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The Massacre at Gleneagles: When Paul McGinley schooled Tom Watson at the Ryder Cup

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:21:57 +0000

Montana Pritchard/PGA of America

On paper, there is nothing especially intriguing about the 2014 Ryder Cup. Historians looking at a list of scores 100 years from now will see nothing more than the continuation of a pattern — a European blowout win at home. And because the final score was so lopsided, these hypothetical historians won’t even be able to read about a hero on the course, or to pinpoint a critical dramatic moment. Without knowing the details of how the blowout came to be, it would be easy to conclude that the Gleneagles Ryder Cup was, well … boring. In fact, those who remember 2014 will recall that this event teemed with melodrama, the most memorable bit playing out when Phil Mickelson made a very public rebuke of US captain Tom Watson — while Watson was sitting on the same stage — during the post-match press conference. If the score on the course looked rather bland by the time Sunday singles came to an end, the intrigue behind closed doors was exquisite.

On one side, you had a US system reeling from decades of losing, the particular heartbreak of blowing a big Sunday lead to the Europeans at home at Medinah in 2012 still fresh in everyone’s collective minds. That led Ted Bishop, PGA of America president, to make the maverick move of naming Watson to the captaincy in 2014. Not only was Watson beloved in Scotland as a five-time Open winner, but he was also the last American captain to win on European soil, back in 1993. In theory, the appointment made sense.

The problem was, Watson was seriously disconnected from modern players, and his instinctual approach to strategy and leadership would end up being very much at odds with what the Ryder Cup required. And it was Watson’s bad luck that on the European side, the captain who survived a tense nomination process would prove to be a brilliant strategist who plotted out his team’s manoeuvers to the last detail. Paul McGinley’s candidacy was challenged by both Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie, but when he was chosen, he set to work unleashing a comprehensive two-year battle plan designed to come together in Scotland.

Paul McGinley. Ian MacNicol

Watson had no idea what he was in for, and the ensuing debacle was notable for how precisely it showcased America’s Ryder Cup shortcomings in the most unflattering light. Decades of mismanagement were magnified, and when it was over, a public confrontation almost felt inevitable. And the great irony about Gleneagles is that by delivering such a thorough beating to the Americans, Paul McGinley and the Europeans may have woken them up for good.

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Scotland’s Ghost Course with UAE links remains one of golf’s modern mysteries

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 06:15:24 +0000

By Jamie Kennedy
Like any good ghost story, this one is based on myth, legends, secrets and a countryside town in rural Scotland.

Blackford in Perth is a town with a population of fewer than 1,000 people. Set in a valley alongside the Gleneagles estate, it is known largely for one reason: It’s the home to Highland Spring, the UK’s leading bottled water company.

It is also home to a championship golf course. Walk around any of Gleneagles courses and you’ll see it. You’ll see the bunker faces, you’ll see the greensites and the tees, you’ll even see the clubhouse.

However, you likely haven’t heard of it and it’s very likely you won’t have played it. No one has. Hence why it has become known as “Scotland’s Ghost Course.”

But how and why? We’ll get there.

Highland Spring is owned by Mahdi Al Tajir, a businessman from the UAE, who once claimed in the 1970s to be the richest man in the world. As recently as 2010, his net worth is believed to be around $2 billion. As well as the water company, he trades in metal, oil and gas and has an extensive property portfolio that includes London’s Park Tower Hotel. Al Tajir also has a love for silver and once bought a silver chandelier at auction for $2.6 million.

When he bought the Blackford estate and a large house on it, he says he was unaware of the potential he was sitting, or rather living, on. The springs of water on the 25,000-acre property are home to fresh, Scottish water, and the story goes that he immediately saw the potential in bottling it and selling it. To many Scots that would be seen as selling ice to Eskimos as the country takes pride in its clean, drinkable tap water. However, Al Tajir pursued the idea and in 2021 the company’s sales were more than $10 million.

Having created yet another fortune in Scotland, Al Tajir was keen to invest more in the country. Having undoubtedly seen the success of neighbouring Gleneagles, known as “the playground for the rich and famous”, his plan was to develop a similarly lavish project consisting of a six-star hotel, around 200 homes of values up to $4 million and yes, of course, a championship golf course.

