1 – A fan from afar

There are golfers you root for without knowing a ton about them, except that they appear to have a relentless work ethic and maintain a constant presence. For me, it’s Alex Noren. Big fan.

2 – A blast from the past

Along those lines, way back in the time tunnel machine when there was no world wide web to dull your mind, nor was there live golf on TV Thursday and Friday, the daily newspapers the next morning were where you had to go to see the PGA Tour scores and the first name I looked for was Bruce Lietzke. Always.

3 – Lefty was never right for Ryder Cup

Yeah, yeah, I know Phil Mickelson played on 12 consecutive teams. That was the bad news for Team USA loyalists because he was totally devoid of leadership when it came to the Ryder Cup. Consider the blemishes: He played on teams that went 3-9; he led a US team in points just once (in 2012 when he and four others had three points); one time he got zero points (2018); another time he got a whopping half-point (2006); he led a mutiny in 2014; in back-to-back debacles (‘04-‘06) when the U.S. was outscored, 37-19, he went 1-7-1 for 1 ½ points out of a possible nine; oh, and over his last nine Ryder Cups he won exactly twice in singles.

4 – One redeeming quality

Ah, but to his credit, Lefty could play ping-pong.

5 – A time when this was the norm

Dogleg right, water left. Dogleg left, water right. Pretty much a blueprint for souring me on a golf course.

6 – Speak the correct language

Reminder to all you Ryder Cup fans, ignore the Rules of Golf bias against proper match-play terminology. Holes and matches can be halved, “all square” is proper, and if you want to know how a match is going, ask for the “status” not the score. Oh, and above all else, “dormie” not only should be used, embrace it with all your heart.

7 – Don’t let the bowtie fool you

Ken Rosenthal has served notice to all the ballgirls and ballboys – don’t dare get in his way because he’ll put you down.

8 – Extraordinary artists

I’m in awe of those who handle hickory clubs with flawless rhythm. It’s right up there with telemark skiing for beauty and charm, in my humble opinion.

9 – Don’t let the leaves fool you

Remember, a bad golf hole that looks brilliant because its fairway is framed by trees with electric foliage is a nice picture -- but it's still  a bad golf hole.