Ben Wright: Aussie Cool
When the professional golf tours were still to many just a game rather than big business—this was less than 30 years ago—two Aussie mates of mine, Jack Newton and Bob Shearer, were about as wild as they come. Their idea of preparing for the final round of a tournament was to down a skinful of […]
Ben Wright: Miller Time
As the golf correspondent for England’s Financial Times from 1963 to 1989, I was lucky to witness some of the best final rounds in U.S. Open history, none greater than Johnny Miller’s 63 at Oakmont in 1973. It was better than Arnold Palmer’s 65 at Cherry Hills in 1960 or Ben Hogan’s 67 at Oakland […]
Letter from St. Andrews: Breakfast at Augusta
My own record of perfect attendance began in 1976. The last time I missed a Masters, Gerald Ford was president and Tiger Woods was an embryo. But this year, not only will I not be in Augusta, I won’t be anywhere near Augusta. I’ll be here in the Auld Grey Toon, and that makes my condition all the more gruesome.
TPC Stadium Golf Courses
In the quarter-century since former commissioner Deane Beman unveiled his concept of a PGA Tour-operated network of fan-friendly golf venues, the Tournament Players Club (TPC) “brand” has quietly morphed into a machine for selling homesites and golf memberships. While certain facilities in the TPC portfolio—including the very first, the TPC at Sawgrass—are praised for their architectural brilliance and tournament-hosting capacity, the […]
Upstate New York: An Overshadowed Golf Region
When it comes to golf in the state of New York, most of the attention is focused on the New York City metropolitan area—for good reason. After all, it is home to U.S. Open sites Bethpage, Shinnecock Hills and Winged Foot, not to mention courses like National Golf Links of America, Maidstone, Garden City and Quaker Ridge that […]
Quail Hollow Championship, North Carolina
Modern-day Charlotte, the commercial hub of North Carolina’s Piedmont region, is nicknamed “Queen City.” When it comes to the golf, the moniker is especially appropriate, as the Quail Hollow Championship, enjoys a regal status as one of the marquee PGA Tour stops. As it has every year since its inaugural in 2003, Quail Hollow […]
