The game of golf, particularly in the barren hinterlands where this correspondent ekes out a humdrum existence, can best be described as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle. It sounds a bit like an assorted collection of my columns, doesn’t it?

Amid the various trials and tribulations that are par for the course in this flabbergasting pursuit, I’ve always found great comfort in my inner serenity, stability and deep-seated connection to my surroundings which allows me to remain defiant and durable in the face of interminable futility.

Somebody once described me as a very grounded golfer, presumably on the basis that I’d spent most of the round skittering my bloomin’ ba’ along that very ground.

But it’s silly to let this maddening game get to you. When I execute yet another shot of woeful ineptitude, I simply stand in philosophical acceptance, drink in the beauty of my environment, express my gratitude for being alive and take a deep breath of pure, invigorating fresh air. That process of self-affirmation then gives me the strength to break the bloody club over my knee.

For Nelly Korda, meanwhile, it’s records that she is attempting to break. Her victory in the Chevron Championship, the opening major of the LPGA Tour season, was her fifth win in a........

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