Hello August, I forgot you were coming! The black sheep of the summer months has arrived with a ‘crash-bang’ reminder that not only are the ‘nights fair drawin’ in!’ but our chances of reliable and enjoyable weather are about as likely as Diane Abbott winning the numbers round on Countdown!
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If the lashing rain gave us some percussion then it has been accompanied by the electric acoustics of thunder and lightning. If you`ve ever wondered what causes thunder in August it is apparently the sound created when bigotry and sectarianism argue over how to spell hypocrite! Yes, like a clap of thunder, the peace and tranquillity of a wonderful sporting summer has been shattered now that Scottish football is back! Or was it just someone falling through a corrugated iron roof? Following two months of awe-inspiring, record-breaking, jaw-dropping sporting action – whether that be watching two of the game`s greatest ever players and rivals play out a record-breaking Wimbledon Final with the utmost respect and sportsmanship, to the emotional rollercoaster that the return of The Open Championship, where the ‘Island of Ireland’ united in support of their local winner that Portrush gave us. The SPFL is back, and thanks to the help of The Old Firm fan base, has reassured us that ‘Hate Thy Neighbour’ is not a dying art! The battle to see who was ‘less bad’ began again on the weekend with Rangers celebrating an injury time winner away to Kilmarnock on the first game of the season and celebrated like someone told Man Utd they`d take Romelu Lukaku off their hands for £100 million! Now I know supporting a team can put you through the wringer emotionally, from the ecstatic highs to the depressing lows, but if any sort of success makes you instantly want to damage things then maybe you need to screw the top back on the glue bottle!? If there was any sort of uncontrollable euphoria by visiting supporters to report coming from Rugby Park then surely that should have been by the fans of Connah's Quay Nomads – the Welsh part-time team who knocked Kilmarnock out of the Europa League earlier that week – the biggest result in their history! But like normal sports fans, they acted appropriately. You know, just like Thorbjorn Olesen would!
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Yes, just like the fans of the good old teddy bears, poor old ‘thunder bear’ himself hit the headlines last week for the wrong reasons. After 'scoofing' one too many on a flight home from America, the Great Dane thought it'd be a good idea to try and check in to the ‘Harvey Weinstein’ lounge of the Mile High Club and couldn't keep his Hans Christian Anderson`s to himself, was verbally abusive to the Cabin Crew, and was ultimately arrested by police on landing at Heathrow. If Carlsberg did airline passengers! Stick to golf, Thorbjorn, where you get rewarded for the strokes you take at the birdies! Someone who had no black marks to blemish his report card was JT Poston. Perhaps not a household name (yet) but after his winning performance at the Wyndam Championship on the PGA Tour he did something that no golfer has done in the last 45 seasons! Poston went 72 holes without recording a bogey on his card, which hasn`t been done on the PGA Tour since Lee Trevino did it whilst winning the New Orleans Open. Although not bogey-free, the action at the Women’s British Open was equally as impressive and entertaining. Hot on the heels of the snoozefest the previous week in the Evian Masters, the Ladies served up a fantastic finale to their seasons last Major. If you thought JT Polston was an unknown before this weekend, then Hinako Shibuno could easily have been an alphabetti-spaghetti spillage! In her first venture outside of her native Japan and her first ever Major Championship, she played with the composure of a veteran, the form of a superstar and the enthusiasm of a rookie. And get this… her 18 under par winning total was compiled by playing the front 9 holes for the week in level par and the back nine holes for the 4 rounds in 18 under! Thanks in no small measure to two 9's of 30 and a closing 31 in the final round/final group! Incredible! Standing on the 18th fairway waiting on the penultimate group to finish, she was eating sweeties and laughing and joking with her caddy as if it was a Tuesday practice round, popped it on the green with zero fuss and then smashed in her WINNING putt clearly with no fear of tying or losing! She did it all with the most infectious smile and attitude! That`s the kind and amount of fun we should all be trying to have on the golf course!
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It was all about that kind of fun on Friday here at Duddingston when we held our ‘Greenkeepers Revenge’ team event in recognition of Billy Armstrong's 40 years of service to the Club & Greenkeeping team.
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The format was Texas Scramble with a twist. The twist being the sadistic nature of the way the Greenkeepers set up the course where we had to tackle impossible pin placements, awkward angles, dodgy diversions, obscure obstacles, some smoke and mirrors and a 2nd hole challenge that not only tested your skill but also gave you a domestic and golfing etiquette dilemma!
Having to putt into a toilet seat meant you were left scratching your head wondering what will I get the biggest wrap on the knuckles for… not putting the Pin back or not putting the toilet lid down!? Trust me, I`ve had A LOT of grief for forgetting either!
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The serious stuff got back to normal on Saturday when the Howie & Seath Cup (Scratch) and the Cavalry Park Trophy (Handicap) were played for. Well done to David Downing and Craig Meek who will be picking up these prizes respectively on Presentation Night later this year.
1st - Craig Meek - 77 - 10 = 67 nett 2nd - Kevin Mayo - 72 - 5 = 67 nett 3rd - Craig Mackay - 73 - 5 = 68 nett 4th - David Downing - 72 - 3 = 69 nett
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| Craig Mackay |
| David Downing |
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Sunday was also a qualifier for the end of Season CAPPRO Cup Match so, with only three qualifying events left to play, the standings are starting to show who are favourites to ‘land a starting shirt’. |
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