UK Press Concerned Over Rory-Tiger Goodwill Potentially Squelching Ryder Cup Antics

Credit Matthew Norman for saying what needed to be said: this Tiger-Rory bromance must not strip the Ryder Cup of petty, childish, ego-fueled drama.

Did infantrymen on both sides endure the horrors of the War on the Shore in 1991, and the rancour occasioned by the Battle of Brookline eight years later, when the Americans invaded of the green while current European captain José María Olazábal stood over a crucial putt, so that their successors would compete in love and peace?

Golf, as all fans of PG Wodehouse’s Oldest Member stories appreciate, is not the prissy, gentlemanly pursuit of Peter Alliss’s rose-tinted babblings.

It is a vicious, murderous battle of wills, and more than ever in this biennial challenge to intercontinental machismo, there must be a healthy dollop of spite bubbling beneath the mannerly surface.

Best Sign Yet The Ball Needs Rolling Back: New French Royal And Ancient Captain Nearly Drives It In Swilcan Burn!

Hey, I wasn't there. I just copy and paste the stuff. For Immediate Release from the R&A, which is to be confused with the Royal And Ancient Golf Club which has a new Captain.

NEW CAPTAIN DRIVES IN

The traditional driving-in ceremony for the new Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews took place on the first tee of the Old Course today.

Pierre Bechmann began his year in office with a drive at precisely 8am as a cannon fired alongside the tee. A large crowd gathered to witness the ceremony and saw Mr Bechmann hit a long drive down the middle of the fairway running to around 30 yards short of the Swilcan Burn.

And I know from the summer they've had, these are not drought-stricken fairways.

Mr Bechmann becomes the first Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club from Continental Europe. His role will see him representing The R&A and supporting its work in developing golf around the world. He will attend R&A Championships in the professional and amateur games and assume an ambassadorial role for the Club.

But of course, the R&A is totally separate from the Royal And Ancient Golf Club.

After hitting his tee shot, a relieved Mr Bechmann said: “It is a daunting prospect teeing off in front of such a large gallery but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I am greatly looking forward to my year in office and hope I can contribute to the important work The R&A does for golf around the world. I have been heavily involved in supporting the development of talented young players and I look forward to continuing that work in my new role.”

Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris in 1957, Mr Bechmann is particularly active in amateur golf, sitting on the Executive Committee of the French Golf Federation and the Championship Committee of the European Golf Association.

A lawyer and member of the Paris Bar, Mr Bechmann has been President of his home club, Golf de Chantilly, since 2010. He is a former member of the R&A’s General Committee, and has served on the Championship and Rules of Golf Committees as well as The R&A Coaching Panel. In 2008/09 he was Captain of Royal St George’s Golf Club. Mr Bechmann lives in Chantilly and plays to a handicap of nine.

In the past, the Club Captaincy was bestowed on the winner of the annual Challenge for the Silver Club but by the early 19th Century the Captaincy had become an elected office.

Part of the tradition is that a gold sovereign is paid by the new Captain to buy his golf ball back from the caddie who successfully retrieves and returns it.

Why do I keep picturing the Judge tipping Danny a quarter after Caddyshack's thrown putter scene?

This year’s recipient of the sovereign was Scott Bechelli. The 44 year old from St Andrews said: “I have been caddying here since I was 13 years old and this is a real honour for me. My brother received the sovereign in 2008 so it’s nice to follow him.”

Jack Thinks The USGA Will Be Rolling Back The Golf Ball "In the not-too-distant future."

From his ESPN 980 radio interview transcript when asked about the ball and the size of the driver head.

“I think both. I think it all starts with the golf ball. I think the USGA will probably end up doing that in the not-too-distant future. (Host: How about a tour ball?) More for the game of golf. The game of golf has three problems. It’s too hard, it’s too expensive and it takes too long. If they dialed the golf ball back it would reduce all those costs. The costs of maintaining the golf course, the cost of land and all those things would be dialed back and as an added benefit there’s only one golf course in this country that is not obsolete to the pros and that’s Augusta National, they’re the only people that have enough money to build the golf course and do the things they needed to do. Every time they have an event what do they do? Build new tees, new bunkers and do everything. It doesn’t make any sense. The simplest thing to do is fix the golf ball.”

