The Mackay Masters, a fitting finish
Cricket and golf go together like strawberries & cream.
I know - that reads counterintuitively - you’re now thinking tennis. Please don’t - tennis goes with neither cricket nor golf, making them mutually exclusive? After all, war and peace are mutually exclusive.
I stand by the strawberries and cream analogy. Cricketers like to think they are golfers, not tennis players! Actually, cricketers wish to be golfers, and golfers want to be anything but cricketers.
How are the two similar?
Flexibility in body and mind is critical to both pursuits; visualisation and focus are also key components, essentially tricking yourself to believe you have the respective ball under control. It is also argued that integrity runs through the veins of both sports; the ability to count correctly, and play within the rules counts for plenty. The list goes on.
Of the current Australian cricket team, Glenn Maxwell stands out as the leading golfer. He owns the lowest handicap, according to Andrew McDonald (Head Coach) - but he might not be the most effective player, not according to Coach McDonald.
Golf handicaps can both help and hinder a player. It is generally believed that those with higher handicaps benefit more. “Players, no matter what their handicap, are entitled to have a great day on the course. You don’t have to be off scratch to post an exceptional score” - the cornerstone of the universal handicap system!
Sadly, improprieties are rife in the ecosystem of golf handicapping. Both preservations of higher handicaps and artificial lowering at the other end of the spectrum lead to a place of non-trust or conjecture.
Why not play ‘straight-up’ - a precarious place, almost the no-mans-land of golf, a domain solely reserved for the elite professionals.
Controversial - maybe? Other than Maxwell, Steve Smith shapes as a likely match player, a gamer.
This from a piece I wrote in August, 2013 - after Smith’s maiden test century.
I get the impression that Steve Smith has been schooled on the streets of life and not in the classrooms of the eastern suburbs of Sydney. If you were to play golf against him you would be well served asking for a handicap certificate before deciding on the round’s wager. My guess is he plays all sports well, and would have enjoyed much success on the many arenas he participated in as a young man.
Courtesy of Trackman golf technology the Australian team enjoyed multiple competitive rounds during their recent Pakistan tour. Strict security measures allowed for many idle hours away from the cricket, promoting a robust, and competitive golf environment. With a series win banked away, it’s safe to assume the simulator will be making the trip to Sri Lanka, as well as handicap certificates.
And now to the two Victorian U19 teams. Monday in Mackay was a rest day. Field Marshall Evans poured over the local events calendar; nothing was jumping out. Then, while watching the conclusion of the Masters, a Masters re-run of our own was born. It was to be: “The Mackay Masters” - played at the hospitable Mackay Golf Club.
Before we get to ‘The Mackay Masters’ - a quick digression to Augusta, and the real ‘Masters’.
I believe, and it is supported, that the Masters' tournament is almost as famous for the losses that have occurred there, as the historic victories. Here is a sampling:
Travel way back to 1946 and you have the ‘wee iceman’ - Ben Hogan - taking a three-putt bogey on 18 - dropping him into a play-off, which he duly lost to Herman Keiser, handing Keiser his one and only major. Hogan missed a two foot par putt.
Fast forward to 2011 and it was Rory McIlroy who stumbled in the final round. A pull-hook to cherish on 10 saw him playing from a place never seen before. McIlroy was that wide off the tee, he awakened ghosts of the past, his ball located next to President Eisenhower’s personal cabin.
A four-putt double bogey on 12 followed his 10th hole calamities, all but ending his chances of a first green jacket. He shot a final round 80, and slipped to a tie for 15th.
The daddy of all losses goes to a North Queensland local - Greg Norman - his heart-breaking loss to Nick Faldo, in 1996, beats off all contenders.
The relationship between Norman and the Masters was torturous. In a way, it was the tournament he coveted the most, and the one that treated him the worst.
Despite being born in Mount Isa, Norman hails from Townsville. He learned the game from his mother, and grew up less than 400km from our very own piece of Masters history. There would be many worse collapses on display in Mackay!
It might be best to single out a few culprits, than build a narrative around the golf that Monday morning. I will use some genuine Masters golfers to compare them with their awful impersonators!
Starting with a positive contributor. Joaquin Niemann - the Chilean prodigy, who apparently has an elder brother who shines equally bright. This gave thoughts of Angusto Newman - striping his drives, curving the irons, and rolling in putts. All this after a slow start with the willow. Niemann / Newman - OK?
Josh Garner, and his off-sider Dan Lalor, presented as Bill Murray and one of his side-kicks at Pebble Beach. Resplendent in gear from yesteryear, sadly their golf failed to match their dress sense.
Will Townsend (Camberwell and Scotch) - you would think he’d be well versed in the practicalities of golf - must have been watching NRL football Sunday night. Tactically, he seemed totally pre-occupied with the running game, 100mm of North Queensland rain did not help his cause.
Sam Snead is one of the sweetest swingers ever, period. There was an impersonator on the grounds - Dhruv Redhu (Drew) swung like nothing else on display, this didn’t always translate to good scoring, nevertheless, it was better viewing than most.
Sungjae Im - was represented by ‘Field Marshall Tom Evans’ - meticulous in his pre-shot routine, which lasted as long as a Seamus Keogh over, Evans lulled his opposition into a trance-like-state. He also commandeered the best set of hire clubs - hierarchal negotiation played out.
Rules officials, I was one, were kept busy by the majority of the non-conforming field, however, one who would not be labelled as a lurking ‘Patrick Reed’ is Jai Lemire - never have I seen a tidier scorecard, and a willingness to play by the rules, this is hard to follow when you think of his club side!
Talking of Carlton - Coach Crone - weighed in with a few celebrity shots in-between his officiating duties. He cut an imposing figure with driver in hand. We decided to link him to the stooping Stewart ‘Kitchen’ Cink - the nickname revealed by Tiger Woods in one of his pressers, how good? I believe ‘Kitchen’ has a wicked sense of humour, so probably not the best match with Coach Crone.
We might have to close this out; before we go though, every tournament needs good commentary, or some commentary! Tom ‘Faldo’ Scott proved again - talking the talk, does not always mean walking the walk. His limitations on the course, and non-coherent chat, might actually confine him to caddie duties. Josh ‘Bill Murray’ Garner looms as a likely client!
So, with all parts concluded; and hopefully nothing missing, thats a wrap from Mackay. A ‘fait du complet’ - till next time.
As always, thank you for taking the time to be here. And, please feel free to share this post.
