So that’s the Players Championship done and dusted for another year, with Scottie Scheffler obviously very happy about the outcome at Sawgrass last evening. As you will be aware, and as I alluded to in my column last week, the 2022 champion was not in attendance to defend his title, Cameron Smith having joined LIV Golf last year and therefore being banned from the PGA Tour. Instead he’ll be at the Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona, on Friday for the start of the second LIV event of this season. There are 14 tournaments on the 2024 schedule, including a return to the Centurion Club at St Albans (or London, as LIV style it) in July. Three of the 14 will be at Donald Trump-owned courses – in Washington DC, New Jersey and Miami. Which reminds me…
There was a story in The Times the weekend before last about the construction (or not) of a border wall between the United States and Mexico near the Texan city of Laredo. One of those against such a development is 81-year-old Gary Jacobs, whose late father-in-law owned 400 acres of land close to the Rio Grande. After his death, his family used the property to create an 18-hole golf course, the Max A. Mandel Municipal Golf Course, which they opened in 2012 and donated to the city of Laredo. Three holes run beside the river; on two of them it’s possible to hit your ball into Mexico. (That is, if one deliberately fires off line.) Pleas from Jacobs for any wall to be made of plate glass have apparently fallen on deaf ears.
Talk of building a wall along America’s southern border ineluctably leads us on to the aforementioned Mr Trump. In June 2018, when he was president, Trump was infuriated at pushback against his administration’s policy of separating families who were suspected of having entered the US illegally. It was estimated this meant more than 500 children had been parted from their parents. Trump tweeted: “When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no judges or court cases, bring [sic] them back from where they came.” Two things. First, here we had the country’s chief law enforcement official wanting to suspend the rule of law. Second, the only thing these people had were their children and he was applauding the fact they were being taken from them. And he was taking time out to do this while being chauffeured to his golf club in Virginia. Not perhaps a great look for the game?
Anyhow, as it happened, the first LIV Golf tournament of this year was held in Mexico. It was won last month by 43-year-old Charles Howell III, who won three times in 23 years on the PGA Tour and who’s best finish in a major was tied 10th at the 2003 USPGA Championship. Call me a cynic if you insist, but I suggest that, more than the CV of Open champion Cam Smith, is more indicative of your typical LIV golfer’s profile.
You can follow Robert Green on Twitter @robrtgreen and enjoy his other blog f-factors.com plus you can read more by him on golf at robertgreengolf.com
