This has been a rather slack time for me on the blog of late, owing to an increasing number of days out of the office and working for the magazine (mainly golfing so I'm not complaining).
I haven't however turned my attention away fro the game at all and I would like to begin by extending our warmest congratulations to our resident 'GolfPunks Against the World', Paul Casey, Graeme McDowell and Graeme Storm, all of whom have qualified for the US Open at Winged Foot next week.
I managed to spend some time with Paul Casey a few weeks ago and he told me that his aim was to play well in Europe and try and force his way into the world top 50 and qualify automatically for the year's second major. He then went on to finish fifth, second and 11th, earning himself a tidy sum and bolstering his ranking from 56th to 42nd. So, congratulations on a job well done Paul, and with the way he's been swinging the club recently it would be no surprise if he finds himself in contention on the final day.
The big bonus for us was learning that both Graeme McDowell and Graeme Storm both qualified for the event by finishing tied second in the final qualifying event at Walton Heath golf club on Monday. The pair both shot two-under par totals afteer 36 holes to make the plane to the US next week. A special mention must go to the winner of the qualifer, Dutchman Martin Lafeber, who beat the rest of the field by eight shots, recording a ten-under-par total.
Across the pond the world's attention was focussed on Micheel Wie, who was making a lot of noise in the world's media once more by trying to qualify for a men's tournament, mind you not just any event, the men's event in America. She made it through the regional qualifying with grace and was putting in a bold performance in the final sectional qualifying, standing at two-under with just six holes to play. Unfortuately, the situation overcame her and she just missed out, allowing the can she/should she debate to rear its tiresome head again, but for a sixteen-year-old child competing at a level that is meant to be well beyond her, she did outstanding adn should be very proud.
In fact, I'm very excited about the whole women's game at the moment. While the domestic side of womens golf is apparentely taking a severe beating here in Britain, the professional game has never looked so healthy.
Annika Sorenstam and Ai Miyazato went toe-to-toe with some sparkling golf in the Shoprite LPGA classic, and Michelle Wie seems to be generating an enormous amount of publicity for the game. The wealth of talent runs through all the different generations on Tour, and there is a lot that could be learned by watching the way these girls make their way around a golf course. Good Work Ladies, keep it up. We'll be watching this week with a keen interest.