Even in Wales where abusing the Big Five as the selectors were called was the principal national sport it was a rare fan
Even in Wales, where abusing “the Big Five”, as the selectors were called, was the principal national sport, it was a rare fan who could reel off the whole five just like that.
These shadowy individuals would hold trial matches, usually three, with England normally holding their final trial on the first Saturday in January. THIS IS the week in which Clive Woodward and Graham Henry, respectively the English and Welsh coaches, show their hand for the coming international season. Not so long ago it would have been late December before we would have had a sure indication. He won the USPGA in 1991 when he was the ninth alternate and on a course which David Feherty said was the “first where you have to take into account the curvature of the earth”. The second followed in 1995 at St Andrews, where he was undefeated for the United States in this year’s Alfred Dunhill Cup.OPENS OVER THE PAST 100 YEARSHow the courses have got longer and the scores lowerYear Venue Yards Champion Score1898 Prestwick 5,732 Harry Vardon 3071923 Troon 6,415 Arthur Havers 2951948 Muirfield 6,806 Henry Cotton 284 1973 Troon 7,064 Tom Weiskopf 2761998 Royal Birkdale 7,018 Mark O’Meara 280.
In 1965 Nicklaus won by nine strokes with a score of 271, records which stood until Woods came along in 1997.JOHN DALYHas never been able to control the length of his drives on a day-to-day basis as well as Woods can but the `Wild Thing’ still has two majors to his name. When he arrived on tour Nicklaus had as much of an advantage off the tee as Tiger Woods does now. Both knew how to control it and both showed it off to the best of their ability at Augusta. Palmer started the final round seven strokes off the lead but went out determined to prove it was possible to drive the green at the 346-yard first hole.
It was playing downhill and downwind but a ditch and heavy rough guarded the green. He hit the green, two-putted for birdie, went to the turn in 30, scored a 65 and won by two from an amateur called Jack Nicklaus.JACK NICKLAUSIf Palmer’s big-hitting was of the inspirational kind, like Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus made it an everyday, every hole activity. The Laura Davies of her day, Wethered regularly out-hit male playing partners, including Bobby Jones, who described Wethered’s swing as the best he had ever seen.ARNOLD PALMERThe defining moment of Arnold Palmer’s career brought about his only US Open in 1960. For good measure she came out of retirement to win the 1929 championship only because it was at St Andrews. In 1912 he defeated Vardon by four strokes at Muirfield with a score that had been bettered only once in the Open previously.
Vardon was also one of the joint runners-up when Ray took the US Open at Inverness in 1920. He birdied one hole every day because of the requirement for a carry of 280 yards over a ravine and went on to thrill galleries with his power-hitting on an exhibition tour.JOYCE WETHEREDBritain’s greatest woman player, winning the English Amateur five times in a row from 1920 – she could not be bothered to enter after that – and the British Ladies title in 1922, ‘24 and ‘25. Thus, the game will suffer.”As for Taylor, a 10-handicapper, you will find all the usual hi-tech implements in his bag but the long game is not his problem. It is with his chipping and putting on and around the greens. “My nickname is `Stone Hands’,” Taylor said.BIG HITTERS THROUGH THE AGESTED RAYAlong with Harry Vardon and Tony Jacklin, Ted Ray is the only other Englishman to win both the British and the US Opens. That is an exaggeration, but 30 years ago Nicklaus averaged 275 yards compared to John Daly’s 299 on the US tour this season.But while Nicklaus hit 75.6 per cent of greens in regulation in 1968, Hal Sutton led that category this year with 71.3 per cent and David Duval’s stroke average of 69.13 does not compare with the record of 68.33 achieved by Byron Nelson in 1945.Golf courses have always had to react to the increase in standards, firstly by length and more recently by narrowing fairways, growing thick rough and lightningly fast greens.
Major championships are regularly played on a layout of more than 7,000 yards and now the Old Course at St Andrews, which moved six tees back last year, has passed that barrier while Augusta National is just short of the mark after toughening up four holes in the light of Tiger Woods’ record win in ‘97.”If history tells us anything,” said Fay, “it is that added distance inevitably will lead to longer golf courses, escalating costs, and slower play. “The proposed rule will destroy that important part of the tradition of the game.”Solheim is the son of Karsten Solheim, who fought a court battle to overturn a ban on Ping’s square grooves in the 1980s. Legal action cannot be ruled out again and this time it will not be one company acting alone.”We are disappointed that the USGA is moving forward on this issue, and cannot comment further until we receive the details,” said John Solheim.In contrast to the USPGA’S antagonistic approach, the Royal and Ancient have been consulting manufacturers under their jurisdiction during the year but are not yet convinced that any “trampoline” effect actually exists. They have commissioned further independent research and will only look at a possible test protocol when that is completed next year.Jack Nicklaus, the greatest winner of championships in the game, is one of the supporters of limiting technology.”There are 300 or 400 who hit the ball as I did in my prime,” he said. But the manufacturers are disputing the USGA’s right to impose restrictions on their ability to produce new technology and generate greater sales.”Innovations is one of the traditions of golf,” John Solheim, president of Karsten Manufacturing, maker of Ping clubs, said. Both the technical protocol for the test and the necessity for it at all were called into question.When the USGA first announced the proposed test at the US Open in June they said “virtually all” clubs currently on the market would pass the test.
