That '70s show tops the charts

Thirty summers ago a magical weekend of golf took place on the southwest coast of Scotland, a head-to-head battle between the most dominant major champion ever and a man who was the game's best back then.

Jack Nicklaus vs. Tom Watson at Turnberry. "The Duel in the Sun," is how writers referenced that dramatic and pulsating 1977 British Open. It was an epic weekend, one in which Watson shot 66-65, Nicklaus 66-66 to easily finish 1-2. Shane Grier, who lives on Cape Cod, caddied for Hubert Green back then, and laughs heartily at what he considers one of the great newspaper headlines ever.

"Watson wins battle of immortals, Green wins battle of mortals," said Grier, whose man, Green, finished third that summer and joked that "I just won the B flight."

Throw your support toward other priceless major championships -- the 1913 US Open, the 1954 Masters, the 1960 US Open, the 1986 Masters -- but it says here the 1977 sun-baked British Open is the yardstick by which all others are measured. In that belief, I'm not alone, but in glancing at the record books, not only was that affair at Turnberry the greatest tournament ever, but the British Opens of the 1970s were the best decade in major golf championship history.

OK, so it's one of those ticklish thoughts that could be argued forever, but there's little doubt in my mind that it has merit.

Consider the roll call of British Open champions, starting in 1970: Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, Gary Player, Watson, Johnny Miller, Watson, Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros.

In the battles for those 10 claret jugs, there were seven winners, and six Hall of Famers who combined for 238 career wins (we're using Ballesteros's total of 48 on the European PGA Tour) and 48 major titles.

"It's quite a string, isn't it?" said Trevino, when showed the list recently during the Champions Tour's Bank of America Championship at Nashawtuc CC.

Yes, it is, and if fate had played out differently, it might have been a clean sweep of Hall of Famers, because Weiskopf had it all going for him.

"He was as good as Jack [Nicklaus], but he was in the shadow all the time," said Trevino, a reference to the fact Weiskopf followed Nicklaus at Ohio State. "But he was great."

Weiskopf fell in love with the British Open when he first teed it up over there and when he finally broke through at Royal Troon in 1973, he denied Miller. No worries, for Miller prevailed in 1976 at Royal Birkdale, finishing six clear of Nicklaus and a young, dashing Spaniard named Ballesteros, who was 19.

By the time the decade came to a close, Ballesteros was a mere 22, but in possession of the British Open title, thanks to a stirring win at Royal Lytham & St. Annes that came at the expense of another Nicklaus runner-up performance.

Strictly weighing major championships by those that were won by Hall of Famers, the 1970s British Opens shine through with nine. Only two other decades can match that number -- the PGA Championships of the 1920s, but those were won by only three players (Walter Hagen, who won five, Leo Diegel, and Gene Sarazen), and the British Opens of the 1950s, but again, only four players prevailed (Player, Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Ben Hogan).

For impact, it's hard to overlook the US Opens of the 1960s, in which seven Hall of Famers (Nicklaus, Trevino, Player, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Gene Littler) won eight titles, but something about Orville Moody's win in 1969 takes away whatever appeal that 10-year span might have.

The Masters of the 1950s (six Hall of Famers won eight titles) is stalwart stuff and all six Masters in the 1930s were won by five Hall of Famers (Sarazen, Ralph Guldahl, Henry Picard, Horton Smith, Byron Nelson).

But whereas each decade has seen a lackluster major championship winner, you can't say that about the British Opens of the 1970s. Not only were Nicklaus, Trevino, Weiskopf, Player, Watson, Miller, and Ballesteros outstanding players, each was a colorful and memorable figure.

If we give credit to Palmer for helping reinvent the British Open in the early 1960s, it seems only fair to tip our hats to the winners of the 1970s for helping establish this mid-summer classic as the most flavorful and the best championship on the golf landscape.

Daly-Donofrio looks for rebirth

The stories examining how fatherhood will help or hurt Tiger Woods's golf career have been truly silly. It's as if these folks think Woods carried the child for the duration of the pregnancy and delivered Sam Alexis himself.

If they were looking for that angle, try Heather Daly-Donofrio. She could tell you that it has been difficult to mix parenthood and pro golf, from the perspective of a mother.

"Trying to play while pregnant was tough, and getting back into shape to play after having the baby . . . I've struggled with that," said Daly-Donofrio, a 10-year LPGA Tour veteran who gave birth to her first child, daughter Hannah, last year. Although she feels she's done well to get into shape physically, mentally is another story.

"I'm finding it difficult to juggle the two," she said of being a golfer and a mother. "That's why I find it even more amazing how Juli Inkster and Pat Hurst have been able to do so well."

Compounding matters is back pain that has sidelined her lately. The injury arose after Daly-Donofrio returned to action for three events earlier this season after having played just five in 2006. Diagnosed with a herniated disk, she was told to rest, so she did just that for about nine weeks. She returned for the Wegman's LPGA June 21, missed the cut, and has sat out since.

Now, Daly-Donofrio is set to return for this week's tournament in Sylvania, Ohio.

The back, she said, "feels fine, and I have been practicing," but the time away from Hannah is another matter.

"I struggle with my concentration, because while I'm trying to focus on my golf, I can't stop thinking about the baby," said Daly-Donofrio, who insists she's committed to playing at least eight of the remaining LPGA tournaments.

Could Austin’s flawed decision lead to berth control?

There are those who take what should be a supreme privilege -- a berth in a major championship -- and make a mockery of it. Woody Austin's reason for turning down his exemption into the British Open?

