Hello,
What a massive weekend of sport, we had the Wallabies against the Lions, Wimbledon, The German Grand Prix, Weekend Footy and the French Open (McDowell - Triumphed), just to name a few events.
It was an effort to get nine holes in on Sunday, given the great weather, just about everybody decided to show up, causing some large crowds on the course, especially on the par 3's. Can't say I blame them, conditions were perfect.
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The Forgotten ManDavid Graham
Having become the first new Australian name on the major championship roll of honour in nearly two decades, Graham finally had the confidence to make a career statement. His US Open win at Merion in 1981 was the pinnacle of his achievement, his final round 67 a stunning display of precision golf at a tournament which historically values accuracy and control over everything else. It was a round for the ages, the culmination of a 21-year struggle against the odds, his family, his fellow pros, and himself.Truly inspirational.
Two majors
Graham was up against it from the start. In 1960, at the age of 14, he left school in Melbourne in order to follow his calling as a professional golfer. His father took umbrage at the decision, and offered the lad no support. The two fell out, spectacularly so.
"I guess he wondered how I was going to make a living," remembered Graham.
"My parents thought I'd end up a golf club repairman. Every parent wants their child to be successful. My mother wanted me to be a pilot or a doctor. I guess my father planned to shock me. He told me he'd never speak to me again and, strangely enough, he kept his word. But it didn't work."
He moved to America in 1969 and eventually won himself a place on the PGA tour. While clearly not a special one – he deliberately pulled his club back on a slow and precise plane, with the studied patience of a builder carefully grouting tiles – he was nevertheless ahead of much of the pack.
He won the 1970 World Cup of Golf for Australia alongside Bruce Devlin, thrashing Roberto de Vicenzo's Argentina in the final having already seen off Lee Trevino's USA, then beat his compatriot in a play-off at the 1972 Cleveland Open to land his first tour title. Showing a talent for coming out on top in one-on-one scraps, he nudged past Hale Irwin in the final of the 1976 World Matchplay.
Graham won a couple more events on tour, but the big breakthrough looked like it would remain elusive. In 1979, with the scrap becoming a struggle, his friend Jack Nicklaus – the pair sharing an interest in club manufacturing – offered him some sage advice.
"Look, David, why don't you concentrate on the golf club business? Let's face it, you are never going to be a great player."
Quietly determined even by his intense standards – he walked out at Oakland Hills to compete in the PGA Championship on a course which had once been referred to by the legendary Ben Hogan as
"The Monster". After rounds of 69, 68 and 70, he stood on the 72nd tee two shots ahead of Ben Crenshaw, knowing bogey was enough for victory, a par would give him a round of 63 and the 72-hole tournament record, and a birdie would mean he'd sign for the best round in PGA history.
The PGA, as the final major of the year, is known colloquially as Glory's Last Shot. And indeed it had appeared Graham had passed up exactly that, his last shot at glory. "If I'd lost that tournament," he recalled years later, "that would have probably been the end of David Graham the golfer
He eventually prevailed on the third extra play off hole, to become Australia's first new major champion since Kel Nagle won the 1960 Open, first Aussie major winner since Peter Thomson's valedictory Open of 1965, and only the fourth in history at that point behind 1947 PGA champ Jim Ferrier, Thomson and Nagle.
A PGA win was enough for a place in the pantheon in itself, though the best was yet to come. The 1981 US Open was held at Merion, a tough course with five hellish closing holes, but one which offered Graham a chance to shine. It was relatively short by major championship standards at 6,544 yards, but tight with penal rough. Control and placement was favoured over length and brute force, which was just as well, as Graham had neither, though in fairness he seemed uninterested in belting the cover off the ball anyway.
Long out of the game, one of Australia's greatest golfers now lives a happy retirement in Montana, though his lack of recognition on the world stage these days rankles. Despite playing one of the greatest rounds in the history of the US Open, there's still been no invitation to the World Golf Hall of Fame for the two-time major winner, despite the organisers rolling out the red carpet for Colin Montgomery, who has no major wins to his name.
Graham still feels he did not get full recognition for his achievements, in our opinion, anyone who wins even one major, is a champion, good on ya David.
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The Open - LATE Aussie Qualifier
Australian golfer John Wade has stormed home to book a spot in the upcoming British Open at Muirfield.
