This Golfing Life is a series of conversations about life, golf and the relationship between the two. Join host Dan Davies as he gets to the heart of the game with an eclectic range of guests - some famous, some less so; but all of them hopelessly besotted with the most engaging, infuriating and enjoyable game ever created.
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From Walker Cup heartbreak and Q-School pressure to European Tour glory, Richard Finch reflects on the highs, lows and near-misses of a life in elite amateur and professional golf. Plus the famous Irish Open plunge, Rory McIlroy at 15, Chubby Chandler, and rediscovering the fun of the game at RNGC.
Richard Finch’s route to the European Tour began on a municipal course in Hull, where an obsession with getting better once led him to spend the night in the junior room practising his putting. He became one of England’s leading amateurs, winning the Spanish Amateur, English Amateur and St Andrews Links Trophy, but his amateur career ended with the bitter disappointment of missing out on a Walker Cup place at Ganton.
Turning professional at 25, Finch initially came under the wing of a young Eddie Hearn before earning his European Tour card in dramatic fashion at Q-School. But by 2007 his career was in serious danger. In this episode, Richard revisits the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where he first met Dan, the extraordinary final round in Mallorca that saved his card, and the remarkable transformation that followed when he won in New Zealand just weeks later.
Five months after that first victory came the moment for which he may always be best remembered: winning the Irish Open at Adare Manor despite falling waist-deep into the water beside the 18th fairway. Richard also recalls playing with a 15-year-old Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods renaming him “Robert Finch”, the difficulties that eventually brought his Tour career to an end, and the joy of rediscovering uncomplicated, competitive golf at this summer’s RNGC Invitational.
00:00 — Introducing Richard Finch
01:49 — Growing up in Hull
03:52 — The junior who slept at the golf club
06:48 — Scratch golf and Yorkshire county days
08:16 — Deciding to become a Tour professional
09:26 — Family, expectation and Richard’s mum
11:17 — Dave Jagger, Pete Cowen and golfing mentors
14:01 — England golf and winning the Spanish Amateur
16:18 — English Amateur glory and Walker Cup heartbreak
20:00 — Turning professional with Eddie Hearn
22:26 — An 81 at Q-School — and somehow earning a card
25:52 — Discovering he belonged on the European Tour
28:58 — Characters, Chubby Chandler and life inside ISM
32:02 — Losing confidence in 2007
36:09 — The 2007 Dunhill Links
38:27 — Mallorca: “Just don’t shank it”
42:09 — From survival to victory in New Zealand
44:25 — Winning the Irish Open — from inside the river
48:35 — Wet shoes, police outriders and a Ryanair queue
52:14 — Rory McIlroy at 15 and “Robert Finch”
53:52 — Winning twice, Ryder Cup talk and trying to improve
56:55 — Injury and the end of Tour life
1:00:36 — Rediscovering the fun at RNGC
1:02:16 — Why golf remains a great game
Links
Follow Richard Finch on Instagram
Follow RNGC, Dan's backyard golf club, on Instagram at @rngc2021
Read Dan Davies on Substack at The Sacred Acre
Get 20% of your next purchase from soundergolf.com with the code Pod20
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25: Gordon Simpson: Ryder Cups to Murder at Wentworth
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 01:11:29
Few people have enjoyed a better seat from which to watch the story of modern professional golf unfold than Gordon Simpson.
A sports journalist from the age of 17, Gordon became golf correspondent of the Press & Journal in Aberdeen aged 21 — and promptly found himself walking every yard of the final two rounds of legendary 1977 Open at Turnberry as Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus fought out the Duel in the Sun. From there came football World Cups, Masters Tournaments, Ryder Cups and encounters with many of sport's biggest personalities.
In this episode of This Golfing Life, Gordon recalls the old newspaper world of hot metal, being desperately ill on his first morning at Augusta in 1996, watching Nick Faldo dismantle Norman six days later and then winning the press ballot to play Augusta National himself the following morning. A year later he watched Tiger transform the sport — and heard Earl Woods make predictions about his son that initially seemed preposterous.
