Bonkers British Masters will go down as one we'll never forget

Golf, eh? You can love it one day but hate it the next. Or vice versa, which was the case for this correspondent during a trip to The Belfry last week to cover the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo. The opening event in a year-long qualifying campaign for the European team to play in next September’s Ryder Cup in Ireland, I honestly don’t think I’ve experienced a tournament like it on a very long list.

For starters, it was halted after just two minutes - the players in the opening groups on the 1st and tenth holes had just teed off and were walking down the fairway - on Thursday morning due to thunder and lightning in the Birmingham area.

As the heavens opened, it was absolutely hammering down for a spell and guess who left a waterproof jacket that had been packed for the trip in their hotel room? A hoodie, therefore, was still wet around 12 hours later after yours truly arrived at the course at the worst time possible on a spectator shuttle bus!

Joe Dean poses with the trophy following his victory in the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry on Sunday | Luke Walker/Getty Images

That was just the beginning of one of those extremely frustrating days in golf - yes, I know it’s an outdoor sport and that means the weather is a big factor - whether you are a player, caddie, official, volunteer, fan and even the media as a later suspension meant more than seven hours of play had been lost before the action was halted for the day just before Armageddon hit the Midlands.

When there was a further delay on Friday, there honestly seemed little or no chance that the $3.5 million tournament would be completed over 72 holes by the scheduled finish time on Sunday, yet there seemed to be a reluctance by the DP World Tour to give up on that possibility. Perhaps that was down to the event, which was being staged for the 48th time, having a new sponsor this year and, if so, you can understand that.

Nonetheless, it seemed very fanciful indeed when a plan was announced to get the third round underway at 4.30pm on Saturday with a so-called U-draw then get players out again for a fourth round between 9am and 11am on Sunday and see the last putt holed around 3.45pm. And, yes, it was mission accomplished.

Herculean effort by greenkeeping team

That was partly due to getting a break with the weather on Saturday afternoon as some potential thunderstorms failed to materialise while it was also helped by the fact that the majority of the players were staying on-site, with The Belfry having ample accommodation. That meant early rises - and some players had that three days in a row - didn’t cause as much inconvenience as might have been the case at a different venue.

At the same time, though, it was down to a magnificent effort from the players themselves - hand on heart I didn’t hear a single grumble all week and I passed by the door of the tournament office umpteen times each day - tournament staff and, of course, a herculean effort by the greenkeeping team led by Angus McLeod, who was often buzzing about in a buggy with his faithful dog.

Perhaps he felt the same, but there were times over the first three days in particular when I was definitely hating golf because, apart from the weather and the problems it was causing - ironically, of course, after a stunning few weeks in that part of the world - it was a bloody struggle to find something to write about. Three days in a row, the action finished without a clubhouse leader for a particular round, which meant no-one really had anything to talk about.

Thankfully, Marco Penge provided a moment of magic on Friday afternoon as he drove the green at the iconic tenth hole on the Brabazon Course and rolled in the eagle putt. That at least gave me a morsel to work with but, other than that, it was absolutely grim, though, along with everyone else, you just tried to get on with it.

The Sunday came along and, boy, oh boy, was it nice to feel that love for our great game come rushing back as Joe Dean - yes, I’ve always found myself signing “Joe Dean, Joe Dean” in my head whenever his name has cropped up on a leaderboard in recent years and how apt that he should win in the week that the great Dolly Parton passed away - delivered one of those moments that remind us what golf is all about and why more often than not it puts smiles on faces.

Dean has carved out his career the hard way, having even worked as a supermarket delivery driver for a spell to fund his golf and, to his credit, he still speaks fondly of that time as opposed to being embarrassed about it.

Marcel Schneider of Germany walks with his caddie back to the clubhouse following one of the weather suspensions due to inclement weather at The Belfry | Jasper Wax/Getty Images

He’s now a DP World Tour winner at the age of 32, having landed a fairytale maiden victory on home soil with his new wife, Emily, caddying for him, as she did in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale a few weeks ago after Dean won a Last Chance Qualifier.

What a fabulous story and a terrific end to a tournament that certainly tested the patience of lots of people, including those who had forked out good money for tickets and, at times, were probably thinking they might only be attending a 36-hole event.

They definitely deserved some sunshine on Sunday and a home winner to boot, just as Danish and Scottish fans had with Jeff Winther and Scott Jamieson in the Danish Golf Championship and Nexo Championship respectively in the two previous weeks.

Loving golf is definitely easier than hating it, so roll on the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in two weeks’ time, when we’ll just have to see what Mother Nature has in store.