Golf Central

So, did we give those Yanks what for or did they kick our tea-sipping asses?
The latter, it was a close run thing though. It was level after the first day at 6-6 but the Americans won a hard fought contest 12½-11½ in the end.

That was close, how did it go down?
After a very even day of play on the Saturday, the U.S won all four of the morning foursomes on Sunday. It was an uphill struggle for GB and Ireland to get back in it and their 5½ to 2½  singles win wasn't quite enough, as an eagle by Jonathan Moore clinched victory for the U.S.

An 'uphill struggle', surely that's too much of a cliché even for you?
Umm OK, how about: they faced a task of Dawn French-esque proportions.

Terrible. Go back to the tried and tested clichés I think.
OK, Rory McIlroy, Rhys Davies and Lloyd Saltman all put in a sterling effort and chalked up three singles points early doors before Danny Willett sunk a blinding 20-foot putt on the 18th to grab a last-gasp draw with Colt Knost. The U.S snatched a famous victory however as Jamie Lovemark and Johnathan Moore secured the two points needed.

Too many clichés now...
How about this one then? After GB & Ireland's comeback fell just short, Peter McEvoy, the ex-captain said:  “I've never seen such naked courage on a golf course.”

Naked courage? What's that?
Dunno. But it's a shame they didn't have more of it as the U.S.A's win took them to a 33-7 lead in The Walker Cup series.

33-7? Now that's an uphill struggle...

Mantelpiece space reaches an even higher premium in the Woods household

So did Arron Baddeley mange to capture his third Tour win?
Not exactly. Tiger Woods put in a fantastic, bogey-less 63 to take his tally of Tour wins to 60, put him at the top of the FedEx points leaderboard and record his fourth win at Cog Hill.

60? Is that some sort of record?
Not quite, Sam Snead won 82 and holds the record while Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus all got to 60 plus.

60 plus? Isn't there a magazine called that?
Umm maybe, anyway, Tiger reached 60 wins at the age of 31, Nicklaus was previously the quickest to get there at 36 years old. Woods is breaking records like a drunken DJ and shows no signs of letting up.

So just how Baddeley did Woods beat the rest of the competition?
Third round leaders Arron Baddeley and Stever Stricker were two and four shots off the pace at 20 and 18 under respectively. Adam Scott was next closest at minus 14. Not too badly really, well not as bad as your pun, it was more the style in which he did it. His 63 was his joint lowest final round ever.

And how does all this effect the FedEx standings?
Tiger goes back to the top, while Stricker is number two and Mickelson drops to third. At the other end of the table, Luke Donald is unlucky number 31 and misses out on the Tour Championship. Poulter, Langer, Stenson, Immelman and Toms were some of the other casualties.

Thirty players go in to the Tour Championship, how many of them can actually win the FedEx Cup?
Five, the top three as mentioned above and also Rory Sabbatini and KJ Choi, the rest are mathematically ruled out.

I know where my money's going...
On Special Brew and ready meals for one?

On Tiger Woods.
Oh. Good idea.

"How do I look?"

"Very Sheik"

On this day, in 1995, Mark O'Meara won the Bell Canadian Open with a play-off victory over Bob Lohr.

Mark Francis O'Meara was born in 1957 in North Carolina, he turned pro in 1980 and won 16 times on The PGA Tour. Although he didn't win a major until he was 41, in 1998, he won two – the Masters and The British Open. He attributed this resurgence to playing alongside Tiger Woods, with whom he had become friends and even reached number two on the World Golf Rankings that year. O'Meara is well known for travelling more than most top American golfers and won four times on The European Tour and 11 other tournaments around the World. In 2007 he began his first season on The Champions Tour.

Also on this day, in 1977, in Baumettes Prison, France; Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture, murder and having a funny name became the last ever person to be executed by guillotine.

Meanwhile, in 1987, Osama Bin Laden launched Al Queda from his house in Afghanistan. The first meeting was held in his bedroom with a 'No girls allowed' sign on his door and his mum interrupting every five minutes with tea and biscuits.

And it's Jeppe Aakjær! As they say in Denmark, to; mockney icon Guy Ritchie (49) hip-hop icon Big Daddy Kane also (49) and golfing icon Arnold Palmer (79.) Today was also the day that in 1985, the final whistle went for Jock Stein at the age of 72.

Brett Rumford: On cloud nine

Did Sunday's action Dredge up a repeat winner then?
Very funny, but no. Bradley Dredge didn't win.

Thanks. So what did happen then?
Dredge finished third, at 16-under-par, one stroke behind Phillip Archer who shot a final round 65 to force a play-off with the Australian, Brett Rumford.

Don't leave me in suspense...
Rumford proved why he's considered to have one of the best short games in Europe by chipping in from 30 feet to win on the first sudden death hole. It wasn't the first time that his short game saved him either, at the 13th he had to swiss-roll in a 35 yard putt to save par.

So after all that pre-tournament talk about Ryder Cup points, an Aussie went and won it...
Yep. Spoilsport. Still, Archer and Dredge got off to good starts as did Lee Westwood who finished tied for sixth at 11-under-par. Dredge's second place finish should also go a long way to sealing his hopes of making the Seve Trophy.

Haven't they already made the trophy? A big shiny thing isn't it?
OK, it should seal his place on the GB and Ireland team at this month's Seve Trophy.

Anything else to declare?
Only my annoyance at having to speak to you. Oh and at the IGWT picks for once again failing to come anywhere near winning.

Snead and son, 1956

On this day, in 1945, Sam Snead won the Dallas Open, his fifth of six victories that season.

Samuel Jackson Snead was born in 1912 in Virginia and is recognised by many as one of the greatest golfers ever. He won a staggering 82 PGA Tour events, a record, was the first player ever to shoot his age (67) in the 1979 Quad Cities Open and is also the oldest ever winner of a PGA tour event, at 52 years and 10 months. Snead clocked up seven majors on his way to being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Also on this day, in 1947, the first ever computer bug was discovered as a moth lodged itself in the relay of the Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University.

Meanwhile, in 1994, Sachin Tendulkar scored the first of his many ODI centuries in a match against Australia in Sri Lanka.

And it's Flavius Honorius! As they said in ancient Rome, to; Rod Stewart's ex, Rachel Hunter, (38), shouty comic actor, Adam Sandler (41) and fop, Hugh Grant (47). It would also have been Otis Redding's 66th birthday had his plane not crashed in 1967.