AUCHTERARDER, SCOTLAND | Michael Campbell, who is among those competing in this week’s ISPS Handa Senior Open at Gleneagles, did nothing but answer media calls when Ryan Fox, his fellow New Zealander, was on his way to winning the Open Championship last Sunday at Royal Birkdale.
“People were calling from everywhere to quiz me about Foxy,” said Campbell, who finished two ahead of Tiger Woods to win the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
“We’ve known each other for years and here’s the message I sent him on the Saturday evening … Trust your preparation and process. The work is already done. Now play golf with freedom and joy and just let it flow.”
“Thanks mate,” came the prompt reply. “I’ll try.”
It seems that everyone at Gleneagles was talking about the unspoiled guy who had quietly pulled off the win of his life. At the same time, it was as if everyone on the senior tour was wishing the best for each other.
“It’s more sociable than it was on the regular tour,” suggested Campbell. “There’s less trouble, less tension. I suspect that the older you get, the fewer worries you’re likely to have. … Of course I want to win out here, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t.”
Henrik Stenson and Darren Clarke, both former Open champions, were feeling much the same; in their case a mix of serious and not-so-serious. Stenson’s first move when he arrived at Gleneagles was to walk nine holes on the King’s Course with his caddie, Fanny Sunesson, who used to work for Nick Faldo. As for Clarke, he was in recovery following the shock of being outdriven to the extent of 60 yards at Birkdale.
“I hit it far, but I don’t come close to hitting it as far as they do,” he said, with a bemused shake of the head. (He missed the cut after rounds of 73 and 74, where Stenson returned a 68 and a 74 to miss the weekend by one.)
Clarke had loved watching the Open when he wasn’t playing himself and, apart from cheering Fox’s result, he marvelled at the way Rory McIlroy conducted himself. “Rory’s a remarkable player and a remarkable talent,” he said. “He’s different in that he says what he thinks, but good for him.” The general consensus of opinion – and this was from a handful of Americans – was that Bryson DeChambeau was another who, like Rory, had never changed, only in his case it was more about courting attention.
True, it was the perfect Scottish day, but plenty of the seniors seemed to have mastered the art of chatting and hitting balls in the sunshine at the same time.
[Pádraig] Harrington, who won the Open at Birkdale in 2008, was one of the experts, though in his case the chatting was down to one player after another coming across to congratulate him on winning what was his fourth senior major – the U.S. Open at Scioto – a fortnight earlier.
Pádraig Harrington, who won the Open at Birkdale in 2008, was one of the experts, though in his case the chatting was down to one player after another coming across to congratulate him on winning what was his fourth senior major – the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto – a fortnight earlier.
He was also massaging his right knee, which has been giving him trouble on and off. “Too much practice,” he explained, before adding, “that’s what it takes be a winner.”
He was using the DP World Tour’s training-cum-recovery unit, while he has also had a full-time physio working for him for close to 27 years. “That’s why players are extending their careers,” he said. “It’s not just that they’re more professional, it’s that they give themselves more opportunities.”
He talked about the ice baths and saunas in the player facilities at Birkdale while, just round the corner, the conversation had turned to how they also had a dentist for the Open.
“What a good idea,” said Tracey Carmel, who has worked for the DP World Tour for 36 years.
The reason Carmel thought it made sense to have a dentist on board is that most of the golfers are never home for long enough to arrange an appointment.
She then asked those hanging about the signing-in area as to which of the facilities they thought would be used more than any other. No-one had a clue. Would you believe that it was the on-site barber? When Carmel was last out in South Africa, there were queues of players wanting to stop off at his tent.
Warming to her theme, Carmel dipped into her drawer and pulled out a box.
“This,” she said, as she opened the lid, “is where the over-50s can run into trouble. We have reading glasses at the ready so that they can fill in the various forms.”
For a senior’s hobby, what about fiddling around with clubs? Kevin Redfern from Custom Golf Stix has a machine outside his van where players can do their own fixing, something which usually applies when they have been hitting hard ground. If that is the case, as indeed it was at Birkdale, Redfern will bring out a “grinder” to flatten an iron’s base.
The seniors all know what to do but, in the knowledge that Redfern can make a better job of it than they can, they will hand over their clubs for an overnight stay.
Sometimes, he takes on 10 sets at once and will be at his machines until 3 in the morning.
It’s the best job in the world, as far as he’s concerned.