Looking back . . .
Wait, you're still writing about golf?
Didn't we have enough of that last week?Bear with me as I offer just a few more bits and pieces from my week at the New Zealand Open at the most extraordinary sporting venue in the country.
Firstly, three good things about the tournament. -
1 It's so unpredictable. This, for me, is the best part about golf. Even we so-called experts (note: I am not a golf expert) had absolutely no idea at the start of the week who was going to be holding up the trophy at the finish. Had I heard of Jordan Zunic before? No, I had not.
2 The field is strong and getting stronger. I know some look at the list of names and pooh-pooh the standard. But the golf experts (note: I am still not an expert) know that this tournament now attracts a cracking level of golfer, far stronger than many Opens of the last 20 years.
3 The food. Yes, I'm a walking cliche: the sports editor who raves about the tucker in the media centre. It was exceptionally good, to be fair.
. . . on the week
And three not-so-good things.-
1 No New Zealand winner. Sigh. This is not just a media obsession - everyone wants a Kiwi winner. The tournament really needs Josh Geary or Ryan Fox or Michael Hendry to get it done.
2 The pro-am. The format has its merits - it helps pay the bills, and provides some nice stories - but I am still not completely sold. The pace can get excruciatingly slow.
3 I am now back at a desk for the rest of the year.
Luck of the draw
Another of the great stories from Open week was the tale of a rather fortunate caddy.
A bloke called Jaimes Wood, from Wellington, volunteered his services as a bag-carrier for the tournament when he saw organisers were running short.
Fortuitously, he was paired with a tall young Australian kid called Jordan Zunic, who won his first professional tournament with a stunning birdie on the final hole.
''Woody'', who plays at the Royal Wellington club, said it was a ''mind-boggling'' experience.
An Oamaru link
Well, it wouldn't be The Clutch without SOME sort of reference to the best town in Otago.
Kieran Pratt, an Australian who finished tied for 12th, comes from some outstanding North Otago stock.
His grandfather (Alan) was an Oamaru veterinarian, his grandmother (Shirley) was a very handy player, and he was led to the game by his father (Stuart), a scratch player who seriously considered turning professional before moving to Australia in the 1970s.
God complex
This was from a press release following the New Zealand Open, quoting television personality Mark Richardson after he won the pro-am title with young Australian Kristopher Mueck. -''I don't know how I got paired with such a good pro. He must have just asked for me because he knew I was such a god performer.''
No further comment.
Our mighty leader
You can always rely on Guardian cricket writer Mike Selvey to sum up the summer game in style.
This week, he gave our own Brendon McCullum some lovely praise:''McCullum is seen as the figurehead for a side that is not only revitalising an interest in cricket where rugby is king, but which is generating such a groundswell of a parochial nature that can only happen in a country of such a small population that the concept of six degrees of separation can be reduced to three. Everyone knows someone who knows someone.
''In the vanguard of this Kiwi challenge is McCullum, a leader of rare genius, who encapsulates in his personal endeavour and captaincy what is called the Kiwi spirit. He, and through it his team, are inspiring a nation.''
Tweet and to the point
Irish cricketer William Porterfield had a snappy response when the ICC referred on Twitter to Ireland's World Cup campaign being ''memorable and inspiring''.
Porterfield replied: ''So memorable and inspiring that you have decided to cut the next WC to 10 teams. What is your vision for the game of cricket?''
A minor quibble
Shanan Stewart played 244 games for Canterbury and four one-day games for New Zealand.
Should he be playing in the Hawke Cup?(Sour grapes that he scored 173 to kill off North Otago's challenge? Never!)
The first quote
''I think Kentucky is going to take it. But, you know, I haven't won since my first year in office. So I wouldn't necessarily take my bracket and copy it, although I suspect I'm not the only person picking Kentucky.''
- Barack Obama does his usual predictions for the March Madness basketball tournament.
The second quote
''In the back of the scrum surrounding him, two media members in plain view were rapidly snapping photos of James with their phones while he was answering questions. This time team personnel caught the suspects in the act and removed them from the locker room.''
- Cleveland.com reports on the unusual case of ''journalists'' photographing a semi-naked LeBron James.
Triumph
Electronic Arts will release a new golf game after a one-year hiatus.
Out is the fallen idol, Tiger Woods, and in is a new cover boy - Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will launch in June for PS4 and Xbox One.
Disaster
Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara deserved better than a World Cup quarterfinal exit. That is the end of a phenomenal limited-overs career.
