Mike Rodgers

Very proud to be club champion of @SDGCMembers again. Last year was like @NickFaldo006 in the Open '92, nearly losing it but prevailing in the end. This year it was like Sir Nick's Masters win in '96.

@mackay3688418 @PeterFinchGolf Really? Watch all those Open championships and see how many chants you hear, you utter 🤡

@PeterFinchGolf It’s totally fine. UK golf fans do it to Americans in the Open Championship. So, what’s the problem?

Soooooo, what are we thinking about the PGA Tour 🇺🇸 partisan crowds recently?

YYYEEESSS Fitzy! @MattFitz94 Way to stick it up those noisy yanks!

@jamierkennedy It's a tough comparison but I think he needs one more major win to be guaranteed as the best European player. But in terms of influence and inspiration, Seve will never be overtaken. He was the one who showed the Americans could be beaten as a team and as individuals.

Greatest European golfer? As a comparison, here's where the Rory, Faldo and Seve were in their careers aged 36 (same age Rory is today).

@MMcEwanGolf Just trying to knock Rors down. Still sour about the Ryder Cup probably. Pretty sure Scottie could have spent 3 weeks prepping at ANGC if he'd wanted to (as his wife wasn't due to give birth!)

What fresh hell is this?

@Daniel_Rapaport Great article again. Love your Major roundups.

Wrapping up The Masters with 18 Parting Thoughts on Rory, Rose, 13 and 15, firmness, the Coachellafication of this week and so much more. Enjoy: skratch.golf/news/pro-golf/…

@jamierkennedy Great insight. Sounds like you had a great day out there.

Observations from Sunday at Augusta... 1. Wow. Just watched every shot of Rory's back nine in person. The slow walk, the steel, just incredible poise throughout. Maybe experience does matter after all. 2. The shot on 12 will live on for a long time. Wind was up, changed on him, he backed off then committed. Controlled swing, perfect flight and the best shot of the day. That two won him the tournament. Credit also to Harry in that moment for reading the wind right. He didn't just back away, he stepped forward when Rory backed off and was clear in his direction. 3. Last year with the lead, he started with a double. This year, tied, he actively changed his approach. Had hit driver in 13 straight rounds, but hit 3-wood, iron over the pin, easy par. Slipped up later but felt like a key start. Especially after his Saturday round. 4. Amen corner on Sunday is an amazing place. The red mist of the pine straw dust in the air, the echo of the cheers, the way the holes wrap around. The sun and shadows coming through the trees. Special. 5. It's amazing how easily you can see the action. I had no access or special pass and walked the last 10 holes with the final group and saw every single shot, pretty easily. The flow of the course is really easy to navigate. 6. Felt for the kid in front of me on 13 that sneezed and caused Rory to back off his second shot. Glad for him Rory hit the back edge. 7. The communal confusion and commentary of the leaderboard and scores is hilarious. Everyone looking around, whispering about birdies, bogeys, ball positions etc. Honestly makes the crowd feel more connected. 8. The silence as Rory addressed his putt on 16 was stark. Other than the drone, 5-10k people all hushing at once and locked in on one shot and one player. 9. Rory is the greatest European golfer ever. I'm sorry to Seve (and Faldo if you are so inclined) but it's true. Tied Faldo with 6 majors and, honestly, he's not done (Augusta, Pebble and St Andrews next year 👀).

@McIlroyRory an exercise in resilience. Congratulations on your second win @TheMasters #masters

@TronCarterNLU Any of you lot ever played golf? It's very frustrating, especially at Augusta I would imagine. Stop throwing stones in your glasshouses. Young Bobby Jones was known for his tantrums on the golf course so I reckon he would love Macintyre and Hatton.

Bob NOT happy on 15. Couple this with the outburst on 12 tee. We just can’t have it!

