Tuesday, December 10, 2013
No comments | 8:34 AM
Two of the top four players on the planet tee up in Bangkok this week for the Thailand Golf Championship at Amata Spring Country Club, with Henrik Stenson (4/1) and Justin Rose (7/1) moving from South Africa to steamy South East Asia.
They take with them from Sun City Charl Schwartzel (5/1) and Sergio Garcia (7/1), with the quartet as a whole taking more than 50% out of the book.
Of course, none of them won the preceding Nedbank Challenge, but as those odds imply there is more than every chance that one of them will walk away with the title.
Schwartzel has the course form in the bank; he is the defending champion and was runner-up in 2011. However, as Garcia ensured followers of a profitable week in North West Province, I’d rather stick with the Spaniard.
Garcia ranked second in driving distance last week and his strong play off the tee should stand him in good stead.
Only a second round 73 at the Gary Player Country Club scuppered the Spaniard’s chances of winning last week – along with Thomas Bjorn’s stunning back-nine play – and he surely won’t run into another ‘career best day’ as the Dane put it when just beating Garcia in Sun City.
Garcia has a good record at this time of year and won the Johor Open 12 months ago in Malaysia. He was fourth to Schwartzel in 2012 and of the leading four in the betting he is the value call.
There’ll be plenty of attention on Kiradech Aphibarnrat (20/1) this week, as the Thai is poised to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit – thanks to a victory in the Malaysian Open and five other top-five finishes.
He’s been dealing with the attention well for much of the year and with sixth place in this event last year – not to mention winning the British Open International Final Qualifying in March at this week’s venue – shooting a final round 63 in the process, he is a confident call.
Aphibarnrat says he ‘knows the course quite well’, while form figures of 5-9 coming into this week also bode well for the big hitter, whose length off the tee will be key.
Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 80/1 shot with Ladbrokes, can also hit it out there and while he missed the cut last week in Hong Kong (on a course that didn’t suit) his win in Indonesia on the previous start cannot be ignored.
No comments | 8:29 AM
Rory McIlroy’s year began with a coronation. He was the star attraction at what felt like a rock concert, with music blaring and lasers flashing in a room at Abu Dhabi to celebrate the No. 1 player in golf joining Nike’s stable.
It ended on Sunday with a bogey on the ninth hole at Sherwood Country Club with hardly anyone watching.
An off season never looked more appealing to him.
“It’s been a long season, a long stretch,” McIlroy said after signing for a 70 to finish 11th in an 18-man field at the World Challenge in California. “I’m excited to put the clubs down for a little bit, have a few weeks’ rest and get after it at the start of the new year.”
He won’t have to worry about new equipment next year. He spent the last nine months doing that.
Expectations are sure to be lower.
A year ago, McIlroy was the clear No. 1 in golf. He was coming off another record win in a major — an eight-shot victory in the US PGA Championship — and threw his game into overdrive with two FedEx Cup playoff wins and money titles on both sides of the Atlantic by closing his season with a win in Dubai.
It looked as if he would be there for many years. It lasted three months.
There were equipment issues, a product of changing everything at once instead of slowly working the swoosh into his bag, as Tiger Woods did a decade earlier. He changed management companies, which ordinarily is a seamless transition unless the split is ugly.
McIlroy is scheduled to be in a courtroom in Ireland not long after the Ryder Cup next year. So yes, this is ugly. According to reports in Irish newspapers, he split with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at least twice, maybe three times. Except it wasn’t true. The tennis star was at Sherwood all week, an ever-present smile.
“It’s been the first year I’ve had to put up with scrutiny and criticism,” McIlroy said. “You just have to believe in what you’re doing and not let it get to you too much. I let it get to me a few times.”
Woods went through his first “slump” at age 22 in his second full year as a pro.
“As far as battling a slump, that’s just part of playing golf,” Woods said. “You play golf long enough, you’re going to go through it.”
The great ones emerge. And they don’t stay in slumps for long.
