Qualifying for a major championship would be considered a good week’s work in any golfer’s estimation but, instead of basking in his success, Elliot Saltman went out and won a tournament.

THE younger generation may have gained the impression that the misbehaviour which marred the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline was the first sign of trouble in a competition launched by wealthy British seed merchant Samuel Ryder back in 1927 to foster good relations between the people of the United States and Britain.