We talk to author Tom Cox about his critically acclaimed golf book 'Bring Me The Head Of Sergio Garcia'.
Dave Tindall talks to author Tom Cox about his critically acclaimed golf book 'Bring Me The Head Of Sergio Garcia'
Each Christmas, when I open the presents sent from my well-meaning parents, my heart sinks when I rip the wrapping off the package containing a book called "world's favourite golf jokes".
The problem is I don't find these at all funny. Just looking at the cartoon drawing of an old-fashioned golfer on the cover wipes any sort of festive smile off my face and the book is usually slid out of view under a selection box which, despite being in my 40s, my parents also still send me (no complaints there).
But golf books can be funny though. Very funny in fact.
And when a former Ryder Cup skipper describes one as full of "razor sharp insights and buckets of humour", adding "I can't recommend it highly enough", it's worth taking notice.
The book in question is Bring Me The Head Of Sergio Garcia by Tom Cox and the gushing review comes from 1997 European captain Mark James.
It brilliantly and very humourously tells the tale of how Cox rekindles his teenage dream of turning pro and tries to win a spot in The Open Championship.
Without giving too much away, let's just say we shouldn't expect to see him contesting the Claret Jug at Muirfield this year.
Books of golf jokes may serve a purpose as stocking fillers but if you're looking for something with a bit more intelligence, wit and imagination that gets to the true heart of this often absurd game, Bring Me The Head Of Sergio Garcia is an excellent alternative.
Interview with author Tom Cox
Sky Sports: When the book was conceived and released, Sergio Garcia was one of the world's best and thus it made sense to aim for his scalp. Were there times during his slump in 2009/10 when you wished you'd called it something else? Not everyone will be aware that it's a play on Sam Peckinpah's 1974 surreal movie 'Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia' so were you concerned that people might look at the title of the book and think you were a madman who actually wanted to kill him? :)
Tom Cox: To be honest, I've never wished I'd called it something else because it was one of those titles that arrived in perfect unison with the idea for the book, and I never doubted for a second that it was right (having written six and a half books, and scrapped various others, I know that's a rare and lovely confluence). Obviously I wish he'd won a major in 2007 or 2008 and the book had received stratospheric sales as a result, got an American deal and been made into a ridiculously overblown Hollywood film, but I was aware of the risks: Sergio was already a very mercurial and unreliable player by 2005, when I came up with the title. I think I actually have almost wanted to kill him at times, since he is arguably the most frustrating golfer in the world to watch. I think, by the standards of most of his fans, my rage at his repeated underachievements is quite mild. I have friends I've seen harm themselves and their furniture upon witnessing him mess up on the last day of a major.
Sky Sports: After being obsessed by golf as a teenager, how on earth did you stay away from it for eight years?
TC: The simple answer is that I realised that some things are more important than golf. And by "some things" I mean "one thing". And by "one thing" I mean "having a sex life".
Sky Sports: Having your first hole-in-one played a part in
