The spirit of Seve Ballesteros is in evidence in every Ryder Cup Europe now plays. Images of the great man are never far away. Quite right too, but I can’t help feel that as the years pass by Tony Jacklin’s role in reversing Europe’s fortunes is being forgotten. A read of Jacklin’s recently released book, Tony Jacklin: My Ryder Cup Journey, written in collaboration with excellent former Reuters journalist Tony Jimenez, is a timely reminder the two-time major champion was inst

There is no plaque to commemorate probably the best shot ever hit in the Ryder Cup, arguably the greatest shot in golf. No television footage exists to reveal the sheer audacity with which Seve Ballesteros pulled off what seemed impossible in the 1983 Ryder Cup. Thirty-eight years ago, a handful of people witnessed Ballesteros hit a shot out of a fairway bunker on the 18th hole at PGA National Resort & Spa to earn a half with Fuzzy Zoeller as Europe came within a point of win

Six years ago, a friend and I were walking around Woburn Golf Club’s Marquess course during the 2015 British Masters Matt Fitzpatrick would go on to win. Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg was playing the 16th hole and we watched him hit a shot into the green. “He looks a like a good player,” my friend said. “He is,” I replied. “Remember his name: he’s going to win a lot of European tournaments and probably play in quite a few Ryder Cups.” I told my friend how the strong Swede had s

With so much on my mind and so many possible subjects to write about ahead of the Ryder Cup, I’ve decided on a scatter gun approach this Sunday. I make no apology for the above headline. I nicked it off former colleague Jeff Rude, who used it often when he had many topics he wanted to cover. How Rude’s voice has all but disappeared from the game is beyond me. He’s one of a number of great columnists, one of the best IMO, who don’t write often enough. And that’s golf’s loss. A

There was I thinking West Lancs Golf Club was the most underrated course in England only to spend three days tramping around Hankley Common Golf Club during the R&A Home Internationals. As Fagin sang in the musical Oliver: “I’m reviewing the situation.” West Lancs doesn’t get the fame it deserves because of its proximity to Royal Birkdale, Formby, Hillside and Southport & Ainsdale. Perhaps Hankley common suffers from the same geographical fate. Maybe its location not far from

Forty four excellent amateur golfers are teeing it up this week at Hankley Common Golf in the R&A Home Internationals. With the exception of those who have returned to the United States to continue their college educations, these are the crème de la crème of British and Irish amateur golf. Aside from career amateurs like Scottish captain Matt Clark and reinstated amateur Peter O’Keeffe of Ireland, there’s more than a fair chance the majority of the rest of them have a desire

Yesterday’s blog on why tennis gets so much coverage as opposed to golf elicited numerous responses, many of them well-thought out. However, I’m still no clearer as to why Emma Raducana can now expect earnings beyond the ken of most ordinary folk when a woman golfer who had pulled off the same feat wouldn’t even come close to such riches. Especially when you consider golf is far more popular as a participation sport in Great Britain than tennis. The figures don’t lie. Statist

Emma Raducanu is quite rightly getting rave reviews for winning her first major tennis title at the tender age of 18, and making history in the process. We just can’t seem to get enough Emma stories right now. Our newspapers are full of them. Websites are splashing pictures of her. Type just her first name into a search engine and a Raducanu story pops up immediately. Suddenly everyone is in love with Emma and tennis. And yes, before you point it out, bloggers like me are hit

It’s thank a greenkeeper day. Mark down Tuesday 14 September as the only day in 2021 when many golf club members say thank you to those who make playing this great game possible. Green keepers seem to get very little thanks the rest of the year. I mean seriously, who’d be a greenkeeper? It must be the most underappreciated job in all of golf. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from playing this game over the years it’s that greenkeepers only come in for comment when there’s so

How much does the Ryder Cup mean to European golfers? Shane Lowry’s above tweet upon receiving Padraig Harrington’s one Ryder Cup pick says it all. Proudest day of his career? Really? From someone who has had the ultimate accolade of being called “Champion Golfer of the Year” for winning the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush? That says it all about the passion Europe brings to every Ryder Cup match. Hmmm, wonder how many Americans would put making the Ryder Cup team ah

