The U.S. Open was played last week at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass., outside Boston. That’s the name of the club: “the Country Club.” It’s sort of like naming a restaurant “the Restaurant,” but there you go. The Country Club is a historic place, where golf is concerned.
Have I said that this U.S. Open was the golf one, not the tennis one? It was.
Dueling down the stretch were Matt Fitzpatrick, a young Englishman (never mind the Irish name), and Will Zalatoris, a young American (never mind the Greek name). A thrilling duel it was. Fitzpatrick won out in the end.
Writing about him for Golf magazine was Luke Kerr-Dineen, who said, “Fitzpatrick is, quite simply, the golfer I want to be.” He added, “He’s the one you should want to be, too.” LKD is my guest on Q&A, here.
Kerr-Dineen is game-improvement editor for Golf (and Golf.com). He knows the ins and outs of swings and the rest of golf technique. He knows about the game at large. He is one to “nerd out,” he says, with Tour pros and other knowledgeable folk. Like Winston Churchill and Robert Conquest, Luke is both British and American. He was born in New York. (So was Boris Johnson, to British parents. He could run for president, right?) Then it was over to London, until he was 13. Then it was back to the U.S. — to South Carolina, in particular. Luke talks like a Brit, however, rather than a South Carolinian.
Bill Buckley used to say, “There’s something in the water over in Britain, rendering them articulate. It’s just so.” LKD is further proof of this.
Incidentally, we at NR offered him a fellowship, as he discloses in this podcast. But he chose a career in golf journalism — starting at Golf Digest. I expect him to be in the booth one day, commentating.
By the way, the “Kerr” in “Kerr-Dineen” is pronounced “cur,” rather than “car.” The coach of the Golden State Warriors says “cur.” But a proper Scot says “car.” Deborah Kerr, the striking actress who was born in Glasgow, was “car.” She is best known for playing Anna in The King and I (movie version). MGM had a slogan for her, to make things clear to American audiences: “Kerr rhymes with Star!” Luke says that, for his dad, “car” is a hill to die on. But Luke and his siblings go with “cur,” mainly for expedience in American life.
Enough nomenclature. In our podcast, besides names, we talk about swings. And the Tour life. And the new Saudi tour, speaking of tours. (For a piece I did on this, earlier this week, go here.) We also talk about Tiger Woods, of course. Is he finished, at long last? People have counted him out before, to their embarrassment. We talk about favorite golfers and favorite courses. Also, a longstanding question: the equipment. Has it advanced to a crazy degree, warping the game?
Oh, there’s another question: Is golf a sport or something else? More like a game? Some people don’t accord golf the name “sport.” I’m not too offended. Golf is a sport, of course, but I don’t care if you call it a ham sandwich, as long as I get to play it and watch it.
This Q&A is for golfers and golf fans, yes. But I think most everyone else would enjoy LKD too. Again, here we are.