Last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans was a fantastic new addition to the PGA Tour. Just having strokeplay events on the schedule was becoming a bit monotonous, so the two-man team format offered a welcome change, both for the players and for the fans.
It really made for exciting golf, and some of the memories will definitely stay in our minds for a long time. For example, that chip-in for eagle on the 72nd hole by Kevin Kisner to tie Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith in regulation play and force a play-off was simply awesome and so dramatic.
The only sad part was that two of the favourite teams — comprising world No3 Jason Day and No10 Rickie Fowler, and world No6 Henrik Stenson and No8 Justin Rose — failed to make it to the weekend.
I say sad, but it also fully captures how different the dynamics are when it comes to team events in golf. Hopefully, the fans and sponsors will appreciate that something like this is bound to happen, and there is not much tinkering with the format when the tournament is held next year.
It’s really as simple as this — suppose you are playing Four-Ball format and both players in the team make five birdies and a bogey. That would constitute a very good effort in an individual tournament, but not in a team event.
If the two partners are dovetailing well, they could either end up with a score of 10-under par for the round (birdies on all different holes, and the bogey coming on a hole where your partner has made a birdie), or it can be as bad as just three-under par (all birdies made in the same hole and bogeys on two different holes). A seven-shot difference will be catastrophic for any team’s chances.
There is some more excitement in store, this time on the other side of the Atlantic with the inaugural GolfSixes tournament this week in London. It sounds like a very interesting concept, and even though the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I’d like to put my neck out and predict it will be a big success.
The tournament seems to combine some of the best things to have happened to various sports in recent times. It is a team event, so the Ryder Cup element of golf is there. The teams are nationality based, so that creates its own fervour and passion. They play six holes in each match, so you have the T20 bit from cricket. There are round robin groups, followed by knockout stages, so football’s Champions League is covered as well.
The Indian team is represented in the tournament by Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia and S Chikkarangappa. They complement each other well and were a good pairing at the World Cup of Golf last year. Hopefully, they will make us all proud this week with a strong showing. I will also be rooting for my Thai friends — Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour
