What a year for golf. From the return of an all-time great to the birth of a new British superstar and, of course, Team Europe’s victory. Plenty to celebrate. With Christmas around the corner, let’s take a look back at the gifts golf gave us this year.

Francesco Molinari

“Frankie” has had a year, hasn’t he? It’s testament to his achievements that we’re forced to bundle them all together into one “gift”. The Italian became the first-ever Major winner from his homeland, capping off a run of three wins and two runners-up in six tournaments, including a win at the European Tour’s flagship event; the BMW PGA Championship, second spot on home soil at the Italian Open, a win and a runner-up on the PGA Tour (Quicken Loans National & John Deere Classic respectively) and the aforementioned Major title in The Open Championship at Carnoustie. Of course, he then became the first European ever to win 5 of 5 at the Ryder Cup, with four wins coming as part of Moliwood, but more on that later.

Molinari was honoured with the European Tour Player of the Year as well as the BBC World Sport Star of the Year. Well done, Francesco!

Hall’s Home Honours

Commeth the hour, commeth the woman. Women & Girls’ Golf Week was an initiative to inspire- you guessed it- women & girls to get into golf. In support of the initiative, we at Foremost interviewed three of our highly successful female Golf Professionals; Tracy Loveys, Jo Taylor & Sarah Smith. Everybody was in high spirits about the effects of the campaign, although nobody could have foreseen the perfect conclusion to the week. Georgia Hall, who had been quietly climbing the Ladies European Tour ranks, burst onto the scene with an incredible victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Hall’s timing was almost as perfect as her golf around Royal Lytham, and we can only hope that it will play its part in inspiring a new generation of female golfers. Yes, her snub for the Sports Personality of the Year was bitterly disappointing, but the public response to said snub was resoundingly positive for the women’s game.

Tiger’s Tour Championship

One of the most iconic worldwide sporting moments of the year. The image of Tiger being swallowed by a hoard of fans as he approached the 18^th green with victory all-but sealed will live long in the memory of any golf fan.

Almost every golf writer in America seems blissfully unaware of the existence of the European Tour, so it’s nice to have so much to write about on this side of the pond. With that said, Tiger’s influence on the game was, is and always will be universal so I can’t ignore this moment on the PGA Tour.

Justin Rose

Tiger was the main attraction at the Tour Championship, sure, and it was great to see an all-time great complete the comeback, but wasn’t it nice to see an Englishman win the ultimate prize on the PGA Tour?

Justin Rose reached World No. 1 on multiple occasions this year, but that was nothing more than a symbol of his incredible golf. Since August 2017, Rose has played 33 tournament and finished in the top ten 25 times, including 5 wins and eleven Top-5 finishes with just the one, lonesome missed cut. It’s been a phenomenal year that will conclude with Rose as World No. 2, but that doesn’t tell half the story. Oh, and could you wish it on a nicer guy?

Brooks Koepka

What on earth does Brooks Koepka have to do to get some love? He’s the ultimate overlooked-middle-child doing everything to get attention but receiving none, except instead of tantrums and rebellious behaviour Koepka wins golf Majors. In actual fact, the World No. 1 and three-time Major Champ has everybody talking about him; they’re saying “Why is nobody talking about him?”

Like I said, this is a more European perspective but sometimes you can’t ignore a story in America and three Majors is two years is one of those times.

European Euphoria

Moliwood halted the rampant U.S. team to prevent a Friday morning whitewash. Fleetwood and Molinari’s “bromance” typified the European spirit that gave them such a dominant victory in Paris against the star-studded States. As enjoyable as it was to see the sublime golf produced by this team spirit, my favourite part of the 2018 Ryder Cup was, without doubt, the celebrations.

Stocking Fillers

Back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff wins earned Bryson DeChambeau 4 titles in his last 13 finishes. When Fleetwood climbed from World No. 99 to 17^th in a year we said “WOW” but, as things stand, “The Mad Scientist” will climb from 99^th to 5^th in a year. Wow.

