Following Peter Hanson’s recent victory in the Czech Open, Colin Montgomerie is about to find out exactly what being the Captain of the Ryder Cup team is all about!

He is about to face a selection dilemma, made all the more difficult by his own comments many weeks ago, that he would expect any European who were not in an automatic selection spot, to turn up at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles to fight for their place. Well, four of the worlds best players, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Luke Donald are not in the top nine, but have decided to rely on a Captains pick! One of them is definitely going to be disappointed. However, if Colin sticks to his strongly held opinions, then perhaps all four will be getting bad news!

Indeed, it is not difficult to make a case for a number of other Ryder Cup hopefuls, just outside the automatic places. The hugely experienced Miguel Angel Jiminez was due to attend a family wedding, but as soon as he dropped below ninth place, changed his plans to tee up at Gleneagles. That’s exactly the sort of commitment Monty wanted!

How about the World Cup winning Molinari brothers; surely it would make sense to play these two together! Alvaro Quiros is one of the most exciting players in European golf, and a real crowd pleaser with his huge distance from the tee. The Welsh public , no doubt expect to see Rhys Davies, already a winner this year on the 2010 course, to feature.

The final selections promise to be fascinating; so too Monty’s explanation and justification of who and why!! Captain, my Captain!

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In all the controversy surrounding Dustin Johnson’s sad two shot penalty on the 72nd hole at Whistling Straits during the US PGA Championship, there were of course many differing opinions to the rights and wrongs of whether a bunker that has been used as a path can be deemed as a proper bunker. The facts were that the local rules stated clearly that any sand should be treated as a bunker, so the decision was correct. Also many golfers never ground their club in any hazard or inconsistent surface for fear of the ball rolling, so it did seem a careless albeit thing to do.

However, what nobody seemed to mention was the absurdity of building a golf course with over 1200 ‘bunkers’. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the Pete Dye designed course is undoubtedly a great golf challenge with many spectacular and inspiring golf holes, but it did (on television at least) seem as if the vast majority of bunkers were entirely superfluous to the design of the course! St Andrews is well known for its bunkers, but there are only 90 odd around the Old Course, most very effective and strategically positioned.

Additionally, knowing that a uniform shape to a bunker is much easier for a Green keeper to attend to than an irregular shape, what on earth must the green keeping staff at Whistling Straits have to go through to keep hundreds of randomly shaped bunkers well groomed?

The television pictures from the ground based cameras made the course look wonderful and exciting, but as soon as the aerial shots came on, the course looked unnatural and unattractive, which became frustrating to see. The course has so much going for it in any case that the overdosing of bunkers was simply irritating, and how ironic that they were the centre of attention at the finale!

The explanation for Dustin Johnson’s penalty referred the unique nature of the golf course, and yes, it is certainly unique, but not very clever I am afraid!

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Whilst the Old Course was hosting the 139th Open Championship, the Bug managed to get a few rounds of golf in over the week!….and what a golfing treat the Fife coastline is! First up was the new 7th course at St Andrews, The Castle, which is a remakable David McLay Kidd design that is a unique modern links. Sitting on the cliff top with views across to St Andrews the course presents a stiff challenge, particularly for your short game skills. There is not a weak hole on the course,  but the holes that hug the coast line are truly memorable, with the 6th sweeping down towards the ‘Auld Toon’, the terrifying and exhilarating Par 3 17th, and the magnificent 18th being the pick of the bunch.

Next up was Kingsbarns, which will be one of the best courses you have ever played. The course embraces the sea, and looks like it has been there for centuries, despite the fact that tons of earth were being shifted only 10 years ago. It has now received international aclaim, is the home of the Dunhill Links Championship, and is a new Scottish masterpiece. The beauty of the course is staggering, and holes such as the 3rd, 12th and 15th are unforgetable. Indeed, the whole Kingsbarns experience will live long in the memory, and words do not do the course justice.

Finally, a little way down the very same coast and in view from Kingsbarns is the Balcomie Links at Crail. Although in many ways providing a similar experience to its much younger neighbour, the contrast between this and the previous two courses is remarkable. The Balcomie Links has eight holes designed by Old Tom Morris, and now by modern standards is a bit short and a little quirky, but what a joy to play! Some outstanding Par 3’s and very tricky Par 4’s define the course, and provides a test of golf that is engaging, great fun and quite frankly, unmissable!!

