Football Daily - The Commentators’ View: The Open golf special

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

John Murray & Ali Bruce-Ball are joined by golf correspondent Iain Carter to talk about what it’s like commentating at The Open. What does ‘wearing the armband’ mean? Ali reveals the worst moment of his broadcasting career. Iain tells us his tip to be crowned Champion Golfer. All that plus more malapropisms, glossary suggestions, and Clash of the Commentators becomes Clash of the Correspondents!WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369, Emails to [e-mail],03:20 Why does golf work on the radio? 05:30 How was the TCV live show in Sheffield? 07:45 Why did Iain want to be a golf commentator? 13:30 What is ‘wearing the armband’? 15:20 Ali gets told off by a golfer, 20:50 Ali’s ‘worst moment of broadcasting career’, 28:15 How did Iain get into golf commentary? 31:20 How does Iain prepare for The Open? 34:20 Clash of the Correspondents! 39:55 Malapropisms & the Great Glossary, 51:05 Who is Iain backing to win the tournament?BBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Wed 2000 QF1 Norway v Italy, Thu 2000 QF2 Sweden v England, Fri 2000 QF3 Spain v Switzerland, Sat 2000 QF4 France v Germany.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. deal ratings and price history. So you know a great deal when you see one. That's cargurus.ca. cargurus.ca. BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. The commentator's view on the Football Daily podcast. BBC Radio 5 Live. Hello and welcome to the Football Daily. I'm John Murray and this is a special edition of the Commentators' View. We usually talk about our love of football, the amazing places it takes us

and the language we use in our commentaries. But today we are swapping goals for pins, pitches for fairways and the word club takes on a different meaning because we are coming to you from the Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush and I'm alongside Alistair Bruce-Paul. And you John are sounding as excited as I feel about being at another Open Championship. It is one of the great events of any British sporting summer.

We are having a classic British sporting summer, aren't we, given what has been going on so far with Wimbledon, England's women going well at the Euros. There's actually almost been too much, hasn't there? Yeah. There's almost more sport than there are hours in the day. Yeah, and the thing I love about this event event and you feel it as soon as you arrive and you know I'd make no bones about it I have always loved my golf and loved the Open Championship but like all of them is so unique in its feel I think and its look it is so vast an event isn't it and

so rugged and raw and rough in a way and chaotic but I mean obviously fabulous organization within the chaos but just the sights and the sounds of it I love. This is close to being my favorite sporting event of the year. You know and that's up against some very very stiff competition. Yeah. But I think possibly part of that is for you and I certainly, not necessarily for our special guest today, but for us this is such a departure isn't it from what we do for most of the time. Yeah and we'll come on to discuss it won't we, the commentary skills that we use and the words we use and the pace we use and the tone we use is entirely different to what

we do with football most of the time. Our special guest, let's bring him in without further ado. Yes. Because I'm flanked by correspondents everywhere I look. I've got a football correspondent on my right and our golf correspondent of course because it's our golf special from the Open Championship Ian Carter is here. And as soon as John started the intro there Ian, you were itching to get in. What have we done? Well, I just thought that you welcomed us to the Football Daily. Yeah.

Is that right? Yeah it is. Oh that's alright. This is slightly confusing Ian. Yeah because I'm a long time listener but I've never noticed that before. Yeah, in quite a nerdy way. This is on the Football Daily feed on BBC sound, even though during the summer these podcasts are focusing on commentary on sports that are other than football.

You see, the reason I looked so excited at that moment was I thought for the first time ever John had made a mistake. You say that. So I got very excited about that. But I do enjoy this pod, so it's lovely to be on it. Thank you very much. Here's my big grand opening question for you, Ian. Why does golf work on the radio, do you think?

I think because radio is the most malleable medium and you can be in the right place at the right time. And every spectator on this golf course will want to be in the right place at the right time. And every spectator on this golf course will want to be in the right place at the right time and only a lucky few at any given moment are going to be in that position because stuff is happening all over the place with different groups in different places and you hear the roars from the other side of the golf course and you think, I wonder what happened there.

Genuinely I think that our producers and roars from the other side of the golf course and you think, I wonder what happened there. Genuinely, I think that our producers and our editors, they have become so skilled in covering golf over the many years that BBC Radio has done it, that they can make sure that we're in the right place at the right time. So if you're listening at home, that's what you get. And more to the point,

you know, you don't hear in our coverage us say, oh, and this happened a few moments ago. Whereas on the television you do, because television I think is just that little bit more cumbersome. There are more moving parts. And as you both know, when we're out there, we can say to the producers, okay, there's a big putt coming up here for Rory McIlroy or Scotty Scheffler whoever it is and we can count them down to say right okay you need to come to us now and then I'll get in my ears go to John Murray on the 14th John will will then describe that moment if it's a huge moment brilliant and then he'll throw to you and and on we go and the whole situation can be changing at all times and then he'll throw to you and on we go and the whole situation

can be changing at all times and then there are other periods when not much happens at all and you know and I think we then get reminded that golf can be a real grind and then I think we've got the ability to kind of go into what I would say test match special in a rain break mode and and come up with you know someone who's just fallen and stuffed themselves with an ice cream cone on the nose or whatever it is you know so there's always something going on there's so many people so many things that are happening and you can be in the right place at the right time and I've actually skipped a

page there and I've completely forgotten to ask you John about the live show live show was and this is where we're in a little bit of a time-space continuum here Yeah, because that's already happened yet. It hasn't been on air. It hasn't actually been released as a podcast But I would In advance of that just thank everybody who came we had a tremendous afternoon at the crossed wires podcast festival and that will be going live on the football daily feed in the first week of August that is going to be so that will be released then because when we were last on with this so regular listeners I think our last one was the women's Euros special so I was with Connor and Vicky and Connor had images of you

