Some of you, dear readers, may be aware of the works of Justin Timberlake, the thrusting, shoogling, gyrating American singer, who provokes more swoons, gasps, oohs and ahhs than one of this correspondent’s opening paragraphs.
The bold Timberlake once wrote a song which triumphantly declared that “I’m bringing sexy back” as if he was the commissioner of the world’s sexy resources.
Funnily enough, this scribe was caught uttering the words “I’m bringing sexy back” as I hirpled towards the Dunhill Links Championship media centre yesterday and was immediately told to leave it at the door by a concerned security guard.
Timberlake, meanwhile, will garner plenty of attention at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns over the next few days as he partners Justin Rose in this celebrity-infused golfing bonanza.
“We’re both really cool and can both dance incredibly well,” said Rose with a wry grin. The wider , potential impact of Timberlake’s appearance here is not lost on Rose, though.
“To kids who don’t know much about golf, it can still be maybe a dad’s sport,” said the former US Open champion of the game’s battle against entrenched perceptions.
“But when they see guys like Justin Timberlake playing golf, I think that makes it a lot cooler and gives golf a lot of credibility. It’s good for the game.”
Rose, who is making his first Dunhill Links appearance since 2008, is certainly here to enjoy the week. Golf is just a daft game, after all.
READ MORE: Euan Walker looning forward to Dunhill debut
The death and destruction which Hurricane Dorian recently brought to the Bahamas, where Rose and his family live, underlined the game’s position in the grand scheme of things.
“We were very fortunate to get away with it,” said Rose of the ravages that the storm wreaked on other parts of the islands. “Nassau is 100 miles south from where the eye of the storm tracked. We caught the fringes of the storm and we feel very lucky to get away with it.
“You realise how vulnerable you are when you see the power of the storm and what it can do. Nassau has become very much the heart of the relief effort. That’s where my wife is today, at a children’s home in Nassau, working and helping and doing what she can.
READ MORE: Nick Rodger's weekly golf column
“A lot of us in the community have done as much fund-raising as possible. Along with Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake, we have been involved in setting up a significant fund that can try to help some of the rebuilding process.
“In a small community like the Bahamas, when something so devastating happens, we definitely club together pretty well. It’s pretty devastating to see. It’s a small enough place where you are bumping into people who have just lost their uncle. They have cousins they haven’t heard from. They fear the worst.
“Losing a member of the family, that’s one of the worst things that can happen. But to lose maybe your whole family and your whole family home? Kids are orphaned. There are going to be many stories of things like this.
“Golf is insignificant at that point. It’s always family first and these tragedies rip families apart.
“Your putt lips out and you think it’s the end of the world. Those are the moments when you’ve got to check yourself.”
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