The project was to be named gWest.

Not afraid to invest in the best, Al Tajir hired David McLay Kidd to design the course. Kidd had recently finished work on Bandon Dunes and was in the middle of opening the Castle Course at St Andrews. He was young, ambitious and just what Al Tajir believed gWest needed.

Kidd would describe the Blackford estate as “without question, the best inland site I’ve ever seen for a golf course”.

It was even complemented with a bold, new clubhouse. Known by locals as “The Mosque” for its domed design, it was inspired by Colen Campbell, a noted 18th-century Scottish architect, and was created by GAJ architects, whose other works include the striking clubhouse at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. gWest’s website says “the design focuses on symmetry, with terraces on all four sides to maximise enjoyment of the impressive views.”

The strange thing is that view does not include golfers.

Despite the exhaustive process and efforts to build the course, the bold clubhouse and even the full-time maintenance stuff, the course is not open. It has never opened.

The family has cited various reasons in interviews for not fully developing gWest and opening the course, from Brexit to financial crashes and political reasoning. However, the 7,300-yard layout remains intact. It remains maintained. Yet, it remains closed.

Other than the course’s website, which greets you with a title of “Scotland’s best kept secret,” the only known rounds to have been played at the Ghost Course were by the family, particularly Mohsin Al Tajir, son of Mahdi. He told a BBC podcast he’s played the course several times and described it as a “modern” layout, further explaining he doesn’t enjoy overly hard or challenging architecture.

As to the ending of this ghost story and where it might lead?

Mohsin says “eventually when the economy picks up in Scotland and we can see what is happening in the future, we will develop it properly.”

So, for now, that is where our story ends. However, stay tuned for the sequel when “Scotland’s Ghost Course” may indeed come to life.

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Luke Donald will oversee a Ryder Cup preview with the return of a match-play event between GB&I and continental Europe

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 05:03:33 +0000

Luke Donald talks to the media during a press conference prior to the BMW PGA Championship. Ross Kinnaird

By John Huggan
In the wake of what turned out to be a highly successful Ryder Cup captaincy at Gleneagles in 2014, Paul McGinley was quick to pay tribute to the positive experience he gained while skippering Great Britain & Ireland against the Continent of Europe in the eventually defunct Seve Trophy. And now Luke Donald, who will lead Europe in the Ryder Cup in Italy in 2023, is to be given a similar opportunity to flex his captaincy muscles.

In January, a new match-play contest between GB&I and the continent will take place at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Two 10-man teams will compete over three days, Jan. 13-15, for the Hero Cup, with Donald over-seeing the roles of the two as-yet unnamed captains. Twenty points will be available over the course of the three sessions—five foursomes, five four-balls and 10 singles.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of this week’s BMW PGA Championship—an event Donald has won twice—the 43-year-old Englishman was quick to confirm the potential benefits that the Hero Cup will bring. Both for himself and for prospective team members.

“I’ve talked to a few of my predecessors over the last month or so and they all identified the Seve Trophy as an important part of the journey towards becoming a Ryder Cup player or captain,” Donald said. “It’s nice to create team events that get players together. It will be especially useful for players who have not been involved before. This event is part of the process to get them understanding how important they are. We’ll be trying to get as good a field as possible.”

MORE: Matt Fitzpatrick wants more respect for DP World Tour in new world order

On that front, Donald is almost certain to be without the four Europeans—Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick—who won events during the just-finishes 2021-22 PGA Tour season. All are more than likely to be in Hawaii to compete in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, one week before the Hero Cup. Still, as Donald pointed out, the match in the Middle East will be useful practice for those who have less extensive experience of team golf.

Where the former World No. 1 was less definitive was when the inevitable question regarding LIV golfers came up: Will they be eligible for the Ryder Cup? And, to his credit, Donald did a pretty good impersonation of a politician by answering another question altogether.

