There are times when humble pie can actually be rather tasty, especially with a nice dollop of brown sauce on top. But I’m not about to indulge - I’m on a diet trying to create space for the inevitable Christmas pudding and other gastronomic excesses coming my way soon. Which will come as disappointing news to those who think I should now be eating platefuls of pie, not to say whole tabletops groaning with the stuff, over my comments earlier this year about Justin Rose. The issue has arisen because good old Justin has won a competition at last after a ...

Here’s a line from the sports pages of London’s respected Guardian newspaper that deserves a wider audience. “Hamburg were breathing out of their arses and the last thing they needed to see was someone who can catch pigeons coming on.” Translation: the labouring Germans were undone late in last week’s European Champions League football (soccer) game against Arsenal by a fresh substitute with lightning speed. So what has that got to do with Michelle Wie, you won’t ask because you didn’t know that was the point? Bear with me. The pigeon-catcher in question is called Theo Walcott, and he is an ...

Job done and in exceptional style. Adam Scott did not rest on his laurels, with an almost flawless round of four under, although as I thought two under on the day would have been enough. Would he have done it if Tiger had been around? Who knows, or cares really? But I do think in this mode he’d have had Lefty for breakfast. It is lovely golf to watch and we can only hope this emboldens the Australian to make a serious tilt at the majors next year. His East Lake stats are simply awesome: 3rd for putts per ...

Spare a thought for Davis Love III Sunday as he trundles his lonely path round the Tour Championship course, wooden spoon sticking firmly out of his bag. It can’t be much fun trying to make amends for that dreadful opener, even if a nice fat cheque still awaits at the end - presumably what’s still keeping him going. The fickle hand of fate eh? He looked for all the world someone likely to be trading blows at the top come Sunday, his reputation as a golfing heavyweight restored. Instead that libertine hand has decreed that a different messiah is ...

You should thank your lucky stars I’m not Adam Scott if you’ve backed him this weekend. I’d be so excited right now my clubs would be shaking like a vibrator, not that I have first-hand knowledge of how that oscillates you understand. But there’s quite a few punters out there convinced the excitement, tension or whathaveyou will get to Scott too this weekend. He has form on the American circuit - you may recall for instance how he deferred to Vijay Singh on the final day of the Barclays Classic. Which is why many are suggesting he is poorly priced at ...

“Nothing’s going to be pretty out there today,” said Stewart Cink. How right he was. “Pretty” never even got out of bed as the wind played havoc with Thursday’s play. I bet Davis Love III wished he’d never got out of bed either after shooting 12 over, apparently his highest score to par in 21 years of playing. Yup, even worse than the 83 that sent him crashing out of the Players Championship in March. Exactly what went wrong, apart from bunkers, plugged lies and general gusty mayhem, is not clear. All I could discern was a cryptic suggestion by ...

The Tour Championship this year has the feel of a great banquet with empty chairs at the top table, notably the guest of honour’s. It sends the message that this is really just a little end of term money-spinning celebration for the season’s stars. It leaves a bit of a question mark over the death or glory commitment of some of our intrepid heroes this weekend. Without Tiger Woods around to concentrate minds, it also seriously muddies the waters as to likely winners. The stats that last year’s top six brought home illustrate how you need a pretty all-round game, with ...