mrbojumbles

Inspiring personal progress

// October 5th, 2009 // Opinion

Nothing like a turtle neck skivvy to build a fan base

Congrats to Mike Richardson of Royal Oak, Auckland for winning the first edition of the Johnnie Walker ‘Soap Box’ competition. Given the brief: “In under 500 words, lets hear your thoughts on 2009′s four major golf championships”, Mike’s spun a good yarn on his view of 2009′s big four. Enjoy the read people and enjoy your whiskey Mike.

There’s nothing quite like watching exciting Major championships. For me this year seemed more about who didn’t win as opposed to who won. I wouldn’t want to take anything away from the winners but imagine what it would have been like if things had turned out a little different out there.

I won’t forget this year’s Masters. It was MRP Easter. A gathering of my world golfing mates we do every second Easter. This year NZ was the host country and 12 of us gathered to play Wairakei and other courses. Playing Wairakei International gave us the feeling we were playing Augusta National. What a course. My overseas guests were blown away. We had MySKY HDI on the whole time back in our lakeside retreat. What a picture !!

At least we know what it could have looked like

The US Open had one of my favourite all time golfers. David Duval. I mean when this guy was running hot he was hot. World No.1 and then something happened. He lost his game. Going into the US Open he had free fallen to  882^nd in the world. To see Duval within site of a great comeback made me think – “Wow this game is inspiring”.  He just didn’t quite get there and tied for 2^nd alongside big Phil allowing Lucas Glover to raise the metal.

Now the British Open. That was spectacular. Tom Watson was sooo good. At the age of 59 he had it. It would have been one of the greatest victories in Major golf history. The statistics were mind boggling. He had already won 8 Majors and it would be a 26 year gap between his last Major win and this one if he was to pull it off. It was 34 years since he won The Open the first time. Most golfers out there trying to beat him in 2009 hadn’t even been born then!!!

Watson had the putt for victory, an 8 foot putt, to become the oldest winner of a major in PGA tour history by a country mile, and unfortunately, he just couldn’t make it. Stewart Cink pipped him in the playoff. A shame for Cink as most people will remember it as “Tom Watson’s Open”. Not taking anything away from Cink, I wished Watson had won. It would have done so much more for the spirit and longevity the game provides. But then again, I guess it did anyway.

The final Major of 2009, the PGA Championship saw Y.E. Yang take it out. What a great victory. He played so solidly and no doubt statues of him and shrines to him will already be popping up all over Korea. Call me what you like but to me the “if only” winner this time was Tiger Woods. Tiger came in 2^nd, a whole year without a Major for him but what a year he’s had after knee surgery. Another major would have got him a step closer to the greatest golfer of all time.

An achievement I want to be around see happen !!

So a great set of victors for 2009 but imagine how it could have been – Perry, Duval, Watson and Woods.

I’ll drink a Johnnie Walker to that. To the winners and the runners up.

What a game!!

Kind regards

Mike Richardson

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