Latest news with #Nicklaus
Spectator
6 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
The Donald and the art of golf diplomacy
In 1969, one of the great acts of sportsmanship occurred at Royal Birkdale golf club in Southport, when the Ryder Cup came down to the last green. Britain's Tony Jacklin had a three-foot putt to halve the final match with Jack Nicklaus and make the score 16-16, but the American picked up Jacklin's marker and said he was happy to share the spoils. 'I don't think you would have missed,' he said, 'but I didn't want to give you the chance.' The gesture was immortalised in the naming of a Florida golf course, the Concession, which has just been awarded the next three senior PGA Championships, one of the majors. I suspect that Donald Trump, who owns three courses in that state, might regard Nicklaus as a loser. The coat of arms for Trump's latest course in Scotland has the motto Numquam Concedere ('never let them have a gimme', to paraphrase) and the emblem of an eagle clutching two balls. Subtle. Police and protestors are ready for Trump's visit to Aberdeenshire this weekend, where he will open the course at Menie, which is due to be named the MacLeod after his mother and has, the family boasts, 'the largest sand dunes in Scotland'. That might trigger environmentalists, since the ancient links has lost its Site of Special Scientific Interest status as a result of Trump's development. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to travel north during the visit to bend a knee and watch Trump drive, since the way to the President's heart is by admiring his swing. One of the things Trump would most like the Prime Minister to bring as a gift is the right to host the Open Championship, which was held last week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. When Trump bought the Turnberry course in Ayrshire in 2014, it was with the expectation that the Open would follow. The R&A, which organises the Open, initially made positive noises and it is believed the course had been earmarked to host the tournament in 2020. Turnberry is undeniably a magnificent course, rated the eighth finest outside the US by Golf Digest, and it has hosted four excellent Opens including in 1977, when Nicklaus slugged it out for four days with Tom Watson, and the Open in 2009, when Watson almost won again at the age of 59. It would be a more than worthy venue. Then Trump decided to become president, and his controversial comments made people feel uneasy. In 2015, Peter Dawson, the outgoing chief executive of the R&A, said that a bit of time should pass before returning to Turnberry. His successor, Martin Slumbers, took a harder line, saying it could not be held there because the focus would be on the course's owner rather than the golfers. This came after the PGA of America removed the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump's Bedminster course in New Jersey following the attack on the Capitol in 2021. Since then, the position against giving Trump an Open has become more nuanced. Mark Darbon, the new R&A chief executive, says he would 'love' the Open to return to Turnberry but while he has discussed it recently with Eric Trump, Donald's son, there are 'logistical challenges'. The course is in the middle of nowhere and the transport links and hotel accommodation can't cope. Only 120,000 could attend Turnberry in 2009, while 280,000 came to Portrush. Sorry Donald, nothing personal. A feasibility study, that old favourite for kicking things into the long grass (and the rough can be very long at the Open), has been commissioned to ease the political pressure. If that fails, they can fall back on Sir Humphrey's 'in the fullness of time' tactic. The next two Opens have been allocated – Birkdale in 2026 and St Andrews in 2027 – and it is believed that Muirfield in East Lothian, which last hosted an Open in 2013, will be given 2028 as the reward for agreeing to allow women members. The last time three successive Opens were held in Scotland was 1893, so that means we're looking at 2030, when Trump will be 84 and (presumably) no longer in the White House. This may be nudged back even further if there are difficult scenes at the Ryder Cup in late September, to be held in Bethpage, New York, where the fans are notoriously raucous. Trump will surely be there on the tee, a week after his state visit to Britain, having missed the chance to host a Ryder Cup in his first term. It was to be at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, in 2020, a few weeks before he fought re-election, but was postponed by the pandemic. A US win might have swayed the election for him. He will not miss this Ryder Cup but if it is a rowdy one – expect no sporting concessions this time – the R&A may find a new reason to delay a