Gordon later crossed what he calls the "Great Divide", becoming Director of Communications for the European Tour and seeing professional golf from the inside looking out. He shares memories of flying over North America on 9/11, Darren Clarke's emotional Ryder Cup at the K Club, Paul McGinley's obsessive attention to detail — and the excruciating moment Gordon invited Hunter Mahan to speak after the 2010 defeat at Celtic Manor, only for Mahan to burst into tears.
Finally, Gordon explains how a story told to him by a European Tour colleague provided the ending for his debut crime novel, Four Deadly Swings, which is set around a professional golf tournament at Wentworth, Gordon's professional home for many years.
Chapters
00:00 — Introducing this week’s guest and his connection to Wentworth
03:21 — Growing up surrounded by sport
05:43 — From junior reporter to golf correspondent at 21
10:13 — Drinking, smoking and hot metal: a different time for newspapers
17:52 — Turnberry 1977 and The Duel in the Sun
19:59 — Tom Watson: triumph, heartbreak and enduring class
25:00 — World Cups, Kenny Dalglish and an airport security scare
30:06 — Gordon's unforgettable first Masters34:24 — Playing Augusta National
38:39 — 1997: Tiger Woods changes everything
42:16 — Crossing the Great Divide
47:03 — The golfers behind the public personas
50:48 — Seve destroys Gordon's interview in two questions
54:36 — Flying over America on 9/11 and getting stranded in Canada
57:48 — The Ryder Cup press conference from hell01:00:47 — Darren Clarke and the K Club
01:06:06 — What makes a great Ryder Cup captain?
01:09:10 — ‘Four Deadly Swings’, Gordon’s new crime thriller set at Wentworth
01:15:13 — What golf has given Gordon Simpson
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24. John E Morgan (Pt.2): "I had a Ryder Cup in me"
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 54:09
In Part Two of our extended conversation with John E Morgan, we pick up one of golf's most extraordinary career trajectories. Within months of turning professional, Morgan wins on the Challenge Tour, earns his European Tour card and then heads to America, where — inspired by watching Tiger Woods at close quarters — he emerges from PGA Tour Q School with a second Tour card. Suddenly the docker's son from Bristol is sharing ranges with Ernie Els and meeting his childhood heroes, while still sufficiently starstruck to sprint across a golf course for Adam Sandler's autograph.
We hear about life in America, electric-blue hair, meeting Seve Ballesteros and the loneliness behind Morgan's relentlessly exuberant exterior. Then comes the extraordinary final round of the 2004 John Deere Classic: a back-nine charge, increasingly wild fist pumps and a 30-foot birdie putt at the last to force a playoff that could have changed his life. Morgan reflects candidly on what victory might have meant — and whether his personality could actually have coped with everything that would have followed.
But just a week later Morgan suffered a serious seizure on a plane, and epilepsy became an increasingly destructive presence in his career. He tells us why he eventually had to walk away from professional golf, how broadcasting gave him another way into the game he loves, and why, despite everything he achieved, he remains convinced there was a Ryder Cup player inside him. It's a story of talent and what-ifs, but also enormous gratitude: as Morgan puts it, “At least I had a piece of the pie.”
Key quotes
“I definitely felt there was a Ryder Cup in me.”
“I was more starstruck than I was intimidated.”
“Whatever cloud I was on, I was on it and I felt like Monkey Magic.”
“It’s not just about me, it’s about everyone else.”
“At least I had a piece of the pie. At least I tasted it.”
“Do I think I'd be alive to tell this tale if that putt would have gone in? That's the truth.”
Chapters
00:00 — Coming Up: The John E Morgan Story Continues
01:12 — Turning pro and tearing up the EuroPro Tour
04:01 — Bowood: The tournament that changed everything
06:37 — The 40-footer that became “absolute fruit bat”
09:29 — From Challenge Tour winner to European Tour Player
11:04 — Taking a wild shot at PGA Tour Q School
11:50 — A seizure with four holes to play
13:20 — Watching Tiger and finding his swing
17:44 — Two tour cards in eight extraordinary months
20:42 — Hawaii, the PGA Tour and chasing Adam Sandler
22:28 — Starstruck but never intimidated
24:16 — Meeting Seve Ballesteros
26:13 — Why John dyed his hair electric blue
28:15 — Money, Miami and loneliness in America
29:42 — The 2004 John Deere Classic
31:57 — Going mental on the back nine
33:25 — Fist pumps and a clutch 30-footer at 18
35:11 — The playoff that could have changed everything
39:33 — “Would I be alive if that putt had gone in?”
