Big time winner Danny Willett has delivered again when it matters after clinching the Dunhill Links Championship title on Sunday.
He’s a remarkable player who seems to go from massive highs to lows to highs again but you have to admire his perseverance.
When he gets his nose in front Danny has shown he is a really good under pressure and I’ll say this much about him – he certainly knows how to close out a tournament as he showed when he won the Masters.
I expect Danny is one of those guys who was watching the Ryder Cup thinking ‘I should be part of that’ and he has certainly put himself back in the conversation with an excellent win at St Andrews.
The dust is still settling on Whistling Straits and the excellent win for the Americans but there is no bad time to win a tournament and if Danny is going to use Rome in 2023 as a motivator then he’s off to a flying start.
His win on Sunday was all the more impressive considering the horrendous time he’s had of late. Between Covid, his wisdom teeth, appendicitis and a hernia Danny has been compiling a list of ailments which you would regard yourself as unfortunate if you had one of them, never mind all four.
While he was a deserving champion I feel I had a decent week too in difficult circumstances.
The luck of the draw went against me a little when I played Carnoustie on Saturday as the conditions were really tough.
The best round of anyone there on Saturday was two under par. We had players going round in eight under on the other days but that’s how links golf works.
All three courses were magnificent though and as ever it was a fantastic week to be involved.
It’s the first time in a while I can recall the 20 miles per hour wind blowing every day of the tournament and it was challenging at times but I wouldn’t swap it for the world.
Anytime you get the chance to play Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews one day after another is something to smile about.
It was a poignant week for me personally too following the funeral of a good friend and supporter Alan Steel.
I missed it as I was playing on Friday but I was pleased to have a good round for him. He was a huge help to me in my career and a great friend, someone who will miss dearly.
Surely meticulous Padraig Harrington did not overlook ball strategy in Ryder Cup?
I was stunned to hear claims Padraig Harrington was forced to change his foursomes pairing for the opening day of the Ryder Cup due to concerns about his pairings being used to playing different golf balls.
A source has been quoted in a national newspaper saying an oversight by Padraig and his vice captains led to him shelving plans to pair Lee Westwood and Paul Casey as one pairing and Victor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick in another match due to the players using different golf balls.
I find that incredible if true. I know how meticulous Padraig is and it is a subject which is discussed regularly among the players.
I can recall Paul Lawrie telling me about when he partnered up with Colin Montgomerie in the 1999 match at Brookline.
If memory serves me correct Monty used a Titleist ball while Paul used Top Flite ball at the time, but given they were paired together Monty practised with Paul’s make of ball.
He found it a little softer than his usual ball but quite liked it and ended up playing the three days using the same ball as Paul had.
The point is, those discussions and decisions were being made 22 years ago. That’s why the notion it was overlooked two weeks ago is astounding.
It will be interesting to hear whether Padraig confirms the source’s comments are accurate.
Del Ray may have set the bar too high with dream round in France
Alejandro Del Rey may have reached the limit of what is possible on a golf course with his 14 under par 58 on the Challenge Tour last week.
We’ve had a few 58s in professional tournaments but they have been on par 70 courses. Del Rey has the honour of being the first to go round in 14 under following his second round at the Swiss Challenge in France.
It’s an outrageous score really and one which is near impossible off the yellow tees on your home course, let alone in a professional tournament.
You never say never in this game but surely a 15 under 57 is a step too far? I’d be buying lottery tickets if I managed that one.