According to reports, Donald Trump is expected to surrender at the Fulton county jail tonight (Thursday) on racketeering and conspiracy charges.
Presumably, he’ll do it after he’s had a keek at the first-round scores from the Staysure PGA Seniors’ Championship at his Aberdeen links course.
While there is more chance of The Open being held on the outer rings of Saturn than Trump Turnberry, the former US president’s other Scottish resort at Balmedie is set to stage its biggest event this week as the over-50s showpiece on the Legends Tour comes to town.
“I think most of the guys are pretty blown away by the course,” said Aberdeen veteran Greig Hutcheon of the links carved out amid the towering dunes of the Menie estate. “One of them said to me, ‘this is not a golf course, it’s fantasy.” Trump always did exist in a fantasyland.
Having reached his half century earlier this year, meanwhile, Hutcheon is something of a sprightly young ‘un on the golden oldies circuit. “I’m 50, going a bit bald but I’m still being called a rookie which is funny,” smiled the three-time European Challenge Tour winner.
Hutcheon is certainly revelling in his senior service. Earning his tour card at the qualifying school at the start of the year, a process which can be harder than prising open the vaults of Fort Knox with a soup spoon, the former Scottish PGA champion went on to make an immediate mark on the circuit.
He finished runner-up in just his second event on Jersey while another second-place finish earlier this month at Hanbury Manor underlined his competitive gusto.
“Given that there are only five cards for the tour at q-school, just getting on to it is an achievement in itself,” said Hutcheon. “It’s so hard but now that I’m on it, I’ve been delighted with the start I’ve made. I’ve had some great weeks and I’ve not been far away from that first win. I just have to keep knocking on the door.”
The golfing test in his own backyard this week will be robust but surely nothing will compare to the startling examination provided by Royal Porthcawl during last month’s Senior Open.
As the wind raged and the rain came down sideways, the scores on the final day ballooned like the number of indictments Trump faces.
Hutcheon had been sitting in sixth place after 54-holes and was lurking just two shots off the lead. With a first prize of nearly $450,000 and an exemption for the hugely lucrative Champions Tour at stake, there were some life-changing possibilities lying seductively on the horizon. Unfortunately, Mother Nature’s savage meddling led to Hutcheon posting a torrid 84 and he tumbled down into a share of 33rd. It could’ve been worse. Colin Montgomerie sagged to a shattering 88.
“Before he went off, Monty said to me, ‘I think 15-over will be a good score today’,” said Hutcheon with a chuckle. “There was quite a lot of dark humour in the locker room on that final day. I’ve never played in anything like it.
"I was right in there after three rounds and it could’ve been a career-changing day. But it was so brutal and you quickly stopped thinking about what was on offer. You got so consumed with just trying to stand up, keeping your balance, hitting your ball and limiting the damage, you couldn’t think of much else. My playing partner five-putted the first for an eight. It was just one of those golfing days. I was going to ask the R&A if they accept invoices for counselling after what we all went through.”
In a field featuring major champions like Paul Lawrie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Shaun Micheel and Michael Campbell, Hutcheon is hoping a little bit of local knowledge can aid his push for a maiden victory on the Legends Tour. He is also well aware of the bountiful perils and pitfalls that await on the links. “It’s a bonus knowing this course and how it plays,” said the former Tartan Tour No 1. “But I also know how many balls you can lose and what damage can be done.”
While the seniors are in action in the Granite City, the Asian Tour is in the Auld Grey Toun for the St Andrews Bay Championship, an international series event featuring LIV golfers like Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey. Trump might check the scores from there too?