41:03 — When epilepsy took control
45:22 — Finding a second life in broadcasting
46:00 — What's been lost from modern pro golf?
47:55 — The happiest days of his golfing life
49:19 — “I had a Ryder Cup in me”
50:48 — No regrets, gratitude and treating people well
Links
John E Morgan on Instagram
RNGC, Dan Davies' backyard golf course
Dan Davies on Substack
Get 20% of your next Sounder Golf purchase with code POD20
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23. John E Morgan (Pt.1): The Jester, The Menace, The Talent
Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 55:16
This week on This Golfing Life, we begin a special two-part interview with former PGA Tour and European Tour pro John E Morgan — one of the game’s great characters, and a golfer whose rise was as unconventional as the man himself.
In Part 1, John takes us back to a working-class childhood in Portishead, growing up as the only son of a Bristol docker and falling hopelessly in love with golf. He talks candidly about dyslexia, bullying at school, the obsessive competitive streak that drove him on, and why his larger-than-life personality never quite fitted the blazer-dominated culture of elite amateur golf.
He also opens up about the epilepsy diagnosis that would shape his career, the moment he considered walking away from golf altogether, and the brutally simple advice from his father that changed his mind. The episode ends with an extraordinary twist in Spain: a £50 golf commercial, two holed shots, and a chance encounter with the man who would bankroll his professional dream.
Key quotes
“It’s hard to feel vulnerable when you feel invincible.”
“I had to be the jester. I had to be the one that brought the laughs. I had to be the crazy one that would do something off the wall.”
“I didn’t play ball. I was the jester and the menace. You told me to go that way, I’d go the other.”
“I was just loud and proud golf, mate. Loud and proud.”
“You’ve been given a chance, John. Go and use it.”Chapters
00:00 — Introducing this week’s guest, John E Morgan:
Part 102:28 — Where golf first entered John’s life
03:11 — Growing up the son of a Bristol docker
04:40 — His sporting father and an unusual golf education
06:28 — A hole-in-one aged 10
08:32 — Seve, Sandy, Faldo and his childhood heroes
10:16 — Always looking for the outrageous shot
11:07 — Dyslexia, bullying and school
12:43 — The teacher who told him to stop talking about golf
13:48 — The scrapper and the will to win
15:24 — The making of his short game
18:42 — What separates the very best players
24:20 — Tiger, Vijay and life among the greats
29:09 — England golf and when your face doesn’t fit
32:44 — The jester, the menace and the night that changed everything
37:24 — Epilepsy and feeling vulnerable
44:00 — Dad’s reality check: golf or the docks?
46:56 — Spain, the buggy boys and a £50 commercial
49:39 — Two hole-outs and finding the golden goose
53:04 — Coming in part two: the meteoric rise
Links
John E Morgan on Instagram
RNGC, Dan Davies' backyard golf course
Dan Davies on Substack
Get 20% of your next Sounder Golf purchase with code POD20
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22. Harry Stokes: "We were bad. But we had a great time"
Friday, August 14, 2026 • Duration 01:01:19
What happens when you become the coach of an NCAA Division I college golf team with no coaching experience, only two golfers, and a season that has to be completed? For Harry Stokes, the answer was to recruit a triple jumper, a cheerleader and a football team manager, none of whom had ever swung a golf club, give them a crash course in the game and somehow get them through a college golf season.
What followed is one of the funniest — and ultimately most uplifting — stories we’ve featured on This Golfing Life.
A fourth-generation golf professional from Florida, Harry Stokes had become disillusioned with the game and stepped away from the golf industry altogether when an unlikely opportunity arrived: coaching the struggling women’s golf programme at Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Harry recalls the team's first match that took seven-and-a-half hours to complete, a player taking over 20 shots on a hole, another becoming stranded in a bunker, and Renijah Howard hitting the opposition coach’s pushchair (with her toddler in it) with her opening tee shot — before later being forced to withdraw from the Conference Championship because she ran out of golf balls.
