A 107-day break ends; as does an agonising 30-year wait

By Rahul Banerji

Thanks to the corona-virus pandemic and its fallout, it was a full 107 days between visits to a golf course, and what a pleasure it was to return to the fairways and greens.

Party time, in short!

Halfway across the world, another bash is gathering steam with Liverpool FC bringing in the bacon for the first time since 1990. The Premier League race was long decided, but needed a formal coronation, which came on Thursday.

Again, it was a celebration put on hold by Covid-19, but one that could not be denied once club football resumed across Europe earlier in the month.

Brave new world

Back on the golf course, it is a whole new world. Writing about it from a distance as I have for the last almost four months is one thing. The changes in protocol and procedure, how the PGA Tour is coping with the pandemic, etc is all very well.

It is something else to actually have to face how much golf has changed in these past hundred-odd days. Reporting on new rules imposed by clubs and golf courses, it was evident that golfers everywhere are having to adapt and accept new practices.

Getting an actual taste of the change is eye-opening!

So from pre-booking a round, to waiting outside the course having arrived early, having a temperature gun aimed at one’s head to downloading a tracking application that has raised its own set of questions, social distancing to caddy utilisation, is a lot to take in on a first day out.

But then the pleasure of being back in wide open green spaces, of hearing the crisp click of club on ball, to the camaraderie and banter, to watching a putt drop when least expected, more than makes up for the discomfort of corona-enforced adjustments.

And for this, I have to thank Venkat, former Delhi and North Zone batsman Venkat Sundaram who took the trouble of making a booking and putting together a three-ball that included new acquaintance, the multi-talented Babar Hameed, to go out and have some long-awaited fun.

Even with caddies, suitably masked and gloved now only needed to cart the clubs around and inverted cups on the flag, social distancing at tee-off and on the course itself, it was still a celebration.

Liverpool goes red

Five years ago, Jurgen Klopp had asked for trust from the millions of LFC supporters around the world. He had just been appointed manager of the iconic club that had fallen on hard times, promising but never delivering.

The affable hug-hungry German asked the faithful to give him time. So from two fourth place finishes to second last year to champions this time – with the Champions League trophy in between to boot – it has been a saga of rising hopes at Anfield that was capped two days ago.

Klopp’s side were 25 points ahead of second placed Manchester City and just two wins away from the Premiership when the pandemic put everything on hold.

But only for a while as this time, there was no denying the inevitable.

Corona blooming virus and all, life is good.

Also read: More courses come on line post corona; some off-limits for seniors