“All I can control is right now and the decisions in front of me,” he said. “That’s something totally out of my control. It’s going to be down the road. I’ll deal with it when it comes. There have been many challenges from different Ryder Cups in the past. Sam Torrance had to have a team [picked in 2001 but playing in 2002 due to 9/11 delaying the event] that a year later, some of the players weren’t playing nearly as well when they were picks. Monty had an issue with the weather (2010 at Celtic Manor) and had to completely change the format. There have always been challenges.”

What Donald did reveal is that one of his vice-captains, Edoardo Molinari, will be handling the statistical side of the Ryder Cup operation, both when it comes to the six captain’s picks available and the subsequent pairings once the side is finalized.

“Statistically, it makes sense for us to have six picks,” Donald said. “I didn’t really see any downside with having more picks. I think form leading up to a Ryder Cup is key, and that will give us an opportunity to see who is playing the best. I think a few of the picks will probably be self-explanatory, and it’s nice to have other picks to round out the team, create great partnerships, great foursomes and fourball pairings that really work. I’ll also be looking at players that suit the course at Marco Simone. So having six picks is nice. It gives me a lot of flexibility to really choose the strongest lineup.”

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Senior Open Championship: Darren Clarke gets win he most desired in wet finish at Gleneagles

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 05:40:52 +0000

By John Huggan
It remains to be seen what Darren Clarke will come up with to celebrate the year 2033. For now, though, it is enough to know that the burly Northern Irishman has added the 2022 Senior Open title to his 2011 Open Championship victory. Closely challenged by a sizeable squad of regular and senior major winners, Clarke’s closing 69 over the endlessly picturesque King’s Course at Gleneagles was just enough to see off all-comers and claim the $432,080 first-place cheque.

Irishman Padraig Harrington shot a 67 to push Clarke all the way, but he was one shot shy — and one shot clear of a six-strong pack including Ernie Els, Steve Alker and Paul Broadhurst in third place.

It took a bit longer to than normal to sort out all of the above though. Clarke’s 72-hole aggregate of 10-under 270 was achieved only after a two-hour delay caused by torrential rain late on Sunday evening. Nine-under and standing on the 14th fairway when play was halted, Clarke (eventually) failed to birdie the almost-drivable par 4 and gave fresh hope to the pushing pack. And soon enough, they took advantage. Within minutes, Alker (at the 15th), Thongchai Jaidee (16th), Els (18th) and Harrington (17th), the recent US Senior Open champion, all made birdies to advance their respective causes.

Significantly, however, only Harrington, who made a second birdie on the par-5 closing hole, did enough to get to Clarke’s nine-under. But it wasn’t really enough. Not quite. When (as more rain poured down) the burly Northern Irishman made a 4 of his own at the 18th, two-putting from long range, he created the edge he needed to become only the fourth man after Gary Player, Bob Charles and Tom Watson to complete the Open and Senior Open double.

That fact clearly meant a lot.

“I’ve made no secret of the fact that I wanted to win this more than anything after I turned 50,” said Clarke, which he did in August 2018. “As a kid I wanted to win the Open Championship. As a senior, this was always the one for me. This trophy will look good sitting beside the other one. I’m humbled and privileged to have my name on both alongside some legends of the game.”

He's done the double! @DarrenClarke60 wins The #SeniorOpen Presented by @ROLEX ? pic.twitter.com/m02iHvqPPz

— Legends Tour (@euLegendsTour) July 24, 2022

And the conditions? Not a problem for an Ulsterman.

“I grew up playing in stuff like this,” Clarke said. “It doesn’t make it any easier though. It was a battle. Pars were a bit of a prisoner out there. But I was cruising until I made a terrible swing on the 10th. All of sudden, an easy birdie became a bad bogey. I hit some good shots from there, but the putter was a bit cold. I didn’t hole much of any note. but getting down in two putts from 70-odd feet on the last was obviously pleasing. It was the percentage play, even if the two-footer I had left still had to be knocked in.”

One thing Clarke will not be doing is repeating the all-night celebration in the wake of his Open triumph 11 years ago, one that saw him turn up for a Monday morning press conference somewhat the worse for wear. “This trophy doesn’t hold as much,” he said with a smile.