Should classic golf courses be listed in the way fine old houses are given Grade I, or Grade II listings to ensure they retain the characteristics the original architect intended? If that was the case, I wonder if the West Course at Wentworth would look as it does now? What would Harry Colt think if he were to reincarnate on the 18th green? Would he even recognise the hole? Would he struggle to find his own handiwork anywhere, on that hole or any other on the famous Burma Roa

Can you imagine telling Sir Alex Ferguson who his starting 11 was going to be when he was Manchester United manager? It just wouldn’t have happened. Wonder if Fergie would have taken on the Ryder Cup captaincy if told he could only pick some of his team. He’d have hated the situation European captain Padraig Harrington is currently in, not knowing who his nine automatic players are, and therefore juggling his three picks, and probably spending more time with a calculator than

Let’s hope Steve Stricker knows what’s he’s doing by leaving Patrick Reed out of the United States Ryder Cup team. Stricker must be fairly confident to ignore a guy with 7-3-2 won, lost, halved record, a player undefeated in singles play with a 3-0 record from his last three matches. That record was 6-1-2 before the last Ryder Cup in France. Reed went 1-2-0, with his two losses coming in fourballs with an out-of-form Tiger Woods. I’m no Reed fan, anything but. However, I fin

No one inside the game of golf was surprised yesterday when the R&A announced The Open would return to Royal Portrush in 2025, just six years after staging the 148th Open Championship over the Dunluce links. Why wouldn’t the R&A want to cash in again on one of the most successful championships of recent times? There may be those who argue the time frame is too short, that the governing body should have perhaps opted for another venue: Muirfield, since the championship hasn’t

No surprise Catriona Matthew doesn’t want to captain the European Solheim Cup team for a third straight time. Smart woman. She’s the first European captain to win two straight matches, and on both side of the Atlantic. Why wouldn’t she want to go out on a high? “It’s time for someone else to have a go,” Matthew said. “It's over to someone else now. We have so many good past players, and I think everyone deserves their chance to be captain. “I was lucky enough to play in nine

The European Team nursing hangovers after celebrating victory in the 17th Solheim Cup was the strongest yet. European golf fans might like to ponder an interesting question: is Europe’s best yet to come? The signs look good. All 12 of Catriona Matthew’s team were in the top 70 of the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings. Eleven of the 12 have LPGA Tour cards, with Emily Kristine Pedersen the odd woman out, a dynamic that’s sure to change in the not too distant future. The United State

Sometimes money just doesn’t matter. That’s certainly been the case over the last two days. The Tour Championship or the Solheim Cup? Put it this way: who won the Tour Championship? Who really cares? But the score in the 17th Solheim Cup is 9-7 in Europe’s advantage. As fellow golf writer Robert Lusetich tweeted, this, every, Solheim Cup is required viewing for true golf fans. The Tour Championship? No offence to Patrick Cantlay who became $15 million richer – I was only kidd

Well, we learned one thing from the 17th Solheim Cup: rules of golf officials working the match do carry stop watches. More to the point, they know how to use them. Bet you thought they were mere fashion accessories, like bracelets or brooches or tiepins. Strange that those same rules officials can use a stopwatch to implement the 10-second rule under Rule 13.3b, but fail to let it run to 40 seconds to implement Rule 5.6b which says players only have 40 seconds to play a shot

Annika Sorenstam, Kelly Robbins and Pat Bradley; mass concession in Sweden; Dottie drops the f-bomb; Ciganda gets out of jail; Suzzan Pettersen, Charley Hull and Alison Lee; Danielle Kang and the people of Scotland. These are just some of the controversies that have sprung up in the Solheim Cup, the 17th edition of which starts today. Hopefully the golf shines over the next three days at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, and there are no histrionics inside the ropes. Maybe

Two big tournaments are being staged in America this weekend. One is for glory, the other is all about pure greed. One comes with a coveted trophy, the other doesn’t even feature a trophy, just dollar signs, millions of them. I know which one I’ll be watching. Catriona Matthew (above) leads 12 Europeans tomorrow at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, hoping to defend the Solheim Cup Europe won at Gleneagles two years ago in arguably the greatest match since its inauguration i