Final Shot with Don Riddell

Seve’s aside, which interviews stand out?

I interviewed Tiger [Woods] five times before the fire hydrant incident. Those were always pretty special and it is interesting looking back at them with the benefit of hindsight, listening to the things he used to say. For instance, he would freely talk about how lucky he was to have his wife and family. I recall asking him once how he’d like to be remembered and he replied along the lines of not wanting to be remembered for being a golfer but for his actions as a human being. That was when we now know he was misbehaving a bit. I guess he thought he’d never get found out.

Will Tiger win a major this year?

The major courses favour him this year and despite not winning one for so long, you still wouldn’t bet against him. But when he was away and not playing [post scandal] he allowed everyone else to get used to others winning majors. Nobody fears him anymore. That’s the key. You have to look at all the other players who are capable of winning. He didn’t have it easy when he was dominating; he earned it. But that aura of invincibility just evaporated. People saw him as human, whereas up until that point he was seen as being superhuman.

If you were a betting man, who do you think will win?

[Rory] McIlroy will surely win another one. He’s not going to have another year like last year and he’s started off this season very well. What I like about him is his honesty; he tells it like it is. I expect he’s going to become more careful and corporate in what he says now he’s with Nike, but he’ll admit when he’s wrong and give you an honest answer. He’s probably looking back at all the things he tried to embrace last year - not having enough time to play with new clubs - and regretted it. I’d definitely put him down for another major this year.

Golf journalists tend to have a list of players they don’t particularly enjoy interviewing, but how do golfers compare to other sportspeople in terms of making time for the media?

Golf is a sport where by and large players have got to be on their best behaviour - they’re representing themselves, not hiding behind a team. If you’re a jerk to a journalist you run the risk of damaging your brand and losing your endorsements, so golfers compare very well to other sportsmen. If I can generalise, they tend to be well educated and most of the experiences I’ve had with them have been very positive.

Do you have a favourite golf course?

Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand … what’s not to like about that place? Part of the allure is getting there after being on a plane for a long time; it feels like you’re at the end of the world. They call New Zealand the Land of the Long White Cloud and that’s exactly what we saw when we were there: a long white cloud spreading across the horizon.

Another course that I went to but didn’t play is Old Head in Ireland. We were doing a shoot profiling rich Americans playing helicopter golf. That looked amazing.

You’re a keen photographer. Is there a golfing image that for you perfectly encapsulates the sport?

That shot of Seve in full flight [taken by Dave Cannon at the 1988 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes]. If you don’t know a lot about golf you might not think it’s really a sport - it’s just a man swinging a stick. But in that picture, Seve really does look like an athlete on the charge!