Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Stephen Gallacher: If the party atmosphere of the Phoenix Open is too much for you, stay away

Jordan Spieth plays a shot at the Phoenix Open
Jordan Spieth plays a shot at the Phoenix Open

With beer cans being thrown on to the green, players taking off their t-shirts to celebrate and a chaotic atmosphere all round, the Phoenix Open has been a controversial topic following its conclusion on Sunday.

But, for me, all the fuss is much ado about nothing.

It is an event like no other, but the scenes of cans being thrown and players celebrating as if they are attending a party is exactly what the PGA Tour wants.

Carlos Ortiz was hit by one can after recording a hole in one, while Sam Ryder also aced the hole.

Two other players – Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen, took off their shirts to celebrate with the fans, too.

Make no mistake, the images of the carnage whenever someone had a hole-in-one are no accident. The whole event, and the 16th green in particular, is designed to produce those moments.

We’ve had similar moments in Ireland where fans and players are encouraged to get carried away and we’ve seen events where fans are encouraged to gamble on who gets their tee shot closest to the hole.

I’ve read and heard several pundits criticise the tournament, but I have no issue with it at all. Granted, I wouldn’t be encouraging it every week, but as a special attraction? Why not?

Jon Rahm took part in Phoenix

There is a reason why Jon Rahm was the first world number one in years to take part. The tournament is clearly not for everyone.

But there is not a single golfer who entered the tournament unprepared for what was to come.

The event is pitched as a pre-Superbowl party appetiser and everyone knows what is expected at the 16th hole, which is known as the Coliseum.

It’s golfing pantomime with the hole set-up to give players as best a chance as is possible of recording a hole in one.

There is a plaque there bearing the names of players who have aced the hole and it has become a badge of honour to get your name on it.

You also know if you do score an ace, the place is going to go mental.

I think of it as a marmite golf tournament. You either love it and want to be part of it, or you hate it and stay away.

But don’t kid on you were not prepared for what transpired there. It’s part of the fabric of the place.

St Andrews is going to be special this summer

Collin Morikawa celebrates with the Claret Jug after winning the Open.

It’s fantastic to see the R&A pulling out all the stops to make this summer’s Open Championship one for the ages.

The announcement of the four-hole challenge at St Andrews is a great appetiser for what will be the biggest golfing tournament of the year.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa will take part in the event, which will feature 48 players competing over the first, second, 17th and 18th holes on Monday, July 11.

Morikawa will be joined by the likes of five-time winner Tom Watson, women’s major champions, top amateurs and leading players with a disability.

The Masters, PGA Championship and US Open are all fantastic major events, but all three will be playing second fiddle to the Home of Golf this summer.

St Andrews is the only place to be and I can assure you the 150th Open is the event every player wants to win this year above all others.

Farewell to El Gato

Eduardo Romero after winning the US Senior Open golf championship in 2008

We lost one of the greats of the game on Sunday when Eduardo Romero died at the age of 67 from cancer.

The man known as El Gato (The Cat) was the godfather of golf in Argentina. With eight European Tour wins, including a Scottish Open success in 2002, and two senior majors to his name he was a huge presence in the game.

I was lucky enough to play with him a few times and for me he was the South American Seve Ballesteros.

Eduardo was a suave, charming, easy-going guy who commanded respect among his peers.

He was a huge influence on the Argentine players who followed him.

A true legend of the game, he will be sorely missed.