Crowdsurfing a la Glastonbury you and Ian Dennis in front of Pat crowds sort of demo throwing himself into legions of adoring fans They didn't do that didn't do that Yeah, and and and he's off on his holidays now actually which is which is good I'm pleased to hear that you know I think he needs a break like everyone else and similarly I've interrupted my holiday my summer holidays for this week which is just that two weeks off I know I've got another three weeks coming off here but I'm right in saying aren't I John that actually were you not working here certainly in the past you would have used your summer holiday to come to the Open, to watch the Open as a spectator wouldn't you?

The funny thing is that next year is going to be a really odd one for me because the World Cup is going to cut right across the Open Championship or at least it's going to cut across the end of the Open Championship because the World Cup has got a week longer. That means that the Sunday of the Open Championship will be the day of the FIFA World Cup final. So I will not be at Royal Berkdale, which means that will be the first Open I have not been to since 1990. That would be amazing. The World Cup final not on the main network as well. Yeah. Pushed off by the Gulf. Yeah. Although probably the open was finished.

Time difference will help, won't it? And then it'll be the World Cup final. Because that did happen in 94. Yeah, I remember that vividly actually. And actually that was the open that really made me want to be a golf commentator. Really? Yeah, and I'll tell you exactly why. Which one, sorry, sorry 94 94 at Turnberry

I was working price Yeah, Nick price and I was working for the BBC World Service at the time and golf was always my sport growing up Never a particularly good player, but it was I think it was because not many people at school played golf I was probably the best at school and so I was always very passionate about my golf. And so I was there for the BBC World Service. It never really entered my head to be a commentator at golf. I probably wanted to be a football commentator at that stage or a rugby commentator.

Because there's so little golf, and certainly in those days, so little golf commentary at the time and I remember vividly I was working with a guy called Harry Peart, legendary figure in the sports room at the World Service and he said okay my boy he said what you're going to do I was like the young whippersnapper there he said you're going to go and follow the winner of the Open and I said well how do I know who's going gonna win the Open, who do I go with? But anyway I got my armband, got inside the ropes and I was there was no live broadcasting I was just gonna have to do a dispatch

on what it was like to be with the winner of the Open and I remember following Fuzzy Zeller who was at the top of the leaderboard for the front nine and was whistling all the way around, I was making notes about all this and then he fell away and Jesper Parnevik then took over at the top of the leaderboard and ultimately Nick Price won it and I didn't see a single shot but I had the radio on in my headphones, didn't see a single shot that Nick Price did because he did it with an eagle, outrageous eagle on the 17th and Jonathan Ledgeard was commentating on that and his commentary on that eagle putt was for me probably the most captivating radio commentary I'd ever heard at that time. The way he built it

up though we accept that and the and again that's another reason why I think commentary on the radio works so well, because you go very, very quiet as you're setting it all up and there's a real sense of anticipation. And then once it's been hit, you can then start to give it some volume. And then when the ball goes in the crowd, go nuts, you've then got that crescendo that you ride as a commentator. And when I heard that, I just thought, I must get out and be a commentator on a golf course. If only for one round, I really, really want to do that.

And that was a really inspirational moment for me. Just sitting here now thinking, I mean, two of your bits of commentary, where I've actually been on the golf course but not with you, but part of the and listening to it So obviously this year McElroy winning the Masters and here he is the man in the gray blue shirt and the light trousers the white cap McElroy for the Grand Slam sends it forward. He's done it And he sinks to his knees and he shakes and he convulses. At last, at very, very long last, Rory McIlroy is the master. And he is sobbing with delight and relief. And he looks to the skies and he roars.

And then he hugs his caddy, Harry Diamond. And the emotion comes pouring out. And then he hugs his caddy Harry Diamond. And the emotion comes pouring out. I mean, I was standing at the back of the commentary box there and how you actually got through that, but absolutely spiting it, but John, also your bit of commentary of Graham McDowell's Verdi part on the 16th in 2010. He has to put through his own shadow this warm October sunshine. 16th in delight. He's won the hole and he's two up, but he still has to finish off and win the match

to regain the cup for Europe. But you know, John, it never really looked as if that was going to have the legs. And honestly, I don't know where the ball got the energy to reach the edge of the hole and fall to the bottom. Maureen, carry me in. I'm exhausted. Well, I think maybe, yeah yeah I'll try my best.

