View From The Fairway - How Mighty Have Fallen

Catch up with the latest headlines in golf with Derek Clements' View From The Fairway!

HOW the mighty have fallen. Henrik Stenson, who tees it up at Czech Masters in Prague this week, won The Open Championship just five years ago. After a thoroughly miserable couple of years, the Swede now finds himself languishing in 204th place in the world rankings. As recently as August 2018 he was still in the top 10. The Swede has been here before, of course, but it is now beginning to look like a long road back for Stenson, who needs a miracle if he is to feature in Europe’s Ryder Cup team next month.

BERND WIESBERGER and Edoardo Molinari are the latest to take leading PGA Tour players to task for failing to shout “Fore” when they hit wayward drives. They tweeted their disapproval after the big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau was caught on TV at the WGC-St Jude striking a drive into the gallery without any warning cry. Top players routinely do this and it simply isn’t good enough. The most troubling thing about this latest debate was the response to Wiesberger’s tweet. You could be forgiven for expecting him to have received widespread support, but not a bit of it. Instead, he found himself being criticised, mainly by American golf fans who seem to believe that it is the responsibility of spectators to keep an eye on the ball. As somebody who has attended a great many golf tournaments - and been struck by a golf ball on more than one occasion - I am here to tell you that is much easier said than done. When we learn to play the game we are taught to shout “Fore” as a matter of course if we hit wayward shots. So why is it that so many Tour pros find it so difficult to do so?

It shouldn’t be difficult to understand that you should ALWAYS shout “fore” when you hit a shot into the crowds… @b_dechambeau
When is someone going to do something about this? Hopefully before a spectator gets seriously hurt! pic.twitter.com/kSXnEe70XW

— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) August 6, 2021

THE R&A has been given permission to redevelop the existing public golf course at Lethamhill with the aim of creating a world-class ‘community golf facility’ in Glasgow. Ownership of the site has now been transferred to The R&A by Glasgow City Council. The new development includes the creation of a nine-hole course, putting greens, a short-game area, adventure golf and a floodlit driving range to allow visitors to enjoy a wide range of golf activities, including shorter forms of the sport. Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said, “This is a vital step towards realising our ambition of creating a new golf facility which presents the sport in a fun, affordable and accessible way for the enjoyment of families, young people and community groups living locally. We are hugely excited about the potential of this project and will be making a significant investment in transforming the existing course at Lethamhill into a first-class venue where everyone feels welcome, no matter their age or ability, in which they can have fun exploring golf’s many different formats and connect with nature, outdoors in the fresh air."

THE PGA has just launched Golf Business Quarterly, a print and digital journal aimed at the golf industry professional. It aims to present a rounded view of golf business and is seen as a key part of the PGA's 2020 Vision that positions the organisation at the heart of the golf industry. GBQ will feature the biggest voices in golf business, include in-depth interviews and provide genuine analysis of key data relating to topics such as participation, growth of the game, retail, rounds played and tourism. There will also be wider content to help readers be better industry professionals. The PGA says: “Our is to get you thinking and to provide you with stimulus for further reading, debate and discussion. You won’t find news in the pages of GBQ: this is a quarterly product with time to reflect on the big issues. We encourage you to step back and engage with the thoughtful content to consider the big picture of the golf industry that we all work in.” The first issue features an in-depth look at the opportunity for growth in female participation.

IT HAS been announced that golf’s world rankings are to be overhauled from next August. It is long overdue, but don’t expect to see any huge changes as the bulk of points will still be awarded at PGA Tour tournaments and majors. When you take into account the strength of the fields every week on the other side of the pond, it is actually pretty difficult to argue that changes to the system are required.

ERIK VAN ROYEN has become the latest South African golfer to win on the PGA Tour. He did so with a fabulous final round at the Barracuda Championship, which is played using a modified stable ford format, and he did so with a record winning total of 50 points. There is something in the water in South Africa right now, with Garrick Higgo winning twice on the European Tour before adding an unlikely victory on American soil. And when you throw in the likes of Louis Oosthuizen, Daniel Van Tonder and Dean Burmester it is pretty clear that South African golf is in pretty rude health right now.

FOUR English players have been named in Great Britain and Ireland’s squad for this month’s Curtis Cup at Conwy in Wales. Roehampton’s Annabell Fuller, Charlotte Heath from Huddersfield, Emily Toy from Carylon Bay and Knowle’s Caley McGinty have all been included in captain Elaine Ratcliffe’s squad. There are two players from Ireland, Lauren Walsh from Castlewarden and Lurgan’s Annabel Wilson, and two players from Scotland, Hannah Darling from Broomieknowe and West Kilbride’s Louise Duncan, who complete the line-up. The 41st Curtis Cup will take place between 26-28 August and the GB&I team will be looking to emulate the winning form of the 2012 and 2016 teams, who were victorious on home soil, as they bid to win back the historic trophy currently held by the USA. The stage is set for an exciting match as the USA, who have not won on this side of the Atlantic since 2008, will be bidding to retain The Curtis Cup.

THE Titanic Golf Club is due to open its new Aspendos course in Belek soon. It is to be hoped that they don't have any drainage problems! I am not sure how I would feel about playing any course called Titanic on a rainy day…