decision. One thing that is certain about Trump's visit to Aberdeenshire is that he will have a GREAT opening round. He is a more than decent golfer to judge by footage (though his declared handicap of 2.8 raises eyebrows), but he has never knowingly played badly, certainly not at a club he owns. Two weeks ago, he won the members' championship at Bedminster yet again, while in 2023 he won a two-day competition at his West Palm Beach course, despite being 600 miles away on the first day. Trump explained that he'd had a brilliant practice round two days before and so submitted that as his Saturday scorecard in absentia, meaning the field began Sunday five strokes behind. This performance, Trump declared, proved that he had the 'strength and stamina' to deserve a second term. He certainly has the sneakiness and chutzpah, though he falls a long way behind Kim Jong-il, the Eternal Scratch Champion of Pyong-yang, who famously once had five holes-in-one during a round that was 38 under par. Trump and Kim's sporting prowess matches that of Vladimir Putin, who has scored eight goals in an ice hockey match three times, and Mao Zedong, who was said to have swum ten miles of the Yangtze in just over an hour. It was ever thus with vain leaders, whose sporting boasts are rarely challenged. The Emperor Nero competed at the Olympics in the race for four-horse chariots, steering a vehicle pulled by ten horses. The excessive horsepower meant Nero crashed at the first corner, but he successfully persuaded the judges to award him the laurels since he should have won. Trump's latest visit to Bedminster put him within sight of Barack Obama in the list of golf-mad presidents. Obama played 306 rounds while in office, and Trump is now up to 304 after six months of his second term. During the 2016 election, Trump claimed he would be too busy to play golf as president. He then squeezed in 11 rounds in his first eight weeks. This term, he was back on the course on Day 6. And again on Day 7. Trump is also not far behind Bill Clinton, the only president whose handicap went down in the White House – but he has some way to go to beat the top two. Dwight Eisenhower notched up 800 rounds in office, some quite iffy. Bob Hope quipped: 'If Eisenhower slices the budget like he slices a golf ball, the nation has nothing to worry about.' Way out in front is Woodrow Wilson, who played every other day during the first world war, including at the Versailles peace conference, but he remained mediocre. As a presidential duffer, he comes behind William Taft, who once recorded a 27 on one hole, including 17 to get out of a bunker, but believed that it was gentlemanly to be honest. 'There is nothing which furnishes a greater test of character and self-restraint than golf,' Taft said. Trump takes a different view, which is why it is unsurprising that world leaders now see golf as a tool of diplomacy. Shinzo Abe, the deceased former prime minister of Japan, played five rounds with Trump and in 2016 gave him a $3,700 golden driver. Abe did so well out of this that Yoon Suk Yeol, the President of South Korea, took up the sport to help his own diplomatic game. Nigel Farage's close friendship with Trump may in part be due to this shared interest – the Reform UK leader says he almost took up a US college golf scholarship – though Farage's bad back doesn't allow him to play any more. When Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House in May, the South African President took with him a pair of major-winning golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, in the hope that it would impress Trump. Alexander Stubb, the Finnish President and a former college golfer in South Carolina, negotiated the purchase by the US of some Finnish icebreakers after he played (and won) a tournament in Palm Beach with Trump as his partner in March. That will be the challenge for Starmer when he pays homage. Unlike David Cameron, who rewarded Obama for his Brexit intervention in 2016 with a round at the Grove in Hertfordshire, Starmer can't fake an interest in golf. He was the first prime minister to reject honorary membership of the Ellesborough golf club near Chequers. Perhaps he will bring a star golfer like Sir Nick Faldo with him to swing for Britain. Starmer did have a professional golfer on his backbenches in Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, but the Socialist Campaign Group member, who recently lost the whip for rebelling, will surely not play ball. How about the Paymaster General? Nick Thomas-Symonds's skill with a mashie niblick is unknown, but he was named Nicklaus by a golf-mad father. For diplomatic reasons, Starmer may want to allow Trump to say that his course was blessed by a British Nicklaus. Just don't expect the President to concede any short putts.
Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Scottie Scheffler comparisons might be closer to Jack Nicklaus than Tiger Woods
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Even with four majors, three legs of the Grand Slam and 20 victories around the world, it's a little early to be making Scottie Scheffler comparisons. And yes, it's a bit silly. But one moment is worth noting. His four-shot victory at the British Open complete, Scheffler saw 15-month-old son Bennett coming toward him on the 18th green at Royal Portrush. The toddler face-planted going up the slope. Scheffler eventually scooped him into his left arm, his right hand holding the claret jug. This was pure joy. It was reminiscent of Canterbury in the 1973 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus, who that week broke the record for most major titles, was coming off the 18th green after the second round when 4-year-old son Gary ran out to meet him. The Golden Bear carried off his cub. 'My favorite photo in golf,' Nicklaus said years later in a Facebook post that he ended by saying, 'Family first, golf second.' Sound familiar? 'He plays a lot like I did,' Nicklaus said in late May at the Memorial, and perhaps that's where any similarities should start. Comparisons with Tiger Woods are natural because they are separated by a generation, and no one has been this dominant for such a long stretch since Woods. Scheffler has stayed at No. 1 for the last two years and two months. But their games, their styles, their paths are not all that similar. Everyone saw Woods coming when he was on 'The Mike Douglas Show' at age 2, when he won the Junior Worlds six times and both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur three straight times. He made a hole-in-one in his pro debut. He won his first PGA Tour event in his fifth start. Scheffler spent his first year as a pro on the Korn Ferry Tour. 'I played with him a lot in college, and he was not that good,' Bryson DeChambeau said with a laugh. He now refers to Scheffler as being 'in a league of his own.' Woods was all about power and putting. Scheffler is fairways and greens. Woods was overwhelming, winning the Masters by 12 shots, the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open at St. Andrews by eight for the career Grand Slam at age 24. Scheffler is relentless. He can take the drama out of a major without notice. He's the first player to win each of his first four majors by at least three shots since J.H. Taylor more than a century ago, when the British Open was the only major and had fields smaller than a signature event. Nicklaus picked up on this at the Memorial without ever talking to Scheffler about it. Before the tournament, Nicklaus spoke about his approach to golf — more emphasis on the tee shot (left-to-right shape, like Scheffler) and the approach, less dependence on putting for a good score. And when he got the lead, Nicklaus did what was required. Scheffler won that week by four shots. 'Once I got myself into position to win, then you've got to be smart about how you finish it,' Nicklaus said. 'And that's the way he's playing. He reminds me so much of the way I like to play.' Scheffler was quick to point out he was just over one-fourth of the way to matching Woods' 15 majors (and his 82 tour wins, for that matter). Scheffler most likely can never reach his appeal. Woods was special, a corporate dream. He came back to win at Pebble Beach when trailing by seven with seven holes to play. Fans didn't dare turn away without fear of missing a shot they might never see again. Scheffler won the British Open and mentioned Chipotle. He was trying to explain, as he did when he first reached No. 1 in 2022, that golf doesn't define him. That's what was lost in his remarkable monologue earlier in the week at Royal Portrush. The joy comes from getting to play, getting to work, getting better. The goal is to win. And then he goes home to a wife and son. He is about faith, family and then golf. Fame isn't part of the equation. Scheffler mentioned two Chipotle restaurants at home in Dallas. He can no longer go to one of them because he is recognized. At the other one he's just a guy at the counter trying to decide if he wants extra guacamole. 'I try to live as normal of a life as possible because I feel like a normal guy,' he said. 'I have the same friends I had growing up. I don't think that I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.' There was one other Scheffler comparison. Nicklaus doesn't believe he could have achieved all that he did without his wife, Barbara, whom he honored this year at the Memorial and who is universally regarded as the first lady of golf. Nicklaus played his 164th and final major at St. Andrews in 2005 and said that week: 'I'm not really concerned about what my legacy is in relation to the game of golf, frankly. I'm more concerned with what my legacy is with my family, with my kids and my grandkids. That's by far more important to me.' Scheffler's emotions began to pour out at Royal Portrush only when he saw Meredith, the girl he first met as a high school freshman and finally dated as a senior. He made his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson that year at 17. He recalled being at her house the week before when a promotion about the tournament came on TV. Meredith said to him: 'Wait a minute. Isn't that what you're doing?' Scheffler said she's a fast learner. 'Every time I'm able to win a tournament, the first person I always look for is my wife,' he said Sunday. 'She knows me better than anybody. That's my best friend. It takes a lot of work to be able to become good at this game, and I wouldn't be able to do it without her support.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. To the rest of golf world, he's the No. 1 player in the world, now the 'champion golfer of the year.' Fame won't escape him now even if it doesn't define him. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. ___ AP golf:
