Golf Comment: Bowditch win a lesson in patience
PERSEVERANCE is a huge part of golf, and few wins will illustrate that better than Australian Steven Bowditch’s maiden PGA Tour victory, at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday.
Bowditch has had more to contend with than most, having battled clinical depression, and endured a few nervous moments in his four-over-par final round of 76.
But he hung on to win by one stroke, and he can now relax in the knowledge he has a Masters invite as well as a two-year tour card.
I’ve played with him and he’s a lovely kid. All things considered he has done incredibly well to keep plugging away on the tour and it’s fantastic to see him get a reward.
With Augusta just around the corner attention turns this week to the Shell Houston Open, the last chance to rediscover form before the year’s first Major next week.
Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson is among them, although his participation this week is in doubt due to a side muscle strain.
Man of 2013 Henrik Stenson will be there, though, and could use an upturn, while I’ll be keeping a close eye on Rory McIlroy, who I really fancy to do well in Augusta – more on that next week.
Finally, there was plenty for European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley to note at the inaugural EurAsia Cup last week.
He’ll have asked Miguel Angel Jimenez to trial some of the pairings he has in mind for Gleneagles, and Jamie Donaldson, who finished unbeaten, will have impressed. A few of the main Ryder Cup contenders, such as Graeme McDowell, Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher and Thomas Bjorn, struggled, however, and will be bitterly disappointed.
Sam Torrance OBE is a multiple Ryder Cup-winning golfer and media commentator. Follow him on Twitter @torrancesam