John Huggan: Why Faxon's so close-knit with Scotland

Published on Saturday 3 October 2009 19:49

FOR SOME, the most fun is battling the elements. Others enjoy the variety of shot-making that is such a part of the game by the seaside. And still more take the view that anything other than that played on a links cannot possibly be "proper golf."

Then again, there are exceptions. Brad Faxon, for example. In all of professional golf, there is perhaps no bigger devotee of the game Scotland gave to the world than the 48-year-old Rhode Islander, but what first attracted him to the endless intricacies of golf by the beach was a fancy jumper and a couple of bunnets.

"My initial taste of playing links golf came at Hoylake in the 1983 Walker Cup," recalls the nine-time PGA Tour winner, who is in Scotland this week for the Dunhill Links Championship. "But what first got my interest was watching Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf and Jack Nicklaus playing in the Open on television. I was taken with the hats and sweaters they wore. Jack had a beautiful blue Argyll sweater (pictured inset) on when he won at St Andrews in 1978. Watson always seemed to wear that Hogan-like cap that was made of wool; Weiskopf did the same. I thought they were all so cool, so the first thing I did when I got to Hoylake was buy a plaid cap. It even had a pom-pom on top. God, it was awful."

It didn't take long for that unlikely introduction to evolve into a full-blown love affair, one that has seen Faxon make any number of trips across the Atlantic. And, like any avid fan, he has a seemingly endless fund of anecdotes to illustrate his enthusiasm.

"The first time I played the seventh hole on Gullane No.1 I drove the green," he smiles. "One day later I had to hit a driver, 3-wood. Yardage means nothing over here; it's just a starting point. There is nowhere in the world I would rather play golf.

"I came over to my first Open in 1985. The practice days at Littlestone were great, sunny and calm. I remember taking a 2-iron off the first tee and knocking it on the first green, more than 300 yards away!

"Of course, for the first round of qualifying it blew a gale. I was hitting 4-iron, 7-iron to par-5s, then driver, 3-wood to par-4s and not reaching the greens. I played with Tony Johnstone and DJ Russell. They were so funny. DJ shot 28-49 for a 77. And Tony was tomahawking clubs down the fairway. He threw one into a bush and we almost lost the club!

"I appreciated sleeping in a tiny bed and having a huge English breakfast. I could never understand why so many of my compatriots didn't feel the same way. Anyway, I qualified but shot huge numbers at Royal St Georges. But that just made me more determined to come back and play. I still have Pringle cashmere sweaters I bought at that Open and they are still in great shape."

Sadly, the same cannot be said of Faxon himself. The last few years have not been kind to the former Australian Open champion, one of the world's great putters (even now he is five putts better than the PGA Tour average each week). A knee injury sustained as long ago as 2003 has led to surgery twice, most recently at the end of 2007.

"The 2003 season was over and I was working out with my ex-trainer," he remembers with a shudder. "I had just come off a great year on tour where I was 11th on the money list. I was on top of the world and really excited about playing.

"Then he got me doing the stupidest exercise. It involved me jumping with a medicine ball squeezed between my ankles. But I did it without squeezing the ball tight enough. I jumped and landed on top of the ball. The ball went one way and my knee went the other. I had torn my anterior cruciate ligament. At first, I tried to play with the pain. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I was exempt for everything in 2004. There was no harm in waiting, or so I thought. But the knee was hurting and my right foot was going numb. That went on for more than a year, until I won the Buick event at Hartford in August of '05. That put me right up there on the money list again. So I was tempted to keep playing again. But I didn't. My lifestyle was being affected too much. I couldn't ski. I couldn't play squash. I couldn't do any of the things I like to do."

Second-time around, Faxon was away from the game for all of 14 months. He played only three events in 2008. This season too, has been a struggle. In all likelihood, the 25-year tour veteran will finish lower than 125th (the last all-exempt spot) on the money list and be forced to use the one-year exemption his current 36th place on the all-time money list affords him.

Still, with his 50th birthday and the Champions Tour looming on 1 August, 2011, he isn't too worried.

"My thought has always been to stay on the PGA Tour as long as I was competitive," he says. "Obviously, I haven't been close to that for the last three years. But I proved I could still play as recently as 2005. I'll know by the end of next year if I can still play with the young guys."

During all his time off, Faxon had much time to think back on a career that has brought him much wealth – $17,704,267 on the PGA Tour alone, to be precise – and much enjoyment. But one of his fondest memories involves a moment in time and a simple gesture by a friend.

"When I came over in 2005 for the Open I was lucky enough to qualify at Lundin Links," he explains. "Then I played well at St Andrews. I couldn't believe how many people from Lundin showed up to watch me. I had a disappointing last round but, all in all, it was a great year for me. Lundin Links gave me an honorary membership. And I received the Payne Stewart Award (Faxon and fellow Rhode Islander Billy Andrade run an annual tournament in their home state, one that has raised millions of dollars for charity].

"Those were great but neither was the absolute highlight. That happened here at St Andrews when I bumped into Darren Clarke. He grabbed me by the arm, looked me straight in the eye and told me that my coming over to qualify was the coolest thing he had ever seen. That meant so much to me because of who he is. Most guys would just say, 'nice going'. But he knew it was more than that for me. He understood, especially as so many Americans haven't bothered to come over and go the extra mile."

Brad Faxon has always been bothered, of course. Bothered and beguiled by his love of a game played more on the ground than in the air. Proper golf.

DUNHILL DAY

THE third round of the Dunhill Links Championship was abandoned without a shot being played yesterday as gale-force winds swept over the three hosting courses.

Play at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns was made impossible with gusts exceeding 50mph. The pro-am event's third round is now re-scheduled for today and the final round will take place tomorrow.

"The forecast is for the winds to strengthen during the day so we have had to abandon play. Every course was unplayable," tournament director David Garland said.

The tournament goes into an extra day because the two-man professional-amateur teams have only played two of the three rounds at the three courses.

Rory McIlroy, Michael Hoey and Scotland's Richie Ramsay lead by a stroke on 11-under-par.

McIlroy can go to number one in Europe with a second-place finish tomorrow and the 20-year-old Ulsterman supported the call-off yesterday.

"You can't argue with the decision. I think everyone can see that, especially here at Kingsbarns", he said.

"I'm just looking at the ninth hole just now and with the way that wind is blowing you wouldn't be able to get your ball near that green in three shots, never mind trying to putt on it. I think the forecast for the next two days is pretty good, so if we have to wait till Monday to finish then we have to wait."

Ramsay said: "I think the right decision has been made. You look at some of the exposed greens on these courses and the balls are just blowing off in all directions, so you couldn't play in that wind.

"I am struggling to keep my balance standing here at the moment. Plus if you put everyone out there and had to bring them on and off the course throughout the day it would be pretty tough to co-ordinate that with three courses."