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Scottie Scheffler comparisons might be closer to Jack Nicklaus than Tiger Woods
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Even with four majors, three legs of the Grand Slam and 20 victories around the world, it's a little early to be making Scottie Scheffler comparisons. And yes, it's a bit silly. But one moment is worth noting. His four-shot victory at the British Open complete, Scheffler saw 15-month-old son Bennett coming toward him on the 18th green at Royal Portrush. The toddler face-planted going up the slope. Scheffler eventually scooped him into his left arm, his right hand holding the claret jug. This was pure joy. It was reminiscent of Canterbury in the 1973 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus, who that week broke the record for most major titles, was coming off the 18th green after the second round when 4-year-old son Gary ran out to meet him. The Golden Bear carried off his cub. 'My favorite photo in golf,' Nicklaus said years later in a Facebook post that he ended by saying, 'Family first, golf second.' Sound familiar? 'He plays a lot like I did,' Nicklaus said in late May at the Memorial, and perhaps that's where any similarities should start. Comparisons with Tiger Woods are natural because they are separated by a generation, and no one has been this dominant for such a long stretch since Woods. Scheffler has stayed at No. 1 for the last two years and two months. But their games, their styles, their paths are not all that similar. Everyone saw Woods coming when he was on 'The Mike Douglas Show' at age 2, when he won the Junior Worlds six times and both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur three straight times. He made a hole-in-one in his pro debut. He won his first PGA Tour event in his fifth start. Scheffler spent his first year as a pro on the Korn Ferry Tour. 'I played with him a lot in college, and he was not that good,' Bryson DeChambeau said with a laugh. He now refers to Scheffler as being 'in a league of his own.' Woods was all about power and putting. Scheffler is fairways and greens. Woods was overwhelming, winning the Masters by 12 shots, the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open at St. Andrews by eight for the career Grand Slam at age 24. Scheffler is relentless. He can take the drama out of a major without notice. He's the first player to win each of his first four majors by at least three shots since J.H. Taylor more than a century ago, when the British Open was the only major and had fields smaller than a signature event. Nicklaus picked up on this at the Memorial without ever talking to Scheffler about it. Before the tournament, Nicklaus spoke about his approach to golf — more emphasis on the tee shot (left-to-right shape, like Scheffler) and the approach, less dependence on putting for a good score. And when he got the lead, Nicklaus did what was required. Scheffler won that week by four shots. 'Once I got myself into position to win, then you've got to be smart about how you finish it,' Nicklaus said. 'And that's the way he's playing. He reminds me so much of the way I like to play.' Scheffler was quick to point out he was just over one-fourth of the way to matching Woods' 15 majors (and his 82 tour wins, for that matter). Scheffler most likely can never reach his appeal. Woods was special, a corporate dream. He came back to win at Pebble Beach when trailing by seven with seven holes to play. Fans didn't dare turn away without fear of missing a shot they might never see again. Scheffler won the British Open and mentioned Chipotle. He was trying to explain, as he did when he first reached No. 1 in 2022, that golf doesn't define him. That's what was lost in his remarkable monologue earlier in the week at Royal Portrush. The joy comes from getting to play, getting to work, getting better. The goal is to win. And then he goes home to a wife and son. He is about faith, family and then golf. Fame isn't part of the equation. Scheffler mentioned two Chipotle restaurants at home in Dallas. He can no longer go to one of them because he is recognized. At the other one he's just a guy at the counter trying to decide if he wants extra guacamole. 'I try to live as normal of a life as possible because I feel like a normal guy,' he said. 