By and large, June has been a pretty dreich old month, hasn’t it? Some of those sodden, summer showers reminded me of Rikki Fulton’s apocalyptic weather forecast sketch on an episode of Scotch and Wry back in the day.
Remember it? “Orkney will be partially swallowed leaving Kirkwall, Cromarty will be largely submerged leaving Dingwall and Rockall will disappear leaving…not very much to speak of.”
Things can only get better one presumes. Now that Sir Keir Starmer has resigned too, even the introductions to this column may enjoy an upturn in fortunes? I very much doubt it.
Given that poor auld Keir is not a golfer, we can assume he didn’t tune in to the closing round of the US Open on Sunday night.
Perhaps he should’ve just for a little morale-booster? At least he would’ve witnessed somebody with a lower approval rating than himself.
Wyndham Clark, an American winning an American major on American soil, was heckled and jeered over the finishing line at Shinnecock Hills. It was a strange, unsavoury finale to a fascinating championship.
Clark led by a whopping six-shots heading into the closing round and despite the odd wobble which eroded his advantage, the 32-year-old from Denver showed admirable tenacity, resolve and no little skill to earn a wire-to-wire win by a single, nail-nibbling shot.
The braying Long Island louts, who were desperate for Scottie Scheffler to complete the career grand slam, tried to fling a star-spangled spanner into the works of one of their own but to no avail.
Last year, an hour or so west of Shinnecock Hills at Bethpage Park, the same Long Island loudmouths got waded into Team Europe with a relentless fusillade of abuse at the Ryder Cup.
The crass hollers and hoots, which had about as much class as one of Donald Trump’s social media updates on the Strait of Hormuz, didn’t work then as the Europeans triumphed. And they didn’t work on Sunday either as Clark inched over the line.
Clark, of course, has a character narrative attached to him and he has had to work hard to reshape an image damaged by various transgressions and tantrums.
He went on a brassed-off rampage and wrecked one of the lockers in the Oakmont clubhouse last year after missing the cut in the US Open, but he has shown contrition on numerous occasions.
In fact, he’s apologised so many times, it’s almost getting as awkward as the day Tiger Woods was forced into a grovelling, televised mea culpa for his tawdry trysts with a list of mistresses that was as long as his, ahem, roll of honour.
Perhaps we should just all move on? He may not be Mr Popular, but Clark deserves immense credit for the way in which he won. And as Tiger used to say, “winning takes care of everything.” Well, maybe not quite everything.
As well as Clark’s conquest, the 126th staging of the US Open was notable for the introduction of a new player code of conduct by the USGA.
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann was the first to be slapped across the wrists when he was handed a two-shot penalty for hurling a club during round one.
In this new tablet of dos and don’ts, the USGA top brass have etched this. “Serious Misconduct: If a player’s (or their caddie’s) behaviour is so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf, in accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Championship Director, may apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking account of the frequency, impact, intent and severity of the misconduct.”
Fair enough. But Jon Rahm was caught on camera kicking his driver down the Shinnecock Hills fairway in a frustrated fit, yet he escaped punishment?
Frequency, impact, intent and severity could be tricky things to judge, and the seemingly arbitrary nature of the penalties could cause more stooshies than bloomin’ VAR. Good luck.
In this teasing, tormenting game, curses here and club tossing there can be par for the course.
Yes, it’s not a good look for a golf professional, or any golfer for that matter, but let’s not get too pious. Eruptions happen. And they’ve always happened.
The great amateur and co-founder of Augusta National, Bobby Jones, once said, “sometimes emotions cannot be endured with a golf club in your hand.”
As a tempestuous 19-year-old playing in the 1921 Open at St Andrews, Jones tore up his scorecard and walked off the Old Course after 11 holes of his third round.
It was an ignominious exit and one that generated considerable handwringing and harrumphing in the Auld Grey Toun.
Six years later, Jones returned to the cradle of the game, won The Open and was paraded off the green on the shoulders of the locals. Forgive and forget and all that.
And what about the wonderfully fiery Tommy Bolt? Thunder Bolt, as he was known, won 15 times on the PGA Tour, including the US Open of 1958, and was as explosive as a malfunction at a munitions depot.
“Do people come out to watch me hit golf shots, the way they do Ben Hogan and Sam Snead?,” Bolt once said. “No. They come out for one reason, and one reason only. They want to see me blow my top. And I'm sorry to say I've obliged them.”
Here in 2026, tops continue to be blown. Pass me that code of conduct, will you?
