A non-golfer’s fashion guide

I had never watched – or felt the urge to watch – a golf tournament before, so I was less than thrilled at the idea of spending my nights the weekend of the Masters doing just that.

My experience in golf is limited to the odd embarrassing visit to the driving range and a short stint caddying for my father, so as you can imagine my knowledge about the game is basic at best.

However, I found myself totally enthralled watching the Masters, so much so that I now have a genuine interest in the sport. Indeed, I regularly find myself browsing through websites such as this trying to find stories about the loveable Bubba Watson – my new favourite golfer.

What I enjoyed most about the event, though, was not the golf – it was the fashion; I loved critiquing the clothing choices of the world’s top players.

From my observations, there were a lot more misses than hits fashion-wise over the weekend – several players looked like they got dressed in the dark with clashing colour and pattern combinations that were painful to look at.

Here are three of the best and worst outfits from the Masters weekend.

THREE GOOD

PLAYER: Henrik Stenson
ROUND: 3rd
OUTFIT: Vibrant yellow polo with the same colour belt; all black trousers and shoes
VERDICT: Excellent. Matching the belt to the top rather than the shoes worked very well. It was bright, bold and a patriotic salute to Sweden

PLAYER: Justin Rose
ROUND: 4th
OUTFIT: Classic black on the upper body with grey trousers
VERDICT: Good. No offensive colour or pattern clashes – a classic, sleek look.

PLAYER: Bubba Watson
ROUND: All week (Watson wore the pink for charity)
OUTFIT: All white with pink flecks
VERDICT: Good. A breath of fresh air and one of the only examples of using white belts responsibly all weekend. Especially with the perfect accessory – his pink driver.
What I enjoyed most about the event, though, was not the golf – it was the fashion.

THREE BAD

PLAYER: Ian Poulter
ROUND: Sunday
OUTFIT: Tartan trousers complemented (or not) by a bright yellow belt and shoes
VERDICT: Disastrous. The trousers speak for themselves and the belt and shoes combo looked even worse after Stenson’s successful yellow outfit the day before.

PLAYER: Phil Mickelson
ROUND: Sunday
OUTFIT: Mocha clogs and belt coupled with appalling beige pinstripe pants
VERDICT: Awful – I didn’t know he was sponsored by Starbucks!

PLAYER: Rory McIlroy
ROUND: Sunday
OUTFIT: Red shirt with ugly checked trousers and a white belt
VERDICT: Horrific. A real eyesore that brought back memories of Rupert the Bear!