Let’s be honest, sometimes the most interesting thing happening on a golf course is trying to remember if you’ve got enough snacks for the back nine. But for young Korean golfers, the pressure of a six-footer can now mean something entirely different: avoiding the army. Tom Kim, fresh off a win at the Scottish Open, has apparently discovered that a hot putter is a more effective deferral than any paperwork. It’s the kind of cosmic joke Shakespeare would have chuckled at, right before writing a soliloquy about the absurdities of life, or in this case, the sheer relief of not having to march.
Meanwhile, the Scots have been busy collecting trophies like they’re free samples at a whisky festival. Sandy Scott, a chap from Nairn, has seemingly unearthed a secret formula for success. Not only did he win on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he went and did it twice in a row. This little run has landed him at the top of the tour’s money list and a career-high 87th in the world. You have to imagine his competitors are staring at his swing with the same desperation they usually reserve for staring into an empty fridge, hoping a sandwich will magically appear.
And then there’s the little matter of the Yanks getting a proper pasting. Our very own GB&I team, under the watchful eye of David Scott, absolutely walloped the US in The PGA Cup. The margin of victory was so big, I’m surprised Uncle Sam didn’t just concede on the first tee. This follows a string of recent defeats for the Americans in other team events, making you wonder if a collective sigh of relief has swept across the Atlantic, drowning out any actual gnashing of teeth.
Finally, spare a thought for Michael Stewart. He snagged a very nice payday for a fourth-place finish at the Dunhill Links Championship, a proper tour of the Scottish links. Stewart’s journey through the golf wilderness is the sort of epic tale you’d expect to find in a dusty travel guide titled "Adventures in the Golfing Underbelly." He was once tipped as the next big thing, a label that in golf often feels heavier than a driver with a lead tape addiction.
Chubby Chandler once said Stewart had "all the ingredients to succeed at the next level." And yeah, the grit, the character, the skill – it’s all there. But this game, this glorious, infuriating game, rarely rolls out the red carpet. Some guys arrive with trumpets blaring, while others, like Stewart, have to fight tooth and nail through a jungle of relentless competition. At 36, he’d probably tell you the road to the top isn’t paved with predictable milestones, but more likely with soggy socks and the sheer stubbornness of a man who refuses to let a bit of bad weather ruin his day.