It’s been remarkable how Rory McIlroy has been able to come out all guns blazing despite everything that has been happening in his life.
Speaking to the media ahead of the DP World Tour Championship, the world No1 said he was getting better at handling the distractions.
And there have been many these past couple of years. It started with a change in his management company from ISM to Horizon, two broken relationships which became more public than he would have liked and legal battles (one against Oakley, which was amicably settled, and the very bitter ongoing one with Horizon). That’s a lot for someone who is just 25 years old.
The court case against Horizon forced him to pull out of the BMW Masters and the WGC-HSBC Champions earlier this month, and there have been reports in the UK that, worst case scenario, he stands to lose up to £25m (Dh144m).
Throughout all this, and barring that minor dip in form early last year, McIlroy’s golf has remained as solid as ever. The BMW PGA Championship in May this year was perhaps the best example of his mental fortitude. He won the tournament despite announcing his break-up with Caroline Wozniacki that same week.
McIlroy had revealed during his Open romp at Hoylake how he uses a technique to focus better on the golf course by repeating two words – ‘process’ and ‘spot’. ‘Process’ was to help him stick to his routine before hitting his long shots, while ‘Spot’ was to help him putt better by choosing a spot and rolling his putt over it.
It seems McIlroy has been using the technique ever since and it has helped him to concentrate on that particular moment, with just that one single shot.
The Northern Irish star reckons the court case should end in February next year, and that should help him focus on the Masters with a clear mind. Until then, he is going to resort to the ‘two-word’ technique.
Poulter’s book
For someone who claims to have read just one book in his life, Ian Poulter seems to be doing pretty well as an author.
His autobiography, ‘No Limits’, has been flying off the shelves, and he is looking forward to giving it another push next week when he goes on a promotion and book signing tour in London and Manchester.
And yet, the Ryder Cup talisman is not much of a reader himself, with ‘Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times’ the only work of literature he has admitted to reading.
Hopefully, this will not start a debate as to how qualified Poulter is to write a book. Because, this is just an autobiography, and no one can tell the Poulter story, which is very inspirational given the odds he had to face before becoming what he is today, better than Poulter himself.
Touchy Tiger
Talking about writing, Tiger Woods has also been at it recently.
The 14-time major champion wrote on Derek Jeter’s website ‘The Players’ Tribune’ in response to a satirical interview written by the legendary Dan Jenkins in the December issue of Golf Digest.
In that make-believe interview, Jenkins ‘quoted’ Woods on various issues as firing staff, tipping, Sergio Garcia and also alluded to his infidelity scandal.
Woods called it a “a grudge-fueled piece of character assassination”, and has demanded an apology. I can understand his point and some parts would have been extremely uncomfortable for someone who has gone through difficult times recently.
But really, he would have done better to let this pass instead of stoking the fire and bringing more attention to the article.
Garcia’s experiment Looks like Sergio Garcia is turning this into a habit. For the second successive year, he will have a caddie on his bag at theThailand Golf Champion who is sure to draw attention. Last year, Sergio had his girlfriend Katharina Boehm on the bag, and this year, he plans to defend the title with Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former French Open tennis champion, as his man Friday.
As long as Ferrero does not insist on Garcia hitting backhand slices, he should be fine.
Stat of the Week
61.6 – million dollars – the total prize money that players on the LPGA Tour will play for in 2015. It’s the highest total purse ever in the history of the Tour.