Matt Wallace recorded three wins for the season (and hasn’t received the recognition he deserves, if you ask me) but that appears only the start for a rising English star.

The European Tour are doing their bit to keep golf moving forward with the times. After all, time waits for no man. The players were very aware of that at the Shot Clock Masters which, along with the Belgian Knockout, will return in 2019. The Hero Challenge events continue to grow in popularity.

I’ve already mentioned Rose, Fleetwood & Wallace, but they were just part of an incredible year for English golf. Eddie Pepperell won his first two European Tour events, with the second coming on home soil at the British Masters. Matthew Fitzpatrick successfully defended his Omega European Masters title. Masters Champion Danny Willett returned to the European Tour winners’ circle along with Lee Westwood, whilst Ian Poulter and Paul Casey did so on the PGA Tour. Aaron Rai recorded his first win, too. Oliver Fisher shot the first-ever European Tour 59.

Celebrate Good Times

So, plenty to celebrate in a year of golf both globally and close to home. It’s a funny old game, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Willett Winner

Being chased down by the reigning Masters champion, Danny Willett held on to claim his first win since his monumental victory at the 2016 Masters. The Englishman has hardly been a model of consistency, but the DP World Tour Championship is a big stage on which he stole the show and you can’t fluke a win on the European Tour. The win takes Willett back inside the World Top 100, having been outside of 300 to start this month. Whilst consistency has eluded Willett, the victory at Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates was the 14^th of the season and 333^rd of all time on the European Tour for English golfers.

After his friend Lee Westwood ended a long drought last week, we’ve been treated to two extremely popular champions to finish off the season. Speaking of popular champions…

Molinari Wins Race to Dubai

Tommy Fleetwood’s 10-under T16 ultimately decided his good friend’s fortune. The European Tour couldn’t have chosen two more popular men to be battling it out for the season-long prize, but in the end Sunday was a non-contest. Italy can now add a first Race to Dubai title to their first golf Major thanks to Frankie, and you’d like to think that the Molinari Magic will inspire a new generation of talent in a country with a modest history in the sport.

Worth Noting

Matt Wallace capped off an incredible three-win season with a T2 in Dubai. The 28-year-old slipped under the radar somewhat in racking up the titles due to the calibre of field they’ve come against, but this result proves his ability against the strongest of fields. He’s one to watch in 2019.

Shubhankar Sharma’s two-win debut season on the European Tour earned him the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. Wins at the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship, along with Top-10 results at the WGC-Mexico and on home soil at the Hero Indian Open, etched his name on a trophy alongside Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomerie, Sir Nick Faldo and many more distinguished golfers.

Danny Willett – What’s in the Bag

Driver: Callaway Rogue

3-Wood: Callaway Rogue Fairway Wood

Irons: Callaway X Forged Utility, Callaway X Forged 18

Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy Forged, Callaway Mack Daddy 4

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab (Prototype - Coming 2019)

Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Gary Player Country Club is home to some of the world’s most amazing wildlife, but last week it played to host to some of the world’s greatest golfers in the penultimate event of the 2018 European Tour; the Rolex Series Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Sergio Garcia obliterated the field on Thursday in South Africa, getting around Gary Player Country Club in 64 with eight birdies and zero bogeys to boast a four-stroke lead. In typical Sergio style, he shot back-to-back 1-under rounds of 71 to build a score of -10 heading into the final round. His nearest challenger was home favourite Louis Oosthuizen on -8, with Belgium’s Thomas Detry, Finland’s Mikko Korhonen & England’s Lee Westwood sharing third on -7.

Player’s Punishment

On Friday, Ross Fisher was on course for an 8-under round after an eagle and six birdies through 14, before a quintuple bogey at the par-5 15^th followed by three consecutive bogeys brought the Englishman back to level-par. Whilst birdies and eagles were fairly free-flowing, the wildlife-filled course claimed plenty of double, triple & even quadruple bogeys throughout the week with the unforgiving surroundings punishing wayward drives to devastating effect. Just ask Marcus Kinhult, who racked up a whopping 11-over with six bogeys and 3 doubles to a lone birdie on Saturday. In fact, the methodical Sergio was the only man to finish in the Top-6 and not record at least one double-bogey throughout the week.

