SIMON LEWIS: Dunbar grabs shot at glory
As tempting as the chance to turn professional was for the young Rathmore golfer, the chance to experience the US Masters proved just too strong, and so Dunbar spends his last days in the unpaid ranks lapping up the Augusta atmosphere and taking his chance to follow all the amateur greats by respecting the tradition of staying in the famous Crow’s Nest accommodation atop the majestic clubhouse.
Last year, Dunbar’s amateur major win at Royal Troon, was emulated by Royal Portrush golfer Stephanie Meadow, who completed a remarkable one-two for the town landing the Ladies British Amateur at Carnoustie a few weeks later before going on to sink the winning putt for Britain & Ireland at the Curtis Cup in Nairn.
What goes around, comes around, as they say, and perhaps this year, Dunbar will garner inspiration from Meadow’s excellent showing at last weekend’s Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first LPGA major of the year. Out in Rancho Mirage, California, Meadow, a standout collegiate golfer at University of Alabama, not only made the cut but finished admirably, one over par for 47th place after four rounds of rubbing shoulders with the best professional women golfers on the planet.
Meadow was unable to take up the exemption that was her due last summer at the Women’s British Open due to amateur commitments but she made up for lost time in the US with back-to-back rounds of 73 to make the cut on Friday before posting a one-under 71 on Saturday, a score all the more impressive as she had four bogeys in the opening seven holes. Meadow, whose father Robert caddied for the rising women’s star, closed with a one-over 73, finishing a stroke behind Michelle Wie.
If Dunbar comes close to that impressive showing, then he will bring down the curtain on a glittering amateur career in perfect style.
The times they are a-changing, even at Augusta National. Sure, the azaleas are still there, Magnolia Drive remains an impressive gateway to the most revered golf club in America and the magnificent course will forever be as pretty as a picture. Yet this will be the first time Augusta National has staged its Masters with some female members on its roster. For decades, as women fought for equality in virtually every other aspect of western culture, Augusta remained defiant in maintaining a male-only membership.
Until late last year, when they invited financier Darla Moore and former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to join the happy and select band of members. Most people know all about Ms Rice, who was President George W Bush’s right-hand woman in foreign affairs during America’s response to 9/11 but what of Darla Moore? Some insight comes from Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck who wrote a book about the illustrious golf club a decade ago called The Battle for Augusta National. Even then, he reveals, Moore was the leading contender to become Augusta’s first female member. Things take time to change but they get there in the end at Augusta National. They’ll be more on this during the week.
Now here’s a statistic to get you thinking as you weigh up the year’s first Major.
And it comes courtesy of Newstalk’s excellent Golf Weekly podcast and throws some interesting light on Tiger Woods’ quest to beat Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 Major championship victories.
Woods will tee it up this week at Augusta at the age of 37 having won 14 Majors from 60 starts. At the same age, the Golden Bear also had 60 Major championship starts and had won.... precisely 14 Majors.
But with time on his side, it’s very much advantage Tiger to surpass that.
Travel broadens the mind, but it seriously curtails one’s golf lessons. But while this correspondent ventures west to Augusta, Georgia, the good folks at Fota Island Resort are busy preparing for a Masters week of their own.
No azaleas in this corner of East Cork but among the greenery the golf club is offering special green fees, prize draws and some down-home Southern cuisine in the clubhouse, including, I’m told, chicken gumbo, corn bread and grits, Georgia style hamburger & fries and peach cobbler.
Almost enough to make me stay home. Almost....
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