But underneath the comedy is a remarkable story about perseverance, perspective and what sport is actually for. Harry explains how players who could barely hit a golf ball learned to celebrate tiny victories, how he became determined that Bethune-Cookman would be remembered for its attitude rather than its scores, and why getting one of his players around the end-of-season Conference Championship in four-and-a-half hours while shooting 287 for 18 holes remains one of his proudest achievements as a coach.
The experience changed Harry, too. Once a player who allowed his score to define his relationship with golf, coaching beginners gave him a completely different understanding of the game. Golf stopped being something that validated him and became something to be enjoyed, shared and used to bring people together.
He also reveals just how important that seemingly hopeless first season was: Bethune-Cookman needed the women’s team to complete its eight events to help the university maintain NCAA sports sponsorship.
And, having initially wondered whether the experience had “broken” him, Harry stayed. He began rebuilding the programme, saw Bethune-Cookman start competing again and discovered that his real ambition as a coach was about far more than producing professional golfers or winning trophies.
For Harry, success is creating a team whose players will still be friends decades from now — connected by the experience of having worked, struggled and competed together.
This is a conversation about one of the worst teams in college golf — and why being terrible at golf might have taught their coach more about the game than being good at it ever did.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing this week’s guest, Harry Stokes
01:28 Two golfers in a team requiring five players to complete the season
04:14 Building a golf team overnight. A triple jumper, a cheerleader and a football coach
07:54 The first tournament: “I had no idea what was coming”
11:30 A first tee shot into the opposition coach’s pushchair
15:30 “Maybe we should set a limit here”
17:12 Huge scores, swarms of bugs and an ordeal the opposition had not anticipated.
19:20 Did somebody shoot 360?
21:41 Learning how to be bad at golf
23:08 The SWAC Championship. The team’s first proper multi-school championship.
25:00 Shooting 287 in four-and-a-half hours27:45 “I ran out of balls”. Renijah’s SWAC Championship comes to a premature end
29:03 “We were bad and had a great time”31:32 Celebrating the smallest improvements.
34:06 Get 20% of your next purchase at Sounder Golf
34:24 The toll on Harry
36:42 Rediscovering his love of golf
38:30 “You might have broken me”. Why Harry almost walked away
40:00 The conversation that changed everything
41:00 Another novice arrives but Bethune-Cookman at last has foundations
44:21 Why the team embraced its weakest player
46:34 What terrible golfers taught Harry about golf
47:33 Falling back in love with the game. How coaching beginners changed Harry’s relationship with golf.
51:57 “We’re really not a bad team. ”The moment Bethune-Cookman begins to compete
54:30 The season that helped save Bethune-Cookman athletics
55:07 Rebuilding a university and a team56:30 What success really looks like — friendships and memories that last longer than scores.
58:58 Harry and Dan reflect on what this extraordinary team ultimately reveals about golf, coaching and belonging.
Links
Bethune-Cookman's women's golf team
Dan Davies on Substack
RNGC, Dan Davies' backyard golf course
Get 20% of your next purchase at Sounder Golf using code POD20
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21. Robert Lee: Discos, Seve & Sky Sports
Episode 1
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 01:05:48
Former European Tour winner and Sky Sports Golf commentator Robert Lee joins Dan Davies for a warm, funny and deeply reflective conversation about a lifetime in the game.
Robert traces his journey from a 10-year-old discovering golf on a pitch-and-putt course in Bournemouth, through his formative years at Richmond Park and Royal Mid-Surrey, to competing against legends including Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam during one of the strongest eras in European golf. Along the way, he explains why he trained as a watchmaker before turning professional, how he learned to survive the brutal Monday qualifiers of the early 1980s, and why winning on Tour required a complete change in mindset.
Robert also shares colourful stories from Tour life, including the truth behind his famous love of "discos", why he couldn't bear sitting alone in hotel rooms, his mischievous friendship with Mark Roe, and how he ended up winning the Cannes Open after a night out that finished at 2am. He reflects on his memorable Open Championship debut at Royal St George's in 1985, falling foul of the R&A in 1987, the pressures of keeping a Tour card, and why the real stress in professional golf isn't winning tournaments – it's simply surviving.
