By Michael Davis
PARDON me if I am getting unnecessarily on my high horse here.
But surely brilliant young American golfer Scottie Scheffler has not become the usher of the moral rod in world golf?
And I sincerely hope Scheffler simply wasn’t concentrating and inadvertently walked across the putting line of Australian Cameron Smith during the first round of the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs in Memphis.
Smith looked puzzled, stunned and bemused by Scheffler’s breach of etiquette. Social media took off decrying the American’s actions.
And most unlike me, I am well and truly prepared to call it an error of judgement and wholeheartedly give the American the benefit of the doubt.
After all, if there was any ill will between the pair, Scheffler would not have ‘high-fived’ Smith when the Australian holed out for eagle earlier in the round. There certainly appeared to be no ill will between the pair during the round.
But what I will say is that tensions are running so high in the golf world at the moment between the rebel LIV and PGA tours that even the slightest perceived public friction between players comes under the most intense scrutiny.
Make of it what you will. But Scheffler’s action – and to be fair he appeared to offer an embarrassed apologetic half-smile during it – should have been avoided.
But it is certainly a bridge too far to suggest that Scheffler was trying to ingratiate himself to the PGA Tour by blatantly disrespecting the Australian for his imminent defection to the Saudi-backed LIV Tour.
In any event, it is my firm belief that the players should leave the resolution of the world golf schism to the administrators and the lawyers and get on with the game.
AND while on the vexed question of LIV, it is pleasing to see some sanity has prevailed with Australian golf officials.
It appears that for now at least, they will leave Greg Norman’s name on the medal awarded to the best-performed Australian golfer for the year, despite the Shark grabbing the big bucks to head up the new Saudi-backed, breakaway world tour.
Thank goodness our powers-that-be did not go down the same path as the venerable men at the Royal and Ancient who did not invite Norman to attend the 150th Open celebrations at St Andrews because they thought it would detract from the occasion.
Quite deservedly, the R&A’s slight of Norman back-fired spectacularly with all the pre-publicity at St Andrews focused on the snub of the Shark. I thought the R&A was better than that.
The move by the PGA of Australia to retain the Greg Norman Medal is the correct one.
Taking Norman’s name off the award would have been petty, churlish and small-minded.
But there are those among us still baying for Norman’s blood.
Any bid to take Norman’s name off the medal reminds me of the recent push – thankfully defeated – to take Margaret Court’s name off the tennis arena in Melbourne because of her religious views.
Court’s name is on the arena because of her magnificent tennis achievements, not because of her personal views.
Similarly, love him or loathe him, Norman has done more for Australian golf than perhaps any individual in the game.
In my view, he is this country’s greatest ever sportsman behind Sir Donald Bradman.
I’ll no doubt get a debate on this. But consider how difficult it is to contend in a golf tournament and just how many times the Shark put himself in a winning position.
However, PGA boss Gavin Kirkman makes a valid point.
“The Greg Norman Medal for 2022 commenced at the start of the year. To change the name of a medal mid-season, I don’t think that’s appropriate.
“When Greg was asked to put his name to that medal, it went through a lot of work via the board of the PGA of Australia, including many of our life members. A lot of names were put up for it but Greg’s name was put on that medal based on his playing achievements and for what he did for Australian golf.
“This included 331 weeks as world No.1. (Removing his name) is not what we’re looking at doing and I don’t think we will do it.”
So Australian officials have opted to respect Norman’s standing in the game rather than cut him off at the knees. Good on them, I say.
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