Golf Central

On this day in 1997, a pair of old-timers had to stay up past their bedtimes as Bob Murphy and Jay Sigel needed nine extra playoff holes to settle the Champions Tour's Toshiba Senior Classic in Newport Beach, Orange County, California - then the longest playoff in the tour's history.

As the two stubborn seniors battled it out, tournament organisers were beaming as broadcasters were forced to give the event an extra two hours on ESPN television. So nobody missed anything when Murphy canned an 80-foot snaking birdie putt on the 17th green to take the last of his 11 senior titles ...

Coincidentally, the Newport Beach seniors tournament has a history of long playoffs. Jose Maria Canizares and Gil Morgan went nine holes in their playoff at the Toshiba in 2001, and just this year Bernhard Langer outlasted Jay Haas in a seven-holer ...

In the real world: But in the Dept. of Sudden Death That Actually Is Disturbingly Sudden, it was on this day in 1521 that the bold Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan became the first European to set foot in the Philippines. He probably wished he hadn't - the next month, it was curtains for Magellan, as he was hacked to bits in a melee with furious natives who were too impressed by Magellan's famous-explorer panache ...

And strangely enough: On this day in 1621, the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts got a much nicer greeting from the natives, when Samoset - the No. 2 man in the Mohegan tribe - surprised them by strolling into camp and saying: "Welcome Englishmen! My name is Samoset" in English. Then Samoset hung around and had a few beers, butter and cheese with the settlers ...

And on this day in 1836, the Republic of Texas approved its very first constitution, surprising in that reading skills are generally required to understand the thing ...

In sport: It was on this day in 1872 that the very first championship match in the grand romantic affair that is England's FA Cup was held, at London's Kennington Oval. Wanderers FC beat Royal Engineers 1-0 on fullback Morton Betts' goal (interestly, Betts played the game under the pseudonym of "AH Chequer" because he was cup-tied for the match ...

So it’s bonne fete! as they say in Quebec, to madcap comic actor Jerry Lewis (82); to the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci (67); tight pants-wearing Erik Estrada (59), Ponch of C.H.I.P.s; lame socialite/media figure Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof (19), who is famous for being Bob's daughter and having a silly name; and to Arsenal pup Theo Walcott (19).

It also would have been the birthday for Captain Matthew Flinders (b. 1774), who died in 1814 but was instrumental for doing a lot of the donkey's work in exploring the coast of Australia - without which we would not have Anna Rawson. Thanks, Skipper! ... 'Til tomorrow! ...