Yanks on a Mission in the Hills

Filed in archive Golf News on November 23, 2007

Olazabal Course, Mission Hills, Shenzhen, China

The global golf media was a-twitter yesterday after round one of the World Cup of Golf in China.

That's because the American duo of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum held the lead after shooting an 11 under, 61 on the Olazabal course at Mission Hills, a lead they clung to by a single shot after round two, as well.

Now, there's not a journalist anywhere who doesn't seek the quintessential sound bite or quote and the World Cup of Golf produced quite a few on just the first day.

For example, Boo Weekley was asked how he reacted when he was chosen to be on the American team. "The World Cup [of Golf] is like our Olympics", he said, indicating he was deeply honored to play for his country.

I wonder if anyone has told him that "our Olympics" are being hosted by Beijing next winter.

Weekley claims he was hunting near his home in the tiny town of Milton, Florida and was up in a tree waiting for some unsuspecting four-legged creature to wander into his gun sights when he got the call.

Perhaps that's where he got the idea to ambush the field in Shenzhen.

Colin Montgomerie, playing for Scotland, wanted to consult with his caddy about lining up his tee shot on the 11th hole. The caddy had gone to the bottom of the hill to watch for his boss's drive. Monty pulled it into the bunker and then sarcastically said to his bag-boy in a loud voice, "Let's make birdie the hard way, shall we?" Which he did.

Later, several media types quizzed Monty on China's official view that it, and not Scotland, invented the game of golf. "Scotland is the home of golf and so it shall remain", he said. Long live the Empire.

In actual fact, there is evidence to suggest that the game or something remarkably close to it was being played in China five centuries before the first Scot lost the first ball in some Scottish gorse.

Quite an opening day in Mission Hills, China. On and off the course.

By the way, Golfbug.tv is showing highlights of each day's play on its website. The images can be a little jerky but they're clear enough to watch. And that site is only going to get better and better.