Jack To Shark: “Quiet Greg, quiet. Down boy."

Thanks to reader Lloyd who saw GolfChannel.com's post on Jack Nicklaus' radio interview with Washington D.C.'s ESPN 980 that covered a variety of topics, including Greg Norman's assertion that Tiger Woods is intimidated by Rory McIlroy.

The full transcript is here:

“Quiet Greg, quiet. Down boy. I think Tiger had a pretty darn good year this year. It’s the first time he has gotten himself back into contention in the majors, he didn’t finish them and I think by his own admission he said he had a hard time finishing them. That’s like anything else. He had a pretty big event in his life that changed a lot of things and he has to learn how to go back and play again. I think he’s learned how to play again, now he has to learn how to finish again. I think Tiger has a lot of wins left in him. He does have a lot more competition. During the couple of years when Tiger wasn’t really there all of the sudden you have Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley and I could probably name a half dozen other guys that have all won and learned how to win in Tiger’s absence. They’re not scared of him anymore. Before Tiger just showed up coming down the stretch and everybody said ‘oh there’s Tiger and I wilt.’ They don’t do that anymore. Tiger’s got his work cut out for him but I don’t think Tiger is by any means finished. I just think Tiger is too good of an athlete and too good of a player.”

John Strege reminds us that Norman's jab may be a result of an ego clash dating back to the early years of Bill Clinton's second term.

Whatever Norman's reasons for his latest analysis of Woods, it is an extension of a clash of egos that dates to 1996 and effectively ended a relationship that had begun five years earlier, when Woods was 15. Tiger was in Florida for a junior tournament, when an arrangement was made for the two to play golf together at Bay Hill Club in Orlando.

Okay, So Not All Golfers Are Honorable Files: Staten Island Edition

John M. Annese of the Staten Island Advance reports on Christopher DeMenna, 40, kicking in the door of his girlfriend's house to harass and assault her following back-to-back prison sentences for drug charges. And he's one fine golfer too!

He's also a mainstay on Staten Island's golfing circuit -- Advance records show he's a three-time Staten Island Amateur champion, and he has won several other major championships on the borough's links.

But hey, he's consistently a scumbag...

In 2007, DeMenna was banned for four years from the Staten Island Amateur after he cursed at an official during that year's tournament at the Richmond County Country Club. He sued both the club and the Staten Island Golf Association in 2009, and the matter was resolved in a "confidential settlement" before state Supreme Court Justice Philip Minardo, according to Advance records.

DeMenna is now accused of kicking in the front door of his girlfriend's West Brighton home at 10 p.m. Sept. 12, then punching a hole in her bedroom and bathroom walls, court papers allege.

Competitors, just remember the next time you get a lousy pairing. It could have been worse. They could have put you with this flea.

For Sale: Rory's Home And Backyard Practice Area

Thanks to Irish Golf Nut for this Press Association story on Rory McIlroy posting a for sale sign on his Northern Ireland residence.

I believe, but am not sure, this is the home of his backyard practice area that he took the BBC on a tour of in 2011.

Michael Rodgers, a partner at Rodgers & Brown, the Holywood, Co Down, firm of estate agents which is handling the sale, said: "I would say interest in the house will be extremely good, both locally and potentially worldwide. We will have to wait and see."

The house, which is set in 14 acres, was built in 2006.

And there was this, which does seem pretty likely considering Lee Westwood's planned move...

The sale will heighten speculation that McIlroy will now seek to live abroad permanently, possibly Florida - especially after he caused public controversy in Northern Ireland and the Republic earlier this month when he indicated he would play golf for Team GB in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Clint Got JT On ANGC

Bryan Alexander of USA Today, with this from the junket to plug their new movie, talking to Clint Eastwood and Justin Timberlake:

"When you're directing, you never get to play golf," says Eastwood. "But we managed to get a few rounds in down there."

The star even managed to get Timberlake onto the famed Augusta National Golf Course a week before the Master's tournament for 36 holes.

