With Italy's Edoardo Molinari winning the Scottish Open last Sunday on 12 under, beating Darren Clarke by two shots, and his brother Francesco (playing alongside Clarke and his brother) finishing fourth on 7 under, despite hardly holing a putt of any length all day, it was a great day for Italian golf.
Who is to say that either brother next week at the Open may not go one better than the best golfer out of Italy so far, Constantino Rocca. In 1995, Rocca sank a 60 foot putt on the 18th at St Andrews to make the birdie he needed force a play-off with the American John Daly, but Daly took the title. In normal play, as Rocca approached the final hole, he was one shot behind Daly. Rocca's long drive was only yards from the green, but his second shot resulted in a fluffed chip where he forgot to follow through. The ball trickled a mere five yards into the "Valley of Sin." From the Valley of Sin, well below the level of the green, Rocca holed his birdie putt. The jovial Italian instantly fell to the ground and out of joy began pounding the ground with his fists.
Perhaps of greater interest is the potential selection poser for the 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain, Colin Montgomerie. Assuming that both brothers will not make the team on merit, Monty must be sorely tempted to select the two of them. After all, Francesco and Edoardo became the first brothers to win golf's World Cup, when at Mission Hills China last year they lifted Italy to a single stroke victory over long-time leaders, the Irish pair Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy - likely to be Ryder Cup team mates.
Would the Molinaris be the first brothers to play for Great Britain & Ireland / Europe in the Ryder Cup, I hear you ask.
Well, there have been a number of relatives involved in the great old competition: father and son (Percy Alliss & Peter Alliss and Antonio & Ignacio Garrido), father and son-in-law (Max Faulkner & Brian Barnes), brothers-in-law (Per-Ulrik Johansson & Jesper Parnevik, and Lee Westwood & Andrew Coltart), uncles and nephews (Christy O'Connor & Christy O'Connor, Jr.).
But there have been two previous sets of brothers: Bernard & Geoffrey Hunt, and no less than three, Charles, Ernest, and Reginald Whitcombe.
The Whitcombes were a most remarkable golfing family. In 1910 the Came Down Golf Club, Dorset appointed Ernest Whitcombe to be the club Professional. Later his mother Bessie was appointed as the stewardess and brought her other two sons, Charles and Reg. The family stayed there for 17 years and Charles Whitcombe, the second of the three brothers, despite all the equipment improvements still holds the professionals’ course record of 59 at Came Down, set in June 1937. He and his two brothers represented Great Britain in the Ryder Cup in 1935 – unlikely to ever be equalled (unless there is a younger Molinari we know nothing about). Reg won the British Open, whilst brother Charles led the championship on numerous occasions, but never actually taking the Claret Jug. He did win the British PGA Matchplay crown in 1928 and 1930 amongst many other British and Irish titles.
Whenever Samuel Ryder took his family to Dorset for their annual summer holidays, he always played golf at Came Down Golf Club. There he met the Whitcombe brothers and was impressed by their brilliant play. He asked Ernest if they ever played in important tournaments like The Open Championship. Ernest said "No" as he could not afford it and went on to say "The Americans come over here smartly dressed and backed by wealthy supporters; the Britisher has a poor chance compared to that". Ryder considered that something vital was required to rouse clubs to take a real interest and responsibility in encouraging young professionals of talent like the Whitcombe brothers.
Over the following few years Ryder expanded this idea with sponsorship of a succession of tournaments and challenge matches that ultimately resulted in his donation of the famous Ryder Cup. Thus, Came Down styles itself “The Birthplace of The Ryder Cup”.
In 1931, 1935, and 1937 Charles was selected as playing captain of the Great Britain and Ireland Ryder Cup side (the youngest ever), having also played in every side from 1927 to 1933. He was then non-playing captain in 1949.
1935 Ryder Cup Team
Far left: Charles Whitcombe. 5th left: Reg Whitcombe, 6th Ernest Whitcombe, 8th Percy Alliss.
In the 1929 Ryder Cup, a crowd estimated at 10,000 turned out both days to witness Britain rally to a victory over a Walter Hagen-led team. After trailing 2 ½ to 1 ½ in the opening-day foursomes, the hosts displayed outstanding play in the singles at Moortown Golf Club. The matches marked the debut of Henry Cotton, a 22-year-old who would eventually go on to win three British Open titles. It was the first time in Ryder Cup competition where the two brothers, Charles and Ernest, competed, although they were not paired together. Hagen elected to let all his players have at least one match, while British Captain George Duncan played eight and had Percy Alliss and Stewart Burns on the sidelines. The Americans' Horton Smith, a budding star, played one singles match and switched for the first time to hickory-shafted clubs. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club didn't approve steel-shafted clubs until 1930. In one of the most stunning of any Ryder Cup matches, Duncan routed Hagen, 10 and 8, Charles Whitcombe downed J. Farrell 8 and 6, and his brother Ernest halved with A. Espinosa. Meanwhile, Britain's Archie Compston sailed past Gene Sarazen, 6 and 4, and 22-year-old Henry Cotton defeated Al Watrous, 4 and 3, to secure the Ryder Cup trophy.
You can view previously rarely seen video of the Italian Brothers by clicking here.
Play fast, swing slow.
Sandy Parr