'I have the same friends I had growing up. I don't think that I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.' There was one other Scheffler comparison. Nicklaus doesn't believe he could have achieved all that he did without his wife, Barbara, whom he honored this year at the Memorial and who is universally regarded as the first lady of golf. Nicklaus played his 164th and final major at St. Andrews in 2005 and said that week: 'I'm not really concerned about what my legacy is in relation to the game of golf, frankly. I'm more concerned with what my legacy is with my family, with my kids and my grandkids. That's by far more important to me.' Scheffler's emotions began to pour out at Royal Portrush only when he saw Meredith, the girl he first met as a high school freshman and finally dated as a senior. He made his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson that year at 17. He recalled being at her house the week before when a promotion about the tournament came on TV. Meredith said to him: 'Wait a minute. Isn't that what you're doing?' Scheffler said she's a fast learner. 'Every time I'm able to win a tournament, the first person I always look for is my wife,' he said Sunday. 'She knows me better than anybody. That's my best friend. It takes a lot of work to be able to become good at this game, and I wouldn't be able to do it without her support.' To the rest of golf world, he's the No. 1 player in the world, now the 'champion golfer of the year.' Fame won't escape him now even if it doesn't define him. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. ___ AP golf:
22-07-2025
- Sport
Scottie Scheffler comparisons might be closer to Jack Nicklaus than Tiger Woods
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Even with four majors, three legs of the Grand Slam and 20 victories around the world, it's a little early to be making Scottie Scheffler comparisons. And yes, it's a bit silly. But one moment is worth noting. His four-shot victory at the British Open complete, Scheffler saw 15-month-old son Bennett coming toward him on the 18th green at Royal Portrush. The toddler face-planted going up the slope. Scheffler eventually scooped him into his left arm, his right hand holding the claret jug. This was pure joy. It was reminiscent of Canterbury in the 1973 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus, who that week broke the record for most major titles, was coming off the 18th green after the second round when 4-year-old son Gary ran out to meet him. The Golden Bear carried off his cub. 'My favorite photo in golf,' Nicklaus said years later in a Facebook post that he ended by saying, 'Family first, golf second.' Sound familiar? 'He plays a lot like I did,' Nicklaus said in late May at the Memorial, and perhaps that's where any similarities should start. Comparisons with Tiger Woods are natural because they are separated by a generation, and no one has been this dominant for such a long stretch since Woods. Scheffler has stayed at No. 1 for the last two years and two months. But their games, their styles, their paths are not all that similar. Everyone saw Woods coming when he was on 'The Mike Douglas Show' at age 2, when he won the Junior Worlds six times and both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur three straight times. He made a hole-in-one in his pro debut. He won his first PGA Tour event in his fifth start. Scheffler spent his first year as a pro on the Korn Ferry Tour. 'I played with him a lot in college, and he was not that good,' Bryson DeChambeau said with a laugh. He now refers to Scheffler as being 'in a league of his own.' Woods was all about power and putting. Scheffler is fairways and greens. Woods was overwhelming, winning the Masters by 12 shots, the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open at St. Andrews by eight for the career Grand Slam at age 24. Scheffler is relentless. He can take the drama out of a major without notice. He's the first player to win each of his first four majors by at least three shots since J.H. Taylor more than a century ago, when the British Open was the only major and had fields smaller than a signature event. Nicklaus picked up on this at the Memorial without ever talking to Scheffler about it. Before the tournament, Nicklaus spoke about his approach to golf — more emphasis on the tee shot (left-to-right shape, like Scheffler) and the approach, less dependence on putting for a good score. And when he got the lead, Nicklaus did what was required. Scheffler won that week by four shots. 'Once I got myself into position to win, then you've got to be smart about how you finish it,' Nicklaus said. 'And that's the way he's playing. He reminds me so much of the way I like to play.' Scheffler was quick to point out he was just over one-fourth of the way to matching Woods' 15 majors (and his 82 tour wins, for that matter). Scheffler most likely can never reach his appeal. Woods was special, a corporate dream. He came back to win at Pebble Beach when trailing by seven with seven holes to play. Fans didn't dare turn away without fear of missing a shot they might never see again. Scheffler won the British Open and mentioned Chipotle. He was trying to explain, as he did when he first reached No. 1 in 2022, that golf doesn't define him. That's what was lost in his remarkable monologue earlier in the week at Royal Portrush. The joy comes from getting to play, getting to work, getting better. The goal is to win. And then he goes home to a wife and son. He is about faith, family and then golf. Fame isn't part of the equation. Scheffler mentioned two Chipotle restaurants at home in Dallas. He can no longer go to one of them because he is recognized. At the other one he's just a guy at the counter trying to decide if he wants extra guacamole. 