Wade shot rounds of 70 and 63 in the final round of local qualifying at Dunbar GC to finish at seven-under 133, tied for second with India's Shiv Kapur and one shot behind local amateur Grant Forrest.
The top three finishers on Tuesday at each of four qualifying courses near Muirfield all earned spots in the Open which runs from July 18-21.
Fellow Australian Daniel Gaunt just missed out on claiming a spot in the year's third major. He shot rounds of 67 and 71 at North Berwick for a total of four-under 138, with five-under being the cut-off.
Scottish star Colin Montgomerie failed to earn a place at the British Open after travelling more than 6000km from the US to take part in qualifying.
Montgomerie drove from Pittsburgh, where he finished ninth on Sunday in the Senior Players Championship, to Newark Airport in New Jersey, and then flew home to Scotland - arriving on Monday.
Montgomerie was tied for second after opening with a 69 at Gullane, only to get caught up in the slow pace of play and shoot 76 in wet afternoon conditions. |
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Adam Scott's Advice to J.Rose
Justin Rose savoured his first major victory, he acknowledged the other first-time major winner of the year, Adam Scott, for helping him to believe he was ready to win one of the world's four great championships.
He revealed Scott had sent him a text message after his historic US Masters win, saying
This is your time, this is our time, to win these tournaments".
"Really learned from Adam was that I wasn't scared of the heartache of losing one. The way he handled himself at Lytham (where Scott crumbled as the final round leader in the British Open last year), I think, is something that he needs as much praise on as winning the Masters".
At 25, Day has been the most consistent performer in major championships for the past three years, claiming three second place finishes and a third. He finished tied second with Scott at the 2011 Masters, then second again as Rory McIlroy swept to victory in the 2011 US Open, third behind Scott at this year's Masters and now tied for second with Phil Mickelson as Rose took his bow.
Day knows the heartache of losing one all too well and he's clearly not afraid of it, nor scarred by it. Australia's other recent major winner, Geoff Ogilvy, voiced the common opinion on Day's major future on Twitter yesterday, saying:
"He will get there. Too good not to."
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What's in the bag
Name: Branden Grace
Age: 25 Professional Wins: 6 Clubs: Callaway
Driver: X Hot Driver
Irons: X Forged Hybrid: Diablo Edge
In 2008 he played on the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He finished 35th on the Challenge Tour's Order of Merit while recording three top-10 finishes including finishing in a tie for second at the Ypsilon Golf Challenge.
He then earned his European Tour card for 2009 through qualifying school.
He finished in the top 10 in seven of the nine Sunshine Tour events that he played in en route to a 11th place finish on the Order of Merit.
He picked up his first professional win in 2010 at the Coca-Cola Charity Championship on the Sunshine Tour.
In 2011 he finished 24th on the Challenge Tour's Order of Merit while recording five top-10 finishes. He also finished 7th on the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit.
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Hot Picks |
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Old clubs?We'll buy them from you...
Golf Traders and The Custom Golf Shop have joined forces to offer customers another fantastic service.
With the golf season in full swing and Christmas just passed, we all have clubs that are being made redundant every day. Instead of letting them collect dust in the garage, turn them into cash...
or at least let them go some way to buying the new clubs you so desperately need.
View all of our stock here or come in store and have a shot on our Triple Surround Simulator to try before you buy!
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PRO TIP:It all hinges on this
Hinge = Power
Amateurs have problems hitting crisp iron shots due to two flaws. Firstly, the takeaway tends to be too low to the ground, which delays the proper hinging of the wrists until too late in the backswing. Secondly, in a misguided effort to create power, the arms tend to swing too far in the backswing. This causes a breakdown in posture and usually leads to a reverse pivot. These flaws cause mis-hits and a lack of distance and control.
During the takeaway, the hands should stay close to the ground while the clubhead moves up quickly.The goal is to get the left thumb pointing at the right shoulder as soon as possible. You’ll know you’ve achieved the proper wrist hinge when your left arm is parallel to the ground and the clubshaft is perpendicular to it.
Creating the proper wrist hinge in the backswing will lead to noticeably better ballstriking and, as a result, more consistent distance and direction on all iron shots.
Happy golfing
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David Fearns (PGA)
Golf Traders |
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