On reading in an American magazine last year that Tony Jacklin had taken up marquetry, I thought what an interesting hobby for a senior golfer. But it now transpires that he badly needed the money he received for the wooden trophies which were sold at about $350 each as gifts for pro-am competitors.
Indeed a reflection of his current financial situation is that the cheque for £7,471Stg which he earned for fourth place in the Energis Senior Masters at Wentworth last Sunday, represented considerably more than pin money to him. And, as it happens, it will be his last cheque from tournament golf.
"Golf has never given me what I would consider a lucrative living," was the surprise admission from a player whose 29 tournament victories included the 1969 British Open and the 1970 US Open. "Perhaps sometimes I could have been better advised and I could have made more from sound investments. Either way, what I made out of golf is all gone. I still need to work."
At 55, Jacklin has quit competitive golf because of the unacceptable stress which it causes him. "It was always the same," he said. "When I won the US Open, my wife Vivien said my voice had gone up three octaves with the stress, but at 25 I had lots of ambitions and nothing was going to get in the way of them."
As a competitor, he was always a great friend to this country, which had much to do with his affection for Christy O'Connor Snr, from their days on tour during the 1960s. "We played about eight tournaments together on the South African circuit, where we shared accommodation either in rented houses or bed-and-breakfast establishments," he recalled.
"They were really good times. I was a bright young spark up at the crack of dawn, whereas Christy liked to lie on in bed. And I can remember him getting agitated at the noise I was making, even to the point of picking up anything near at hand to sling at me. And when I had the first, televised hole-in-one, on the 16th at Sandwich in 1967, I was playing with Christy."
Jacklin added: "Looking back over my golfing career, there were two players who inspired me above all others: one was Roberto de Vicenzo and the other was Christy. I can't explain it, but I always loved playing golf with Senior. That's not flannel, just simple fact."
He will be remembered in this country for his remarkable victory in the Kerrygold Classic of 1976, when he beat Eddie Polland by a stroke to claim top prize of £2,000. The outcome was especially notable for the fact that Jacklin learned of his victory in a 747 somewhere over Newfoundland, while flying to the US.
His five-year exemption into the US Open had expired and having missed the cut by a stroke at Medinah in 1975, he had to try and qualify in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 1976 championship. That was when Kerrygold officials decided to waive the established tournament procedure of the leaders going out last. He was actually two strokes behind the overnight leader Polland who went out last, after Jacklin had completed a final round of 70.
And what of the US Open? Jacklin failed to qualify: the transatlantic trip had been in vain. But it made a great story.
"There will never be a boycott. I would pay to play in the Ryder Cup. That's all I want to say about it." - Tom Lehman's reaction to threats of a boycott by US players unless they are paid for appearing in the Ryder Cup.
Neil Bartholomew had reason to feel somewhat aggrieved when his team failed to make an impact in a recent tournament. After all, he had done his bit in terms of contributing to the card - by scoring two holes in one.
It happened at the Heritage CC in Massachusetts where the three-handicapper had his first career ace when holing out an eight iron at the 165-yard 13th. Instead of pocketing the ball for posterity, he continued to play it and, three holes later, he had another ace, this time with a seven-iron shot at the 175-yard 16th.
As a reward, Bartholomew won a set of clubs for the first ace and $250 in merchandise from the local pro shop for his second. (Obviously they take quite a liberal view of the Rules of Amateur Status in the Massachusetts area).
But as students of holes in one will know, Bartholomew's effort was not especially remarkable - when one considers events in the Martini Tournament at Norwich in 1971. That was when John Hudson, a 25-year-old professional at Hendon, had consecutive holes in one during the second round - at the 195-yard 11th and 311-yard 12th holes. And Christy O'Connor Snr takes great delight in recounting how he happened to be playing in the group behind him at the time.
A friend of mine, Jim Ryan, likes to keep me on my toes. So it was that when we met recently, he talked of historic happenings on a weekend in May, 1997. That was it. My curiosity aroused, I delved into the files. A weekend in May . . . . Suddenly, there it was.
On May 11th, 1997, Scott McCarron won the BellSouth Classic in the US and Bernhard Langer won the Benson and Hedges International at The Oxfordshire. For the first time on the same weekend, players on both sides of the Atlantic won tour events using the brooom-handle putter. And not many people know that.
John Daly hasn't played competitively since the Murphy's Irish Open at Druids Glen, where his last two rounds were 81 and 74 en route to 67th place from 68 qualifiers. He has since been to Carlsbad for a chat with his benefactor, Eli Callaway, before returning to action in the USPGA Championship next week.
Callaway's advice to his wayward client? "I told him he ought to feel pretty good about himself," said the 80-year-old father figure. "In my book, he's probably going through one of the most difficult recovery periods any alcoholic has gone through. He's trying to recover in one of the most stressful, difficult games on earth and be a champion in front of millions."
With those words, Callaway killed speculation that his company were about to drop Daly, whose contract runs to the end of next year. The company's owner concluded: "Our support of him depends to a great degree on his efforts at recovery. The terms of his contract are pretty clear: he's not to drink. John's trying hard and we intend to support him."
According to Noelle Campbell-Sharp, Waterville is the place to be next Wednesday for a clear view of the eclipse. "The Met Office are predicting no cloud cover in the area," she said. Which is why she has booked 40 tee-times between 7.0a.m. and 8.30a.m. at £500 per four-ball, to raise money for her Cill Rialaig Project.
With a champagne breakfast to follow, the idea is that while concentrating on the little white sphere, golfers with the aid of special spectacles, can take time out to watch two rather larger spheres cover each other overhead. In a sort of celestial stymie, you might say.
This Day In Golf History . . . On August 7th, 1952, Eamonn Darcy was born in Delgany. And having become a successful European Tour player, he celebrated his 25th birthday in 1977 by shooting a final round of 72 for £383.37 in a share of 17th place behind Tienie Britz in the German Open in Dusseldorf.
Around that time, Peter Alliss said of him: "The club is picked up, the backswing fast, the right elbow flies high, the left elbow is bent and there is a dip at the top. But the position into the ball is exemplary. He has one of the oddest swings on the European circuit yet, when Eamonn is on his game, it is highly effective and strengthens the argument that any swing is a good one if it works."
TEASER: Those who were busy scoffing at Jean Van de Velde for his aquatic antics at Carnoustie, may have conveniently forgotten how Christy O'Connor Jnr elected to play out of the Swilcan Burn during the Dunhill Cup matches of 1989. It was in a semi-final play-off against Tom Kite of the US and, in a manner of speaking, O'Connor lost the election. Which raises the question: A player plays a stroke from within a water hazard, but does not extricate the ball from the hazard (which was O'Connor's fate). The player sees the ball land in deep water and it is clearly unreasonable for him to play a stroke at the ball from its new position. Before leaving the hazard, the player cleans mud off his clubhead by rinsing it in the water. Is the player in breach of Rule 13-4?
ANSWER: No, provided that there is no doubt or it is reasonable to assume from the player's actions or statements that he will play his next stroke from outside the hazard.
