Sicknote

Not well today. Nausea, headache and feeling a bit weak and faint. The upshot is off work ill but with so much to get done before the long break over Easter still trying to do what I can. With no golf likely anytime soon I thought I'd blog about my dream fourball and how in recent weeks it has changed.

Seve the Spanish Swashbuckler

When I first started playing the contenders were the greats of the game: Niklaus, Watson, Palmer, Player, Faldo, Woods and of course the irreplaceable Seve Ballesteros. Those were the names I knew and revered. Then as I got into the game more I was exposed to stories of people like Moe Norman, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. Not to forget the Old and Young Tom Morris', James Braid, Bobby Jones etal.

My choice of the perfect fourball would have been one built on nostalgia or talent. Major Major winners who instead of a trophy cabinet or room would require an opulent mansion to be erected in their honour in order to provide sufficient space to house their magnificent haul of silverware. However, I have a sneaking suspicion the atmosphere may have been a little prickly with a focus on performance over fun. Oh how times have changed. You see when I started playing it was all about how good could I get? How low could I go? Now I just want to have a whole load of fun.

So rather than the usual suspects chosen from the Who's Who of golfing greats I'll plum for a modern day triumvirate who I think would be a great craic on the course. My apologies to Norn Iron legend G-Mac you were as close as a brazilian wax to making the cut. Luke Donald you were also squeezed out though the good humour with which you took the watermelon outfit (Augusta Saturday) ribbing on Twitter put you in a whole new light from the reserved and polite Englishman I pigeonholed you as. Justin Rose was almost a shock choice but my first golf memory is JR pitching in on the 18th to finish fourth as an amateur at the 1998 Open. And what of Lee Westwood? Close but no cigar for the amiable chap from Worksop. Besides I've heard it costs £90,000 a round to play with him! Anyway, enough of the ifs, buts and maybes here are the three golfers I'd most like to play with right now!

Ian Poulter

For starters he will probably dress like a pimp , which will get the banter started in the clubhouse while we munch on pre round bacon butties. He's forthright, passionate and funny. I think he'd be a great craic on the course and I'd like to see his short game close up. He's not as good round the greens as Donald, which I'd make sure I remind him of, but still brilliant. He will probably try and sell me some clobber on the way round, and may well design a limited edition putter headover for the occassion, which will be a nice keepsake. But most importantly when I got peckish mid round I'm sure he'd have a few Mars bars to hand.

Bubba Watson

Hits it a country mile (ok technically about a 1/4 of a country mile but you get the picture), that on it's own has to be seen in the flesh. But also, judging by his interview in Golf World this month he loves to mess about on the golf course. I want to see him bend it over houses and bring it back onto the fairway (perhaps he could give young Rory some tips). That shot in Hawaii, you know the one Driver off the deck 305 yards, hard cut to 10 foot for an eagle. Ledge! He just looks like he loves playing and his pink shafted driver shaft will make for an interesting talking point.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy tweeted that he had been spotted house hunting

I have been so impressed with how he handled the Augusta disappointment, not to mention the fact that he is a quite brilliant golfer. By my reckoning he is going to be a major force in world golf and I'd like to play with him before he gets there and becomes too serious! Talented, modest, likeable and funny he would be the perfect final addition to my ultimate modern day fourball.

So those are my picks but who would you have? Have I committed the ultimate faux pas and missed someone off.