There I was. Feet up on my stool, leaning back in my Rococo, pipe between the lips, caressing my beard and ready to fall asleep to the Walker Cup.
My wolfhound George Herbert was vertical on the floor by the fire, below framed images of Bonallack, Carr, Foster and Wolstenholme.
The latest chapter of golf’s best team event was unfolding, and I was ready for it, bovril and sherry in hand.
But, seeds of concern appeared. Not enough to switch over to the Chaplin film on the other side, but enough to suspect poison from the professional game is seeping into ours.
The players should want to win the Walker Cup, like they should want to win the Ryder Cup. I am also happy for golfers to be happy, especially in a team.
But when a lung-busting war cry will go up, this makes me question the whole thing. Do you really care that much to push your heart to its limit for that moment of alleged passion?
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What is evident about the Walker Cup is that the result is meaningless. Great Britain and Ireland have had their backsides beaten for a while now. But unlike the Ryder Cup, the format won’t change, and continental Europe won’t be involved.
It is about the experience. It is about the progression of the youngsters and the romance of the career amateurs mixed in with them. It is about celebrating the history of the venues and the game itself.
The result is entirely unimportant, and while this is probably lost while the players are in the heat of battle, I say it is a battle without any heat. Especially when the US are clearly so dominant in this instance, it reminds me of when fans launch their drinks in the air when England score a fourth goal against Moldova.
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The aggressive handshake-high-fives, the chest bumping, the screams. These disproportionate reactions are copies of Ryder Cup antics, and my fear is that they don’t come from the heart, but from the memory of seeing their idols do the same thing.
It is not as if the crowds at the Walker Cup are creating a cauldron. There is barely anyone there, relatively speaking.
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The pressure might be on, but the players leave the Walker Cup with memories whether they’ve won or lost, not scrutiny. There really isn’t much at stake, and this only fuels my concern about why cringey antics are creeping through the cracks.
One of the most viral moments of the Ryder Cup of recent years is Rory McIlroy holing a long putt against Patrick Reed in 2016, and subsequently attempting to shout as loud as possible and blow his own head off for the next 30 seconds.
Does anyone really watch that footage with endearment or inspiration?
The absolute worst example was in 2010 when Jeff Overton hit his ball in the hole from the fairway at Celtic Manor, and he and partner Bubba Watson walked up the hole squealing in the most embarassing, exaggerated and unnatural manner possible.
That footage alone represents what the Ryder Cup has become in many ways, and what the Walker Cup is at risk of becoming if it isn’t careful.
My message to these top amateurs would be: copy their swings, and not their behaviour.
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What do you make of the Ryder Cup antics and Ryder Cup celebrations? Do you think they are genuine and what did you think of the Walker cup cvoerage? Tell us on X!
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