Golf ...

Not sure how many on the Board are golfers. I used to be (avidly, and with a pretty reasonable handicap of 12 at one time), but unfortunately a very nasty case of arthritis in my right shoulder has made golf almost impossible without suffering a great deal of pain for days after.

But right now ~ as I write ~ and amazing event is taking place at the British Open being held at Turnberry in Scotland: not only has Woods missed the cut (a rarity on it's own), but a 59 year old seniors player, Tom Watson, has lead the tournament over the last day or so and looks to be heading into Sunday with a lead of one or two strokes.

I remember Watson being one of my favourite players through the 70's and 80's, and he's one of the very few golfers who already have 5 British Open wins: Nicklaus and Woods have 'only' won 3 each.
Looking forward to tomorrow morning with beer and natchos, feet up, cheering for Mr Watson to fire his straight drives and deadly-accurate putts into the 18th hole as a winner.
Leading from the first day to the last is very rare in any major, but doing it on a links course in Scotland where the weather changes the very nature of the course from day to day is an extremely difficult feat.

Go Tom!! << http://www.pga.com/openchampionship/200 ... turday.cfm >> Oh, and a 'Go Thongchai Jaidee!!' as well . . . he's tied for 5th place going into Sunday.

Quote:

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Real golfers, no matter what the provocation, never strike a caddie with the driver. The sand wedge is far more effective.
~ Huxtable Pippey

My swing is so bad I look like a caveman killing his lunch.
~ Lee Trevino

My favorite shots are the practice swing and the conceded putt. The rest can never be mastered.
~ Lord Robertson

I was three over. One over a house, one over a patio, and one over a swimming pool.
~ George Brett

I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off everything like golf. I have never been depressed enough to take up the game, but they say you get so sore at yourself you forget to hate your enemies.
~ Will Rogers

While playing golf today I hit two good balls. I stepped on a rake.
~ Henry Youngman

I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.
~ Greg Norman

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All over now: at the 18th hole, needing only par to win, Mr Watson choked with a really bad putt from 5 ft.
Then tied with Stewart Cink, they played 4 holes playoff holes with Watson shooting as poorly during them as he played flawlessly for 4 days.
Quite draining, quite exhilarating, quite heartbreaking, quite a terrific golf match.

He's a youngster compared to us, Smiles.....

Yea, was a lot of fun watching today. When he was about to hit his second shot on 18, I was thinking he ought to go up a club as his adrenalin would likely cause him to overshoot. And sure enough. All downhill for Mr. Watson after that (how the heck do you lose a 4-hole playoff by 7 strokes!).

Given your shoulder condition, wanna play for about 100 baht a hole???? :salute:

There has been some interesting (to golfers!) correspondence in The Times (of London) in the past week.

One reader started the ball rolling by declaring that in any one-on-one sport, given two players of equal technical ability, the younger one will win - based on fitness levels, etc. [Yes, I know that individual older players can easily be fitter than individual younger ones, but this was just a line of argument based on generalisations.]

Ipso facto, they declared, golf - where the older one is just as likely win as the younger player - is not a sport. It is, they declared, merely a game.

A sterling example of a topic being every bit as boring as the subject.

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