The small white ball game

[Padraig]

Well done Stephen Gallacher to retain his Desert Masters title - a rare feat in itself. He left Rory the Great in the halfpenny place and Tiger Woods somewhere in the sands, and saw off challenges from several good competitors. Will Scotland keep up the momentum against Ireland in the rugby?

[mangerton]

Well done Stephen Gallacher to retain his Desert Masters title - a rare feat in itself. He left Rory the Great in the halfpenny place and Tiger Woods somewhere in the sands, and saw off challenges from several good competitors. Will Scotland keep up the momentum against Ireland in the rugby?

Well, we now know the answer to that. And I wouldn't take any bets on Murray in the Davis Cup either.

Still, Murray has an advantage - I'll not be watching. Nothing Scottish seems to do well if I'm tuned in.

[Padraig]

Still, Murray has an advantage - I'll not be watching. Nothing Scottish seems to do well if I'm tuned in.

So you missed GB getting through to Round 2?
...though you must have been watching them play Italy!

Still, you can't stop a good competitor, no matter what. If you've got the buzz...........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5uV-usCmEk

[johncorrigan]

Fantastic result from Augusta for Yorkshire's Danny Willett who held his nerve when Jordan Speith blew up at the turn to win the green jacket. First Brit since Faldo twenty years back to win the Masters. Really took his chance when it appeared.

[gradus]

Yes bravo Danny, a tremendous achievement.

[Padraig]

What a nice surprise! I stopped watching when Speith seemed to have had it in the bag and so missed the drama. I did notice the presence of Danny Willett at that stage, but did not rate his chances of winning. It was a tough competition for all and the course was strewn with casualties. However in the final tally England took first (Willett), second (Westwood) and fourth (Casey) as well as scoring well in the top ten. Rytder Cup prospects looking good.

Thanks, John, for resurrecting this poor old thread. I haven't hit a ball since last summer but that's going to change soon!

[johncorrigan]

What a nice surprise! I stopped watching when Speith seemed to have had it in the bag and so missed the drama. I did notice the presence of Danny Willett at that stage, but did not rate his chances of winning. It was a tough competition for all and the course was strewn with casualties. However in the final tally England took first (Willett), second (Westwood) and fourth (Casey) as well as scoring well in the top ten. Rytder Cup prospects looking good.

Thanks, John, for resurrecting this poor old thread. I haven't hit a ball since last summer but that's going to change soon!

I had to go out to pick up Mrs C from her weekly visit to the pub with her siblings and Spieth was flying and I thought it was a gimmie for him, Padraig. I came back in and thought I'd have a look and there was Willet on the 18th tee looking really nervous and trying to pull himself together for the drive. Maestro Alliss said something like of '...and now come on young man, one straight drive' and I thought 'Something's happened here!'. So I missed the drama of Speith's collapse too but saw Willet hold it together to get the par on the 18th. Amazing stuff. He had a good showing at the Open last year, I seem to recall...as Wayne Grady once said, 'The chance to win a major doesn't come round too often but if the chance presents itself you have to grab it with both hands.'...which Wayne did a couple of times, and Willett managed last night; but Westwood (as did Montgomerie before him) came up short.
Disappointing that Speith couldn't bring himself to shake Danny's hand after putting the green jacket on him...it must have been tough but it didn't look good.

Had a few holes on Iona in the wind and the rain last week, Padraig. Nice...old magic's just around the dog-leg.

[Lat-Literal]

Fantastic result from Augusta for Yorkshire's Danny Willett who held his nerve when Jordan Speith blew up at the turn to win the green jacket. First Brit since Faldo twenty years back to win the Masters. Really took his chance when it appeared.

It was extraordinary the way Spieth lost and the the green jacket process was weird. A face like thunder and a dramatic falling to one side but then he is only 22 and there is a lot of pressure. I thought the cameras on Willett waiting for Spieth to complete were excessive - whether it was American TV or the BBC that was responsible for that camera work I don't know - but otherwise it was the usual excellent coverage of The Masters. Fascinating too that Langer did so well until the last round and a pity that he wasn't in the top few.

