I don't know whether this is madness, stupidity or the reality of every year appearing to pass more quickly than the last and wanting to cross things off the "Bucket List" but I'm going to the Ryder Cup in Minneapolis! Yes, that's Minneapolis in Minnesota which this week hosts the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine Golf Club.
When I woke up on Monday morning, the only plans I had for the week were to clear Friday, Saturday and Sunday of any commitments in preparation for becoming a couch potato and watching every minute of this phenomenal sporting event. Why it has become so popular I don't quite understand although my own instinct tells me it is because for the last 20 years, we have dominated the event and been able to watch American golfers cry at suffering one defeat after another! It makes wonderful viewing to see this nation brought to its knees by 12 European golfers.
So the plans were laid but at 11am that morning while sipping my latte, a firework went off in my head which sowed the seeds for what has now happened. Could I go to the Ryder Cup? I didn't tell Linda to start with, deciding first on booting up the computer and beginning the research.
Good old E-Bay which came up with two potential sellers of tickets, both quickly e-mailed with a first offer and both quickly rejected. Second offers were rebutted and at that point I decided the couch potato idea was much more sensible.
However, an hour later, I returned to the computer to learn that one set of tickets had been sold and the other seller was sticking out for £500! This was £200 more than the official price and for a Yorkshireman like me, not the bargain I was seeking. Game over. Forget it I thought to myself.
Forget it? Me? At 2pm and with nothing else to do, still being post recovery from shoulder surgery, I decided to have one more look and there in Luxembourg were the tickets I was seeking and what's more, advertised at a sensible price. My instant communication was met with an almost instant reply and before you knew it, the deal was struck and I was on the phone to my new Dutch friend, Lieselotte, trying to organise shipping overnight. Incredibly and within an hour of our first contact, the tickets had been collected by UPS and were on there way to the UK. Hard to believe but they arrived at our house at 9am on Tuesday morning. Rock on UPS and feel free to contact me for a testimonial any time you like.
Of course, getting the tickets was just the start of it with so many other pieces to slot into the jigsaw puzzle but happily, they all came together and I flew down to Heathrow last night, Wednesday and am writing my first dispatch in the Ibis Styles Hotel prior to heading to T5 for my 1120 flight to Chicago, which incidentally, is extremely busy. At this moment, it means that I am only holding a standby ticket! Eeeeeek! The best laid plans may yet fail but fingers crossed.
I will do a short update from Heathrow, possibly reporting on my 1240 flight back upto Leeds Bradford airport! On the other hand, the golfing Gods were smiling down on me on Monday so why shouldn't the same happen today? Wish me luck.
Pure Gold
Me and My Mate Justin
It Will Be Good to Catch Up With Henrik!
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