Turnberry Magic

Then there was the Open Championship at Turnberry. Bang went the rest of the weekend as the great Tom Watson just failed to win the claret jug for a record equalling sixth time. Instead of getting out and about trying to find something positive about Ballymoney to post on the blog I sat transfixed along with countless other golf fans hoping against hope that the legend would make the fairy tale come true and win. Unfortunately it didn’t happen and Stewart Cink clinched his first major. Having said that, Cink made the putt and deserved to win.
One of the most memorable things about the open was the constant smile and good humour displayed by Watson. As a mid handicapper who is constantly frustrated with the inconsistant results of my attempts to play golf I am beginning to believe that it is always important (if difficult) to be philosophical about what is really a game! This ability to accept the element of luck of the bounce in links golf was identified by Watson as one of the reasons he had taken so well to the original form of the game. An article by Joe Keefe at www.pga.com/2009/instruction/features/07/19/keefe_openchamp/index.html makes exactly this point. Sometimes we have to accept that today we are not going to post the winning score, so we might as well just take time to appreciate the view. Having said that, it is bloody difficult to appreciate the view when standing in the pot bunker half way down the fourth fairway!