They are just absolutely, you know, you're right Ian and it really really sticks with you and inspires you. I'm not sure, you know, would it be the same because we've done it for such a long time. I can't imagine coming to the Open Championship and not commentating on it now. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I think that's an interesting point. I think I could. I think the Open Championship, events like the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup,

they're the ones that I really love because of their history and what they mean, and obviously the Ryder Cup as well. But I think the Ryder Cup is such a massive thing that if you if you didn't have the privilege of being inside the ropes I think it would be very hard to kind of go back from the privileged position that we've occupied for as long as we have. But I could very happily sit in the 18th grandstand at an Open Championship in years to come. It's actually worth, I've got a little Ryder Cup story to tell, which you chaps

have heard before, I've heard plenty of times before, I'm going to come on to that in a second. It's probably just worth explaining to the listeners, we've dropped in a couple of references there to being inside the ropes and wearing the armband. So just to actually like put our listeners in the picture of where we are, how we commentate on golf, particularly at the Open Championship Ian. Yeah, I mean for me it's different for all the golf tournaments that I go to. A lot of the golf tournaments I go to, I do all my broadcasting in a media centre like the one where we're sitting in at the moment. But for the Ryder Cup and for the Open and now for the Women's Open as well, we get out onto the golf course and to be able to do your job you have

to be inside the ropes and you're given a precious armband and woe betide anyone who loses their armband. And for the final day you have to get a separate armband which is called a 72nd hole armband so that you can actually come up with the eventual champion up the 18th and see the end of the championship. So it's very strictly regulated but by being inside the ropes you get a view that you would never be able to have amongst the crowd on the outside. And we get incredibly close don't we John? I mean at times you are so close you could touch the players on the shoulder or pull a club out of their bag or... Absolutely, and you know that's one of the pieces of art of doing it

is to make sure that you are not in the wrong place and too close. Yeah, I think that you're always far enough away, hopefully, to be able to, for your listeners to hear you, but for the players not to hear you. And that's the scariest thing about it. You obviously don't want to put anyone off. The thing that really worries me is that when they've finished and the next player is playing and they come and stand right next to you, that's when you can touch them on the shoulder and they can hear everything that you're saying and that's that's slightly uncomfortable. I had one tense moment at the Ryder Club at Glen Eagles, Sam Torrance was a vice captain there and I got myself in a position where I thought I was I was perfectly fine I still think I was actually perfectly fine but I think

when everything goes quiet around a green and Sam Torrance was right next to me and I was commentating on a Justin Rose part and Justin Rose wasn't disturbed. I don't think heard me whatever but anyway, he hold the part and then moved off Sam Torrance I was terrified. He just tapped me on the shoulder. He just went too loud And just walked off and I was like, oh my god, I properly sort of you know I don't think I was in the wrong position now I think that was a vice captain at a tense moment just thinking I do not want anything to sort of, you know, impact on what the European team

are doing. Just to say as well, Ian, you know, when we're talking about golf commentary, for you, it's either feast or famine, isn't it? Because many of the events that you cover during the course of the year, whether it's the Masters, US Open, PGA, you're in America on the course, but when it comes to the climax and the winning of that major, you are commentating on it off the television in the media center. So there's that side of what you do and then there's this side, whether as you say, recent events and Women's Open, Ryder Cup, you're right there. And they are two very different ways

of doing the same thing. They are, yeah. And I think it's the same for you though, there are occasions when you have to commentate off tube as it's known. Yeah, but when it comes to thankfully, apart from during COVID, the biggest moment, we are there. Yeah. You know, we are seeing it with the naked eye. Yeah, and you just have to go with it. And I think you've just developed the techniques because without wanting to deceive the listener,

you want that listener to feel like they are right next to the green. And yes, often you're doing it by the TV. Actually, I had a funny one at the US Open this year when JJ Spawn won because the media centre was very adjacent to the 18th hole. It was about 150, 170 yards from the 18th green. And you're watching the feed on the TV, which actually when I do it, I commentate off an iPad, which has a feed on it.

But that means that it is slightly delayed from actual reality. And so as JJ Spawn was sizing up this putt that the whole of Scotland was hoping he would make a mess of because if he three-putted Bob McIntyre would be into a playoff. And as he's lining up the putt on my iPad and you're describing that, I can hear the most almighty roar from the 18th green and I'm thinking, I've got a pretty good idea what's going to happen here.

And actually I found that really difficult because you want to sound completely spontaneous and you would be completely spontaneous if you didn't know the outcome but I generally knew I had a very good idea. Another bit of golf commentary I never tire of listening to, Ryder Cup related, is Brookline Ron Jones when Justin Leonard holds the putt. Justin Leonard who I've seen on the range this week but in 99 hold the putt and the Americans come running onto the green and Ron you and you know we often talk about vocabulary don't we in commentary and he talks about the

Americans tumbling onto the green. I thought what a... to come up with that word in that moment when everything is going nuts is a brilliant bit of golf commentary. But what can Justin Lennard do now? He's just in the shadow of the huge tree which is just to the right and the front of the green. He will be putting, as Jamie was saying, up one slope then a little flat bit, up another slope, 35 almost 40 feet maybe, into bright sunshine. As Caddy holds the flag and he sets this off, gives it a good wrap, up over the one tier, up over the other,

oh it's in, it is in, oh can you believe it, and Justin Leonard has gone absolutely mad, oh and all the American team come tumbling onto the green. Also on the Ryder Cup front, got to tell the story. Now, as you've said right at the start, Ian, I don't want to besmirch the very good reputation of the BBC Golf team that we have built up over a long, long, long time.