The conversation concludes with Robert's second career behind the microphone, his philosophy on broadcasting, the joy of family life, and why, after more than 40 years in the game, golf still remains his greatest passion after his wife and daughters.
Key Topics
Discovering golf through pitch-and-putt
Richmond Park and Royal Mid-Surrey's remarkable golfing culture
Choosing golf over a career as a watchmaker
Learning from Seve, Faldo, Langer, Woosnam and the great European Tour generation
Winning twice on the European Tour
The famous "discos" story and life on Tour in the 1980s
The 1985 Open Championship at Royal St George's
The pressure of Monday qualifiers and keeping a Tour card
Golf, confidence and the psychology of performance
Fatherhood, family and life after competitive golf
Becoming one of Sky Sports Golf's leading commentators
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to this week’s guest, Robert Lee
01:17 Robert Lee’s early golf memories
05:05 Rob’s journey through junior golf
13:27 Going low and knowing he was good enough to turn pro
16:05 Finding his feet on the European Tour
18:15 The class of '83: Rob's circle of close friends on tour
19:23 The lure of nightlife and Rob's dislike of hotel rooms
23:16 Why the DP World Tour gives players a better grounding
25:34 Get 20% off your next Sounder Golf order
26:26 1985: Rob's breakthrough year
30:28 His first win on tour and a big night out in Cannes
33:31 The shots that remain in Rob's heart and mind
35:26 Shooting a 61 en route to win number two
36:53 Drawing the ire of the R&A and Honorable Company at the ‘87 Open
42:42 The players Rob loved to watch
45:29 The lean years, resilience and learning about himself
52:04 Rob's second career as a TV golf commentator
56:37 The importance of offering a player's perspective
59:13 The most interesting characters he's met on tour
Links
Robert Lee on Instagram
Robert Lee on Twitter
Get 20% off your next Sounder Golf purchase with code POD20
Dan Davies on Substack - The Sacred Acre
RNGC - Dan Davies' backyard golf course
Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club
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20. Gordon Smart: The Game That Brought Me Back
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 01:07:18
Broadcaster, journalist and lifelong golf fanatic Gordon Smart joins Dan Davies for one of the most entertaining and revealing conversations yet on This Golfing Life.
From hosting Jon Rahm and Tom Grennan at The Open to following Scotland at the World Cup, Gordon shares remarkable stories from a life spent at the heart of sport, music, broadcasting and Fleet Street. But beneath the laughter lies a deeply personal story of resilience.
Gordon reflects on growing up in the golfing heartland of Fife, learning the game with his grandfather, the magical pull of St Andrews, and why golf remains unlike any other sport. He also opens up about the devastating period that saw him lose his voice, his radio career and much of the life he'd built during the pandemic — and how walking the fairways of Kinross Golf Club became the therapy that helped him rebuild.
Along the way, there are tales of Sean Connery and Michael Caine's legendary clubhouse nights, Alan Hansen's house at Royal Birkdale, playing The Old Course in reverse, Fleet Street excess, Scotland's unforgettable World Cup adventure, and why golf is ultimately about far more than the scorecard.
This is a conversation about friendship, identity, resilience and why the game we love has an extraordinary ability to heal.
