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Spectator
6 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
The Donald and the art of golf diplomacy
In 1969, one of the great acts of sportsmanship occurred at Royal Birkdale golf club in Southport, when the Ryder Cup came down to the last green. Britain's Tony Jacklin had a three-foot putt to halve the final match with Jack Nicklaus and make the score 16-16, but the American picked up Jacklin's marker and said he was happy to share the spoils. 'I don't think you would have missed,' he said, 'but I didn't want to give you the chance.' The gesture was immortalised in the naming of a Florida golf course, the Concession, which has just been awarded the next three senior PGA Championships, one of the majors. I suspect that Donald Trump, who owns three courses in that state, might regard Nicklaus as a loser. The coat of arms for Trump's latest course in Scotland has the motto Numquam Concedere ('never let them have a gimme', to paraphrase) and the emblem of an eagle clutching two balls. Subtle. Police and protestors are ready for Trump's visit to Aberdeenshire this weekend, where he will open the course at Menie, which is due to be named the MacLeod after his mother and has, the family boasts, 'the largest sand dunes in Scotland'. That might trigger environmentalists, since the ancient links has lost its Site of Special Scientific Interest status as a result of Trump's development. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to travel north during the visit to bend a knee and watch Trump drive, since the way to the President's heart is by admiring his swing. One of the things Trump would most like the Prime Minister to bring as a gift is the right to host the Open Championship, which was held last week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. When Trump bought the Turnberry course in Ayrshire in 2014, it was with the expectation that the Open would follow. The R&A, which organises the Open, initially made positive noises and it is believed the course had been earmarked to host the tournament in 2020. Turnberry is undeniably a magnificent course, rated the eighth finest outside the US by Golf Digest, and it has hosted four excellent Opens including in 1977, when Nicklaus slugged it out for four days with Tom Watson, and the Open in 2009, when Watson almost won again at the age of 59. It would be a more than worthy venue. Then Trump decided to become president, and his controversial comments made people feel uneasy. In 2015, Peter Dawson, the outgoing chief executive of the R&A, said that a bit of time should pass before returning to Turnberry. His successor, Martin Slumbers, took a harder line, saying it could not be held there because the focus would be on the course's owner rather than the golfers. This came after the PGA of America removed the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump's Bedminster course in New Jersey following the attack on the Capitol in 2021. Since then, the position against giving Trump an Open has become more nuanced. Mark Darbon, the new R&A chief executive, says he would 'love' the Open to return to Turnberry but while he has discussed it recently with Eric Trump, Donald's son, there are 'logistical challenges'. The course is in the middle of nowhere and the transport links and hotel accommodation can't cope. Only 120,000 could attend Turnberry in 2009, while 280,000 came to Portrush. Sorry Donald, nothing personal. A feasibility study, that old favourite for kicking things into the long grass (and the rough can be very long at the Open), has been commissioned to ease the political pressure. If that fails, they can fall back on Sir Humphrey's 'in the fullness of time' tactic. The next two Opens have been allocated – Birkdale in 2026 and St Andrews in 2027 – and it is believed that Muirfield in East Lothian, which last hosted an Open in 2013, will be given 2028 as the reward for agreeing to allow women members. The last time three successive Opens were held in Scotland was 1893, so that means we're looking at 2030, when Trump will be 84 and (presumably) no longer in the White House. This may be nudged back even further if there are difficult scenes at the Ryder Cup in late September, to be held in Bethpage, New York, where the fans are notoriously raucous. Trump will surely be there on the tee, a week after his state visit to Britain, having missed the chance to host a Ryder Cup in his first term. It was to be at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, in 2020, a few weeks before he fought re-election, but was postponed by the pandemic. A US win might have swayed the election for him. He will not miss this Ryder Cup but if it is a rowdy one – expect no sporting concessions this time – the R&A may find a new reason