Golf Central

On this day in history is a very good day to be born indeed if you intend to become a golfing great, because three legends of the game were born on this day - Nancy Lopez, Paul Azinger and Dr Cary Middlecoff.

Lopez was born January 6, 1957 in Torrance, California, and of course went on to become a stereotype-breaking LPGA Hall of Famer. A Mexican-American, Lopez was lauded as a "progressive woman of colour" - but of course, it helped that she had game, as well.

Breaking onto the Tour in 1978, Lopez won nine tournaments her first year and eight in her next. She went on to roll up 48 LPGA Tour victories, including three major titles, and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987 at the age of 30. ... Happy 51st, Nancy ...

Azinger was born January 6, 1960 in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rose quickly to gain a reputation as a gritty, dogged, win-at-all costs player. And he was good. He won 12 times on the PGA Tour, including beating Greg Norman in a playoff for the 1993 PGA Championship at Inverness Club in Florida.

'Zinger is probably best known for his battles against two major obstacles: Nick Faldo and cancer (not like there's anything similar between the two). Azinger's personal duel with Faldo has extended through majors and Ryder Cups alike, and one of the joys of this year's upcoming Ryder Cup is that the two are paired off as opposing captains. As for the cancer, Azinger's courageous battle against non-Hodgkin lymphoma (and full recovery) are a true inspiration ... Happy 47th, 'Zinger ...

And Middlecoff was born January 6, 1921 in Halls, Tennessee. A practising dentist, Middlecoff served during World War II filling some 7,000 teeth of servicemen. But long, tall and strong, Middlecoff was such a good golfer that after the war, he determined to give professional golf a go - despite the fact that dentistry probably was more lucrative at the time.

It was a good decision. Middlecoff was one of the greats of the post-war era, and despite head-to-head battles with Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Jimmy Demaret, Middlecoff got more than his share. He won 40 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1949 and '56 US Opens and the 1955 Masters, and when he retired from full-time play in 1961, he had career earnings of $295,043 - more than Hogan and Snead. That equates to roughly $2 million in today's money, so maybe chucking in the dentistry wasn't such a bad idea. The Doc died in Memphis, Tennessee in 1998 at 77, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame 12 years earlier ...

But other than pro golfers, January 6th has traditionally been a day of futility for most. To whit:

On this day in 1540, King Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife - a marriage that lastest only six months ...

On this day in 1781, the French tried to invade the Channel Island of Jersey. They lost again ...

On this day in 1977, the music publishing giants EMI decided to sack the infamous Sex Pistols because of their disorderly behaviour at Heathrow Airport. How'd that turn out? The Pistols went on to greatness ...

On this day in 1992, the US Government put a ban on silicone breast implants because of fears that the implants might leak and cause health concerns. Any look around California will tell you how successful the Fed doctors were ...

And on this day in 1994, a thug with a crowbar whacked US figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the knee to try to knock her out of the Olympics. Turns out the thug had been hired by Kerrigan's catty rival Tonya Harding. A month after the attack, Kerrigan skated to the silver medal at Norway anyway ...

So, it's gratulerer med dagen!, as they say in Lillehammer, to a pair of English comedians who are forever linked: Rowan Atkinson, he of the malleable face and low-key high-brow wit, is 53; and Angus Deayton, the master of satire and tabloid scandal, is 52. Atkinson and Deayton collaborated on a number of programmes, including Have I Got News For You, Blackadder and Mr Bean ...

It's also happy birthdays to sexy, busty TV chef Nigella Lawson (48); dodgy former footballer and England manager Terry Venables (65); AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young (55); super-hot beach volleyball starlet Gabrielle Reece (38); gritty/dirty Spurs midfielder Steed Malbranque (28); and frontman Alex Turner (22) of the Arctic Monkeys, who Bets That You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

It also would have been a birthday for the national heroine of France and Roman Catholic saint Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc, b. 1412, Domrémy, France), had she not earned the not entirely desirable "martyr" tag at the stake in Rouen in 1431 at the age of 24.