[johncorrigan]

Here's a way of dealing with the problem of slow play in golf.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/36063129

[cloughie]

Whilst not underestimating the Zika virus are our golfers showing up as close rivals to Prem footballers in the overpaid prima donna stakes.

[Stanfordian]

Whilst not underestimating the Zika virus are our golfers showing up as close rivals to Prem footballers in the overpaid prima donna stakes.

It's an excuse not to travel to Brazil. Golf should never be in the Olympics and neither should football. It will be darts next but at least we might win a medal or so.

[gurnemanz]

It's an excuse not to travel to Brazil. Golf should never be in the Olympics and neither should football. It will be darts next but at least we might win a medal or so.

I'm sure we would also do pretty well if snooker were in there?

The only type of golf I've ever taken any interest in involves little windmills, switchbacks and mazes etc. Maybe they could include that .

[johncorrigan]

For more years than I care to admit to I've tuned into the Open Golf on the Beeb, in recent years mostly the final two days. So many great moments from Sandy and Seve and Lawrie and Tiger, or Jack or Lee or Arnie and the rest. So it's been mighty sad to have had the Open sold away from terrestrial TV to the big bidders like so many other sport events. Such is life, I suppose.

Today's events would have been great to see live but I tuned in and out instead on the radio. However the BBC's highlights package tonight showed a wonderful contest by two golfers who made the most of having got a bit of luck of the draw and getting the best weather of the week and set up a feast of great play. Fabulous golf throughout and delighted to see the Scandinavians get their first winner of a Major with a wonderful display by Henrik Stenson who managed to pull away from Mickelson and lift the Claret Jug. Fantastic golf played in great spirit.

[gurnemanz]

I was more interested in the Open as a great contest and event than in the actual golf. I'm one of those sports fans who though gritted pays a fortune for a Sky package and was watching the Davis Cup, cricket Test Match and Tour de France simultaneously via remote control - much to the annoyance of my wife who finds such to and fro switching understandably tiresome.

[mangerton]

For more years than I care to admit to I've tuned into the Open Golf on the Beeb, in recent years mostly the final two days. So many great moments from Sandy and Seve and Lawrie and Tiger, or Jack or Lee or Arnie and the rest. So it's been mighty sad to have had the Open sold away from terrestrial TV to the big bidders like so many other sport events. Such is life, I suppose.

Today's events would have been great to see live but I tuned in and out instead on the radio. However the BBC's highlights package tonight showed a wonderful contest by two golfers who made the most of having got a bit of luck of the draw and getting the best weather of the week and set up a feast of great play. Fabulous golf throughout and delighted to see the Scandinavians get their first winner of a Major with a wonderful display by Henrik Stenson who managed to pull away from Mickelson and lift the Claret Jug. Fantastic golf played in great spirit.

I am not a lover of sport on TV, with the exception of golf. I was very annoyed to hear that the Open was no longer a protected "Crown Jewel" and that the BBC had lost the contract, or given up, or lost interest, depending on what story you want to believe. I think it is fair to say that they lost interest in this year's Open, as they were contracted to show it.

Anyway. In spite of living less than a mile from the centre of Scotland's fourth city, to get any kind of worthwhile TV reception, and choice of programme, I have to subscribe to either Sky or Virgin. I have Virgin for its excellent broadband, and I added Sky sports to my TV package for this year's Open. The coverage was excellent, and yesterday afternoon's contest between Stenson and Mickelson will go down in history - in the same league as Nicklaus and Watson at Turnberry in 1977. The Ryder Cup's on at the end of September, and I'll sign up again, as I did two years ago when it was at Gleneagles.

Sports coverage on BBC is no longer what it was. There's precious little on, these days, except for Wimbledon. I suspect that survives only because it affords BBC senior management the opportunity to hobnob with alleged "celebrities" - but of course I could be wrong.