Golf Central

The European Tour remains in South Africa this week for the South Africa Airways Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European and Sunshine Tours. It’s contested on the Jack Nicklaus designed course on the Pearl Valley Golf Estate and I’m backing two natives and last week’s winner in South Africa to shine…

Trevor Immelman @ 7/1: Immelman will be full of confidence following his victory in South Africa’s ‘major’ at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City a fortnight ago. He can boast a great record in this event having won it in 2003 and 2004, on both occasions at the nearby Erinvale course, and finished runner-up last year. Finally, his course experience and knowledge will give him a definite edge over most of his competitors.

Tim Clark @ 14/1: Clark also has a fantastic record in this event, he won as a qualifier in 2002, was second in 2003 and triumphed again in 2005. His three-second place finishes in his final eleven tournaments on the US Tour last year signifies his ability. Clark has declared that, after the majors, he rates the South African Open as the most important event so expect him to produce the goods.

John Bickerton @ 66/1: Ernie Els’ disaster on the final hole at last weeks’ Alfred Dunhill Championship allowed Bickerton to claim his third European Tour success. However, Bickerton’s performance should not be underestimated. He played four days of very good golf and closed with two rounds of 68 to finish on 13 under par. A repeat of that form will see him compete for honours here, and still at a very attractive price.

So, on to today's award with the help of our lovely assistant, Natalie Gulbis. Everyone's talking smack nowadays, aren't they, Nats? I mean you can barely round a corner without running into someone, usually Rory Sabbatini, running his mouth about someone. But talking smack means nothing unless you can back it up. So who packed the most verbal dynamite in one punch in golf in 2007? ... (drumroll) ... envelope, please, Natalie ...
Paul Azinger!
Hooray! That's right Natalie. According to the official record books (cough) media guides, they list Paul Azinger kindly at 175 pounds, while Nick Faldo is a positively gargantuan, well, let's just say he's a big fellow. But that didn't stop Azinger from getting the best of big Nick, pound-for-pound, when they squared off at the press conference to kick off festivities for the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla.
Way to go Paul! ... You're not bad for a little guy.
Yep, old 'Zinger had his old rival Nick on the ropes from the opening bell, hitting him with body shots, jabs and uppercuts, until finally flooring Faldo with the money punch: "Wow, the Ryder Cup is bigger than Nick Faldo Enterprises? ... That's huge!"
Way to go 'Zinger. I'm a patriotic girl. Go USA!
Well, based on previous results, press conference points might be the some of the only ones the US team scores. But we have a feeling that it's going to be a super Ryder Cup. In acceptance, Azinger said: "Hopefully we'll bust out a couple quality quotes down the road here eventually but we'll see how it pans out." Faldo, the Hatton to 'Zinger's Mayweather, had no answer. Long way to go though.
I can't wait! ... I'll be watching every minute ...
Well, 'Zinger did say something about "bust out ..." (sorry Nats)

2007 Rusty Award Winners so far:
Worst Putter: Davis Love III
Best Clutch Shot: Boo Weekley
Silliest Name in Golf: Ben Bunny
Best Career Change: Rick Rhoden
Most Pretentious Broadcaster: Gary Lineker
Best Sand Player: Tim Clark
Coolest Shoes: Hunter Mahan
Marlboro Man Award: Angel Cabrera
Coolest Headwear: Jesper Parnevik
Best Second-Best: Ernie Els
Most Daft Quote: Woody Austin
Worst Dresser (Male): Sergio Garcia
Best Golfing Oddball: Camilo Villegas
Best YouTube Moment: Woody Austin
Best Dresser (Female): Paula Creamer
Best Mullet Hairdo: Charley Hoffman
Best Patriot: Mike Weir
Best Verbal Sparring: Paul Azinger

* We would invite all of our winners to our gala Awards Dinner in December, but we fear they might trip on the red carpet or a loose paving stone, or something ...  Our yearly awards are called the "Rusty Awards", instead of "Trusty Awards", because Natalie Gulbis thinks the name of our website is "In Golf Wet Rust". Gulbis is good at golf and glamour, but not so good at grammar.

On this day in 1945, PGA Tour pro and pilot Johnny Bulla bought a passenger airplane and began ferrying his fellow pros around the PGA circuit. Bulla's plane was a Douglas C-47, being retired from wartime service, and Bulla converted it into a DC-3 and it became the taxi cab to the pros. Ben Hogan was one of his first buddies to be a passenger, and sometimes served as co-pilot.

Bulla (b. 1914, d. 2003) was a solid tour pro in the '30s and '40s, despite a swing that was right-handed despite his natural left-handedness. So perhaps he was a mirror image of Phil Mickelson, a natural righty who swings lefty - and who also flies his own plane between tour stops. Either way, the left seat of an aircraft was a natural for both of them ...

A top quality field assembled at the Hyatt Regency Coolum Course to compete for the Australian PGA Championship and I TIPPED YOU THE WINNER! I correctly advised you to back…

Peter Lonard @ 14/1: A brilliant final round of 65 meant Lonard claimed a three stroke victory with a score of 20 under par. Lonard continued his excellent record on the Coolum Course with four sub-70 rounds to capture the Joe Kirkwood trophy for a third time.

I incorrectly advised you to back:

Rory Sabbatini @ 12/1: Sabbatini led the event going into the final day but five bogeys on the back nine of his final round meant he eventually finished in a tie for tenth place, eight strokes behind.
John Senden @ 16/1: A disappointing event for Senden who finished in a tie for 39th place on four under par.

If tipping the winner was insufficient, then I should also have advised you to back:
 
David Smail @ 50/1: The New Zealander shot a final round of 68 to secure second place outright on 17 under par, and at a good price.
Greg Chalmers @ 80/1, Scott Laycock @ 125/1, and Michael Sim @ 80/1: Three Australians shared third place on 16 under par and would each have made a healthy profit if backed each-way.

The European Tour headed to the Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga in South Africa for the Alfred Dunhill Championship. I backed three natives to shine on home soil but, astonishingly, they didn’t and I incorrectly advised you to back…

Ernie Els @ 10/3: Els was aiming to become only the fourth player to win a European Tour event on four separate occasions and after a third round of 64 it seemed that he had the tournament in the bag. But after staring the 18th hole with a two shot lead, he found the water twice for a triple-bogey eight and gifted the title to John Bickerton by one stroke.
Charl Schwartzel @ 12/1: Schwartzel couldn’t reproduce the course form that has seen him finish in the top two of this event for the last three years. He missed the cut after scoring four over par for his opening two rounds.
Louis Oosthuizen @ 28/1: Oosthuizen currently tops the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit but his excellent recent form deserted here and he also missed the cut after posting three over for two rounds.

I should have advised you to get on:

John Bickerton @ 125/1: Els’ collapse gave the amazed Bickerton his third European Tour event success. But, Bickerton deserves full credit for a great performance; he closed with back-to-back rounds of 68 to finish on 13 under par and make a massive profit for his supporters.
Lee Slattery @ 80/1: Slattery did very well to shoot a second round of 65 and a third round of 67 and finish tied with Els for second place on 12 under par.
Joost Luiten @ 80/1: Luiten almost missed the cut but recovered brilliantly to post a third round of 64 and 67 in the final round to finish in fourth place on 11under par.