Something a little bit different

This week and last sees both sides of the pond doing their bit to drive golf forwards into the 21st century, with the aim of attracting a fresh crop of people to the game. Part of the reason the Ryder Cup makes for such fascinating viewing is that of the different formats played (foursomes, fourball betterball and singles matchplay) and the team ethos across the week.

Well, last week’s PGA Tour event had something similar where pairs played two rounds of foursomes and fourball betterball across the four days. A glance down the leaderboard will highlight plenty of potential Ryder Cup pairings, from Rose and Stenson to Garcia and Cabrera-Bello, as well as David Duval and Jim Furyk trying to rewind the years. At the end of the play, it was American duo Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy who finished top of the pile with a four-day total of 22-under-par.

Back to this side of the Atlantic where the second edition of GolfSixes hits the spotlight this weekend. There will be a number of firsts during this innovative event, none more so than when Thomas Bjorn and Catriona Matthews tee it up together to become the first male and female professionals to play together in a competitive match play format on the European Tour.

What do you make of these events? Let us know here.