Of the challengers, Harrington will have most cause for regret. The two-time Open champion struck the ball with his usual authority but missed an awful lot of makable putts, most of them for birdies. And eagles. Two in his last five holes to be precise, at the 14th and the fateful last.

Clarke though has every right to be pleased with himself. This was a performance of the highest class in trying circumstances and against a chasing pack containing, at various times in the final round, as many as seven major champions, both regular and senior.

One last thing. The winning score even had a touch of irony about it. The last time Clarke played 72-competitive holes over the King’s Course was in the 1994 Scottish Open. Back then, he also shot 270, good enough for only a T-5 finish. Things in golf do change, some of them for the better.”

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Senior Open: Paul Broadhurst and Darren Clarke set for final day battle at Gleneagles

Matt Smith — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 08:34:25 +0000

By Matt Smith
Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke birdied the last to join Paul Broadhurst at the top of the leaderboard ahead of the final round of the Senior Open at Gleneagles.

The 53-year-old entered the third round with a two-stroke lead but, despite giving himself chances, could only post a one-under 69 as England’s Broadhurst went three strokes better to share the lead on nine-under.

The Englishman, who won the Senior Open in 2016, responded to a bogey at the 12th with a trio of birdies from the 13th to card his four under round of 66 and put the pressure on Clarke with the rain getting heavier as the day went on.

Clarke dropped back-to-back shots on the 12th and 13th but steadied the ship to par his way in before his closing birdie ensured he would take a share of the lead into the final round where he will bid to add The Senior Open trophy to the Claret Jug he won in 2011.

The duo is one stroke clear of New Zealand’s Steven Alker and American Jerry Kelly, both Senior Major Champions, who share third place on eight-under. Eight-time European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie is the leading Scotsman in a share for fifth place on six-under, alongside Australian Stuart Appleby, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and major champions Ernie Els and Pádraig Harrington.

Four-time Senior Open winner Bernhard Langer is a shot further back in a tie for 10th place alongside South Africa’s James Kingston.

“I’ve gone out there and I’ve played nicely all day,” said Clarke. “I’ve given myself chance after chance. I’ve hit good putts. They just haven’t gone in. I’ve hit 17 greens leading the tournament and played lovely. At least one decided to go in at the last.

“Everybody has practised and we got some rain today and I lost my speed. It was difficult with the moisture but it’s the same for everybody.

The 2011 Open champion added: “It would be pretty cool to have both of them sitting beside each other, you know what I mean. I would love to win the Senior Open as well as the main Open.

“Tomorrow I give myself an opportunity again. I did it last year, and I gave myself an opportunity. Felt like I didn’t quite play well enough on the Sunday. Doddy came through and played great. Hopefully hit a couple more putts and give myself a better chance coming down the last few holes.”

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Classy Darren Clarke claims Senior Open lead at Gleneagles

Matt Smith — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 09:34:23 +0000

By Matt Smith
Darren Clarke once again turned on the style on the back nine to post a three under par round of 67 and take a two-stroke lead into the weekend of the Senior Open.

The Northern Irishman leads on eight-under at Gleneagles, two strokes clear of American Scott Parel, after four back-nine birdies saw him set the target before the temperature dropped in the afternoon and made it difficult for anyone to challenge his lead.

The 2011 Open Champion made the turn in one-over after bogeys at the second and seventh sandwiched a birdie at the fourth, before going on to mirror his back nine from the opening day with birdies at the 10th, 14th, 15th and 18th.

Clarke, who has three wins on the PGA TOUR Champions since turning 50, is in pole position to claim his first Senior Major Championship with two rounds to play, but he will need to fend off a star-studded leaderboard if he is to become only the fourth man to win both The Open Championship and The Senior Open.

Fellow former Champion Golfers of the Year Ernie Els and Pádraig Harrington, who will also bid to join Bob Charles, Gary Player and Tom Watson in completing the historic double, are three strokes back in a share for third place on five-under, alongside four-time Senior Open Champion Bernhard Langer, 2016 winner Paul Broadhurst, American duo Kent Jones and Jerry Kelly, Canadian Stephen Ames and South African David Frost.