"So the two of them would go off and have fun while the rest of us were working all the time," says Lorenz. "They'd come back all sunburned and tired from walking all 36 holes."

Scottish Open Returning To Castle Stuart, Then Off To Royal Aberdeen

Thanks to reader Brian for sending along the great news that Castle Stuart will host the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open again in 2013 and Royal Aberdeen will land the event in 2014.

The 18th at Royal Aberdeen (click on image to enlarge)I highly recommend both courses if you visit the region and if you want to take in a European Tour event, you'll be hard pressed to find a more wonderful tournament and town experience outside of St. Andrews than Inverness in July.

From an unbylined Scotsman story:

Castle Stuart, near Inverness, will stage the event from 11-14 July next year and, in 2014, Royal Aberdeen will host the first-ever European Tour event over the Balgownie links from 10-13 July.

Founded in 1780, Royal Aberdeen is the world’s sixth oldest golf club and the course was originally designed by Carnoustie’s Simpson brothers, Archie and Robert. It was re-bunkered and lengthened by James Braid and Hawtree and Company have now been engaged as course architects to ensure it keeps pace with the modern game.

I'm not sure if the course can get lengthened or narrowed much, but I know players will still enjoy it. As for Donald Trump's course up the road? I'm a little surprised it didn't get the 2014 slot but perhaps The Donald is aiming for something else.

Fred Couples Headed To World Golf Hall Of Fame

For Immediate Release...

World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum to induct Fred Couples in Class of 2013
15-time PGA TOUR winner announced at TOUR Championship
 
Atlanta (Sept. 19, 2012) – The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum will enshrine 15-time PGA TOUR winner Fred Couples as the first member of the Class of 2013. PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem made the announcement that Couples was elected through the PGA TOUR Ballot at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.
 
Couples will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at its Induction Ceremony on Monday, May 6, 2013, at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. The Ceremony will once again kick off THE PLAYERS Championship week.
 
It will be fitting for Couples, who won the 1984 and 1996 PLAYERS Championships.
 
"Fred Couples is one of those unique players whose talent and accomplishments are Hall-of-Fame caliber, as are his personality and popularity," said Finchem. "He has been a fan favorite for decades, thanks to not only his significant achievements on the golf course, but also because of his relatable, friendly demeanor that has connected him to fans around the world. Congratulations to Fred on this incredible honor."
 
Couples is one of the game’s most popular players and is revered for his picturesque golf swing. It carried him to the top of the game, when he won the 1992 Masters Tournament. That major championship victory also made him the first American player to reach No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He dominated in the early 1990s, winning PGA TOUR Player of the Year and the Vardon Trophy in 1991 and 1992.
 
He is also a fixture for the United States in team competitions. He played on five Ryder Cup teams, helping the Americans to victories in 1991 and 1993. Couples will also take part in next week’s Ryder Cup competition at Medinah Country Club, where he will be an assistant captain for the U.S. Team.
 
Couples has also been a large part of the American success at The Presidents Cup. He played on four U.S. Teams, with three emerging victorious. He also captained the winning U.S. Presidents Cup teams in 2009 and 2011 and will once again lead the Americans at the 2013 Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village, where he will attempt to become the first captain to post a 3-0 record (Jack Nicklaus was 2-1-1).
 
Couples has won five times internationally, and since turning 50 in 2009, he has won eight times on the Champions Tour, including major championships at the 2011 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship and the 2012 Senior Open Championship.
 
“I am honored by my selection to the World Golf Hall of Fame,” Couples said. “It is humbling to have received the votes and to be included in a group of such legendary players. I am looking forward to the Induction Ceremony next May during THE PLAYERS Championship week. I am excited to have a place in the Hall of Fame with so many great players with whom I have competed and that I admire.”
 
The Hall of Fame will round out the Class of 2013 by announcing inductees from the International Ballot and Veterans and Lifetime Achievement categories in the coming months.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome Fred into the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum,” said Hall of Fame Chief Operating Officer Jack Peter. “He has a unique connection to fans and is one of the game’s most beloved figures. We are excited to showcase his wonderful career at the 2013 Induction Ceremony and within the Hall of Fame.”