We still don't know whether the BBC will fulfill its contract and cover next year's Open at Royal Troon, or whether, as now seems increasingly likely, Sky will come in a year early and assume a mantle for which they have paid unnecessarily handsomely; apparently! We do know that the only way that Colin Montgomerie will make an emotional return to his father's old course (James was the long-time Secretary there) will be if he successfully qualifies next year. He narrowly failed to achieve the short cut to Troon, when his bid to win the Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale faltered on the back nine, allowing the little-known Marco Dawson to experience yet again the thrill of victory. (The American won the LaSalle Bank Open on the US secondary tour in 2002, and romped to victory by a shot earlier this year in the Champions Tour's Tucson Conquistadores Classic, or CTTCC). Somehow Senior Open Champion on the Old Course at Sunningdale has a rather classier ring to it. Monty, and Bernhard Langer who finished second, can only mourn the passing of yet another 'Major' that got away.
Meanwhile English golf appears to be in rude health after a clean sweep at Crans, high in the Swiss Alps. Willett, Fitzpatrick and Hatton; not a firm of undertakers, but the vanguard of a new breed to ultimately supercede Westwood, Donald, Casey and Rose. The Yorkshire town of Sheffield is renowned for its quality cutlery, but in Willett and Fitzpatrick it has a pair of sterling silver, King's pattern gems. Their mutual manager, Chubby Chandler, thinks Danny Willett will be ranked inside the top-10 in the world before the year is out, whilst former US Amateur Champion Fitzpatrick is ready for his debut win. Willett holes out brilliantly and possesses an abundance of self-belief and confidence. Fitzpatrick also putts like a god and is so laid back under pressure he makes Roger Moore look neurotic. According to legend, when Yorkshire is strong so is England.
By the way, the yellow duck mentioned earlier was for a 'Ken on the Course' piece about where the Swilcan Burn flows to, after it's very public appearance in front of the first green. It would have ended up in the North Sea if an innocent bystander hadn't annoyed Ken by 'rescuing' it. I reckon the poor duck was trying to escape from the walrus!
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