“Around the front nine today, I was so-so,” said Clarke. “I slipped. My right foot slipped a couple of times. But apart from that, I played really nicely. I’m trying to hit a lot of fairways and give myself decent looks. All the way around the back nine, I kept hitting nice shots. And could have been a few better. But, you know, it’s the way it is.

“There’s a few flags that were out there today as well that you just cannot go after. You’ve got to hit away from those as well. So they’re a little bit linksy as well.

“With the fairways being as good as they are, as tight as they are, you can really nip one. I got a little bit too much spin on the second shot into 17. But if you’re striking the ball, you can still spin it quite a bit.

“So it gives you opportunity. If you keep it in the fairway around here, you can score. But if you start missing the fairways, it’s going to be a struggle because you’re playing for fliers and the ball is releasing as much, you never know how far or short of the green or whatever. But the fact is so far I’ve done a decent job to get them on the fairways.”

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Glen Day earns share of Senior Open lead at Gleneagles despite losing clubs

Matt Smith — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 06:37:23 +0000

By Matt Smith
Unheralded American Glen Day eagled the last hole to take a share of the Senior Open lead, despite playing with a new set of clubs after his failed to arrive from the United States.

The American converted an eight-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole of the King’s Course to post a six-under round of 64 and join Stephen Ames at the top of the leaderboard at Gleneagles, following the Canadian’s bogey-free target-setter earlier in the day.

Day’s closing eagle was the final stroke of a red-hot putting performance, for which he credited countryman Wes Short Jnr following a pre-tournament putting lesson in Perthshire after a period of struggle on the greens.

The leading duo are one stroke clear of a star-studded chasing pack, including past winner Paul Broadhurst, 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke, 2020 Senior Players winner Jerry Kelly and Kent Jones, of the United States, who progressed through a play-off in Monday Qualifying to book his spot at Gleneagles.

Three-time major champ Pádraig Harrington enjoyed a positive start to his Senior Open debut with a four-under 66, leaving him in a share of seventh place alongside six others, including fellow debutant and 2010 BMW PGA Champion Simon Khan and two-time Champion Golfer of the Year Ernie Els.

“I putted great,” said Day. “I really have to, I’ve got to give some credit to Wes Short. We are staying together this week and he gave me a little putting lesson, and for the first time, I made a lot of putts today, so that was it.

“We played late obviously. No wind. Very rarely have I ever played over here, been this calm and easy. So yeah, they are there, but you have to hit good shots. If you hit good shots and make putts, good things happen.

“I have nothing with me. I didn’t even get my golf clubs. I had to get another set of clubs, and this is a new putter and a driver that I didn’t hit very well. Everything is — no. I have no reason to believe I would play good today.”

Harrington added: “I’m happy with that score. I was very tentative. I putted well and my putter saved me most of the day.”

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Remembering the greatest individual tournament finish in golf history 30 years later

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 09:57:03 +0000

By John Huggan
Have a wee think about this one: In the long history of professional golf, what constitutes the best-ever finish to a tournament by the eventual winner?

There are many contenders, Cameron Smith’s 64 at St Andrews on Sunday to win the 150th Open Championship joining the list. Some could point to Charl Schwartzel’s four straight closing birdies to clinch the 2011 Masters. Shaun Micheel’s wondrous 7-iron to within six inches of the flag on the final hole at Oak Hill will no doubt provide the 2003 PGA champion with some support. And those of a more elderly vintage might go for Arnold Palmer’s final-round 65 at Cherry Hills in 1960, a score that gave ‘The King’ his only US Open victory.

There are plenty of others, of course. And every one, no doubt, comes with a powerful/logical argument in its favour. But, in the end, they all come up short.

Here is your champion, your No. 1, the undoubted best of the best, the finish and finisher that finishes any and all debate about finishing.

The record book baldly states that Peter O’Malley — ‘Pom’ to his friends — shot 262, 18-under, at Gleneagles to win the 1992 Bell’s Scottish Open by two shots from eight-time European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie. Nick Faldo, who would go to Muirfield and win the Open Championship for a third time a week later, tied for third. Two other Masters winners, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam, occupied spots in the top 10.

