There was a hero and an anti-hero among the amateurs at last month's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Oscar Pistorius, the "blade runner" who linked the Olympics and the Paralympics was the former; Bill Murray, the well-known American actor, the latter. Pistorius ran rings round the actor when it came to common courtesy.
Where the actor had a public rant when a television reporter requested a two-minute interview, Pistorius greeted press and public alike with a handshake and thanked them warmly for their interest.
In truth, he added to the general feel-good factor from the moment he arrived at Edinburgh Airport, where he came under the wing of the security official whose usual brief it is to look after Tiger Woods in the UK. When the said security official asked if he could help Pistorius with his clubs, the South African thanked him warmly but said he was fine to carry them himself.
An 18-handicap man, Pistorius was bowled over by what was his first visit to St Andrews. After he had been shown to his room at the luxurious Old Course Hotel, he walked over the 17th and second fairways to the practice ground and, as he put it, “kind of froze” on the way across. “It was such an incredible experience,” he said, with a disbelieving shake of the head. “I’ve watched the pros playing the Old Course on TV for years and I know a bit about the history but to be here myself is amazing. Such a blessing ...”
The sense of awe felt by the athlete on his first practice round – it was absolutely the right time to catch him – was infectious. The rumpled fairways and the oceanic greens, along with bunkers great and small, were all studied as much for their timeless beauty as for course management purposes. There was absolutely nowhere he would rather have been.
Before setting out, he had taken advantage of the two eminent teaching professionals – Grant Hepburn and Robert Baker – imported by Dunhill to work with the championship’s amateur contestants.
Pistorius uses regular prosthetic legs for golf – “I can’t play a lick in my blades” – and has to guard against swinging too quickly and too far. When this combination arises, he goes over on his right foot and struggles to return to an acceptable hitting position.
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