It is always a privelege playing golf in Scotland, but this stretch of coastline has a series of dramatic, beautiful and inspiring golf courses which every golfer who loves the game should try and play if you get the chance!

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Louis Oosthuizen’s phenominal Open Championship victory at St Andrews has been attributed to a little red dot!! Dr Karl Morris, the psychological guru who has worked with many leading professionals, particularly those in the Chubby Chandler Stable, recommended that Oosthuizen mark a red dot on his glove and focus on that during his shot preparation. It is intended to clear his mind of any negative thoughts before making the stroke.

The overriding memory of Oosthuizen’s superb victory will be is extraordinary calmness and control over the last 36 holes of the tournament.

Must be worth a try!

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While England’s footballers creep home from the World Cup, pathetically trying to convince themselves that they are really world beaters, and would have done so much better if their latest manager had managed to understand them better, English golfers continue to improve and win what is put in front of them!

Just before the German footballers demonstrated their technical and mental superiority over the English, a young Englishman finished off another big European Tour event with two birdies in the last three holes to dramatically beat, a German, Alex Cejka!

David Horsey took a big step in his career to become yet another Englishman who has the confidence to step up win a big Tour event when he won the BMW International Open, and £333,030 to boot.

This really must be the year that Brits are all over the leader board at the Open, with any one of a possible ten genuine contenders taking the title! If that happens the World Cup in South Africa will be well and truly forgotten!

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Is the Bug the only one who is completely fed up to the point of not caring when Tiger comes back! It is hardly surprising that a number of golfers have expressed their concerns over the timings of apologies, statements and eventual returns of the world’s most successful golfer. Of course, it will be great to have him back soon, but rarely has there been so much to be excited about British and European golf, and that is what the Bug is more concerned about. The first World Golf Championship was won by Ian Poulter, in an all English final with Paul Casey. Lee Westwood too is looking good again. McIllroy, Fisher and Dougherty, will want to repeat their victories of last year!

The Bug though is particularly happy that one Ernie Els managed to win for the first time in a couple of years at the CA Championship last night! Three majors is scant reward for a man of his talents, and a career without winning the Masters would not reflect his standing in the game!

Another point of note, was that Ernie beat off challenges from Charl Schwartzel, Padraig Harrington and Martin Kaymer; none of whom are Americans!

American golf seems to be reliant on one man for star quality at present, whilst the rest of the world has an abundance of talent and personalities.

Let’s forget about Tiger for a bit and focus on the great things happening with players who honed their skills on the European Tour!

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For any man that loves his sport, and has reached or surpassed his fortieth birthday, the victory for Miguel Angel Jimenez must surely have been a wonderfully uplifting experience!

Our hero, in the red corner, is a cigar smoking, wine drinking, pot bellied charmer from the Mediterranean, closer to his 50th birthday than his 40th landmark. His opponent is a man who by the end of the year may be considered the best in the world, a man on the verge of confirming his outstanding talent. He is focused, ripped with muscle, and looking every inch a major winner! He is Lee Westwood! After 72 holes and three sudden death holes, Lee could not shake off the amiable Spaniard.

Sure, Lee rode his luck, and was clearly not firing on all cylinders; perhaps his mind was a few weeks down the road. No matter, a competitor of Westwood’s calibre never lets a prestigious title slip away lightly.

Miguel Angel Jimenez has proven on many occasions (many since he turned forty) that he is an exceptionally gifted golfer, with an excellent temperament and attitude to the game.

The real joy of this victory though, was for the game of golf; what other sport can genuinely claim that it can be played at any any level by all shapes, sizes….and ages!?

It was suggested in some quarters at the end of an extraordinary Open Championship last year, that had Tom Watson won at his age, it would be a sad indictment of the state of the professional game. The Bug was brimming with indignation when reading this nonsense; what could be further from the truth? Tom’s, and Miguel’s, achievements, along with so many more, prove to us that golf is the ultimate test of mental and emotional strength, as well as physical prowess. It is perhaps those with the greatest experience, as long as they are seriously talented, that are best able to deal with the pressures of professional golf. As more ‘old’ boys win, then the more it will be become expected, and as we know, the mental side of the game is so, so crucial!

What is so encouraging to all of us amateurs, is that maybe we can still improve in our forties, fifties and even in our sixties! What a great game golf is!

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