to delay a decision. One thing that is certain about Trump's visit to Aberdeenshire is that he will have a GREAT opening round. He is a more than decent golfer to judge by footage (though his declared handicap of 2.8 raises eyebrows), but he has never knowingly played badly, certainly not at a club he owns. Two weeks ago, he won the members' championship at Bedminster yet again, while in 2023 he won a two-day competition at his West Palm Beach course, despite being 600 miles away on the first day. Trump explained that he'd had a brilliant practice round two days before and so submitted that as his Saturday scorecard in absentia, meaning the field began Sunday five strokes behind. This performance, Trump declared, proved that he had the 'strength and stamina' to deserve a second term. He certainly has the sneakiness and chutzpah, though he falls a long way behind Kim Jong-il, the Eternal Scratch Champion of Pyong-yang, who famously once had five holes-in-one during a round that was 38 under par. Trump and Kim's sporting prowess matches that of Vladimir Putin, who has scored eight goals in an ice hockey match three times, and Mao Zedong, who was said to have swum ten miles of the Yangtze in just over an hour. It was ever thus with vain leaders, whose sporting boasts are rarely challenged. The Emperor Nero competed at the Olympics in the race for four-horse chariots, steering a vehicle pulled by ten horses. The excessive horsepower meant Nero crashed at the first corner, but he successfully persuaded the judges to award him the laurels since he should have won. Trump's latest visit to Bedminster put him within sight of Barack Obama in the list of golf-mad presidents. Obama played 306 rounds while in office, and Trump is now up to 304 after six months of his second term. During the 2016 election, Trump claimed he would be too busy to play golf as president. He then squeezed in 11 rounds in his first eight weeks. This term, he was back on the course on Day 6. And again on Day 7. Trump is also not far behind Bill Clinton, the only president whose handicap went down in the White House – but he has some way to go to beat the top two. Dwight Eisenhower notched up 800 rounds in office, some quite iffy. Bob Hope quipped: 'If Eisenhower slices the budget like he slices a golf ball, the nation has nothing to worry about.' Way out in front is Woodrow Wilson, who played every other day during the first world war, including at the Versailles peace conference, but he remained mediocre. As a presidential duffer, he comes behind William Taft, who once recorded a 27 on one hole, including 17 to get out of a bunker, but believed that it was gentlemanly to be honest. 'There is nothing which furnishes a greater test of character and self-restraint than golf,' Taft said. Trump takes a different view, which is why it is unsurprising that world leaders now see golf as a tool of diplomacy. Shinzo Abe, the deceased former prime minister of Japan, played five rounds with Trump and in 2016 gave him a $3,700 golden driver. Abe did so well out of this that Yoon Suk Yeol, the President of South Korea, took up the sport to help his own diplomatic game. Nigel Farage's close friendship with Trump may in part be due to this shared interest – the Reform UK leader says he almost took up a US college golf scholarship – though Farage's bad back doesn't allow him to play any more. When Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House in May, the South African President took with him a pair of major-winning golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, in the hope that it would impress Trump. Alexander Stubb, the Finnish President and a former college golfer in South Carolina, negotiated the purchase by the US of some Finnish icebreakers after he played (and won) a tournament in Palm Beach with Trump as his partner in March. That will be the challenge for Starmer when he pays homage. Unlike David Cameron, who rewarded Obama for his Brexit intervention in 2016 with a round at the Grove in Hertfordshire, Starmer can't fake an interest in golf. He was the first prime minister to reject honorary membership of the Ellesborough golf club near Chequers. Perhaps he will bring a star golfer like Sir Nick Faldo with him to swing for Britain. Starmer did have a professional golfer on his backbenches in Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, but the Socialist Campaign Group member, who recently lost the whip for rebelling, will surely not play ball. How about the Paymaster General? Nick Thomas-Symonds's skill with a mashie niblick is unknown, but he was named Nicklaus by a golf-mad father. For diplomatic reasons, Starmer may want to allow Trump to say that his course was blessed by a British Nicklaus. Just don't expect the President to concede any short putts.