But even that star-studded list of the vanquished only hints at what transpired three decades ago on the endlessly scenic Kings Course that this week plays host the British Senior Open. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is how the genial O’Malley, a stocky Australian known for his metronomic full swing and sometimes dodgy putting stroke, performed over the closing stretch that momentous day to win the first of three European Tour titles:
Eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle.

No, not a misprint. Seven-under. For five holes.

“When Nick Faldo and I arrived on the 14th tee, there was a bit of a delay,” recalls O’Malley, 27 at the time, who was one-under for the round at that point. “Nick isn’t known for talking much, but we actually had a conversation. I can’t remember what he said … I was probably too surprised that he was actually speaking to take anything in. Then again, at that stage I was more concerned with winning one of the five spots available in the Open.”

Faldo had the honour and found the front-left bunker at the green on the drivable par 4. O’Malley’s drive finished maybe 20 feet from the hole, which is when the soon-to-be champion got his big break.

“Nick’s bunker shot finished just outside my ball and on the same line, which was a big bonus for me,” O’Malley says. “He hit a great putt, but it broke a huge amount in the last couple of feet. So I got a great read. I’m sure I wouldn’t have holed my putt had it not been for Nick showing me the line. I probably would have hit the putt he did. But I didn’t. I can still remember the roar I got when I holed it. The noise was incredible. There was a big crowd watching us, Nick was World No. 1, and the atmosphere walking to the next tee was amazing. I had goosebumps when I got there.”

O’Malley’s drive off the 15th tee was uncharacteristically wayward, “the worst shot I hit all day.” But he got lucky.

“I hit it far enough right that I was on the spectator’s walkway,” explains O’Malley, whose other claim to fame in a long career came 10 years later, when he defeated Tiger Woods in the first round of the 2002 WGC-Accenture Match Play at La Costa (“Tiger putted like Pom and Pom putted like Tiger,” jokes former European Tour player Mike Clayton). “That was a big break. I had a good lie. And I hit a really good 5-iron to about 15 feet. When the putt was halfway to the cup, I knew it was going in. The 16th is the little par 3, and I hit an 8-iron to about 15 feet again. I was feeling pretty confident by that stage, and it went in again for birdie. It wasn’t until then that I thought I could win. Although I was really pumped up, that was the first time I had felt adrenaline and been able to control it.”

Montgomerie remembers O’Malley’s play from that day … and the Scottish saltire on his sweater. David Cannon

After another birdie on the par-4 17th, that surge of internal energy was to prove useful on the par-5 18th. The closing hole features a saddle across the fairway at what was an awkward distance for O’Malley. For him, an average drive would fail to carry the rise and leave him unable to reach the distance green in two. Happily though, for a pumped-up Pom it proved no problem.

“I hit one of the best drives of my life there,” he says. “I was still using a persimmon driver and flew it over the hill. Faldo couldn’t do it. He wasn’t that long off the tee for such a big man. I hit a 6-iron right at the flag and had about 15 feet for eagle. I saw the line and just stroked the putt. It wasn’t until the ball struck the back of the cup and jumped up that I realized I had maybe hit it a bit too hard. But it went in. At the time I didn’t realize I had won. There were a few groups still on the course. But I was aware of what I had just done.”

A couple of hours later, O’Malley and girlfriend (now wife) Jill were back at the Gleneagles Hotel. Due to pre-qualify for the Open at North Berwick the following day, he had checked-out that morning.

“They were very nice and gave us a suite at the same room rate I had paid for the previous nights,” O’Malley says. “We had dinner with a group of friends. I spent more on that meal than I had for everything else that week. The next day we checked into a B&B at North Berwick. When we went to a local pub for something to eat, everyone in there knew me. It really brought it home to me what a big deal golf is in Scotland. I’ll never forget that.”

O’Malley celebrates his out-of-nowhere victory. David Cannon

Oddly, the same cannot be said for Faldo. Asked for his memories of O’Malley’s incredible finish, the CBS commentator was stuck for words. Actually, not quite. “I love it when people think just because you were there you can remember what someone else did,” shrugged the six-time major champion.