Frantic Finale

Sergio, the round 4 leader, bogeyed the first to open things up and Westwood took full advantage with a sublime eagle at the second. Oosthuizen then birdied the third to give us a three-way tie at the top before taking the lead with another birdie at the 5^th. Sergio levelled it up at the next, then Oosthuizen retrieved the lead at the next; making it -11, -10, -9 between himself, Sergio & Westwood respectively. The South African then handed a shot back as Westwood gained one at the next to make it a three-way tie AGAIN at -10. Apparently allergic to pars, Oosthuizen then delighted the home crowd with a birdie at the 9^th to start a three-hole birdie streak around the turn. That built up a two-stroke lead, only for him to blow it at the 12^th with a bogey to Sergio’s birdie. Two tied for the lead and Westwood one behind with six to play.

Sergio steadied the ship with six consecutive pars to close… the other two did anything but. Both Westwood and Oosthuizen shot consecutive birdies over 13 & 14 to leave Sergio dwindling in third, but it was a bogey at 15 for the local lad that gave Westwood a share of the lead at -13. The Englishman seized his opportunity with another set of back-to-back birdies over 16 & 17 to reach -15. Oosthuizen fell victim to the course’s notoriously common double-bogeys at the last to hand Sergio outright second.

Westwood’s Win

On the same day that Matt Kuchar sealed his first PGA Tour victory since 20^th April 2014, Lee Westwood won his first European Tour title since 20^th April 2014. Westwood’s flawless 8-under Sunday was deserving of any Tour title, and you could see how much it meant for the Englishman to snap a four-year winless streak as the tears flowed nearly as much as the champagne after seizing his 24^th European Tour title and 43^rd worldwide at the age of 45. Without doubt, an extremely popular champion.

Lee Westwood – What’s in the Bag?

Driver: PING G400 LST

3-Wood: PING G400

Hybrid: PING G

Irons: PING i210 (4-PW)

Wedges: PING i210, Glide Forged

Putter: PING Sigma 2 Fetch

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It’s All Rosey

Since 2017, Justin Rose has played 31 events: 5 wins, 15 Top-5s, 24 Top-10s, one outside the Top-50 and just ONE Missed Cut. He’s now the World No. 1 for the second time this year, but that says very little about the magnitude of what the Englishman has achieved. His latest win came in Turkey at the start of the European Tour’s final stretch of three consecutive Rolex Series events to decide the Race to Dubai winner. Whilst Rose’s PGA Tour commitments have restricted his climb in the Race to Dubai rankings, he is still third in the season’s leaderboard and a strong finish could see him become the best player on both Tours, having already won the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup in September.

Turkish Airlines Open

In our tournament preview I picked out Haotong Li as having a real chance at the title. The two-time European Tour winner led by three strokes heading into Sunday, but a bogey at the second and a Rose birdie at the seventh shut the gap to a single stroke at the turn. Rose then lit it up, going birdie-par-birdie-par-birdie-par-birdie between 10 and 16. Li, meanwhile, laboured to +1 through 14 following a bogey-birdie at 11 and 12. Suddenly Rose held a two-stroke lead with four to play. But Li’s second shot at the par-5 15^th claimed the undisputed title of Shot of the Week in setting up a tap-in eagle to tie up the scores at the top. With three eagles and 17 birdies, Haotong Li’s red and gold scoreboard bore a striking resemblance to the Chinese flag beside his name.

An electrifying shootout continued as Rose birdied the next to retake the lead… before bogeying the penultimate hole to level things up again. Heading to the 18^th tied on -18, separating the pair seemed damn near impossible. Both men had a par putt for victory and both missed. The pair went again on the 18^th in a playoff and Rose, whose previous par putt lipped out in excruciating fashion, nailed it this time around. Li had an eerily similar putt to the last, and produced an eerily similar result as nerves got the better of him and he snatched at it; pushing the ball well past the hole and handing the title away.