'I try to live as normal of a life as possible because I feel like a normal guy,' he said. 'I have the same friends I had growing up. I don't think that I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.' There was one other Scheffler comparison. Nicklaus doesn't believe he could have achieved all that he did without his wife, Barbara, whom he honored this year at the Memorial and who is universally regarded as the first lady of golf. Nicklaus played his 164th and final major at St. Andrews in 2005 and said that week: 'I'm not really concerned about what my legacy is in relation to the game of golf, frankly. I'm more concerned with what my legacy is with my family, with my kids and my grandkids. That's by far more important to me.' Scheffler's emotions began to pour out at Royal Portrush only when he saw Meredith, the girl he first met as a high school freshman and finally dated as a senior. He made his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson that year at 17. He recalled being at her house the week before when a promotion about the tournament came on TV. Meredith said to him: 'Wait a minute. Isn't that what you're doing?' Scheffler said she's a fast learner. 'Every time I'm able to win a tournament, the first person I always look for is my wife,' he said Sunday. 'She knows me better than anybody. That's my best friend. It takes a lot of work to be able to become good at this game, and I wouldn't be able to do it without her support.' To the rest of golf world, he's the No. 1 player in the world, now the 'champion golfer of the year." Fame won't escape him now even if it doesn't define him. On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bob Bubka, longtime voice of golf, dies at 83
Bob Bubka, known for his velvety voice as one of the longtime voices of golf, died on Saturday at age 83. His "Musings on Golf" podcast co-host, Kelly Elbin, confirmed that it was due to congestive heart failure. For a quarter century, Bubka was the golf correspondent for TalkSport in the United Kingdom, which is recognized as the world's biggest sports radio station, during a career that spanned six decades. "His velvety, iconic voice carried with it the passion and love that Bob had for the game and the people he covered along the way," Elbin wrote in a tribute to his friend and podcast partner on Facebook. "He was, indeed, the Voice of Golf." Bubka, who grew up in Sag Harbor, N.Y., started working in radio in 1964, covering high school football locally at WLGN in Long Island, and provided sports commentary to the station for more than 50 years. He began covering golf in the 1980s, working for Westwood One and the PGA Tour Radio Network, including his "Outside the Ropes" show. Among his many claims to fame, he was the first member of the media to interview Jack Nicklaus after he won the 1986 Masters. Bubka and Nicklaus maintained a longstanding relationship and when Nicklaus was made an honorary citizen of St. Andrews, Scotland, during the 2022 British Open, Nicklaus invited him to be his guest at the ceremony. Bubka also penned a book on the history of the Ryder Cup, and counted the biennial competition among his favorite events. He would've been particularly proud of the 2025 Ryder Cup being played at Bethpage Black in late September, not far from where he grew up. In 2000, Bubka landed a job with Talk Sport, bringing his booming New York tones to the UK sports radio station. Bubka traveled the world, covering more than 130 major golf championships. In his later years, he lived outside of Houston with partner Janis Self, the executive producer of his podcast. Bubka's Talk Sport producer Sean O'Brien recalled once asking Bubka why he kept working long hours during major championships, providing updates around the clock long past the typical age of retirement when he easily could have "sailed off into the sunset and basked in the glory of an extraordinary broadcasting career." 'You could spend every day on the beach,' O'Brien told him. 'But Sean, this is my beach,' Bubka responded. "Bob gave golf its most recognizable voice, and in return, golf gave him a sense of purpose — and he dedicated his life to covering it well," O'Brien said. For the last 25 years, Rupert Bell was Bubka's partner in crime. 'Radio is about voices," Bell said. "There is no doubt when you heard Bob Bubka speak, it just grabbed you." In recent years, he and Elbin teamed up to do a popular podcast, "Musings on Sports," which morphed into "Musings on Golf." Through their vast network of relationships in the game, they welcomed a who's who of guests from Jim Nantz to, most recently, Lee Trevino over the course of more than 150 shows. "What a thrill it was for me to partner with the guy who always called me, 'my man,'" Elbin said. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golf announcer Bob Bubka dies at 83