Runner-up Montgomerie, who played that day in a sweater emblazoned with the Scottish Saltire, hasn’t forgotten though. Years later, the Scot bumped into O’Malley at a tournament.

“I was thinking of you yesterday,” said Monty, who shares a birthday, June 23, with the Aussie.

“Oh really? Why was that?”

“I got a couple of boxes in the mail from my ex-wife. In one was that bloody Saltire jumper.”

Three decades on, O’Malley still gets people reminding him of what went on July 11, 1992.

“It’s amazing what happened,” he agrees. “I’ve always had bursts like that though, where I start to make putts one after the other. But that was the most significant of those. It was a fantastic feeling and finish.”

The best ever actually.

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QUICKSHOT: Gleneagles Golf Resort

Kent Gray — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:30:52 +0000

Jack Nicklaus and five times Open champion James Braid are the architects of the four courses at this perfect Perthshire getaway

By Kent Gray
Captain Catriona Matthew and her European upstarts deservedly earned the main plaudits at last September’s Solheim Cup but there was a hidden hero with Dubai connections behind the scenes at Gleneagles. Former Emirates Golf Club superintendent Craig Haldane was responsible for the world-class presentation of the Jack Nicklaus-designed Centenary course where Matthew’s side edged Juli Inkster’s Team USA 14½-13½ to win the biennial competition for the first time since 2013. The Centenary course previously hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup but Haldane and his team are doing a grand job on all four courses at the fabled Perthshire venue, including here on the par-3 13th on the Queen’s Course which has been beautified with recently planted heather areas between the tee and the green. Gleneagles celebrated its golfing centenary in 2019 and with so many picturesque holes on offer, a stay and play at the historic Gleneagles Hotel is a must for golf aficionados.

gleneagles.com

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Two members of Team Europe who deserve a lot of credit for the win

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 02:19:10 +0000

Celine Boutier (R) and Georgia Hall (L) of Team Europe celebrate a putt on the tenth hole during Day 1 of The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles on September 13, 2019, in Auchterarder, Scotland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

By Keely Levins
GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Suzann Pettersen was all anyone was talking about after she made her birdie putt on 18 to win the Solheim Cup for Europe on Sunday. The nine-time Solheim Cup participant continued to dominate the conversation afterwards when she announced she was retiring from professional golf after making that putt. But while all of this is going on, let’s not forget two other players who deserve a lot of the credit for Europe’s win: Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall. Each posted 4-0-0 records for the week, and together they earned five of Europe’s 14½ points at Gleneagles.

Like Pettersen, Catriona Matthew took Boutier with one of her captain’s picks. The 25-year-old from France won her first LPGA event in February, the ISPS Handa Vic Open. She then went on to top-10 finish in two major championships, making her a sensible choice.

ANDY BUCHANAN
Boutier earned more points than any Solheim Cup rookie in the event’s history.

Matthew paired the Duke University graduate with Hall, who was playing in her second Solheim Cup after making her debut two years ago in at Des Moines Country Club. The duo were an instant hit, winning all three of the matches they play together in

First they beat Lexi Thompson and Brittany Altomare in Friday foursomes, 2 and 1, and rested that afternoon. They reunited in Saturday morning foursomes and beat Ally McDonald and Lizette Salas, 3 and 2, before defeating McDonald and Angel Yin, 2 up, in four-ball. That victory was particularly impressive given that Hall and Boutier had been 4 down through seven holes.

When they split up on Sunday for singles, they were successful again. Boutier defeated Annie Park, 2 and 1, and Hall beat Lexi Thompson, 2 and 1.

“Obviously, Celine and Georgia winning, going four for four [was important],” Matthew said. “To come and do that in your first Solheim Cup, hats off and a tremendous performance, Celine. Well done.”

David Cannon
Hall beat Lexi Thompson, the top-ranked player on the American team, in Sunday singles.

Matthew cited similarities in their personalities to explain why she put them together. Both are quiet, reserved players, more so than others on their team.

“We thought Celine’s got a great short game, great putter. And Georgia loves hitting her longer irons,” Matthew said. “We felt it was a natural fit.”

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