Having won this event last year, this is Rose’s first-ever successful title defence and it will taste all the more sweet knowing he returns to the summit of world golf.

Cloud F9

Plain and simple, there is no better way to market a product than to prove it works. Bryson DeChambeau, or “The Mad Scientist” to his closest friends, may already have been in scintillating form, but to put a brand new driver in your bag and go out and win a PGA Tour event straight off the bat is nothing short of remarkable. DeChambeau put the Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver into play this week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and edged out defending champion Patrick Cantlay with a total of -21.

Not convinced? Perhaps you’d rather listen to Rickie Fowler. The Californian recorded his best finish (T4) since finishing runner-up at The Masters and carded the lowest final round of his career (63) with the F9 Driver in his bag for the first time.

The driver in question features the brand new Speedback technology and has been dubbed The King of Speed. Cobra Golf claim to be ‘in the business of innovation’, and all the evidence suggests this latest innovation is their best yet.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Big Week on Tour

This week the European Tour announced its 2019 schedule following a WGC event in Shanghai and just before the final stretch; three consecutive Rolex Series events to close out the season and crown a Race to Dubai Champion.

The fixture list was generally well-received, with the seemingly unlikely inclusion of the British Masters a fan-favourite, especially when it’s hosted by the fan-favourite Tommy Fleetwood. The Southport native just so happens to be the reigning Race to Dubai Champion, and he has a very good shot at defending his prestigious title. To the fans’ delight, Fleetwood is second in the rankings to none other than Francesco Molinari; making Moliwood the European Tour’s Top-2 for the season so far.

Feeling the Heat

More points. More money. More pressure. That’s the way it’s going to be for the next three weeks, starting with Turkey this week. The headline group is World No. 2 Justin Rose teeing off alongside fellow Ryder Cup heroes Fleetwood & Thorbjorn Olesen. All three men boast Rolex Series titles over the last couple seasons and with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Molinari, Alex Noren and Jon Rahm all missing from the field you’d expect at least one of them to seize a great opportunity. If that doesn’t convince you enough already, try this on for size: In just five editions of this tournament, Victor Dubuisson won his only two Tour titles; Olesen won this event in 2016 and Rose won it last time out. Omens galore

With a hot and sunny forecast on one of the kinder European Tour courses, this is a birdie-maker’s paradise. The lowest winning score in this event was Brooks Koepka’s -17 in 2014. This of course lends itself to the aforementioned headline group, but it’s also good news for some other players.

Top Contenders

Matt Wallace already has three wins this season but hasn’t really received the accolades his success warrants. A Rolex Series win would change that. Looking at some non-Europeans who may fancy making hay while the sun shines, Shubhankar Sharma likes making double-figures (sometimes positive, sometime negative) and whilst you might dismiss him following a +16 last week, he shot -19 two weeks earlier. His Joburg Open & Maybank Championship wins at the start of the season both saw him hit sub-20 in perfect conditions. New Zealand’s Ryan Fox already has an incredible six Top-10 finishes in Rolex Series events and I’d expect him to make it seven this week in favourable conditions. Finally, China’s Haotong Li finished T11 on home soil last week to make it five Top-30s on the trot, including a T5 and T9 at the Alfred Dunhill Links and British Masters respectively. If that form wasn’t convincing enough, he shot the season's joint-lowest score-to-par (-23, joint with Sharma at the Joburg Open) en route to victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Outside of the headline three, Wallace looks like Europe’s leading contender in an event that favours non-Europeans. Sharma, Fox & Li are all primed for big weeks. Whatever happens, we can expect to see some free-flowing, birdie-making golf in the sunshine. I wonder how much a plane ticket to Turkey costs...

