I caught enough of the Open golf championship over the weekend to wonder why it appears obligatory for every golfer to wear a baseball cap. At this year’s US Masters I seem to remember more than one golfer in the interview room still wearing their cap. To my way of thinking that’s plain rude - it displays indifference to the interviewer and the audience, and says you can’t be bothered to take your outdoor clothes off because you’re so keen to get away.

It’s just like Formula 1 racing driver’s post-race interview where they keep their baseball-style caps on. These sports stars are role models and style icons.

Why get hung up on this seeming trifle. Well, when I recently attended the Surrey County Council’s Youth Development Service awards, in a group of youngsters lined up to receive their awards, one of them continued to wear a baseball cap throughout the award ceremony. To him there’s nothing wrong, since sports stars do it.

Sports stars and the young expect respect but don’t offer it when continuing to wear baseball caps at inappropriate times. 

Yep – I know the reason is that sponsors expect those that they sponsor to wear them – and probably in exchange for large dollops of mazuma, and of course, they are sun shades. But it wasn’t always like this. Not all that long ago Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo won major golf championships without wearing one.