GOLF USPGA TOUR:WHEN WE were looking up the field for this week's Crowne Plaza Invitational at the Colonial Country Club in Texas we noted the PGA Tour website had the entrants placed in separate categories, two of them "Young Guns (under 30)" and "Grizzled Vets (40 and over)".
Anyone between 30 and 40, it seems, belongs in an uncategorised no-man’s land, which is probably an accurate reflection of that age range, in golf and in life.
The “Young Guns” include Jason Day, whose surprise triumph at the Byron Nelson Championship last week was of no use whatsoever to any of our managers, seeing as the 22-year-old Australian has yet to earn his Golf Masters card.
At 39, Phil Mickelson occupies that no-man’s land, but come June 16th he’ll be re-designated as “Grizzled”, which will be a nice gift for him on his 40th birthday.
Mickelson, of course, will take over from Tiger Woods as the world number one if he does on Sunday what he did in 2000 and 2008, that is: win the Colonial.
That, though, would only be cheery news for the managers of 87 of our teams, Mickelson’s €7 million price-tag and limited appearances so far this Golf Masters’ season evidently reducing his appeal. He has, though, won €311,500 from the three tournaments he’s played, making him our leading earner to date.
Woods, too, has played in just three of our tournaments, but missed the cut in one (Quail Hollow) and – need his managers be reminded? – withdrew from The Players Championship. He might cost €1 million less than Mickelson, but Golf Masters’ earnings to date of €117,750 leave him some way behind his old rival.
Woods’ next appearance is rumoured to be at the Memorial, in week nine, when he, too, will fall in to the no-man’s land category. Mind you, after the few months the 34-year-old has experienced he probably feels a bit grizzled already.