"I don't know how to play that type of golf and I would probably go over there and shoot two high numbers and make a fool out of myself," he said at the conclusion of last weekend's AT&T National.

That type of golf?

He makes it sound like they're playing with square holes and triangular balls over there in the UK, for goodness sakes, when, in fact, links golf is not only the most natural of all, it is the most demanding.

It puts a premium on ball-striking and creativity, two aspects sorely lacking on the PGA Tour sojourn. (Watch out, here comes another wedge from 135 yards that sticks and spins back.)

Austin's given the British Open just one go-round -- and that was in 1996. Though he missed the cut at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, his numbers -- 72-73 -- were hardly an embarrassment. Consider his decision sorely disappointing and here's a suggestion: Players who turn down exemptions into the major championships should be docked world ranking points and not be permitted to sign up for tournaments such as the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee, which will be played opposite the British Open.

On the flip side, cheers to Hunter Mahan, who embraced his last-minute exemption into the British Open and said: "Any time you can play in a major, it's good. I've been there two [times] and it's a ton of fun -- golf in its purest form."

Indeed.

Etc.

There's definitely a different landscape for young women who turn pro as opposed to their male counterparts. For the men, there are a number of good minitours even if they turn pro in the spring, after college ends. For Anna Grzebien, it's a different story, which is why she's going to enter a few North American Pro Golf Tour stops in New England. "There aren't a whole lot of places to go," said the pride of Narragansett, R.I., who recently completed her Duke career by helping the Blue Devils win a third straight NCAA title. She's not looking to take on the men, just find a place to keep her competitive skills sharp while she awaits a shot at the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament in the fall. Grzebien feels fortunate to have been given a spot in this week's Futures Tour event in Bloomfield, Conn., but without any status on that circuit, she knows she can't count on many more of those. She also has the Mass. Women's Open penciled in (Aug. 13-15), but with few options, those tournaments against the men will have to do.

Fairway news: Though he's yet to win on the PGA Tour, Bubba Watson introduces "bubbagolf," a line of inexpensive shirts, windshirts, and shorts.

Clubhouse news: It wasn't until years after he had won the last of his five major championships and 52 PGA Tour wins that Byron Nelson got his clothing deal. Of course, Lord Byron didn't have a pink shaft on his driver.

That void in the British Open can be traced to a second straight year of ho-hum local qualifying. It used to be held in the days leading up to the championship and you'd get a mix of solid veterans on hand for that one last berth in the field. But last year the Royal & Ancient decided to push up local qualifying 10 days before the start of the Open and the result has been quite . . . well, it lacks serious flavor. The only American to give it a shot was the dogged Scott Dunlap, though with trips of 70-72 he missed by three at one of the four sites. In all, 13 players earned their way into the upcoming proceedings at Carnoustie, though two of the only notable players -- Thomas Levet of France and Marcel Siem of Germany -- were not among them.

Yes, Phil Mickelson sent a gift to Tiger Woods and wife Elin Nordegren on the birth of their first child. It was a miniature ping-pong table, presumably a lighthearted nod to the infamous matches the superstars have been known to take part in during Ryder Cup days. Silly, perhaps, but it's better than sending her two drivers.

He got into just one of the first seven and four of the first 14 Champions Tour events of the season, but Kirk Hanefeld is on a bit of a roll. When he shot 66 to snare medalist honors in a Monday qualifier for this week's stop in Endicott, N.Y., it assured Hanefeld a fourth straight start in his bid to overcome long odds and make it onto the Champions Tour. The Director of Golf at The International in Bolton, Hanefeld finished tied for 32d at last weekend's US Senior Open and with $68,455, he ranks 75th on the money list. His onetime New England PGA colleague, Rick Karbowski of Worcester, sits 74th ($69,398) and also will tee it up in this week's Dick's Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie GC, thanks to surviving an 8-for-1 playoff in the Monday qualifier. It will be Hanefeld's eighth start of the season, Karbowski's fifth.

Fairway news: The owners of Sunflower Hills Golf Course in Bonner Springs, Mo., report that 4,800 range balls were stolen.

Clubhouse view: If the guy in your foursome starts playing a florescent yellow ball with the word "practice" emblazoned, be discreet, but by all means call your local authories.

We assume they had to get a wider trophy case to include the proper name of this week's LPGA Tour stop: The Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroeger. It's a mouthful, which is why we'll simply call it the JFOCCPBK. Anyway, it's an important tournament for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact the top-five finishers not already qualified will earn spots into the Women's British Open (Aug. 2-5).

How brilliant is the timing of this reemergence? As we head to rugged Carnoustie on the eastern coast of Scotland, it is noteworthy -- and delightful for those who treasure great interviews -- that Colin Montgomerie is once again a story line. That's right, just a few weeks removed from a round of 82 during his early exit from the US Open and fresh from his split from longtime caddie Alastair McLean, the sour Scotsman is once again the rage. He won the European Open last weekend at the K Club in Ireland -- victory No. 31 on his impeccable European PGA Tour résumé -- and is talking up his chances at next week's British Open. Bloody brilliant, as they say over there, because Montgomerie in great form does wonders for the pretournament hype. It goes without saying the story line will somehow, someway go spiraling downward, which is why we close with a reminder of what is said regarding the mood swings of Montgomerie on the other side of the pond: "He is wonderful on Wednesday, thunderous on Thursday, furious on Friday, seething on Saturday, and self-satisfied on Sunday."

Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com. Material from personal interviews, wire services, and other beat writers was used in this report.