ROYAL LYTHAM DIARY:Pádraig Harrington is sporting yet another new logo on his cap for the British Open, bringing to four the number of different brand names which have appeared above his forehead this season.
After the Dubliner’s sponsorship deal with FTI finished last November, the three-time Major winner reappeared with Wilson, his club manufacturer, on the cap. This was followed by IdentityX – which occupied the space at the US Masters – and was followed by Shaderlight.
Now, Harrington’s head space features GoFuzed, which is a social business solution using cloud technology.
Driving Lane opens early
Veteran Barry Lane was a long way from home when he discovered he would have the distinction of hitting the first tee shot in the 141st Open.
“I was sitting in Detroit Airport (on Monday) waiting for my flight home. Our flight on Sunday had been cancelled and we had a 14-hour wait . . . so I go onto the internet and it came up I was first out at 6.19am. I was chuffed to qualify but to be now hitting the first shot is fantastic.”
Lane finished tied-33rd in last week’s US Seniors Open.
Penalty or not: Moving stone
Q In strokeplay, A, in ignorance of the rules and with the concurrence of B, his marker, removed a stone from a water hazard when his ball lay in the hazard. Subsequently, A was advised by C, a fellow-competitor, that he (A) was in breach of Rule 13-4. A disagreed, failed to settle the doubtful point with the committee at the end of the round and returned his score card without including a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 13-4. After the competition had closed, C advised the committee of the incident. Should A be disqualified?
A Yes. Rule 34-1b says in effect that a competitor shall be disqualified after the competition has closed if he had returned a score, failing to include a penalty which, before the competition closed, he knew he had incurred. Given that player C pointed out to A that he had proceeded incorrectly and A took no action to check whether he had incurred a penalty before returning his card, the committee should decide that A knew that he had incurred a penalty.
Rio target: Woods wants Olympic gold in 2016
Tiger Woods has a short-term goal of winning the British Open this week – and a long-term one of claiming Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“I hope I can qualify,” said Woods yesterday when asked about golf’s return to the Games after an absence of more than 100 years. “I’ll be 40 by then. It will be something that I’ve never experienced and I would love to be able to have a chance to represent my country.”
Golf has decided on 60-man and 60-woman fields for Brazil in four years’ time. It will be the world’s top 15 and then the rankings would be used to determine the leading two players from different countries, so Woods would qualify on two counts – he is America’s highest-ranked player at fourth in the world.
Lucky caddie: Dunbar bags Clarke’s man for Major bow
Alan Dunbar – winner of the British Amateur championship last month – has called on veteran caddie John Mulrooney, who was on the bag for Darren Clarke at Sandwich a year ago, to guide him around the Lancashire links in his maiden Major.
“I have the defending champion’s bagman . . . he’s been great,” said Dunbar of Mulrooney, who had a short but sweet time on Clarke’s bag until the pair parted ways in January.
Mulrooney originally picked up Clarke’s bag last year in what seemed like a episode of Monty Python.
Mulooney, from Bray, went to a tournament in Mallorca expecting to act as caddie for David Howell who withdrew through injury. Then, he got the job on Martin Lafeber’s bag. But he, too, withdrew injured. In the meantime, Clarke’s intended bagman Ricky Roberts decided he wanted to attend Ernie Els’s induction into the Hall of Fame in Florida.
So it was that Clarke and Mulrooney were paired up, a brief relationship that hit a high point in Sandwich.
As for Dunbar? He is one of only two amateurs in the field – along with European champion Manuel Trappel of Austria – who will fight it out for the silver medal. “I am trying to play well and obviously I want to make the cut,” said Dunbar, who played a practice round with Clarke and Graeme McDowell yesterday.
Tweet Of The Day
Just woke up after an afternoon snooze to see it pouring down outside. Maybe getting up at 4.30am to practice wasn’t a bad idea after all!!!
@DarrenClarke60
All credit to them: Mastercard’s high five for customers
Mastercard is using this year’s British Open as an occasion to offer “priceless” moments to its customers.
Apart from the marketing ploy of giving away golf balls, the credit card company has come up with the bright idea of allowing its customers to be photographed in the tented village with all five replica Claret Jugs won by legendary American golfer Tom Watson.