We are in an incredibly privileged position, aren't we? Doing our job, walking inside the ropes with the golfers and being that close to the action. And we take that very seriously. And I think just before you tell your story, the priorities that you have when you're in there are obviously don't disturb the players and that involves judging where the wind direction is, trying to find the right position, using a clipboard to shield your microphone so that your voice doesn't travel on the wind, try and speak into the wind, try and be in a position where you can see the hole, see the player, see where the ball has landed. If you're walking

down you're often always ahead of the action as well. So you've got all of that and you will also, you don't want to stand there in an obscure the view of spectators who pay good money as well yeah and what you certainly don't want to do is is so the very worst thing you can do and I won't spoil the punch line just yet but this this I would count as we we've talked about this on the commentators view we were going to do our clangers episode and this is definitely without doubt the worst moment of my professional broadcasting career. Right, so settle down everyone. Settle down. John and Ian know the story well and I won't rush

through it but I also won't take too much time. 2006 Ryder Cup first morning I am out with Paul Casey and Robert Carlson in a four balls match in the morning. And you chaps will remember this well. We were in Ireland, the weather wasn't great, and technically it was a really difficult operation to run. So on the back nine, we were having sort of communication problems in terms of hearing the studio. And in our headphones constantly, as well as all those things we're trying to think about

that you've described Ian, we had this white noise. I seem to remember this sort of all the time. So you just... That was horrible. Yeah, yeah. And you know, and you're trying to... and also, you know, in the four balls, there's four different balls to keep an eye on, four different scores, overall match score. Anyway, we go walking. It's down the par 5 16th. And we... the players hit their tee shots. And we go walking down the right hand side of the fairway in the rough. So it was lush, wasn't it? Lush, wet, long, thick grass.

Huge banks of spectators either side. I was walking with Maureen Maddell, brilliant golf commentator, done it for years and years for the BBC, and I'm so glad she was with me as well because she really helped me get through this. And quite often at golf tournaments what will happen is when a ball lands, if it's landed in the rough in particular, a steward will come out, a marshal will come out and either put a little flag by it or stand by it just to show the player where the ball is and let everyone know where the ball is so that everyone can avoid the ball. And commentators, summarizers often like to come over, have a look, assess the lie and

then they can report back on how it looks and they disappear. Anyway I've got the white noise in my ears, I'm looking at my clipboard, someone is talking to my ears, I just stop concentrating for a second, I'm walking down the right hand side of the 16th and just before I'm about to make a step I can hear someone on my right spectator go, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop! Like that. Too late and I put my foot down and I feel something round and hard underneath my foot and I'm thinking oh my god I mean you know if you if you trod on if I

was playing a game of golf with you Ian on a Sunday afternoon and it was a sort of social I would be embarrassed about treading on it kicking your ball but doing it in the in the biggest golf in the world in front of Paul Casey. So I trod on Paul Casey's ball. And not only that, you know when you half tread on a ball, so I didn't just depress it, I got the spin, I sort of, it shot out from underneath the sole of my right foot. And it went, it basically went from rough to fairway. So I mean, ludicrously moved.

So obviously what's got to happen then is, you know, that's a bad thing to happen, but they have rules in place to deal with it Don't they so you know rules official will come along ask where the ball you know the last point we think it was we'll have a drop data data data As he's asking you that question I can't hear you I've got well no because the thing I was meant to do obviously meant to do was Stick around and explain what happened happened but I absolutely panicked I just thought that is it you know not only am I gonna get thrown off the

golf course but the BBC team are gonna lose their commentary rights we're never gonna do another event honestly I was terrified heart sunk to the pit of my stomach and I just took I just took off I just left I just left so Maureen is standing there thinking where's he going what's he doing so I take off and take off and I disappear and I just want the ground to swallow me up. And as I look back down the fairway I can see Casey arrive, lots of pointing and talking and gesticulating whatever and Maureen is there to say yeah this is what's happened. Got his drop. At any stage did they all turn and point at you.

It was him. So at that point, I think that was first morning of the Ryder Cup, the match was quite tight. Casey then sticks his second onto the green from the rough on this par 5 and I'm then commentating on the eagle putt and this match is all square and I'm thinking God, I do not want this to go in because if this goes in and they win the hole It's gonna be all about the lucky got from the drop and da da da da da da rolls it in. The place goes nuts. And I'm commentating on this Casey Eagle part. But deep down, you know, this is a disaster. And sort of picturing the headlines of a picture

of my shoe, and this is the boot what won it, and all that sort of nonsense. And anyway, I think the Americans got a hold back. It finished all square. And I came off the golf course. And there were a couple of the word had spread that this had happened. And a couple of the written press were there and wanted to ask me about it and I very sensibly just declined and moved away and then I

saw you about half an hour later and you knew nothing of this and John came up to me at the back of the 18th green and he went yeah he said blimey you'll never believe what happened to me out there today he said I came to what happened was yeah I'm doing exactly what you did, exactly the same scenario, and I was walking in the rough and I was vaguely aware, a bit like you, of the crowd going, and I'm thinking, what are they? And I'm like, take a step forward, and I step right over a ball in the rough. Mikkelsen's ball. You came off the back of the 18th green you said to me you'll never believe what's happened to me I've come as

close as ever to treading on a ball in competition I went wow yeah so that is one of the things that because of them and especially at a Ryder Cup it's a bit better here but you're meant to stay within what the arm's length of the roads so they don't want you wandering all over the place which then means that you are on that on that path walking through the rough the whole time which is a hard walk but also if a ball is embedded in there then you're not going to see it yeah yeah Maureen dealt with it brilliantly I didn't and Europe won

that Ryder Cup by a record margin and my right foot had nothingen dealt with it brilliantly, I didn't, and Europe won that Ryder Cup by a record margin, and my right foot had nothing to do with it. And here we are today still. And we're still coming in. Can we get a Christmas present from Ian Woos, the member of the team? Yeah, exactly. When the final whistle went, it was just raw emotion. We had fulfilled dreams we'd had since we were kids. I just heard stuff flying.

