Millers, as usual, provided this within around 12 hours of winning. Not for him the considered detail of the event, or anything other than celebrating his own victory – the detail around the Captain’s famous Medinah style singles comeback is beautiful thoug.
The President’s Classic Returns Home!
Miller is back on the WHV Major winning trail on yet another high summer day of global sporting excellence.
After a couple of years in the wilderness the WHV President’s Classic major title is back where it belongs – firmly in the hands of one of the Society’s acknowledged most exciting talents, Miller. Traditionally an all round celebration of global sporting genius, this year’s Presidents Classic was no different and capped by a return to major winning by young Milmore who adds this major title to the Spittle Shield title he has already won this year.
As always the beautiful, challenging, tough but true and fair Warwickshire Course provided the backdrop for this years most cherished of WHV major championships. The Society’s Masters if you will. Always contested on the same course whose character, subtle nuances and undeniable quality are the DNA of this majestic tournament. This year saw a brilliant, sunny if slightly blustery day for the event, a marked improvement on last year’s conditions that saw the brave golfers of this famous old society almost drown and get electrocuted as the event was abandoned in a thunderstorm.
Pre-event excitement reached fever pitch with Noz emailing the whole society to inform them that he ‘fancied another major today’, and with his form returning of late it was easy to see how a sense of confidence could be arrived at. The President was in chipper mood too after the team draw at the start of the event. He felt confident that his high handicap warriors could inflict a much needed defeat upon the Captain’s Team and allow him some sense of victory at his own tournament for the first time ever.
With a combined handicap of 120 for a five man team (surely some sort of record), receiving around 50 shots in 4 matches, the President’s men teed off in justifiably buoyant mood. The morning round panned out as expected and the President’s warriors suitably triumphed winning the morning matches and taking a seemingly unassailable 7.5 to 1.5 lead. The President’s mood was growing more confident by the hour and it led him to take the unusual step of placing a CJ wager on the outcome of the match with the Captain. A bottle of 12 year old tawny port was staked between the 2 on the outcome of the match, to be consumed at the CJ.
But it was not to be. One by one the Presidents brave warriors turned into choking little girls and threw away the largest lunchtime winning position in the history of the event:
And so a 7.5 to 1.5 winning position was turned into a 14 to 10 losing position in a world record breaking display bottling by all the President’s Men. It was a similar story in the main event for our illustrious President. Beaten by only 2 points with score of 34 points to Miller’s 36, the President took 4 in a bunker on the 16th and then spanked it in the drink on the 17th to see his chances slip away with some trademark massive girly choking. The Pres should have taken a leaf out of the Captain’s play book who hit the 17th Green, won the shark and came away with a par. This set up Donk for a run at Miller on the last but he choked too, coming up shy with his final putt.
While the Pres was busy choking, the exciting young Miller was sealing his second major victory with some stunning golf over the closing holes. With 15 points on the front 9 it seemed Miller had let his chance slip, but a stunning recovery saw him scoop 21 points on the back nine to win the title. A remarkable performance which included holing a 117 yard wedge shot for gross eagle and 5 points on the par 5 16th, and echoing Miller’s all time hero Lefty who scooped his first major with a similarly stunning back 9 at Augusta in 2004.
Never one to draw unwarranted or inappropriate comparisons WHV multiple major winning Miller stated:
“Lefty did well, no arguing. However, he didn’t whole a 117 yard wedge on that back 9 in 2004 did he? No one should be surprised by today’s result. If you think about it I’ve only really been beaten by the weather at this event over the last 4 years.”
When confronted with what had happened to the President down the stretch, so close to winning his own tournament for the first time, WHV multiple major winner Miller was typically magnanimous:
“He took more in the bunker than I took to complete the 16th and choked it into the water on the 17th? Crikey. Very Presidential. It is all about bottle down the stretch, I drew on all my experience of previous triumph’s to bring this baby home. The 16th on the Kings Course is one of the best holes we play all year, a magnificent example of risk reward golf. A glorious challenge that makes you think and deliver good shots all the way through. And with deep bunkers. Apparently.”
The Captain was also in with a shout down the stretch, unfortunately leaving his last putt millimeters short, finishing on 35 points and handing the title to Millers by a single point. Donk took this narrow defeat well, initially blaming Millers for shouting out and barracking during the putt and then taking solace in the fact that he has successfully managed his handicap once again to avoid any cuts.
On a day when Chris Froome extended his Tour de France lead, the humble yet brilliant multiple WHV major winner Millers wasn’t slow in drawing the unavoidable comparisons:
“I respect Chris, and like Wiggo before him, he has been in touch to offer his congratulations on my stunning victory.”
Commenting further on the drug accusations and the fact urine was thrown at Froomey, Miller went on to say:
“Yes, Chris really knows how to celebrate. Good lad. I will be doing the urine thing myself a little later, taking advantage of the Chris Greggory £7.50 special that also includes fingering.”
For completeness, the Dog was won by Boycie / Magnum who claimed that his drive was an inch and a half longer than that of Millers. His precision comes from the fact that he measured the winning distance with his erect Johnson.
Up there for one the best match reports of recent years. Millers finally won his second major, and can crow as much as he wants – he won his major in an non-WHV shirt, after wearing one in the morning, and will be supplying his own 20 y.o. tawny for constant and repeated transgressions when he clearly owned a perfectly serviceable WHV shirt.
It looks like he might have done a good job of resurrecting the wearability of the terribly unreliable WHV buckle.
Here are some pics from the day
Ready to be joined in battle again
Boyce really is a style icon for us all. Hansdome too.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is hamg egg and chips. Do you remember the plate covering ham from the previous event? Where is the ham? Many of us treated this as an amuse bouche, and ate again. The President needs to address this
Here’s the TD having his double appetiser to make up for poor ham. Millers demolished most of the cheese on those wedges
This idiot has moved on from Lindeberg to Puma, and decided to change apparel for the afternoon
Meanwhile, this idiot thought it was better to find shabby golf balls than finish holes – he was the only member of the Captain’s team not to weigh in with 3 singles points.
The Donk won the Shark on the tricky 17th. No Shark was present
Boyce won his first Dog, beating Millers, who was never Dogged at a WHV event. The Dog was not present
The winner trying out an alternative way of wearing the buckle
