Slow and steady likely to win race, at least in the Masters 2019

Tiger has risen like the phoenix and has proved all false prophets wrong

Standing under the 150-year-old great oak tree between the clubhouse and the first tee of the Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters is played, a few colleagues and I started thinking on ‘real’ golf development in India. Seeing these strapping young men here who can drive really long with force and also have the gentlest of touches on and around the greens makes one think of why not all this at some time in India as well.

It was unanimously felt that the approach has to be a 25-year perspective with governments (Education and Sporting Departments) in a positive cycle of development with National and regional golfing associations who are linked to schools, colleges and universities to extend full support for building teaching programs in those institutions. Government and Corporation funds to partly enable this, but the government should determine this activity as a CSR facility for enabling easier finance raising.

Is this possible? Yes of course. If we can build and run the Kumbh, organising this is easy.

The pipeline of great golfers in the USA started when the game was introduced as a sport in schools and colleges and intra mural tournaments began to be held, just like in any other sport. Consequent to the intra mural games a wonderful competitive spirit was engendered, and sporting terms have filtered into the vocabulary of virtually every American. The point is that golf was included amongst all the other sports that the Americans typically play and thus got more or less equal value.

Should India consider not to do it on the basis of how much it will cost or that it is too much trouble, they let down the third-largest economy in the world. That’s too bad.

This approach will launch a great section of the business economy of golf, put India on the map solidly and have at least a few world class tournaments here. It will also be a huge money earner and help improve India’s image as an investment destination and create a wonderful new image of a golfing destination.

Some great Corporates, or a bunch of them, or a combination of them and industry associations and golf clubs, should start a GOLF CHANNEL in India to bring all tournaments to India and also use it as a teaching system. Too many things to be done and with a relatively dysfunctional IGU and PGAI (only the Women’s Golf Association of India under Champika’s leadership is doing sterling work in starting an international tour for ladies in India), the prospects don’t look good unless Government takes a big hand. Nothing happens in a day and one can only assure that the great golf developing agencies of the world will be all too happy to help.

In excellent playing conditions, the ones who had no apparent chance of winning, rocketed forward. Webb Simpson hit every single fairway, hit well onto the greens and shot 64 to lead the field at that time at 9 under with the low round of the tournament at 64. In the meantime, the unheralded Tony Finau (more famous for dislocating his ankle while running down to claim his ball for having scored a hole in one at Par3 contest last year) climbed steadily up the leader board, scored a remarkable 30 on the first half and sat pretty as the clubhouse Leader at eleven under par. That score was soon to be equalled by Tiger Woods and smashed by the well-under-the-radar Francesco Molinari who ended the day at thirteen under par and the lead. It seems that Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have left themselves too far off the pace and even a score of 60 won’t be sufficient to put either of them in the winners’ circle. It’s too bad because much talent resides there, and they would have made excellent gladiators by the end. 

 

The playing conditions are just absolutely favourable and perfect, but then there is the player who has to be willing to take that little risk to get the big reward. The greens are soft and receptive and one must go for the high shots near the pins as they hold. This is different from yesterday when one had to be more circumspect and required a different level of skill. Molinari seemed to excel in using them all, scoring only one bogey in 54 holes, the least by any player. This does show that he has quickly learned where to play it safe and when to be aggressive. Given his 2018 record, he is going to be hard to beat and one should not forget that he bested Tiger at The Open and had a perfect Ryder Cup record against Tiger’s lacklustre one.

I still will hold my neck out for Tiger, partly because I just have enormous respect for his game and what he has done for golf, but also because his win will set forth a new huge momentum in the growth of golf worldwide, which might also include India.

But denouements at the Masters are never that simple. Of course, there must be a titanic battle until one of them falls but, equally, there may be a complete surprise waiting in the wings....Tony Finau/ Brooks Koepka a three times Major winner/and a couple of more although they have their work cut out for them. Sadly, the talented Australians have fallen too far off the lead to be contenders for this year. But there’s always another time.

Tomorrow: The denouement and its consequences