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

With just ten product specialists in the United Kingdom, it’s clearly quality over quantity for Titleist. A Titleist Ultimate Fit day is no different; one-on-one 45 minute sessions with a leading specialist in Titleist products. High demand is nothing new for these experts, but with the incredible success of this year’s new TS range demand has sky-rocketed. We caught up with James Robinson, Titleist Product Specialist Manager, at their Ultimate Fit enclosure on the range at Walton Heath during the 2018 British Masters.

‘We’re fitters, not salesmen’

A clear message straight out the blocks. A Titleist Ultimate Fit day is hosted by a local golf club with the objective of helping customers find the perfect club with the optimal specifications tailored to them, as opposed to ‘buying blind’. However, James was keen to stress that he and his team of specialist fitters are there to do exactly that; fit, not sell.

The Process

Things will kick off with a brief evaluation of your game. Some questions will be followed by a few swings to help the fitter gain some data about you. James explained that there is a balance of data and feel; allowing you to see evidence of your results through concrete data, but ultimately letting you feel the results. Don’t worry, you won’t be left on your own swinging without purpose. A common technique to help you hone in on the desired results, James tells me, is to create an ‘Imaginary Launch Window’. As he explains this, he creates ‘Window’ with his hands, telling me that you just ‘Aim for the window’. Simple enough, right?

From there, it’s a matter of finding what works for you in generating the best results and finding the window; starting with the model, then the shaft, the flex and so on until you have the golden ticket of golf club specifications. Not content with words, James shows me the coding with all the adjustable combinations on a nearby TS3 Driver. My untrained mind is wondering whether I should ease myself into it by, say, cracking the Da Vinci Code before trying to calculate my optimal performance coding. James, of course, could do it in 45 minutes.

Making the Difference

Every person, and every golfer, is unique. That’s what makes club fitting such a fine art. The fitting process is different for every golfer and the goalposts move depending on your ability, experience and desires. For beginners, James tells me, it is often a case of some major changes with the ultimate goal of ‘consistency’ when aiming for that Imaginary Launch Window. For the more advanced golfer, it may be more a case of subtle tweaks to find that added edge for your game. These are ‘equally valuable’ in helping a player take that step to the next level of performance.

‘We want to support grassroot Pros’

Most golfers want to support their local golf Pro. You’ll be glad to know that Titleist are on the same page. Not only do they offer these Ultimate Fit days at local golf clubs, they also offer expert product training to golf Pros for new Titleist products to ensure that said Professionals are informed with an in-depth understanding of Titleist golf clubs and golf balls. The ‘Titleist University’ is an online teaching tool to aid in this education process. Golf Professionals can complete online courses about Titleist equipment and receive a certificate upon completion of their work, so keep an eye out for those Titleist certificates in your local golf club.

The Message

James laid out the goal of Titleist Ultimate Fit in one clear, concise message: ‘We want to educate.’

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

I think American Julian Suri said it best in his pre-round interview on Sunday: “This is what I expect when I come to the UK.” The 27-year-old was 6-under at the time and would finish on -4 after a final round 74; ranking T5 on a scrappy leaderboard with five of the top eight being Englishmen. The 2018 British Masters well and truly lived up to its name in that it was, when all is said and done, British.

Red-Hot Chilly Pepperell

In his winning speech, Eddie Pepperell described himself as a narcissist. It’s a very English trait, and one that paid dividends in grinding out a win in tough, tough conditions at Walton Heath Golf Club. His form may have been hot, but the weather most definitely was not.

It was cold and windy and, on Sunday, wet. You’ve never seen anybody look quite so miserable en route to winning a European Tour event and more than half a million pounds as Eddie Pepperell on Sunday; moping around the course with his Mizuno umbrella and mittens provided by his mother mid-round. His hole-in-one at the 9^th on Thursday is being heralded as one of the greatest ever on the European Tour, and rightly so. He wasn’t the only one to have an outstanding opening round, with four men tied for the lead at -5. However, as the weather deteriorated so did the scorecards for most. Very few sub-par rounds were posted on a windswept Friday, with fans more concerned with keeping hats on heads than watching golf, but Pepperell went 3-under. Matt Wallace’s steady level-par meant he was the nearest challenger at -5. Pepperell moved to -9 on Saturday as the winds eased off a fair bit to allow some more free-flowing golf, but that saw Alexander Bjork, Julien Guerrier, Jordan Smith and Julian Suri all move to -6.

