Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 7 July 2015 | Page 15

These observations are in no way intended to devalue
the achievements of the tennis players, but rather
to point out that there are significant differences in
conditions and formats that make the records of the
two sports’ greatest players, other than in the most
general terms, virtually impossible to compare.
The 144th Open Championship was finally settled
at Saint Andrews, albeit a day late due to some
typically British summer weather! After a tense
three-man playoff over four holes, involving Louis
Oosthuizen, Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman, it was
Zach Johnson, the Masters champion of 2007, who
became the champion golfer of the year for 2015.
Apart from the weather delays, this Championship
was also unusual for another reason in that an
amateur was leading after three rounds and, at
one stage during the final round, no less than four
amateur golfers were all within four shots of the
lead. Considering that the last time an amateur golfer
won any Major was in 1930, this was sublime stuff. In
fact, at one stage, it looked as if, in order to win the
silver medal, the award made to the highest-placed
amateur golfer completing the final round of the
Championship, the winner was going to have to win
the Open itself!
Rory McIlroy’s ill-advised decision to involve himself
in a soccer kick-about with friends, which resulted
in him rupturing an ankle ligament on the eve of the
Open Championship, might have done quite serious
harm to his chances of adding to his tally of Majors.
They say that every cloud has a silver lining and, if this
unfortunate turn (excuse the pun) of an ankle has
temporarily stopped McIlroy in his search for a fifth
career Major, it did absolutely no harm at all to Jordan
Spieth’s chances of capturing a third Major title in
a row, which he only failed to do by the narrowest
of margins. How Jordan must rue using his putter

four times to record a double bogey five on the par
3 eighth hole. Watching Spieth’s travails across the
eighth green must have looked like pretty familiar
stuff to all the high-handicapped amateurs following
the action!
Jordan Spieth is, by all accounts, a ‘stand-up guy’ who
would undoubtedly prefer all of his major rivals to be
in the field at any event in which he is competing. It
is still early days, but it is sad to hear that the initial
prognosis is that McIlroy’s injury might also force him
to sit out the USPGA Championship in August, where
he is the defending champion.
Sport history and, indeed, players’ careers, can turn
on such seemingly innocuous occurrences such as a
rain break changing ѡ