It's 2020 and and we've not only figured out who is going to win the majors in the men's game but we have also sorted out who is going to prevail in the women's majors. For the women we are struggling to look beyond the strong South Korean contingent however, we think 2020 will provide the odd surprise!
2019 is behind of us but it was not a great display by some who let down our great game and so have been inducted into the GolfPunk Hall of Shame. So which five golfers find themselves with the unwanted invite?
Well they’ve had the boxing, Tiger and Rory have declined big pay days to play there and now Saudi has made history by announcing the first-ever professional women’s golf event in the Kingdom. The fully-sanctioned Ladies European Tour event will be staged in collaboration with Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation and carry a purse of $1 million.
To say that Patrick Reed is not one of the most popular players on tour would be somewhat of an understatement. However, he has done little for his stock in trade with his blatant breaking of the rules at the Hero World Challenge. Some would say he is very lucky to get away with just a two-stroke penalty.
We must say we like the look of the new Stewart Golf HottMitt. Who wouldn’t want toasty warm hands on the golf course? The mobile phone or device holder and charger does look like a bit of techfoolery (Is that a new word? - Ed) but each to their own. But might there be other uses?
It’s Manic Monday, so here is a very quick round up of all the results and stories from the weekend on the, PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA and Women’s European Tour.
Shock horror, the European Tour has taken the ground-breaking step of allowing competitors to play in shorts at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa. The Brigadier has just recovered after choking on a mouthful of his morning kippers. Has the golf world gone mad or is it finally waking up to the fact we entered the 21st century some twenty years ago?
GolfNow the biggest online tee time agency in the golf industry has grabbed an even bigger share of the market following the acquisition of EZLinks Golf by GolfNow owner, NBC Sports Group. Part of the EZLinks Golf portfolio is the online tee time booking platform TeeOff. So, what does this consolidation signal to the golf industry?
The folk at Galvin Green, in keeping with their name, are enhancing their environmental credentials by introducing a collection of golf wear using high-performance fabric that is left over from the production of its comprehensive core range. The UpCycle Edition collection consists of a limited number of garments for both men and women.
For the first time since 1955 there will be no live coverage of any golf on the BBC in 2020. The BBC has lost their rights to show any live coverage of the Augusta event which means that the UK pay TV Channel Sky is now the only place to watch live coverage of the majors. This is the end game for millions of golf fans who have seen the free to air coverage of their favourite sport fade and die in the hands of the BBC over the past decade.
Gareth Bale will trot out on to pitch this evening at the Cardiff City Stadium hoping to help Wales beat Hungary and qualify for next year’s European Championships. Meanwhile back in Spain he is getting a lot of criticism for playing too much golf – as if you could ever play too much golf!
Jon Rahm successfully defended a title for the first time in his career as he stormed to a five-stroke victory at the Mutuactivos Open de España. The 24-year-old secured his fifth European Tour title in just his 39th start, becoming the fastest Spaniard to reach five victories surpassing the late, great Seve Ballesteros who reached that milestone on his 49th appearance.
