VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND | The DP World Tour always has prided itself on being a cosmopolitan circuit, and it was, perhaps, never more evident than when news broke midway through the first round at last week’s BMW PGA Championship that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
Though it was inevitable that the home golfers would be shocked, it was equally apparent, in the 48 hours that followed, that their peers from around the world were aware of, and sensitive to, the enormity of the occasion.
In the first instance, 30 players had their circuits of Wentworth's West Course interrupted late Thursday when news of the death emerged from Buckingham Palace. Englishman Eddie Pepperell, who was among their number, said: “We all assumed it was a lightning threat when the hooter went, but then one of the referees told us, and it’s just bizarre.”
Germany’s Max Kieffer was similarly befuddled, all the more so when a man emerged from the clubhouse quietly singing the British national anthem “God Save the Queen.” Kieffer’s friends who had flown in to watch him play asked curious questions of what would happen next. The truth was that no one really knew.
As the nation tried to come to terms with its bereavement, the main sporting bodies were discussing their next steps with one another, the palace and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Patience was needed in this regard and was rewarded with the news that play would restart on Saturday morning in a tournament reduced to 54 holes.
Late on Friday, Denmark’s Søren Kjeldsen, formerly a resident in nearby Ascot, entered the lobby of his hotel during an address to the nation by the new king, Charles III. “You could hear a pin drop,” Kjeldsen said. “We had players and caddies with tears in their eyes. It was a very emotional scene. I might have lived in England for a long time, but I was still surprised by how affected people were and how loved she was. It was heart-warming.”
On Saturday morning, the action stopped across the course at 9:50 a.m. for a two-minute silence. Australia’s Adam Scott said: “You couldn’t help but get caught up in the news. There was a heavy feeling around the course but no doubt we were getting on with the tournament in the right way.”
Youngsters such as Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Spain’s Jon Rahm found themselves unexpectedly moved. “It was eerily quiet during that moment of silence,” Hovland said. “I’m glad we did it. I’m not up to speed with history and the monarchy, but it’s been fascinating to watch and we’ve used sport as a way to celebrate her life.”
Rahm is a history buff, one who was admiring of the length of the 96-year-old queen’s 70-year reign, and he added: “The silence did me a lot of good actually. I was facing a 3-footer for double bogey on five, and those two minutes allowed me to put it into perspective, to remember there are bigger things than golf. It was indirect, but Queen Elizabeth helped me out a lot today.”
It was not only Australians and Europeans who were united in agreement about the resumption in play. Richard Bland’s response was typical of the home golfers. “It’s been a very sad week,” he said. “You knew she wouldn’t last forever, but she’s been our queen all our life. Football matches can be rearranged, but this tournament couldn’t be and it is so international in flavour, as was her appeal.
“I’ve had messages from around the world. Everyone knew her. She was kind of like the queen of the world in many ways. I think it’s good that we carried on in her honour. It was a nice tribute.”
Lee Westwood agreed. “The tour got it right,” he said. “She loved her sport, and I believe she’d have wanted us to carry on. There was plenty of respect.
“The world has lost a very special lady. I spoke with her three times and always came away feeling like I had been in the presence of someone very special. When I collected my OBE (Order of the British Empire), she said, ‘Oh, you’re that golfer chap.’ We discussed the heat in Dubai and never got ’round to race horses, which I think she’d have preferred.”
"The British public will celebrate her unwavering duty to the country and that she led an amazing life. She didn’t seem to like too much fuss, so I think she’d have wanted us to continue.”
Luke Donald
England’s Luke Donald, who will captain Europe’s Ryder Cup quest in Rome next year, recalled his own experience of meeting the queen after victory in the 2004 match.
“I’ve met lots of royalty down the years, but she had something special,” he said. “She held the room magnificently. The British public will celebrate her unwavering duty to the country and that she led an amazing life. She didn’t seem to like too much fuss, so I think she’d have wanted us to continue.”
He added with a smile: “I’ve been asked many times in the U.S. if I have ever met the queen, and it was quite fun to be able to say, ‘Yes, I have actually.’ Not many people can say that.”
As so often in recent times, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s with statesman-like words.
“She’s been such a steadying figure,” he said on Saturday evening. “She ascended to the throne the year before Ben Hogan won his Open Championship (in 1953), which just shows you how long she had been around and the things that she had seen.
“That level of duty, and to do it with the dignity, dedication and grace that she had, she was an absolutely incredible woman and I think over these next few days, you’re going to see her celebrated as such.
“I was very fortunate. I got to meet her a few years ago, and she couldn’t have been nicer. It was at a horse race, actually, her favourite pastime. I had just come back from Dubai and she said, ‘Oh, I just watched a horse race in Dubai on the telly.’ It was very cool. A wonderful moment for me, but she’ll be fondly remembered all over the world.”
Top: Spain's Jon Rahm reflects on perspective during silence "to remember there are bigger things than golf."
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