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EspañolJUSTIN ROSE TOOK HOME $1.3 million and a little tree from the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines last month. Over four rounds he delivered a masterclass in control and consistency, the first winner to hold the outright lead after every round since Tommy Bolt in 1955.
Justin is a stickler for tradition. He can’t help it, he’s British. LIV Golf have been tempting him since 2023, but although at one point an “absurd” 100 million dollars was on the table his grounding proved stronger despite being aware that “golf is not going to get easier for me in the next five years.
Justin is a reminder that experience, paired with elite execution remains a powerful force. Just what I’m always telling myself.
THE 46th ANNIVERSARY of the Players Championship takes place 12-15th March at TPC Sawgrass, it’s permanent home. Owned by the PGA Tour players, the first true “Stadium” Course, built with spectators in mind, was designed by Pete Dye. The radical design, praised for it’s originality was also criticised for it’s severity.
The first winner, Jerry Pate, said it was so tough that if he won he would throw both Dye and Course Commissioner Deane Beman in the lake. He won and he did, tossing both into the water and then diving in after them. After spluttering out Dye said he wasn’t surprised, and admitted: If I was a player I’d be mad at me too.”
Course architect Tom Doak said later. “I don’t think the players really expected the course to be nearly as tough as it was.” Surprisingly, the big name players were the ones who played the worst: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples and a 69 yr. old Sam Snead all missed the cut.
Nicklaus grumbled: “I’m not good at stopping a 5 iron shot on the hood of a car.” Changes were made, softening slopes on and around the greens, but TPC Sawgrass is still a rollercoaster, not counting the 17th. Pete Dye is no longer with us, but if I were Course Commissioner I wouldn’t stand too near the lake.
GREATEST-EVER DEBATES are tricky, because golfers don’t compete in the same era or with the same equipment. But if you ask Gary Player there is only one choice for the third-best golfer of all time: Gary Player. According to him, Jack Nicklaus earns the title for his 18 major championships and 73 PGA Tour titles. “Check the record book,” Player argues, “look at Palmer’s record, I won more majors than Arnold, I won more tournaments, more senior majors.”
Player matched Ben Hogan’s majors total of nine and won the career Grand Slam, with 24 PGA Tour titles. Tiger Woods won 15 majors, 82 PGA Tour titles and took the career Grand Slam three times, one of them the Tiger Slam (all in the same year.)
Even so, for Player there’s no debate about the top 3 golfers of all-time. “Jack is number one, Tiger number two, and I’m number three, there’s no question.” Poor Gary, what might he have achieved with a little more self-confidence?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (American Express) Chris Gotterup, (Sony Open, WM Phoenix Open) and Colin Morikawa.(AT&T Pebble Beach) all won with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter in their bag. In 2025 on the PGA Tour alone the Spider Tour X was involved in 15 victories. Rory Mcilroy and Tommy Fleetwood also use Spider Tour models.
Six out of the top ten World Golf Ranking players use Spider putters. Odyssey and Scotty Cameron were the nearest challengers, claiming 11 and 13 wins respectively, with the much lauded L.A.B. Golf DF3 the only zero-torque model to register a title (although JJ Spaun certainly did his bit to advertise it by sinking a 64ft birdie putt on the 18th to win the US Open.
WALTER HAGAN: Every golfer can expect to have four bad shots in a round and when you do, just put them out of your mind. This of course is hard to do if you have them and you’re not even off the first tee.
Until next time: Happy Golfing.
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