In this episode
Hosting Jon Rahm and Tom Grennan during Open Championship week
Why Tom Grennan fell in love with golf
The magic of The Open at Royal Birkdale, Portrush and St Andrews
Growing up between Gleneagles and St Andrews
Childhood golf in Fife and the influence of family
Hidden gem Scottish golf courses
Golf and mental health during the pandemic
Losing his voice—and rebuilding his life
Fleet Street, celebrity journalism and life at The Sun
Playing The Old Course backwards
Scotland's World Cup journey and the spirit of the Tartan Army
Why golf remains the greatest game of all
Chapters
00:00 Introducing this week’s guest, Gordon Smart
01:43 Hosting Jon Rahm and Tom Grennan at The Open
03:03 Tom Grennan's extraordinary journey to golf
04:47 Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Open week at Birkdale
07:21 Why The Open is golf's greatest championship
08:13 Growing up between St Andrews and Gleneagles
10:25 The magic of St Andrews and unforgettable Open memories
12:56 Jim Leishman, the R&A and golfing royalty
15:40 Why elite sportspeople become obsessed with golf
18:31 Learning the game in Kinross
22:45 Scotland's hidden nine-hole gems
24:12 Golf tours, Jimmy Nesbitt and surviving Portrush
26:12 Losing everything during the pandemic
30:42 Golf as therapy, memory and healing
35:18 Football dreams and choosing journalism
38:09 Fleet Street, celebrity culture and life at The Sun
43:41 The impossible balance of celebrity journalism
49:37 Playing The Old Course... backwards
53:08 Scotland, the World Cup and the Tartan Army
57:54 France '98, football memories and what sport means
Links
Gordon Smart on Instagram
Dan Davies on Substack
RNGC - Dan Davies’ backyard golf course
Kinross Golf Club
Get 20% of your next purchase at SounderGolf.com with code POD20
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
19. Jim Hartsell: Worship in Golf's Tiny Chapels
Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 01:07:06
A far-reaching and candid conversation with American author Jim Hartsell, who talks about his profound love for Scottish golf, his personal journey from playing with generations of his family in Alabama, the tragic loss of his son Jordan, and how the people, the golf culture and the less-heralded courses of Scotland provided sanctuary n his darkest times. Jim discusses how these experiences have shaped his writing and also shares stories behind Tennessee's cult 9-hole course Sweetens Cove, his books, and the deep cultural ties that make Scottish golf uniquely special.
Key TopicsThe significance of the 1977 Open Championship to Jim
The connection between family and golf across generations
The story behind Sweetens Cove and its architectural philosophy
Jim Hartsell's books: The Secret Home of Golf, When Revelation Comes, and A Round of Scottish Courses
The importance of small, historic Scottish courses and their preservation
Chapters
00:00 Introducing this week's guest, Jim Hartsell
01:42 1977 Open at Turnberry: Jim’s first Scottish golf memory
04:50 Growing up playing golf in Alabama
08:12 First Scottish golf trip with Dad in 1994
14:45 The spiritual pull of Machrihanish and Dunaverty
19:35 The Secret Home of Golf: Sweetens Cove
27:08 King Collins - Golf architecture philosophy
32:26 Get a 20% discount on your next Sounder purchase
32:39 Family tragedy and Jim's second book
39:51 The kindness and empathy of the Scottish people
44:22 Author Stephen Proctor and The Duffers' Literary Podcast
45:19 Jim's latest book on the "tiny chapels of Scottish golf"
52:29 Recapturing the joy of childhood play on Scottish courses
55:47 Dan invites Jim to Royal North Devon, The Cradle of English Golf
01:00:17 Jim Hartsell's deepening connection with Scotland through golf
01:02:58 A shout out to Jim at Back Nine Press
Links
Jim Hartsell on Twitter
Jim Hartsell’s website
Sweeten's Cove Golf Course
The Secret Home of Golf by Jim Hartsell (Back Nine Press)
When Revelation Comes by Jim Hartsell (Back Nine Press)
A Round of Scottish Courses by Jim Hartsell (Back Nine Press)
Dan Davies on Substack
RNGC backyard golf course on Instagram
Get 20% of your next purchase with Sounder using code POD20
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
18. Bill Elliott: "My life with Seve, Norman, Faldo, Langer, & Woosie"
Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 01:08:25
In this episode, veteran golf journalist Bill Elliott shares his colourful experiences covering the game's biggest names in the '80s and ‘90s. Host Dan Davies dives into Bill’s many stories about the most iconic golfers of the era – Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, players and people that Bill got to know well. The conversation includes thoughts on their different personalities, the dynamics between them, and how the landscape of professional golf has changed.