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Tiger Woods' Legendary Ex-Caddie Names Most Important Win of Career
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After nearly 30 years as a professional golfer, more than 100 wins, and 15 major championship titles, it's difficult to pinpoint a specific turning point in Tiger Woods' career. However, there is no one better to do so than Steve Williams, the legendary caddie who worked with Woods during his most prolific years. At the launch of his book, "Together We Roared", in his native New Zealand, Williams surprised everyone by pointing out the title that might have been most important in building the life-long legacy Woods went on to build. And his assessment will very likely surprise you, until you understand the reasoning. Tiger Woods' Turning Point You were very likely thinking about one of his five Masters Tournament victories. But, you should know that Williams does not see it that way. "Winning your second major is probably the most difficult thing there is in golf," the legendary caddie said. "It's a lot of times you fall into the first one or you win it because you're not thinking of all the circumstances that go and how hard it is, but winning your second one is the hardest thing there is and for him it was no different." 15 Aug 1999: Tiger Woods poses with his trophy after winning the PGA Championships at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. 15 Aug 1999: Tiger Woods poses with his trophy after winning the PGA Championships at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Winning the 1999 PGA Championship title is the turning point of Woods' career, according to Williams. He explained it from the perspective of the morale boost it represents for any player. "If Tiger hadn't won the PGA [Championship] in '99, he would have entered the 2000 season still searching for that second major, and that would have been, you know, that might have been too much stress for him. He may not have had the career that he had," he said. Woods won at Medinah with a score of 11-under, one stroke ahead of Sergio Garcia. Williams was a first-row witness, having begun working with Tiger earlier that season. The veteran caddie illustrated his remarks with examples of how difficult it is to win a second major title: "Look at Adam Scott on Sunday [at this past U.S. Open}, look at Justin Rose in the last two majors. These are two guys that are desperately trying to get to their second major championship, it's just nearly impossible. It's not impossible, but it's hard to do." "Look at [2005 US Open winner, Kiwi] Michael Campbell, and the list goes on of how many players, and Tiger was no different." After winning the 1999 PGA Championship, Woods enjoyed the most successful period of his career, which ended in 2009 and included 60 of his 82 PGA Tour victories. Twelve of those titles were major championships. "Together We Roared" is a book written by Steve Williams and Evin Priest that chronicles the 15-time major winner's career during the 12 years Williams caddied for him. It was an impressive run that included no fewer than 13 major titles. Woods and Williams parted ways in 2011. The legendary player has also worked with other illustrious caddies, such as Mike "Fluff" Cowan and Joe LaCava. More Golf: PGA Tour pro give surprising impression of young Rory McIlroy
Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
LIV ace apologises for 'unfair' comment after US Open star accused of vandalism
Wyndham Clark was accused of vandalising the locker room at Oakmont after missing the cut at the US Open, and LIV Golf's Graeme McDowell took to his socials to defend the 31-year-old LIV Golf star Graeme McDowell has performed a U-turn on his comments about the vandalism allegations pointed at Wyndham Clark, admitting that his remarks were "unfair". Clark missed the cut at the US Open by a single stroke on Thursday and Friday as many players grappled with rough conditions at the Oakmont Country Club. After lockers in the Oakmont's historic changing rooms were found damaged, supposedly in a fit of anger, Clark was fingered by certain quarters as the culprit. In the midst of the commotion, McDowell, 45, jumped to Clark's defence on social media, while hinting at a previous incident involving another player who allegedly conducted himself in similar fashion years ago. "This is minimal regards what I've seen other players do. Players you would never expect. Oakmont will test any players mental fortitude. Seen it in person. Guess who? 2016," McDowell teased cryptically on X. The 2010 US Open champion has since retracted his initial comments. "Just to clarify a couple of things from my tweet on Saturday," McDowell posted on Monday. "No, I do not condone that type of behaviour and damaging property in historic sites like Oakmont. I'm sure Wyndham will pay for any damage and apologise to relevant people. I also believe sporting locker rooms are sanctuaries and what happens there, should stay there. "The part when I said 'guess who' was unfair on my part because I would never out a fellow pro in that scenario. What happens in those private sporting areas is not for public consumption in my opinion." The notoriously difficult Oakmont course saw some of golf's biggest names lose their cool, as J.J. Spaun secured his first major. However, none matched the severity of the allegations levelled at Clark after photos of the heavily damaged lockers in the clubhouse began to circulate, as per the Mirror US. Tron Carter from No Laying Up cited 'multiple sources', alleging that Clark 'really got after it' in the locker room upon discovering he'd missed the cut. The Nuclr Golf account also picked up on the post and stated: "Wyndham Clark allegedly damaged several lockers in the change room at Oakmont Country Club following a missed cut." Clark's manager, Rob Mougey, did not respond to a request for comment. Clark, who won the US Open in 2023, also found himself in hot water at last month's PGA Championships after his erratic drive on the 16th then saw him hurl his driver at the advertising boards in a fit of rage, narrowly bypassing a course marshal. He later apologised for the incident. "As professionals, we are expected to remain professional even when frustrated and I unfortunately let my emotions get the best of me," he said on Instagram afterwards. "My actions were uncalled for and completely inappropriate, making it clear that I have things I need to work on. I hold myself to a high standard, trying to always play for something bigger than myself, and yesterday I fell short of those standards. "For that I am truly sorry. I promise to better the way I handle my frustrations on the course going forward, and hope you all can forgive me in due time."