We talking, we talking, we talking. We finally done it. Getting to lift that trophy was the most special moment ever. This will go down in history as one of the best days in English football. New A for Women's Euro 2025. Here we go then. This is what it's all been building towards. Send them to tcv.bbc.co.uk. Voice notes as well, we love them also. On WhatsApp to 08000 289 369 and we have had an email from Kilmarnock fan Fraser who says, absolutely love the podcast. It is one of my go-to downloads for drives to work or daily walks. Great

insight into the commentators world. One question, if you have time, we do, is how do commentators end up specializing in a specific sport or sports? Do you start off on football but branch out for example to golf or do you tend to be across several sports from the start of your career and how does it differ in terms of prep for one versus another? It's quite a strange one for me actually because I did football in local radio but I didn't do it very well to be honest. I'm sure that's not true. A player identification is something that I'm just hopeless at.

At the time I was Radio Leicester, Leicester City in the second division. But anyway, I did enjoy it and I did a little bit of cricket. And then when I moved to Five Live in the mid 90s, I don't really know what they were going to do with me, to be honest. I was reading the sports desks, but I knew that I wanted to be out. The sports desks were very well produced in the name, I remember. They were indeed. And then there was some that John Murray produced.

Yeah, John, you were my... We worked lots and lots together in the middle of the night. And it was, yeah, well, very early in the morning. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, Marcus Buckland left to go to Sky and he was the tennis reporter at the time and they said to me do you like tennis and I didn't particularly dislike it so I said oh yes I love tennis. I that that sounds like a really good beat and so off I went to and I remember I was recalling this actually last week when I

was at Wimbledon and we were talking about the old number two court and that was the first court I ever commentated on on water shambles that was I mean it was just dread because you you know what it's like you you have to learn that technique of being able to speak while you're processing what's going on. And I hadn't watched that much tennis at that time and then you always hit that, that's gone to the fore. And by the time you've processed that, it's all over. And so that took a lot of learning and I got to, I went to the US Open tennis that August and Greg Rzeszki reached the final.

And we ended up doing a whole load of commentaries that hadn't been scheduled. And I had to do them. And I learned it on the hoof late at night. And I'm sure I'd hate to listen back to them. But I really, really enjoyed the tennis commentary and I really got into tennis, did that for five years and then Tony Adamson retired and they offered me the job to go to golf. And actually I found golf much harder to commentate on than tennis by the time I made that move

because it's a completely different dynamic. So that's basically how it's sort of worked for me. I have done rugby as well, obviously, in between times. We had Russell Fuller on the pod a couple of episodes ago, obviously, with our Wimbledon special. We were talking to him about prep. Prep for a commentary and prep for a tournament in the correspondence row.

I mean, you cannot be expected to do notes on 156 players that are going to play in this tournament, but at any point in, you could be asked any question about pretty much anyone. So in terms of prep for an Open Championship what does that look like for you? Well for me it starts with the Masters, I do notes on every single player in the field at the Masters which is a smaller field it's a hundred but that sort of knowledge base and going through that process will then sustain me for the rest of the year

because I've now got an idea of little things about those players that if they then crop up at later championships that you can lean on that. So I've got that in my database on my laptop. And then for the open actually I've just been I've been doing my I've got about 20 coppers of this if you need them boys. I've just a mine here. We've just been doing our own.

Yeah and mine is you know I've got the course here I've got a you know the name of the hole yeah the the yardage the part and then I've left a column for for the pins yeah so you get the pin positions on each day, then I've got three columns for the three players that will be in the group that I'm following. I'll use a pencil because if it rains, a pen's no use. I'll write them in like I'd be filling out a scorecard if I was playing. Then I've got various little stats and things like on the seventh I've put down next to it, David Duval took 14 on this whole. He'll be looking for that in 2019.

Yeah, and just whatever relevant facts, I've got the prize money in there, who won the previous opens at Port Rush. It's very easy because there've only been two, but Max Faulkner and Shane Lowry, opens at Port Rush. It's very easy because there have only been two, but you know Max Faulkner and Shane Lowry and then you've got a Port Rush native in Fred Daley who won at Hoy Lake 1947. It's good to just have that date. My brain isn't great in those things. Darren Clark obviously winning in 2011. So yeah, and what I do is I've made 20 copies

of these and then I'll just swap them in, swap them out and at the bottom I've left room to put the player by biographical info. That's how I do it. How do you do it? Very similar. Very similar actually. There's a nice one here from Paul on the email who is local to Port Rush who sent us a whole list of suggestions of places to go while we're here. So he says the takeaway chippy about 10 minutes walk from the course you can be on the beach in 60 seconds with your fish supper that's the dolphin. He said there's a sit-down restaurant on the beach in Port Seward called Harry Shack and apparently the harbour bar does the best Guinness on the north coast and it's filled to the rafters with golf memorabilia. Tried it last night. We did.