@jamierkennedy Great post 👏👍

Observations from Thursday at Augusta… 1. The course is firm and fast and I love it. Weather is so good and the wind is down, they are clearly learning into the firmness. Just go and watch the approaches to 3 and downhill putts on 9. 2. Walking with Olazabal this morning was delightful. At least 100 yards behind Potgeiter on every hole yet beat him by 10. Augusta should charge a subscription fee to watch him chip in person. 3. Augusta a sacred place but the most sacred place is really inside the ropes. It’s noticeable how few people get inside the ropes (basically just players and caddies) and it creates a noticeably clean, premium and calm vibe across the entire course. 4. First shot I saw Rory hit up close was his third on the 2nd. From a bear lie, over a bunker, to a downslope and nearly holed it. The strike, the trajectory, the spin, it was the best shot I saw in person. 5. Funny seeing what people wear to Augusta. Women dressed liked their going to the Kentucky Derby or a summer wedding in Florida. Meanwhile, every man dressed like their going for 9 holes after, head to toe in Masters merch. 6. As Mike Clayton said, making the best players hit difficult shots from easy lies is 100x more entertaining than the opposite. Augusta does that better than anywhere. 7. In today’s edition of “overheard at Augusta”, I heard a woman ask a guy about his Masters gnome. He said “Lady, if they sold Masters air in a jar, I’d buy two”. Sad, but it’s also true. 8. I got a chance to eat in the Augusta clubhouse today and I walked out to the veranda, took in the amazing view and heard “Fore please, Fred Couples now driving”. He was my idol growing up. I genuinely could have cried. 9. Rory’s round was immense. Low-key wild off the tee but played smart from there and all other parts of his game were elite. His escape shot on 5 was absurd (go watch it).

@GolfMonthly Couldn't agree more. None of the players want to play it properly because of "the curse". It is now a farce. Say one of the WAGS dangerously firing a driver into the crowd on one hole. Just not on.

Has the Masters par 3 contest lost its sparkle? golfmonthly.com/news/has-the-m…

@PaigeSpiranac I like all of ur posts almost all of the time but I can't agree with the outpouring of sympathy and support that he is getting. Sure he's got an addiction problem but it is only by good luck that his selfish behaviour has not resulted in serious injury or death to someone else.

I think we are all rooting for Tiger. Not as a golfer but more importantly as a person. None of us can fathom what he’s been through both emotionally and physically. Not excusing any behavior but I hope he’s able to get the help he needs in peace without the whole world dog piling on him in a very difficult situation.

@GaryWoodland inspirational win this week. 👏👏👏

@WMoon1 I've been watching the Prime show about black QBs. Listening to your experiences and hearing you talk, you are an inspiration. Can't imagine how challenging that must have been.

@EdwardJDavey The most decent man in politics. Glad you are my MP. A life of challenges that no one person should have to face but it makes you best placed to represent people properly.

Caring has shaped so much of my life, from looking after my mum when I was young to caring for my son today. This is a very personal piece but I feel it’s important to share. observer.co.uk/news/national/…

@mgchiversNCG Funny the way things pan out. Spot on to say that LIV gave Luke this opportunity by chance and he could be our greatest RC captain. I doubt any of the LIV guys would have done as well. Shows the formula you need to be a top captain: quiet confidence.

Not to take away from his excellence as captain, but Luke Donald could go down as the greatest Ryder Cupper, and it is largely down to the birth of LIV Golf nationalclubgolfer.com/tour/ryder-cup…

@MMcEwanGolf Well said. I was amazed Shane spoke to the press after what happened (count yourself lucky you missed it!). As a very honourable and decent journalist yourself you must be horrified at what passes for journalism these days.

There have been some seriously disturbing headlines circulating today about Shane Lowry and the "heartbreaking admission about his daughter" he made after losing the Cognizant Classic. Aside from the naked ghoulishness of what I can only assume is the deliberately provocative wording of these headlines, it put me in mind of the response to Collin Morikawa's decision to skip media after blowing the Arnold Palmer Invitational 12 months ago. Morikawa was widely criticised for not fronting up. Others, Rory McIlroy included, have been similarly rebuked. To Lowry's enormous credit, he was available and candid last night - and this is how he gets repaid?! As a media corps, we can (often rightly) get quickly indignant about athletes brushing past us. But when headlines are written that leave the well-being of those folks' young children open to interpretation, it makes you wonder what legitimate grounds we have for ever being uppity. I've expanded on these thoughts in my new newsletter for @bunkeredgolf, The Monday Finish, which you can read here: link.bunkered.co.uk/view/6346d03f7…

@golfshake Played it last summer in the height of the dry spell. Was almost impossible. Couldn't hold a fairway, greens were too fast for the slopes they have. It suffered from the lack of water. The layout is exciting and interesting. Would like to play it when it plays like a parkland.

Who else has played golf at Old Thorns in Hampshire? Highly Recommended on Golfshake!

@golfshake @pickenan @ombriaresort Played Ombria in October 24 and it is up there with one of my favourite courses anywhere. An exhilarating ride me a golf course from start to finish!

"I know that many visiting golfers are including Ombria golf course as part of the wonderful package offered with Algarve golf." @pickenan LOVED his time at the spectacular @ombriaresort. golfshake.com/course/news/22…

@TheHomeofGolf just discovered you've stopped your 3 day ticket, replacing it with a far poorer valued 54 hole links pass. As the leaders of the game you set the precedent and this is disappointing. Golf is fast becoming unaffordable for UK residents to play our better courses.