Irish Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Graeme McDowell backs down over comments on US Open star after vandalism claims
LIV Golf star Graeme McDowell has retracted remarks he posted on social media in relation to the vandalism allegations against Wyndham Clark, admitting his comments were "unfair". Clark narrowly missed the cut at the US Open by just one stroke on Thursday and Friday, as numerous players contended with challenging conditions at the Oakmont Country Club. However, after lockers in the iconic dressing room at Oakmont were damaged in an apparent act of frustration, the 31-year-old was identified by some as the culprit. In the midst of the controversy, McDowell, 45, took to his socials to voice support for Clark and hinted at an unnamed player who had allegedly engaged in comparable antics years ago. "This is minimal regards what I've seen other players do. Players you would never expect. Oakmont will test any players mental fortitude. Seen it in person. Guess who? 2016," The Northern Irishman teased on X. The 2010 US Open champion later walked back his earlier statements. "Just to clarify a couple of things from my tweet on Saturday," McDowell posted on Monday. "No, I do not condone that type of behaviour and damaging property in historic sites like Oakmont. I'm sure Wyndham will pay for any damage and apologise to relevant people. I also believe sporting locker rooms are a sanctuary and what happens there, should stay there. "The part when I said 'guess who' was unfair on my part because I would never out a fellow pro in that scenario. What happens in those private sporting areas is not for public consumption in my opinion." The notoriously difficult Oakmont course saw some of golf's biggest names lose their cool, as J.J. Spaun secured his first major. However, none matched the severity of the allegations levelled at Clark after images of heavily damaged lockers in the clubhouse were shared online. Tron Carter from No Laying Up cited 'multiple sources', claiming that Clark 'really got after it' in the locker room upon learning he missed the cut. The Nuclr Golf account also picked up on the post and stated: "Wyndham Clark allegedly damaged several lockers in the change room at Oakmont Country Club following a missed cut." Clark's manager, Rob Mougey, did not respond to a request for comment. Clark, the 2023 US Open champion, also found himself in trouble at last month's PGA Championships after a wayward drive on the 16th led him to throw his driver at the advertising boards in anger, narrowly missing a course marshal. He later apologised for the incident. "As professionals, we are expected to remain professional even when frustrated and I unfortunately let my emotions get the best of me," he posted on Instagram afterwards. "My actions were uncalled for and completely inappropriate, making it clear that I have things I need to work on. I hold myself to a high standard, trying to always play for something bigger than myself, and yesterday I fell short of those standards. "For that I am truly sorry. I promise to better the way I handle my frustrations on the course going forward, and hope you all can forgive me in due time."
