lasts!