Interest in the exploits of Arklow's Willie Hunt-Tyrrell, led me for the first time into the decidedly rum golfing world of competitive long driving. And it has proved to be such an entertaining, larger-than-life pursuit, that I feel compelled to invite you along as my guest here for a second successive week.
As a chronicler of this high-powered activity, it seems that a Texan who delights in the name of Dude E Baugh, has no peers. Yet he missed the year's biggest event - the finals of the World Championship in Mesquite, Nevada, last weekend. His excuse? "Look, I could say something nasty about my boss, who wouldn't let me off work, or my ex-wife, who recently called to say that I'm behind with her alimony," he wrote on the Longdrivers' website.
"But because he's such a standup guy, the Dude won't make excuses or play the blame game. Suffice it to say, me and my girl friend, Sweet Cheeks, are heartsick at having missed all the fun and games in Mesquite. We feel lower than rattlesnakes." So, he had to rely on second-hand information regarding the winner, Sean "The Beast" Fister, a 39-year-old standing 6ft 41/2in and weighing 15st 10lb, who hit a best-out-of-six drive of 376 yards and two inches, to recapture the title he last won in 1995. According to the Dude, who is not given to hyperbole, it was "without a doubt, the most dramatic shot in long driving history. Bar none."
A friend of the Dude's, Pea Waddley, decided to truck out to Nevada for the finals and returned hot-foot, with a first-hand report. "Pea told us that The Beast got so excited when his winning score was announced, jumping around and hollering like he'd just sat down on a hill of fire ants, that he darned near wet his pants. Pea, that is. Not Fister.
"Pea also said his field research revealed that to be successful in long driving apparently, you have to wear a goatee (as did six of the eight open division finalists) and have a Penley shaft in your driver (all eight finalists). Sweet Cheeks wondered how many of the women division finalists wore goatees, but then she can be tacky at times, especially on days ending in the letter Y."
The best of the seniors was Ted Fosley, with 357 yards 17 inches. Meanwhile, it seems that Waddley developed a serious crush on Lee Brandon, winner of the women's division, which was instituted only last year. On that occasion, victory went to Stacy Shinnick who, in difficult conditions, returned a best effort of 249 yards. Success brought her a lucrative contract with Callaway, but she decided earlier this month not to defend the title.
Mind you, it's highly debatable whether she could have matched the performance of the Los Angeles-based Brandon, who returned a best effort of 291 yards, more than six yards ahead of her nearest rival. And this was despite a wrist injury which may require surgery.
Helpfully, the Dude suggests that if an operation is required, his friend Pea is ready to volunteer to help with her after-care programme.
Finally, before we head into the sunset, it may be of interest that during the 1949 Men's Home Internationals at Portmarnock, players from all four teams took part in a driving competition.
We are informed that when the actual carry was measured, the longest drive was an effort of 280 yards by the redoubtable Jimmy Bruen. With modern equipment, one wonders how Bruen would have handled The Beast.
"As an exercise in public relations designed to instil in the golfing community at large, confidence in and respect for the governing bodies of the sport, it has been a complete and abject failure."
- The current issue of the aptly-named Scottish golf magazine, Bunkered, on the awarding of the 2010 Ryder Cup to Celtic Manor.
Clarke and Harrington set for World Challenge
When tournament golf for the new millennium started with the $3.5 million Williams World Challenge in Scottsdale, Arizona, it was viewed as little more than a lucrative get-together for Tiger Woods and his pals. And the inclusion of Sergio Garcia in last year's 12-man field, seemed a logical exploitation of rivalry spawned at the USPGA Championship the previous year at Medinah.
But things are very different now. Not only has this year's field been increased from 12 to 18, but it includes Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington among several European challengers for a top prize of $1 million. In the process, it would seem that while Americans are reluctant to fly abroad, Europeans have no such hang-ups, especially for a guaranteed minimum of $100,000.
Tom Lehman won the inaugural staging over the New Year weekend, with Woods runner-up. And the host was runner-up again last December, this time to Davis Love who, at Sherwood GC, carded a closing 64 to win by two strokes. Now, with a prize fund of $4.1 million, the event, again at Sherwood on December 13th to 16th, is effectively replacing the American Express Championship, which was cancelled last month because of the horrific events of September 11th.
Drawn from the world rankings, the line-up includes the winners of this year's four major championships - Woods, Retief Goosen, David Duval and David Toms. Love will be defending the title and Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer and Thomas Bjorn will be joining the Irishmen as European debutants. The remainder of the field includes Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Scott Verplank, Lee Westwood (above), Jesper Parnevik, Fred Couples and Mark O'Meara. As a bonus, it will be an opportunity for the unhappy Westwood to meet up with coach Butch Harmon, whose elite pupils he has joined.
Looking forward to seeing the back of people
Even the most casual golf observer is probably aware that the late Ben Hogan was an extremely private men. And there's a delightful reminder of this in one of my favourite little books, Bedtime Golf by Peter Alliss, which I dipped into for the umpteenth time, this week.
Hogan was humorously reputed to have had only one bedroom in a palatial home which he built some years ago in Fort Worth, Texas, at a cost of $150,000. His good friend and Ryder Cup partner, Jimmy Demaret, remarked: "Ben doesn' t like entertaining people." By way of emphasis, Demaret added that Hogan was like the man who enjoyed pornographic movies, but always ran them backwards because he liked to see people putting on their clothes and leaving.
Leg o' Mutton tastes two good
In the wake of the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship at Castlerock, where the par-three fourth, the infamous Leg o' Mutton, strikes fear into allcomers, I've had a charming letter from Dan Maguire of Clones GC. He writes: "It must have been about 35 years ago when a cousin of mine, Frank McGrath, went to Castlerock with three others for a game of golf." He went on: "During the first 18, he holed in one on the fourth. Then, after a break for lunch, they went out again - those were the good old days when green-fees covered the whole day. He again holed in one at the fourth. Two holes in one on the Leg o' Mutton on the same day was considered sufficiently remarkable to merit a report in a local paper at the time." As well it might.
This day in golf history
On October 27th, 1956, Patty Sheehan, one of the most successful players in the history of the LPGA Tour, was born in Middlebury, Vermont. Her first impact on these islands occurred in June 1980 at St Pierre, where she dominated a victorious US Curtis Cup team, taking a maximum of four points out of four. In the process, she beat Mary McKenna by 3 and 2 in the top singles of the opening day and Maureen Madill by 5 and 4, also at number one, on the following afternoon. After turning professional later that year, her numerous victories included two US Women's Open titles and she was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1993.
Teaser: As A was making his backswing, B accidentally dropped a ball which rolled within six inches of A's ball. The appearance of the dropped ball startled A, causing him to top his shot. In equity, should A be permitted to replay the stroke?
Answer: No. Distractions are a common occurrence which players must accept.
