The King of Carnoustie? Time for Tiger to get No. 15

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Slam. Now, football might not be coming home but golf is certainly is as The Open returns to Carnoustie next week.

I want to start by talking about Tiger Woods. I know, I know, what else is new? Well actually, not much.

But I had a dream. A dream that next week’s Open at Carnoustie would end with the Greatest of All Time holding the Claret Jug above his head. A Champion Golfer of the Year for a fourth time.

But Alex, you can’t base this all on a dream, I hear you cry. You’re right, that would be madness. But if you think about it, this is really his best chance to get over the line for that long-awaited No. 15.

SB Nation writer Brendan Porath this week transcribed an excerpt from Chronicles of a Champion Golfer, where Tiger discusses how you must “open up your mind” when playing links golf, not only to how the ball could bounce on the unpredictable terrain, but also how to find better angles into flags or “just bail and be conservative”, and learning how the game is “so dramatically different”.

Here's Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golf mind ever, on the way it should be.

Watched this segment several times and then just decided to write it down — from Chronicles of a Champion Golfer: pic.twitter.com/jiohWHhAws

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) July 7, 2018

It’s an utterly fascinating look into the best golf mind that ever lived and the more I take in Tiger’s words, the more I’m convinced he will be crowned King of Carnoustie.

Just keep your driver in the bag, Tiger!

Kim-possible

And a shout-out to Sei Young Kim, who last week became the first player to go below 30-under-par at an LPGA Tour event.

Kim had previously held the LPGA score-to-par record thanks to a 27-under at the 2016 Founders Cup, matching Annika Sorenstam’s 27-under at the 2001 Standard Register Ping.

Not only did she smash the score-to-par record by four, she also took the 72-hole scoring record with her 257.

The South Korean’s rounds of 63, 65, 64 and 65 saw her finish on 31-under-par, which featured a quite frankly ridiculous 31 birdies and an eagle – and another record as this is the most sub-par holes in a single event.

Kim even managed to slip in a double bogey in the second round.

Age is but a number

And there was an even lovelier story at the first ever US Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club where 79-year-old JoAnne Carner shot her age.

Carner, who won 43 times on the LPGA Tour and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982, told Golfweek that she fancies her chances of going under par in the next round.

About the Slam

Founded in 2017 in a tiny green room in Leeds, The Slam, presented by Alex Perry, is National Club Golfer’s irreverent look back on the biggest news of the week from the golfing world.

It has since received rave reviews from the critics:

“This guy is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is” – Facebook

“I wish he would get his hair cut” – YouTube

“WTF” – Twitter

“I heard him say Tiger Woods. Did he criticise Tiger Woods?” – Tiger Woods fans

“You look very handsome and I’m ever so proud” – Alex’s mum

If you’d like more musings from Alex’s little world, you can follow him on Twitter. Or don’t, that’s up to you. Probably best you don’t.

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