Sweden’s Bjork was the man paired with the leader on Sunday, and he’d have been grateful for his partnership with Galvin Green as the rain poured and temperatures plummeted. The 3-stroke lead was cut to two with a Bjork birdie at the 2^nd, followed by birdies from both men on the par-3 fifth.  A Pepperell bogey at the 9^th meant Bjork was within one at the turn. Pepperell’s drive at the par-4 10^th left him with a tricky shot from 122 yards. The Englishman holed-out for his FOURTH eagle of the week. I was lucky enough to be greenside as it dropped, and if Walton Heath had a roof… Well, it wouldn’t anymore. Nobody realised it at the time, but perhaps the most important shot of the tournament was Pepperell’s long putt from off the green to save par at the 14^th. He’d go on to bogey the next two holes and be just one clear heading to the 72^nd. Bjork closed with a bogey and Pepperell scrambled for par to clinch his second European Tour title and his first on home soil.

The Round-Up

The love for Justin Rose from players and fans was strong heading into the week, and the tournament host once again delivered as a great ambassador for the game. His course of choice- Walton Heath- took a real battering from the elements… As did us spectators. The course hasn’t changed much and definitely hasn’t been redesigned to accommodate a birdie-fest. The -9 final score said it all: this was a proper European Tour event. In fact, do you know the last European Tour event to be won in single-figures? The Open at Carnoustie. Testing, but fair. That’s how it should be.

Being on the course all week gave me a strange sense of patriotic pride. The numbers that turned out to trudge around the heathland landscape despite the weather were remarkable. The fans outlasted the players on Saturday when darkness forced play to finish early, and complaints were few and far between. There were chipping competitions & inflatable obstacle courses courtesy of Bridgestone, a 100ft Putt Challenge for Cancer Research UK and a Titleist Activation Zone in the Championship Village as well as Titleist’s Ultimate Fit on the range and Bridgestone’s “Focus Challenge” beside the 18^th. I never once saw any station empty throughout the entire week. Even the food (fish & chips, Cornish Pasties & bacon butties) was so incredibly British.

Eddie Pepperell – What’s in the Bag

Driver: PING G400

3-Wood: Callaway Epic Sub Zero

Irons: Mizuno MP-18 (2-iron), Mizuno JPX 919 Tour (3-9 irons)

Wedges: Mizuno T7

Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock #8

Golf Ball: Titleist ProV1

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Hero Challenge Review

The Hero Challenge is the sort of event that “Beef” is made for. No, let me rephrase that; it’s the sort of event that’s made for fans of “Beef”. Atmosphere trumped golf at the Canary Wharf Hero Challenge. This event eradicates almost every obstacle or excuse somebody could have for not watching golf. After all, fans- like players- have to start somewhere, and I think a chilly Tuesday night in Central London has just seen that start for many, many people.

Can’t get to the golf course? No worries, we’ll stick it right in the middle of the busiest city. Don’t want to stand around all day? No worries, we’ll wrap it up in an hour. No atmosphere? No worries, we’ve got “BEEEEEEEF!”

When push comes to shove, golf is not as accessible a sport as some. That’s part of its charm: it’s unique, individual. But that doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. I don’t expect thousands of Londoners to call in sick tomorrow only to flock to their local golf course. Nor do I expect a spontaneous fourball to break out in amongst the office blocks. But fans of the sport, in whatever capacity, were gained and that’s a win.

