Joy of Golf: Tiger Woods wilts, Rory McIlroy stays focused

Joy Chakravarty 10:14 05/02/2015
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Struggling: Tiger Woods had a nightmare at The Phoenix Open.

    It really was a fascinating week for some of the superstars of the game as happenings on and off the course made for some incredible drama.

    It all started with the highly anticipated return of Tiger Woods, who began his season at the Phoenix Open; while the spotlight was equally trained on Rory McIlroy, considering he was playing a week before a court case which yesterday ended with him losing something in the region of $20m in settlement with a former agent.

    – #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Towers Rotana, Dubai
    – Different Strokes: Rory McIlroy avoids ‘Courtroom Nightmares’ 
    – 
    Tiger Woods decline becoming as compelling as his rise to greatness

    There was also excitement because the new season of the LPGA Tour was starting with the 17-year-old phenomenon Lydia Ko
    on the verge of making history, and there was apprehension for Martin Kaymer, who was making his return to tournament golf after inexplicably losing a 10-shot lead with 12 holes to play in Abu Dhabi.

    But let’s start with Woods. The rank last finish in Phoenix is being seen as a career low, and he continues to struggle with his chipping. Some experts are already writing him off, saying he has the yips while chipping, but I think what’s happening is that he is suffering a technique overdose and so the two things that come very naturally to a golfer – putting and chipping – are being affected.

    Torrey Pines this week will be very important for Woods. It is a place where he has won seven times. A win, given the state of
    his game, would be asking for too much, but a decent finish, and one without any fluffed chips, would be very welcome for his fans.

    World No1 Rory McIlroy was in outstanding form in Dubai at the weekend.

    No such issues with McIlroy, who won his second Dubai Desert Classic title on Sunday. Once again, there was a lot going on in his mind – namely, that multi-million dollar lawsuit – but the world No1 showed once again that his mental strength is now at another level.

    Talking of mental strength, how about that of Kaymer? He confronted his demons brilliantly after the Abu Dhabi collapse, and the top-five finish in Dubai, including a 64 on the final day, could be the start of another great run for the German.

    However, the biggest achievement of the week has to be Lydia Ko climbing up to the No1 rank in ladies golf. She is just 17, while Woods did it at the age of 21. I think we are looking at another once-in-a-lifetime player. In the 14 months since she turned pro, Ko has won four titles and has 15 top-10s.

    Sky’s the limit for The Open
    Best of British: Nick Faldo won three Opens.

    The decision of the R&A to take live coverage away from the BBC and hand the telecast rights of the Open Championship to Sky Sports from 2017 onwards has attracted heavy criticism from the British media.

    The players have also joined in, and the general view is that the restricted viewership will be detrimental to the sport.

    I think it is wrong to just blame the R&A and label them greedy for agreeing to the five-year deal, which is thought to be earning them £15 million (Dh83.9m) per annum as opposed to the £7m (Dh39.2m) they were getting from the BBC. More than the R&A, the BBC and the Government should take the heat for what has happened.

    The Government gets dragged into this because for some inexplicable reason, they have refused to include The Open in their list of ‘crown jewels’ – prestigious events of national importance which are protected under the 1996 Broadcasting Act, and have to be shown mandatorily on free-to-air television.

    The Open Championship is after all the oldest sporting event in that present list, and has had more British players contending for top honours than others.

    The BBC is to also to blame because they did not make any concerted effort to retain the Open.

    They were more interested in the Premier League highlights package, for which they dished out £204m (Dh1.1bn) for a 10-year deal in 2009. 

    The caddies strike
    Bubba Watson celebrates his victory with his caddy after winning the WGC-HSBC Champions Golf tournament in Shanghai.

    Really interesting news coming from the USA that the professional caddies are suing the PGA Tour for forcing them to wear caddie bibs in tournaments with sponsors logo.

    As many as 82 caddies have got together and filed a case in a District Court in California, claiming they “are made to serve as billboards to advertise, at the direction of the PGA Tour, for some of the most profitable companies in the world without compensation”.

    If a decision is made against the PGA Tour, there are some experts who believe the pay-out could be in the range of $50m to $300m.

    Stats of the Week
    Rory McIlroy earns an estimated €182,278 per pound

    Here are some amazing stats regarding McIlroy’s last seven starts on the European Tour:

    0 – finishes outside the top two.
    1 – only over-par round in this period was a 73 in the first round of the Dunhill Links Championship.
    118 – under-par is his cumulative score.
    182,278 – euro, earnings per round.

    Recommended