Main Topics
Bill Elliott’s first Open Championship in 1969
The rise of the European Tour, led by Seve Ballesteros, and the impact on golf’s global popularity
The transformation of golf journalism from in-person access to today's more controlled environment
Behind-the-scenes anecdotes about legendary players such as Seve, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Ian Woosnam, and Bernhard Langer
The influence of faith, personal struggles, and friendships in Bernhard Langer’s life
The emergence of Tiger Woods and his impact on the cultural perception of golf
Greg Norman’s legacy and his turbulent attempts to create a global pro tour
Bill’s “truly horrendous” experience with Nick Faldo
Chapters
00:00 Introducing this week's guest, Bill Elliott
01:48 Bill Elliott's first Open Championship in 1969
04:52 The impact of the Big Five on European golf
11:16 Balancing friendships in pro golf with the job of being a reporter
14:32 Bernhard Langer: the toughest nut to crack
18:00 The importance of faith to Bernhard Langer
25:23 Get a 20% discount on Sounder with this code
25:40 Similar types: The dynamic between Seve and Langer
30:29 Getting to know Seve and a memorable James Bond stunt
36:55 The British connection: Faldo, Lyle and Woosnam
39:40 Was Nick Faldo “socially awkward”?
41:58 All change in the Tiger Woods era
44:35 First meeting Greg Norman and the seeds of a long friendship
49:55 Greg Norman's first war with the PGA Tour
56:18 Falling out with Kenny Dalglish and Nick Faldo
01:04:19 Ian Woosnam: A spiky character
Links
Get 20% off your net purchase at www.soundergolf.com with code POD20
Follow Dan Davies on Substack: The Sacred Acre
Follow RNGC on Instagram
Watch this episode on YouTube at SounderGolf
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17. Matthew Southgate: “My Dad, The Open and Me”
Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 01:14:33
Six Open Championships. Countless battles. One unforgettable story.
This week on This Golfing Life, you're about to hear one of the most candid, emotional and inspiring conversations we've ever recorded.
In a few days, Matthew Southgate will tee it up in The Open Championship for the seventh time after once again battling his way through Final Qualifying. But this story is about so much more than golf.
It's the story of a little boy who fell in love with The Open because of his father. A father who taught him to shape golf shots in the woods before school, who drove him hundreds of miles to Carnoustie because he believed it was the greatest golf course on earth, and who passed on a lifelong obsession with links golf and the Open Championship itself.
Matthew speaks with extraordinary honesty about surviving cancer, losing that father far too soon, the grief that followed, and the battle with alcohol that almost consumed him.
He relives the unforgettable Open moments that have defined his career, explains why he believes links golf still brings out the very best in him, and reveals why, as he heads to Royal Birkdale, he genuinely believes he can remind the golfing world exactly what he's capable of.
This isn't just the story of one of Britain's finest links golfers. It's a story about family, loss, resilience — and a lifelong love affair with The Open Championship.
Welcome to This Golfing Life with Matthew Southgate.
Key topics
Why The Open Championship means more to Matthew Southgate than any other tournament
How his father shaped his love of links golf — and the remarkable Carnoustie connection
The story behind six successful Open Final Qualifying campaigns
Fighting testicular cancer, coping with grief and overcoming alcohol dependence
Inside his unforgettable Open Championship performances, including Royal Birkdale
Why links golf rewards imagination, creativity and courage over power
Why Matthew believes he can once again challenge at this year's Open Championship
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to this week's guest, Matthew Southgate
01:56 Why the Open is so special to Matt
07:08 Thorpe Hall GC and giving back to his home club
10:01 Influences and mentorship in his early days
15:05 Qualifying for another Open - Matt's journey to Birkdale
20:09 The role of Carnoustie in Matt's life and development as a golfer
24:51 "He was born to play links golf": The role of Matt's Dad
28:02 Matt’s links golf heroes
30:17 The unique challenge of links golf
35:03 Tom Watson - taking his Dad to watch his hero at Turnberry
38:47 Learning from great Open champions - Woods, Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino
41:14 Matt's love of the Old Course and successes at St Andrews
45:41 A shared passion: Matt's fondest memories of his Dad
52:27 Being diagnosed with testicular cancer and being inspired by the Open
56:19 Success in the 2016 Open at Troon
57:38 Tying for 6th in the 2017 Open at Birkdale
01:00:19 Playing at Birkdale in 2026, plus Billy Foster on the bag
01:03:05 Finding form and feeling confident in his game
01:03:29 Battling grief and acknowledging his drink problem
01:09:22 Golf is for nutters — all golfers are crazy!
Links
Matthew Southgate on Instagram
Matt on Twitter/X
Dan Davies on Substack
RNGC - Britain's premier backyard golf course
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