USA Today
14-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lynch: Phil Mickelson says a muted farewell to a mixed U.S. Open legacy
Lynch: Phil Mickelson says a muted farewell to a mixed U.S. Open legacy OAKMONT, Pa. — By the time Phil Mickelson signed his second-round scorecard at Oakmont Country Club, he had accounted for 8,704 strokes in his U.S. Open career. Most of those were routine, many of them sublime, a smattering excruciatingly painful, none moreso than the half-dozen he struck on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in 2006. Friday's 74 — which included two double-bogeys down the stretch to miss the cut by a single shot — was his 120th round in his 34th tilt at the national title. It was also potentially his last, and if it proves so, then it draws to a close his tortured relationship with a tournament that has come to define both his career and his character. It may seem audacious to suggest that a man who owns three Masters, two PGA Championships and an Open is defined by the one major he didn't win, but the U.S. Open represents more than just an empty space in a Southern California trophy room, save for his six silver medals. It's the event that cemented the perception of Mickelson as a family man (Pinehurst, '99), as a putative rival to Tiger Woods (Bethpage, '02), as a hapless but gracious hero with no lay-up in him (Winged Foot, '06), as a populist entertainer gamely battling stringent course set-ups designed to punish his aggressive style (All of 'em, '90-'25). But it's also the event that exposed his antagonistic attitude toward golf's authorities and saw the early unraveling of his carefully cultivated 'Aw shucks' image. To be exact, that moment came with his 7,277th and most memorable stroke in the Open, when he hockeyed a moving ball on the 13th green at Shinnecock Hills in the third round seven years ago. It was more than just the frustration of a score going sideways or of another chance to complete the career grand slam ebbing away. It was an admission that the U.S. Open had finally broken him. That angry swipe — and his brazen defense of it — was a Foxtrot Uniform to the USGA. 'I've had multiple times when I've wanted to do that, and I finally did,' he told Curtis Strange afterward. The years since have cemented a new public perception of Mickelson that is wholly unflattering. His reputation among fans was sundered when he explicitly said he was willing to overlook murder and human rights abuses by his 'scary motherf'er' benefactors in Saudi Arabia if doing so gave him leverage over the PGA Tour to enrich himself. His standing in the locker room (never stellar) is positively fecal since he filed suit on behalf of LIV, claiming every entity in the game and some of his former colleagues were illegally conspiring against the Saudi enterprise. Now starved of the high-profile platform he used to enjoy, he satisfies himself with mild social media trolling, like his suggestion in March that Scottie Scheffler wouldn't win before the Ryder Cup (he has, three times). That was at least a break from his stream of far-right fever swamp posts about California taxes and how only citizens are entitled to due process (presumably when, just for example, they're caught up in insider trading investigations). Mickelson competed at Oakmont on the final year of an exemption earned by winning the '21 PGA Championship, but he has pathways to play future Opens. A strong finish in another major would earn an invitation — feasible at the Masters (where his institutional knowledge led to an improbable T-2 finish a couple years ago) or the British Open (which rewards two traits he has in abundance, imagination and guile). He could enter qualifying or win the U.S. Senior Open, which he's never entered. But his most likely avenue is a special exemption from the USGA. He actually received such an invitation in '21 but ultimately didn't need it when he won that PGA Championship. Much has changed in four years, however, and since these exemptions are goodwill gestures and most often reserved for former Open champions, savvy readers will immediately see two barriers to Mickelson obtaining one. His relationship with every non-Saudi entity in the sport is toxic, particularly the USGA. Only a couple years ago he said the organization was guilty of a 'dick move' for not admitting Talor Gooch to the Open, which is less insulting when one realizes that Mickelson accusing anyone of a dick move is akin to having Michelangelo praise your brushwork. The USGA's chief championships officer, John Bodenhamer, was asked about the possibility of a special pass. 'We would review things for Shinnecock ahead of next year and look at all of those possibilities and evaluate it from there,' he replied. "I think the way that we would also think of Phil is we hope he earns his way in, and I think he'd tell you the same thing.' For those conversant in the nomenclature of the USGA, that roughly translates as, 'Good luck, pal.' So it seems probable that we witnessed the end of Mickelson's long, tumultuous U.S. Open journey on this overcast Friday evening in front of muted spectators. Perhaps a Hall of Famer who has made many iconic contributions to this championship deserved a more fitting send-off, but decisions, actions and words have consequences. Like so many previous U.S. Opens, Phil Mickelson has only himself to blame for how disappointingly things ended.
