I no sooner had the 2016 season ended last Cup really is with a well-deserved victory. Paris month, another one kicks off. That’s the way it is on both the main tours, so there’s a lot to re ect on and a lot to look forward to in the New Year.
Last season was a stellar year for the European Tour. Our two Major victories were defnitely the high point with Henrik Stenson cementing his place as one of the top- ve players with his first Major, at Royal Troon, and Danny Willett with his breakthrough Major at The Masters. Danny’s first Grand Slam event victory will do him a great deal of good and leave many of his contemporaries thinking, ‘well, if he can do it, then why not me?’
Henrik, of course, has been a star of the game for a decade or more and his long-awaited big win should serve to galvanise the older guys like Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood into believing that their time will still come. Suffice to say that the two stars of 2016 certainly gave the European Tour a terrific boost.
Of course, there were many more great story lines as well. Matthew Fitzpatrick had the sort of year you dream about, culminating in his fantastic victory over Tyrrell Hatton in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Matt is looking to buy a house in Florida and his biggest difficulty will be choosing his goals wisely in getting his scheduling right – which events to play on the European Tour and which to play in the USA. The golfing world is his oyster now and although I guess he will want to stay loyal to the European Tour he will still want to take on the American challenge.
Finished with a sprint
Thorbjørn Olsen finished the season with a sprint with his victory in Turkey and at the World Cup in Australia where he took the title for Denmark alongside his ever-present fellow- countryman Søren Kjeldsen. The debut performances of Dubai-based Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello and Belgian youngster Thomas Pieters were the highlights of a difficult week for Europe in the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. If there were a low point of 2016 then the Ryder Cup may have been it – but it’s not possible to win every time and Europe’s winning run had to end sometime.
The American team had to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into winning and they certainly showed just how special the Ryder
in 2018 will have a totally different feel about it, I’m sure. It’s an incredible venue for the Ryder Cup and I feel it will leave an indelible mark on the history of the matches. With our ‘home’ advantage it will be a different proposition.
Something nobody could have predicted was the rise to fame of Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston, himself included, I’m sure. Not only did he have a great season, but he became the new poster boy for bringing something a little different into the game, in some ways like John Daly did two decades ago. I can remember when nicknames were frowned upon by the TV world, but not anymore. Golf needs to appeal to as many people as possible. Beef’s arrival on the scene has helped in not taking the game quite so seriously.
Sportsmanship and fair play
It’s a curious sport in many ways. The etiquette of golf brings sportsmanship and fair play and teaches lessons outside the game, which is great for kids but it can cause the youngsters to stay away from the game. A slight loosening of the rules can do so much good in attracting newcomers. A little fun does no harm and if smart jeans are deemed acceptable in normal life then why not in the clubhouse?
If in 2017 more players on Tour are known by their nicknames, and have their own brand and their own followers that, too, will be a great thing. ‘Beef’ and his supporters, along with Andy Sullivan and his travelling ‘Sullies Army,’ showed us this year is that it is possible to build your own fan base and that translates to a better atmosphere at the tournaments, which makes for better TV viewing. They deserve a pat on the back for bringing some real fun into the game this year.
This season heralds a new dawn for the Tour with the introduction of the Rolex Series. Seven events with a total prizemoney purse of no less than $7million with $8million for the DP World Tour Championship, is designed to give our star players the choice of not having to go to the US PGA Tour but to live in Europe and play a schedule that begins to rival the Americans.
These are truly exciting times for all the members of the Tour. The plan is for these events to grow to a possible 12 tournaments in the future is the ultimate goal. Quite how that will pan – out only time will tell, but it is exciting to look forward to see how many other events might be able to take part in the Rolex Series in future seasons. I’m sure both the Tour and Rolex will be pulling out all the stops to get it right.
The first event in the Rolex Series is the BMW PGA Championship on the newly laid-out West course at Wentworth. I couldn’t think of a better way to tee it off, except for this particular 41 year veteran ‘Howler’ beating the young upstart called ‘Beef’ on the final hole. Now that would be a great way to get things started – in my mind anyway.