The fact that Beef won couldn’t have worked out better for this event, but honestly I think the good luck started in the outskirts of Paris. European Captain Thomas Bjorn and players Justin Rose & Thorbjorn Olesen were greeted with love, and the Ryder Cup trophy even more so. But the Europeans brought back more than just a trophy (a beautiful, beautiful trophy); they brought the Ryder Cup atmosphere. It was very, very good timing and Sky Sports Golf did extremely well in feeding off that.

Die-hard golf fans maybe wouldn’t love it too much, but this wasn’t for them. This was a smart, innovative and ultimately fun way to help more people enjoy golf.

Celebrity Pro-Am Review

A change of pace from the Hero Challenge, but unquestionably on the same page. Niall Horan’s appearance drew a fair crowd of teenage fangirls and Roman Keating had his own, erm, “less-teenage” fans following him around. Meanwhile, the likes of Glenn Hoddle, John Terry, Mark Noble and Kenny Dalgleish attracted hoards of football fans. The Hero Challenge took away peoples’ excuses to not get involved in golf, and the Celebrity Pro-Am gave them an excuse to get involved.

With regards to the actual golf, the age-old adage of “putt for dough” jumps to mind. We saw some outstanding golf from the amateurs on a tricky course, but the gulf in class became apparent on the greens with pretty much every hole for every group. The standout group was hands down the final one of Danny Willett, John Terry, Robbie Fowler & Kenny Dalgleish. Tee-to-green they were all excellent, but the thing that got me was the camaraderie, which wasn’t surprising but was important. This event was staged for fan interaction and Willett led them in doing exactly that. Two events back-to-back aimed at helping the sport to branch out. Golf is seizing the initiative. The message is clear: Newcomers are welcome in golf.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Credit: BBC Sport

Where do we start? Europe won the Ryder Cup in sensational fashion; losing the opening three points before putting together 8 consecutive points, including a first-ever Friday afternoon whitewash, and seeing it out in the Sunday Singles for a final score of 17 ½ - 10 ½.

Moliwood

USA’s scarily talented team looked destined to live up to the hype as they raced to an early 0-3 lead. Up step Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. The Moliwood bromance won the hearts and minds of every golf fan across Europe… Along with all four of their matches. Molinari would go on to become the first European ever to go 5-0-0 by defeating Phil Mickelson 4&2 for the title-clinching point.

Their contrasting personalities were clear for all to see as rookie Fleetwood led the celebrations with crowd-surfing and Icelandic Thunder Claps. Meanwhile, a beer-soaked Molinari’s composed interviews were drowned out by thousands of fans singing his name. Still, the Italian remained the most down-to-earth man in the continent. Opposites really do attract!

Sergio the Record-Breaker

Sergio Garcia not only justified Thomas Bjorn’s wildcard pick (as they all did), but he also overtook Nick Faldo as Europe’s all-time point scorer with 25 ½ points. He insisted his only interest was in a team win, but everybody (perhaps barring Faldo) was happy to see him grab a well-deserved piece of history.

Wonderful Wildcards

Europe's wildcards combined for 9 ½ points, whilst Tony Finau (2) was the only one of USA’s wildcards to pick up a single point, with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson & Bryson DeChambeau going pointless.

Consistent Casey, “Iceman” Stenson, record-breaker Sergio and Ian “The Postman” Poulter were simply sensational.

Captain Calamity

Patrick Reed beat Tyrrell Hatton in his Sunday Singles match. It was the only point won between him and partner Tiger Woods over the entire week. Reed still “shushed” the European crowd, despite the fact that America had already officially lost. Of course, nobody shushed; they laughed.

Even in serious competition, it’s nice to see opposing fans brought together, and a mutual dislike of Patrick Reed did exactly that for Europe & USA.

Celebrations

Captain Bjorn’s calming influence was clear for all to see. As Europe totted up the points we saw several memorable joyful outbursts- most notably from Fleetwood- but it was mostly passionate outbursts rather than playing up to the crowds. That was until things were wrapped up, of course.

The rookies led the way. Jon Rahm went wild after sinking his winning putt against Tiger, Fleetwood took his Jesus look-alikeness to a whole new level by floating across the crowds and Poulter dressed as a post box after delivering once again.

