Larry Canning
Our last Major for 2025 was of course the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl and I reckon it was a ripper.
We saw a wonderfully traditional Links course in classic British Open weather with ridiculous holes in one, plenty of drama, lots of birdies, and a bunch of “others”.
In addition, there was an absorbing last round gun fight between the unassuming, analytical girl next door happily doing her homework and the brazen, aggressive kid who’s sneaking out her bedroom window to share a Winfield with her best mate Harley.
Miyu Yamashita has more chance of missing her mouth with a spoon than missing the centre of the fairway or green. Taking the lead into a blustery Sunday then finding 14 of the 18 greens in regulation didn’t leave much room for her pursuers to reel her in but Charlie Hull found a way. With her extraordinary ability to fly her orb high or low while curving it back into brutal crosswinds, Hull went on a one-person posse to capture the leader with birdies on 5,6,8,12 and 14.
Throw in the opposite ends of the follow through spectrum from the poise and balance of Yamashita to Hull’s post swing, exaggerated body English resembling a scene from the Matrix, the final act was set for the respected town sheriff strolling out onto the street, spurs jangling, to confront the bad-ass gunslinger. (If this is becoming too theatrical… then sorry, but I feel like I’m on a run!)
Unfortunately Hull went for her holster, only to accidently grab the white hanky from her pocket, and with bogeys on 16 and 17, then failing to birdie the easy par 5 18th, Yamashita was able to keep Hull at bay and win by 2.
So the week for me was an absolute winner… well, except for one issue.
On course bloody interviews!!
At this point, I’d like to say I think Sky Sports Presenter Inci Mehmet is one of the best commentators in the business and I’m sure she had no choice from her bosses but to carry out on course interviews during one of the most important Women’s Golf Championships on our planet.
Let me ask you this my loyal readers, am I being “a bit special” if I draw this parallel? – It’s the second round at Wimbledon Aryna Sabalenka is 3 games to 2 in the first set and sitting under an umbrella, in a break. I stroll out with a microphone, sit next to her and ask “Hi Aryna, nice to have you chat with us… can you help our viewers with how to put more spin on their second serve?”. I reckon it would pretty difficult to ask my next question about whether she had fried or poached eggs on toast for breakfast with my face sticking out of the strings of her racket.
So is there a time to pull a player out of her or his mind set and ask some genetically pre-organised questions requiring even more genetically orientated answers? Yes, I say! In a Pro-Am, Pro-Celebrity, Pro-skins game (thank the god of backspin “ProVeeOneUs” Skins games have vanished) or some event where the player is not consumed with the outcome of their last or next shot.
In my opinion, Women’s Golf is finally beginning to hold its own against the Men’s game but its taken some dedicated hard working passionate women and men to push it out there to sponsors and TV networks as a self-sustaining product. I’ve said it ad nauseum, if you haven’t been to a Women’s tournament to see their uniquely pure ball striking talents, you are missing out – Big Time!
I find it disappointing to think TV directors/producers feel it’s good for women’s golf to trivialise the significance of the Womens Open Championship with an on-course interviewer walking down a nasty narrow fairway asking Grace Kim if she had her usual eggs and avocado breakfast or, I can’t remember the other player interviewed but, and I’m serious here, it went like this “ Hi …… do you have a tip for the viewers at home on how to keep the ball low out of the wind?”
Or should we keep this disrespectful practice going in the Majors but ask some different types of questions… like –
“Hi Grace, thanks for chatting. Do you have some advice for our viewers when they turn in 21 points, go to the halfway house for a much-needed rest room stop but then can’t get off the toilet? Should they maybe change their breakfast from avocados to araldite?
“It’s a pleasure to have Lotte with us – To all little aspiring kiddies out there who aren’t blessed with your talent, would you suggest they go straight to Rebel sports and buy a bocci set?”
“Miyu Yamashita, do you really think it’s fair on the other players, playing in 45-kilometre winds when you are 4 feet 11 inches high?”
“Hi Nelly, I see you have a wedge shot off a sidehill lie coming up, how do you stop from hitting a shank from there?”
“It’s a big hello to World number one, Jeeno Thitikul. Well, here you are tied for the lead in another major. What do you say to all the viewers who know you never win them?”
“Thanks for speaking with us Maja – why did you hit it there?”
“And thank you to Thailand’s rising star, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong… sorry we’ve run out if time”.
Am I being too harsh? I am sure, if I was paid enough, I’d be all over on-course interviews as well but if you check the photo in the top left of this column, you realise why I’ve only ever commentated on Radio.
