In the days when Gerald Ford, the former US president, was in his punter-decking pomp, measuring a politician's progress round a golf course was as much a matter of counting casualties as shots taken.
In which light, Alex Salmond's involvement in the pro-am at Castle Stuart yesterday might be seen as some sort of progress, no blood having been spilt on his stately – nay, statesmanlike – hike from first tee to 18th green.
Nor, it must be admitted, was ever much danger that the First Minister would match the achievement of the late Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who, on his very first round, was reported by the state press agency to have shot a 38-under-par score of 34, a feat that included 11 aces. If Salmond wants to aim for a score like that, he would probably be better going to work on the Scottish media than practising his short game.
As it happened, his long game looked in pretty decent shape as he scuttled his opening drive towards the middle of the first fairway. That was more than Phil Mickelson, his pro-am team leader, could do, for the world No.8 hit a frightful slice high into a gorse bank, deciding there and then that he would pick up and resume his efforts at the next hole.
Then again, Mickelson did not have the help of Iain Johnstone, the hugely-experienced Castle Stuart caddie who carried Salmond's bag and dished out advice with the sort of exquisite precision that made you wonder if he would end the day with an offer to become a ministerial adviser. Not that the politician seemed to be listening ahead of his second shot, which he topped and sent scurrying along the ground to rest behind a mound near the green.
It was a temporary blip, though. At the 550-yard second, Salmond whacked out another fine drive that would scarcely have drawn more appreciation from the gallery if the Moray Firth's famous dolphins all leapt from the water and started flapping their flippers in unison. In the absence of the local cetaceans, Mickelson was the next best thing, cooing appreciation at every opportunity and delivering the kind of full-on charm offensive that would leave you queasy if a politician ever tried it. "You've got a nice swing," said Mickelson to Salmond as they headed up the second fairway, although he might have been better concentrating on his own game as his next shot was a fluffed chip that a 22-handicapper would have been ashamed of.
In fact, the round was well under way before Mickelson even threatened to add anything to the team score. The fourth, a 200-yard par-3 where the backdrop is provided by the castle that gives the course its name, might have been the place for the American to show some of his sorcery, but he was out-sorcered by the First Minister, who flew his tee shot to within 10 feet of the hole.
It should have been Salmond's finest hour. Instead, the moment was stolen by Audra Booth, a regional manager for the ClubGolf junior programme. Her tee shot had landed about 40 feet from the flag, but she drained the putt brilliantly to move the team to the lower reaches of the pro-am leaderboard.
Salmond contributed a few birdies of his own on that front nine, but the surge petered out. "We saw our names on the boards," he explained after his round. "I think we succumbed to a bit of pressure. I hit the ball fine. My short game was all to pot, but that's understandable. I made a few birdies early on, but I didn't contribute much on the back nine. But Audra was playing well and so she carried the team."
Mickelson helped his fellow players line up a few putts, but he seemed more concerned with picking Salmond's brains on every other matter under the sun. On the first tee, he had asked if the banking crisis was still a major concern, only to be told that treasury matters were not within Holyrood's remit. Heroically, the First Minister resisted the temptation to add "yet".
As best we know, Salmond also resisted the temptation to regale Mickelson with the story of his win in Tartan Tour's Acergy Young Professionals' pro-am at Aberdeen's Insch Golf Club in 2007, a feat he has mentioned so often in other contexts that he clearly considers it one of the more significant nation-building events. Instead, he discussed the battle of Culloden, Mickelson's interest having been provoked by he fact he is staying nearby.
"He's an interesting fellow," said Salmond. "He knows a lot about a lot of different things. He was great to spend time with. He's a great guy, very encouraging all the way round. If a Scot can't win the Open next week then I hope he does."
Of course, a Scot might triumph at Castle Stuart first. Has Salmond come prepared? "I don't think I'll have to bring my own saltire if a Scot wins on Sunday," he smiled. "There are plenty around here already."
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