Very good. Very Tyrrell Hatton heavy. It was. Yeah. Yeah. Strangely. You were in the same snug as we were in April. Yeah. And Paul says, looking forward to listening to the coverage. Me and my bro, which could be his brother, could be his friend, will be up on the Saturday airpods in as we walk the course. Here's hoping the weather's kind because it's hard to beat the north coast on a sunny day. So it is time for Clash of the Commentators which this week in this week's episode could be called Clash of the Correspondents because it is you two going head to head. Nothing on it really, only honor and pride. It's an exhibition match and it's got a final leaderboard from last season. Jon you probably don't want to hear that in you'll be well aware of

John's form last season in clash of the commentators played 14-1-3 oh yeah which included I can see that really think ten defeats in a row yeah but the exhibition matches don't count yeah they don't but it's a chance John for you to get your eyes back in is it it? It is. It is. So at this point, one of you is going to have to take your headphones off and sort of walk away. Shall I do that? Yeah, for a minute. OK, so I'm going to go down there

to the other end of the media center. Disappear, and then we'll wave you back. We'll wave you back. We'll turn John's mic off. And Ian, as our guest, is going to go first. I'm just going to let John wander away yeah and I'm gonna speak in that golf commentary hushed whisper. Right here we go Ian who would I make favorite for this one? Don't know actually I think this one could be

close here we go so John has disappeared can't hear us. We're in Northern Ireland as we've been saying for the 153rd Open Championship I want you to name any of the 12 teams competing in the Northern Island Football League Premiership next season, don't panic, and or any of the last 12 winners of the Open Championship, of the Men's Open Championship, okay? So I can do both?

You can do whatever you want, you've got 30 seconds so you can either head for open winners or you can head for football teams or you can do a bit of both right so the last time on the last 12 last 12 but I'm gonna give you a clock star we are gonna start now Linfields under Zander Chauvelet, Cameron Smith, Rory McElroy, Phil Mickelson, oh come on, Frozen, John's got this, hope for the champions, Shane's got this. I've got hope for champions. Shane Lowry. Correct. I made that six correct answers. That's terrible. Linfield and five open... but listen, I play this game all the time.

That happens all the time. All the time. It's that countdown music. It just paralyzes you. Do you know what though? Given John's form, that is not in the bag for John just yet. Where's he gone? Where's he gone? He's over there. There he is. The media center here and actually the media centers all look the same so whichever open championship you're at

It's just a massive white tent like a big marquee I mean John's even glad handing people on the way down and we're doing a pod here John you got to get back He's explaining to the chap who's just said hello to him that we need him back to play Clash of the Correspondents I'm not gonna tell him how many he's got to beat here he comes he's gonna settle back down who are you saying hello to well hang on you're gonna need to get your headphones and your mic back on. Who are you saying hello to there? Yeah just a colleague who I've not seen since Bratislava actually he was in Bratislava with us under 21.

Okay, here we go then, John. We're in Northern Ireland for the 150th Open Championship. That is correct. I want you to name any of the 12 teams competing in Northern Ireland's Football League Premiership next season and or any of the last 12 winners of the men's open championship. So last 12 winners of the Claret Jug and football teams playing in next season's Premiership in Northern Ireland. Your time starts now. Well, Linfield, Newton-Ards, Shane Lowry, Xander Chauflé, Colin Morokawa, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McElroy, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say,

I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, I think I was going to say, You both got Linfield, you both went Linfield straight away. Yeah. You've won it by 8 to 6 and you got pretty similar open winners actually. You didn't say Stenson did you? I didn't say Stenson, I didn't say Spieth. Spieth, those are your two. Yeah. Newton-Arns I don't see in the list here.

No, no. I'm trying to think who won. So... I should have started as a goal fit. Harmon at Truen. Brian Harmon, that's the one. That's the one at Truen at Hoylick. Yeah, Brian Harmon, that was the one. That's not True, that's Hoylick.

Yeah, Brian Harman, that was the one that I was really stumbling over. You said Cam Smith, John said Morikawa, you both said Lowry, no one said Molinari. Yeah. Kahn host in 2018. Spieth John, Stenson John, Zach Johnson got missed. 2015. McElroy you both said, Mickelson you both said and Ernie Elves 2012. I feel like Adam Scott had it in the bag. Yeah, there we go. So exhibition win.

Another win in an exhibition again. Exactly. Great. Absolutely. Congratulations. Thanks. I think you should cherish that. I will. I will. I will cherish it. I will genuinely cherish it. Yeah. Right. What's next, John? Can we do the Malapopis?

Yeah, you like these don't you? I can't. This is a really nice email from Tim in Gloucester. So thanks, yeah. All right, what's next, John? Can we do the malapropisms? Yeah, you like these, don't you? This is a really nice email from Tim in Gloucester, so thanks, Tim. We have been featuring some malapropisms in the commentators' view over the course of this summer's episodes. So that is, when you use a word by mistake instead of a similar sounding one, often with an amusing effect. And Tim in Gloucester says our mate from work is hilarious really struggles to get his phrases correct so the point he has a whiteboard in front of his desk which has them all written on it here are a

few a gray herring as opposed to a red herring backing and throwing again works what's that that's not toing and fro yes that's it that's it backing and throwing again works. What's that? That's not toing and throwing. Yeah, that's it. That's it. Backing and throwing as opposed to toing and throwing. I'm not going to throw him under the boat as opposed to the bus. And Tim says, PS, I've forgotten the word malapropism. So I had to Google it. But whilst doing so, I came across the term egg corn. Yeah. This is the alteration of a word or phrase through the mishearing

or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements creating a new phrase which is plausible when used in the same context. And this being perfect for the aforementioned term bit of a damp squid. Thanks for the amazing show. Well, thank you, Tim, for the excellent email. Yeah. Yeah. Now keep sending those in. We absolutely love those. It takes us on to the glossary as well.

