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Ernie Els believes that anyone from a crop of 30 players is capable of winning this year’s British Open…..which makes it…….erm - wide open! This year’s Open at Royal Birkdale will be the first one PTO (Post Tiger Operation) and I having a sneaking feeling his absence won’t be that sorely missed.

The reason I say this is that an Open win, is a win, and without Tiger an English victory is all the more possible. Els believes that the winner will have to answer the question, ”Do you think you would have beaten Tiger if he was here? ” I don’t honestly think that an English winner (or any British winner in fact - no, make that a European winner!) would have to wrestle with his conscience too hard. Els’ recent form suggests that he won’t be troubled by the question.

The European Tour has always appreciated Golf without Tiger, and the fans will be pleased to support those who are playing. If all goes well I hope to have some pictures next week.  A good friend of mine is attending and I have asked if he can take some photos for the website.  I did have a sinking feeling though when I hoped he realised I meant of the players, and not his wife.

About two years ago I developed a painful left shoulder which was sufficiently sore for me to seek medical advice.  After an MRI scan and some painful cortisone injections nothing was properly diagnosed and I was told I would need an exploratory operation If I wanted to cure it.  It was at about this time, that together with work commitments and more time spent playing golf,  I stopped going to the gym.

Without really being conscious of it I realised the other day that the soreness had gone and I was probably as injury free as I’ve been for a long time.  I can only put the shoulder injury down to straining at the gym and I feel a lot happier in myself, now that I’m doing something more productive like playing golf, rather than being a gym rat.

This leads me on nicely to a website I came across, dedicated to Golf Health and Fitness. The site is called golfersmd and it carries the strap line - Health=Performance.  The site offers a wealth of information on golf related injuries with advice on prevention and cure.  There are articles on Exercises for Golf and developing strength and flexibility.  For anyone who might be worried about a golf, or indeed any sport related injury, then it would be a useful port of call.

Lastly, Alpha Golf has sent me their C830.4 Driver to have a swing and review.  The interesting feature of this Club is that is has interchangeable shafts and comes supplied with 3 of varying flex.  I’m looking forward to finding out which flex suits my game best and effectively custom fitting my own Driver.  I’ll let you know the results in a couple of weeks time.

At lunchtime I went to my local driving range and hit a few balls.  They’ve got the latest Powertees, so if you’re lazy like me, you don’t even have to bend down and tee a ball up (I say it develops muscle memory by not having to break your stance).

In addition to this they’ve gone all up-market with a trendy Brassierie and a well stocked equipment shop.  Having just about convinced myself that spending another £600 wasn’t going to improve my iron game, which has gone a bit astray lately, I settled down to a Club Sandwich and observed the driving range.

While waiting for my order I read a new Golfing Magazine (can’t remember the name) but was interested to see a reference to a website called Loud Mouth Golf.  Loud Mouth Golf could just about be the Holy Grail of tacky and tasteless Golf Clothing - but I love it!!

I was particularly drawn to the ‘Disco Balls’ shorts and the idea you could accessorize them with a matching grip.  These shorts go up to a 46″ waist and I’d love to see them on a rather portly gentleman, for the full Disco effect.

But it gets better. As if a matching grip wasn’t enough Loud Mouth Golf will also produce a custom apres, Golf drinking jacket, IN THE SAME MATERIAL!!, or any other garish fabric they stock. You probably couldn’t even achieve this look in the back streets of Hong Kong or Singapore. 

In August I go to India on business and I don’t plan on wearing a business suit. I joked to my wife that perhaps I should wear one of those trendy suits with shorts, you sometimes see on the catwalks (maybe Armani crushed linen, the sort of thing which strangely doesn’t seem to have caught on in the City or Canary Wharf)……but forget that, I may have just stumbled on the answer - double the value: golf attire and business dress for the Asian sub-continent!

The R&A has teamed up with 2007 British Open Champion, Padraig Harrington to make a video on Golfing Etiquette and Sportsmanship.  The R&A considered Harrington an ideal spokesperson to promote etiquette on the golf course and he is seen as a role model for good behaviour.

The video which is shot in three sections, covers -

• consideration for other players
• pace of play
• care of the course

Called, “The Etiquette of Golf” the video will be distributed to golfing bodies around the world and also features contributions from Nick Dougherty, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey.

 The 10-minute film is available as a free download from the R&A website.

I wish the three-ball in front of me on Saturday had watched the Video.  Despite looking at them invitingly, to waive us through, they were oblivious to all hints and this added about half an hour to my round.

So, Tiger Woods won his 14th Major Championship and moved ever closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record - but at what cost? After 91 gruelling holes, showing obvious pain and discomfort in overcoming the challenge of Rocco Mediate, Woods has elected to have reconstructive surgery on his left knee.  No wonder Woods claimed it was the finest win of his career, given the handicap he had to overcome. 

The surgery brings a premature end to his season, meaning that he’ll miss the British Open, PGA Championship and of course the Ryder Cup. On his web site, tigerwoods.com, Woods announced he will undergo surgery and take time off to rehabilitate.  Woods has been assured by his doctors that there will be no long term effect.

Tournament Directors and TV Rating Chiefs must be crying themselves to sleep such is the pull of Tiger and the effect on attendances and viewers (even this humble site gets more visitors over the four days Tiger is playing).

Retief Goosen is probably wishing he kept his mouth shut when he questioned the severity of the injury and agreed that Woods was probably faking it. In an effort to back track on his comments Goosen suggested he was being “light-hearted”.

The 108th US Open will be remembered for triumph over adversity while Mediate should also take a lot of credit for his sportsmanship, good humor and showing that you can challenge for honors, beyond forty.  As an Englishman I am also left wondering if this was Lee Westwood’s best chance yet for Major honors, and whether he’ll ever put himself in a better position for victory.

p.s. The other English pairing of Wolstenholme and Cotter failed to show, coming last as they did, so I guess film rights and red carpets are now on hold!  What was interesting though was that the story seemed to cross the pond and the pair received plenty of vocal support from the galleries.  By the way, did any work get done in San Diego on Monday, or did commerce just shut down for the day?

adjective:aspiring u'spIring - desiring or striving for recognition or advancement