Another year, and they are still letting me make The Slam.
Happy New Year everyone, I hope you enjoy the first instalment of 2018.
Blurt out Ernie
Remember when Ernie Els played at The Masters for almost certainly the final time last year after his five-year exemption from winning the 2012 Open Championship ran out?
Well, it all got a bit awkward on Twitter over the Christmas break.
The South African tweeted this on Christmas Eve…
Thank you for a Great Xmas present! @TheMasters Can't wait!
— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) December 24, 2017
…and dozens of people replied with their delight. Big Easy’s been given another year! Or so they thought.
You see, The Masters’ organisers also send out honorary invites to attend the opening major of the year as a patron.
It’s OK though, because Els tweeted again to clarify his previous post. Kind of…
Wanted to clarify my excitement getting an invite from @TheMasters. Work continues to qualify to compete!
— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) December 26, 2017
That clears that up.
If you’re still confused – and we all are – Ernie Els will NOT play at the 2018 Masters, unless he qualifies between now and the start of the Augusta showpiece.
Sweet 16
Players wearing football jerseys, caddie races and, of course, the intoxicated fans.
Yes, it’s everyone’s favourite hole on the PGA Tour – the 16th at TPC Scottsdale. And now it looks like they are trying to turn it into a brand. They’ve started by designing a logo – for a golf hole.
You can see the logo in the video. It’s pretty cool. You can also see my own design of what I thought it should be. (I’m going to get sued, aren’t I?)
Hawaii 35-0
Have you seen the trophy for the this week’s Tournament of Champions in Hawaii?
You can see it in the video, but what is it meant to be? Also, it weighs 35 pounds, which in English money is just shy of 16 kilograms, or 2-and-a-half stone – about the same weight as the average 4-year-old.
For context it’s 8 pounds heavier than the Wanamaker Trophy that the PGA Championship winner receives.
Elsewhere at the Tournament of Champions, Rickie Fowler wore a Hawaiian shirt and it was UNTUCKED.
Hawaiian shirt game ?? pic.twitter.com/5B4bBpUV5w
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 4, 2018
It was touch and go there but hey the world didn't end because of this. And after all they'd led us to believe… https://t.co/a048f9nTvx
— Alex Perry (@AlexPerryNCG) January 5, 2018
Calm down, everyone. No one got hurt.
Golf clubs take note. This is the future. Though I do remember how upset a lot of you got when Dan Murphy wrote about relaxing dress code rules…
Anyway, ou can read more about Fowler’s shirt – who wouldn’t want to? – in the latest All the Gear from equipment editor James Savage.
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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.
Want to see more episodes of the Slam? Then you must be really bored. Anyway, you can do that by clicking here or heading over to NCG’s YouTube channel.
Alex Perry
