The diarist’s cherished colleague, Jock MacVicar, was officially sworn in as President of the Association of Golf Writers yesterday after 53 years as a member of this esteemed organisation
“Any objections to the appointment?” said the chairman at the AGM. “Yes … me,” muttered a reluctant Jock with a wry smile.
The Open these days is all hip and happening in this rapid fire digital age.
Read more: The Open: Rory McIlroy joins the runners and riders for life in the fast lane
To promote the championship’s official site, theopen.com, the marketing goons have emblazoned the line ‘Get closer to the Open’ all over the shop.
For the harrumphing members of the press, meanwhile, it’s a different story. Shuttle buses from the car park, barriers preventing you getting access to players, stern-faced security guards telling you that you don’t have the necessary lanyard?
Our own marketing catchphrase is ‘Get further away from the Open’.
Talking of treks, a small cinema in Carnoustie is showing ‘The Longest Hole’, a film of the epic, 80-day golfing journey that Adam Rolston and Ron Rutland made through Mongolia.
Over some 2,000 km, Rolston hit 20,093 shots as he closed out his adventure with a seven-foot putt on the green at the Mt Bogd Club in Ulaanbaatar. And no, it didn’t horseshoe out
“We estimated before that the par was going to be 14,000 shots and I think we were extremely naïve with that,” said Rolston. “We ended up playing 20,093 shots, so 6,093 over-par.”
Still probably good enough to win our sports desk’s summer outing then?
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