I don't know whether the glossary, so the challenge I set Russell Fuller during our Wimbledon episode was to sort of try and build a mini glossary of tennis commentary. So basically, our great glossary of football commentary are phrases that you will only hear used in football, that belong to football. So we've got things like, Toonil is a dangerous score, brandished, brandishing the red card. I mean, it can be absolutely anything. I'm going through an alphabetical list there. So I guess we could have a look at that for the Open this week.

Last time out, going into the Glossary John, we had seen them given, I've seen them given when into the Glossary. Yeah, I like that. And also it's one of those. It's one of those. You know, a tackle is made, well, it's one of those. And we also rejected false one for a Roman goalkeeper, which I'm pleased. Which I'm pleased the other one that was rejected. So also WhatsApp voice notes to 08000289369, emails to tcv at bbc.co.uk. And Tottenham fan Ben from Burgess Hill says, Great pod, always accompanies my Saturday morning chores.

Listening to the England Netherlands game just now at the Euros, realised we are missing a potential entry for the glossary mentioned by Vicky Sparks in commentary with Karen Bonsley. Well, that's a back pass there that's risky. It shouldn't have been, but Hannah Hampton took her eye off it. There was no orange shirt within 20 yards of her, and she's got away with it.

She controls. It wasn't going to go into the goal. It was going wide and along the edge of the corner of the six-yard box. I actually don't think that was Hannah Hampton's fault. Yeah, I think that was actually to support a back pass and the support angle. That's what happens when you make a back pass. You don't look at the support angle of the goalkeeper.

How about your goalkeeper's union knowledge, Karen Barsley? This time you have to. Free kick to England, just outside. So Ben says the goalkeeper's union usually gets mentioned when defending a keeper who has clattered a strikeker or made a mistake it often creeps in when the co-commentator is a goalkeeper themselves PS I'm sure someone will mention hockey but this is surely just a bit of classic football vernacular I am surprised we've not put that in yeah I'm surprised that's not discussed in the

pod but it's a classic. That is a nailed on. Yeah. Definitely include. Yeah. Isn't it? Yeah, 100%. That is in. So what would we say for Golfian?

The one that springs to mind for me is saying the pin is cut on the back right of the green. I mean, the hole is cut. Yeah. I mean, The pin is a flag. How do you cut a flag into a pin? It's something I used to say a lot and I've been working really hard not to say the flag is located in the back. I don't like the American hole location. No, that's awful. I don't want that. Or green, green complex.

Yeah, yeah. Honestly, on the giant, swirly, roly-poly greens that we're gonna be watching at Porous. The green complex, come on. I sometimes like the green complex if it is a complex green that has got several contours on it and I can then go on and explain why it is a green complex. Okay.

But just using it as a general term, no, no, no. But the pin is cut, that would be one that I would throw in. I'm told, I remember being told this at the Masters this year, that our producers, our golf producers, have a bit of a chuckle at us commentators. The very nature of sports commentary, any sport, is that it is ultimately repetitive and there are words and phrases that we are going to use time and time again and apparently they were having a little competition during the Masters about who was going to say down on their haunches the most. You know when a player gets down to survey the line of a putt and they go down, bend the knees and get down and it's the only way, well it's not the only way but it's the it's the it's the I have been

consciously trying not to say that as well yeah I think I won at the most I think I did a lot of down on their horn cheese the other one is splashed out splashed out going on yeah from bunkers although not so many here. Puff of white sand. Nathan the producer has very amusingly included postage stamp which is one of the phrases that we've been using on this podcast. Right from the start of the glossary because when the goal goes in the postage stamp and of course the stamp at Royal Trude. The whole names here, these will definitely get an airing, won't they? During our coverage this week. But it's 16 and 17.

Well, let me see if you can get, because I texted Mark Chapman a little earlier, he'll be with us over the course of what, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Yeah. And see if you can guess where I suggested he should spend most of the week. Which hole? I'm going to say 17 rather than 16. I'm going to say 16. So 16 is...

Calamity Corner. That's a big Calamity Corner. Oh I thought Purgatory. No Calamity Corner. By the way, by the way, very quickly, because Hare Chapman always gets a mention on this one. Yes he does and he's got another mention hasn't he? He's vowed never to appear on it and I don't think ever listens to

it well you just a part from every week apart from every week to play golf with him a couple of weeks ago in Andrew Murray's program golf day and I'll tell you what he played some so we were playing as a team me hair Chapman Andrew Murray and Mark Pugach and when what a line up. Yeah what a line up. And Chappers parred four of the last five holes when it became clear that we were in with a chance of getting in amongst the Highs competitive. Honestly he narrowed his eyes and his putting on those last four or five holes. He was absolutely deadly Yeah, was he? I bet he was cock-a-hoop as well. Yeah, I mean that doesn't get much more hair chat than that.

No it doesn't, he was roofless. Just on the subject of Calamity Corner I'm just going to put a plug in here for our social media stuff promoting the open coverage because I was here for the media day and I had to take a t-shot on that 16th hole and it was into an absolutely screaming wind and the pin was cut towards the back left of the green. I'll say no more but it's much more worth watching than the one they've put up today of me duck hooking a t-shirt on the first. What I want to happen to Mark Chapman at Calamity Corner, Hair Chapman, is that his trousers fall down. Yes, should also Ian, because we're on a pod on the BBC's Hands Up, must plug the pod as well. Oh chipping forecast, yeah absolutely. So yeah,

we've already got our open preview up with Andrew Kotra and Eddie Peperell. And Andrew and I are going to be doing a, we call them chipilatas, just a little chip in forecast, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday night we'll do a big one. Eddie's just coming back from injury, so he's hopefully going to be playing all four days on the Challenge Tour in Germany this week, so we're wishing well with that. So there's that to listen to. Obviously our coverage. Please listen everyone, if you've been inspired by what you've heard us talking about here.

