Joy of Golf: Critics of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are being unfair

Joy Chakravarty 16:35 09/07/2015
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • A week before the third major championship of the year, it’s no wonder that the top two players in the world are making all the news – albeit for all the wrong reasons.

    World No1 Rory McIlroy’s case is well documented – he ruptured his ankle ligament playing football and, sadly, will now not be defending his title at St Andrews.

    The injury has led to a lot of sympathy, as well as criticism for his lifestyle. Somewhat unfairly, there are fans out there who cannot understand how the Northern Irishman can indulge in a sport that carries the risk of causing him physical harm.

    And then there is world No2 Jordan Spieth. On the cusp of doing something very special – having won the Masters and US Open this year, he has the chance of becoming the first golfer ever to win a calendar grand slam (Bobby Jones won it in the pre-Masters era) – the American has decided to play the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour the week before the Open.

    That decision of Spieth’s has befuddled the media and fans. Everyone expected him to be preparing better for the Open at St Andrews by either playing the Scottish Open, which is also being played on a links course, or head to the Home of Golf early and get himself acquainted to the nuances and subtleties of the Old Course.

    Instead, he has opted to play a small PGA Tour event on a parkland-style course. The point is, both players are just being themselves and should not take any heat for action that comes naturally to them. 

    – #Quiz360: WIN a gym membership at FitRepublik
    – Joy of Golf: The brilliant and bizarre mind of Bubba
    – VIDEO: Spieth looking forward to battle with McIlroy

    What happened with McIlroy is unfortunate. It could have happened to him while walking to a restaurant for dinner. Surely, people do not expect him to give up eating out, or even walking.

    As for Spieth, I fully expected him to play the John Deere Classic. From my interaction with the young man, I get a sense of him being someone who is full of gratitude.

    He seems like a person who’d go the extra mile to be good to those who have been good to him. The John Deere Classic was the turning point of Spieth’s career.

    That magnificent win in 2013 set him on a path to stardom and he hasn’t once looked back since then. But what he hasn’t forgotten is that the tournament has been magnanimous to him, giving him an invite to play as an amateur in 2012, and then as a non-member of the PGA Tour in 2013.

    So, Spieth is travelling to Silvis in Illinois for a tournament that is offering one of the lowest prize purses on the PGA Tour ($4.7 million) and has just three other players in the top-50 participating (Zach Johnson, Kevin Kisner and Ryan Moore).

    He will then put himself under more pressure by chartering a plane to Edinburgh on Monday, and weather permitting, he will get just two days to find out the intricacies of a links course where he has played only one friendly round before. Will it hamper his preparations for the Open Championship?

    That’s something that can be argued for as long as one wants. Should he have played on a links course the week before? Well, his tournament before the US Open at Chambers Bay was the Memorial at Muirfield Village, two courses as different as chalk and cheese. I thought Tiger Woods put it best.

    When asked about Spieth’s choice of tournament, the former world No1, who knows a few things about winning, said: “I think it’s great for him to play, get the playing feels, keep the playing feels going. Whether you’re playing here or overseas, doesn’t really matter, as long as you have your feels. Feels travel.”

    CaddySack The case of Paul Fusco, the veteran caddie of rookie Sei Young Kim, who is seen as a potential superstar having already won two titles this year, is an intriguing one.

    On Tuesday, ahead of this week’s Women’s US Open, he was caught taking pictures of internal course set-up documents (pin positions, tees to be used etc.) of the USGA on his mobile. Fusco was booted out of the tournament immediately, but Kim won’t be penalised.

    However, Fusco, who has caddied on the PGA Tour for Vijay Singh and Brian Davies, surely needs to be banned by the LPGA for trying to gain unfair advantage over the field.

    But two days after the incident, they are still silent on the issue. Quote of the Week “When Tiger is under pressure, his swing is a completely different speed.

    There are plenty of pressure tee shots at St Andrews to avoid the gorse and put it in the right places.”

    Nick Faldo has his doubts whether Tiger Woods will be able to replicate his 2000 and 2005 Open Championship wins when the tournament is played in St Andrews next week.

    Recommended