Thank you & congratulations, Team Europe!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

No. 80

The comeback is complete. Tiger Woods is back. Sundays are red again. It’s one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport and, whether you love him or hate him, you have to appreciate him.

Over the course of five years, PGA Tour win No. 80 went from inevitable to improbable to inconceivable to in-the-books.

Roses are Fed(Ex)

Justin Rose’s FedEx Cup victory has been more than 20 years in the making, but he didn’t make it easy for himself. Needing better than T5 to fend off Tiger Woods, the pressure told on Sunday as the Englishman made five birdies en route to +4 as he approached the last. Suddenly he needed a birdie for $10million.

“I’m sorry” said Rose as he tapped in for $10million. The American crowd applauded, but Rose knew they had a different champion in mind. I doubt he’ll lose any sleep over that.

How it Happened

Tiger shared the Round 1 lead after a walk-off eagle completed an opening 65. FedEx Cup leader Bryson DeChambeau opened with a 1-over 71 before making it 6-over with a Friday 75. Heading into the weekend, Rose and Tiger shared the lead at -7; two strokes clear of Rory McIlroy.

DeChambeau went 66-67 over the weekend but the damage was already done as he couldn’t get near the FedEx Cup title with a 19^th place finish. Tiger made five consecutive birdies between 3 and 7 on Saturday for another 65 and -12 for the week to carry a three-stroke lead into Sunday. McIlroy & Rose were his nearest competitors; both at -9 after rounds of 66 and 68 respectively.

I don’t care if we’re talking about the best in the world or somebody picking up a club for the first time, if you put a TOUR Championship and $10million on the line as separate prizes, it’s bound to affect you mentally. Tiger opened with a birdie which all but wrapped up the tournament as his challengers fell off the pace. McIlroy managed 3 bogeys and a double with a lone birdie in his front nine to fall out of contention, whilst Rose looked unsure as to whether he was going for the tournament or just the FedEx Cup. In the end, he finished T4. Dustin Johnson shot back-to-back 67 rounds on Saturday-Sunday to finish solo third reclaim his World No. 1 title from Rose.

Thousands flocked to the 18^th for Tiger’s finale. A tap-in par sealed it. The crowds cheered, Tiger cried and Thomas Bjorn (probably) cried too.

WITB

A huge season finale saw Tiger’s first win in 5 years, Rose’s most lucrative career title and DJ return to World No. 1. There’s one common denominator we can’t avoid here: TaylorMade.

The TM family have been long been associated with the Tour’s most successful players, but these results are bordering on ridiculous now. Here’s what TaylorMade tells us these guys had in their bags.

Drivers:

Rose and Tiger both use the M3 driver, whilst big-hitting DJ plays with the M4. All three have clearly benefitted from the Twist Face technology this year.

Fairway Woods:

Tiger sticks with the M3 model in his 3-wood, but it’s the M4 in both Rose & DJ’s bags. Again, they’ve all chosen Twist Face designs.

Irons:

Tiger is Tiger, so he gets to design his own irons. The TaylorMade TW Phase1 prototypes are not available at retail (otherwise we’d all play like Tiger, of course). Rose & DJ have both earned plaudits for their iron play this year. For Rose it’s the P790, and for DJ it’s the P730.

Wedges:

Wedge wise, Rose and DJ both combine the Milled Grind and the Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges. Tiger, though, uses the Milled Grind RAW wedge.

Putters:

In case you didn’t know, Tiger switches to Scotty Cameron for his putter. Rose’s putting has been cited as the turning point in his career. The vast improvement this season has given him the consistency which resulted in the big prize on the PGA Tour. The putter he uses is the TP Red Collection Ardmore 2. Dustin Johnson- always reliable on the greens- plays with the Spider Tour Black.

Golf Balls:

Again, Tiger moves away from TaylorMade for his golf balls, but the TP5 balls that Rose uses and TP5x balls that DJ uses have both received high praise on and off Tour.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com