Listen to it happen for real. And actually just on that, what I always try to strive for is that golf doesn't invade the airwaves very often and people will be tuning in thinking, oh, listen, John, this will be great and find us wibbling on about golf. So I'm always very conscious that you just want to make it as accessible as you possibly can to the biggest number of people without patronising goal fans and that's one of the tough challenges of it all but I think we we get through it by having the amount of fun banter and laughter through that through the day we don't take it terribly seriously and for the first

time this year on Thursday our coverage will be presented by Colin Murray. So that is a first. No, it's not. He did it last time we were here. No, he didn't present the tea. Did he? He did. He presented because he queued me up apparently with one of the great flourishing Colin Murray introductions. What he didn't know was that I'd take my headphones off and was actually having a quick chat with Ailey Barber who was walking across the first fairway and as I put the headphones back on I heard, Ian, are you there? And I went, yeah, yeah, I'm here. I think he presented the programme in the morning and then Mark Chapman took over for

Five Life Sport. Anyway, Colin is definitely presenting it all day on Thursday and then Mark is here Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So it begins at 6.30 Thursday morning. We'll have live commentary and coverage on Five Live from 10 o'clock. There'll be highlights on BBC2 and the iPlayer each night and then also on the football commentary front, our coverage of the women's Euros continues over the next few days. Wednesday 8 o'clock with the quarterfinals, Norway, Italy. Thursday 8 o'clock, Sweden, England, which I think is going to overlap with the end of Rory McIlroy's opening round. But we have the means to make sure you have a full choice. Sports Extra, Sports Extra 2, Sports Extra 3. Friday Spain Switzerland, Saturday France

Germany, so those are the commentaries there. Ian, we talk a lot about top top players on the commentators view, so who's going to be the top top player this week? I was really impressed by Rory McElroy yesterday in terms of his demeanor, how he sounded, how he was approaching it all. It reminded me very much of exactly those qualities ahead of the Masters. So he would be my, I think, the most likely winner and then I'd love to see Tommy Fleet would do it after coming so close last time. But there's any number of people he could win. Just most likely winner and then I'd love to see Tommy Fleetwood do it after coming so close last time but there's any number of people you could win.

Just thinking as well, just off the back of the men's final at Wimbledon and the brilliant rivalry we've got again at the top of tennis at the moment with Yannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had a very brief chat to Scotty Scheffler this morning, I say brief because I was allowed two questions and got a full minute of audio out of him. But I know we've discussed this before but they're one and two, aren't they? And it doesn't always work out in golf like that. It rarely works out. It very rarely works out. And it hasn't happened really with McElroy and Scheffler going at it down the stretch.

He finished top ten Scottish Open last week. So he's won three times on tour this season but hasn't been at his very best for parts of it. He's played in 15 tournaments and finished in the top ten, twelve times. He is remarkably consistent. So a bit of Sheffler-Macaroy would be great. Late entry for the glossary, are you going to be dialed in Ian this week? Oh definitely, the irons will be dialed in and I love a dialed in. You love a dialed in. And it'll be all about the distance control.

Yeah very good. And that's another thing isn't it, there's a lot of American phrases in golf, you can't avoid them can you? And one I'm really guilty of is you know RBO, he's six under through ten holes. Thru, through. And then number, I mean, Andrew Cotter, oh, he'd be apoplectic of such terminology. Anyway, there we are. Good.

Been great having you on, Ian. Thank you for having me. Apologies. We might do it again Ryder Cup week, mightn't we? We'd love to do that. Perhaps, I wonder. Do you think? A Ryder Cup special. Ryder Cup special. Yeah. I'd love to do that. I wonder. Do you think? A Ryder Cup special.

Ryder Cup special. Yeah. Looking forward to that. Get Andrew McGee as an American voice. Well, but that is it for this episode of the Football Daily. Also out today you can catch the latest edition of Maisie Adams' Euros fan diary. And as for the commentators view we will be back with another best of episode on the 1st of August and a reminder you can find each and every episode of the commentators view by scrolling down your football daily feed. Went for Johnny and he did a decent thing. Sympathy, that's the last thing I need. I just froze.

It's a sudden death all over again. I do it all the time. A sudden death all over again. I think she got quite a lot of them. I thought I missed a lot. Well, open champions. That's pretty good. Hello, Chris Jones here from Rugby Union Weekly. We're all over the Lions Tour of Australia.

Pre-match podcast, post-match podcast, on the Whistle podcast from all the Lions Tour of Australia, pre-match podcast, post-match podcast, on the whistle podcast, from all the Lions matches down under. We also have a special Lions top 10 series. We're two greats of Lions rugby, Matt Dawson and Jamie Roberts, and we've been ranking everything from icons to

controversies, we've got moments, tours, tries. Tries. You're in the controversies, Matt. Right at the top. Jamie, you're in the controversies too. Indirectly.

Indirectly, not your fault. It is all there. Two men who have been there, done it and won it on a Lions Tour. Get it now, Lions Top 10s on Rugby Union Weekly on BBC Sounds.