Atlanta Athletic Club diary

A USPGA Championship miscellany

Bradley's Irish heritage

NEW CHAMPION Keegan Bradley would one day like to include the Irish Open on his list of must-play tournaments, given what he calls a strong Irish heritage. Bradley – born in Vermont, –has visited Ireland as a youngster on family holidays but the association between the old country and the Bradleys is reflected in the fact that his aunt, six-time Major winner and former US Solheim Cup captain Pat Bradley, is an honorary member of both Old Head Golf Links in Kinsale and of Kenmare Golf Club in Kerry.

In fact, Pat’s brothers – John, Chris and Tom – are past winners of the Kenmare Brothers’ Classic.

Mobiles on course: Phones allowed

MAYBE THE days of mobile phones being banned from golf courses is about to end, after the experience here at the US PGA – while mobile devices were allowed on course provided they were in the silent or vibrate mode – proved to be a success.

The PGA was the first Major championship to allow spectators to use their mobiles. “It lets you stay in contact with the world and, in this day and age, with the way business is and the way our lives are, it’s hard to be out of touch for eight to 10 hours,” said Allen Wronowski, President of the PGA of America.

Spectators could also make phone calls from designated “Phone Zone” areas and the PGA also provided Wifi hot spots so that people could keep up to date with emails etc.

There were only a number of isolated misuses during the PGA Championship, mostly caused by spectators using their mobile phones as cameras (which continue to be banned during tournament play).

Those caught were first issued with a warning – with a sticker placed on their entrance tickets – and a second violation saw the device confiscated to be collected by the ticket-payer on exiting. The PGA would not disclose the number of devices confiscated during the four days.

Ahead of time: McIlroy in hall of fame

RORY McILROY is set to find a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame – at St Augustine in Florida – some 20 years before he might have expected to. Only, it won’t be the ‘real’ Rory McIlroy!

Rather, in recognising the need to market the new generation of golfing young guns to the throngs who annually visit there, the Hall of Fame has requested that McIlroy donate the clothes he wore on the final day of his record-breaking US Open win at Congressional in June along with some accessories – like bag and clubs – so that he can be displayed on a life size mannequin at the facility.

Can we expect to find one of those McIlroy wigs sported on the first tee at the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor last year atop the dummy?

ONLY 16months into his professional career 18-year-old Matteo Manassero today became the latest player to overtake Tiger Woods on the world rankings.

Woods was golf’s undisputed number one when Manassero left the amateur ranks after last year’s Masters, but when he missed the halfway in the USPGA

Championship on Friday the young Italian needed only to finish in 65th or better to knock him out of the top 30.

When he signed for a closing 70 and three-over-par total Europe’s newest star was in a tie for 39th spot.

"I'll see how it is, maybe rent something down there for a while."

- Rory McIlroy on his efforts at house hunting in Forida