No comments | 8:17 AM
When Ecco told us they had some big news to announce, we had no idea it was "Big Easy" news. The Danish shoe company announced today that they have signed four-time major champion, Ernie Els, as a brand ambassador.
The Big Easy has converted to spikeless shoes in recent seasons and will wear a selection of Ecco shoes in 2014, including the Ecco Tour Hybrids, Ecco BIOM Hybrids and Ecco EVO One Street shoes.
Having undergone knee surgery in 2005, Els says he prefers the comfort and fit of a casual, spikeless shoe compared to traditional golf shoes.
As part of the deal, Ernie will be the feature in adverts and company functions for Ecco and will also display the compay's logo on his cap. Whilst the SAP logo will remain on the front of his cap, Ecco will be branded on the peak.
Just two days after fellow Ecco player Thomas Bjorn won the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Ecco's Jesper Thuen spoke of his admiration for the company's newest brand ambassador.
“Ernie’s style, iconic swing and incredibly gracious personality make him one of the game’s truly unique figures. He’s been a big fan and supporter of ECCO since the dawn of the hybrid golf shoe revolution and will now be a very high-profile ambassador for years to come.”
Els has won 70 titles worldwide, including the 2013 BMW International Open. As a four major champion, he also ranks 1st on the European Tour career money list and 5th on the all-time PGA Tour money list.
Upon signing his new deal with Ecco, Ernie spoke of what it is that he likes about the shoes “ECCO has clearly struck on the winning formula. They make shoes that look great, are incredibly comfortable, can be worn almost anywhere and offer the kind of stability a guy like me really needs on the course.”
Whilst the shoes Ernie will be wearing in 2014 has now been decided, which equipment brand he will be using next season is less clear. He has been with Callaway since the 2007 season, but reports suggest he may be switching again soon. Stay tuned for more on the Big Easy and his clubs in the coming weeks.
No comments | 8:07 AM
Abu Dhabi: Flamboyant Spanish golfer and crowd favourite Sergio Garcia is confident a year of consistency can catapult him back into the winner’s spotlight against the big guns at January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
The colourful 33-year-old will return to Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course from January 16 to 19 in buoyant mood after an impressive season, during which he’s secured eight top-20 finishes in 12 European Tour starts. And, despite an unexpected title drought this year, the world number 20 says his game has never been in better shape.
“I’ve not won a tournament so far this year but in many respects it has been a great season for me,” Garcia said. “The hard work is paying off and my game has improved on so many levels.
“I feel a big win is just around the corner. There is no reason why it can’t be in Abu Dhabi. I love starting my season there because I always feel comfortable. The weather, crowds and players make it an extra special event. My form is building nicely and I would love nothing more than to win against Abu Dhabi’s challenging line-up.”
Last year, the three-time Major runner-up produced an ace on the 12th hole of The National, using a seven-iron to drop the ball on the green before it gently rolled into the cup. Garcia’s hole-in-one was crowned the European Tour’s Shot of the Month and was the first of his Tour career.
“I really enjoyed that moment,” said Garcia. “It was my first ever Tour ace so it was pretty special. I’m hoping I can produce more shots like that in January.”
Garcia, who has been swinging golf clubs since the age of three, set the tone for his career by creating worldwide headlines with his most famous shot during the 1999 PGA Championship, just after he turned professional. With the 16th green at Chicago’s Medinah Country Club hidden from view, he swung hard from behind a tree, hitting a low curving fade that ran onto the green. Shortly after, he became the youngest player ever to compete in the Ryder Cup.
Garcia will join a stellar Abu Dhabi Championship line-up that includes world number four and five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson, world number five and US Open title-holder Justin Rose, former world number ones Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, Abu Dhabi’s record-breaking ambassador Matteo Manassero and the reigning champion, Welshman Jamie Donaldson. Three-time Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer also returns for his fourth shot at the title.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2014 is organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority. Tickets and packages are available via abudhabigolfchampionship.com and ticketmaster.ae priced at Dh50 for a daily pass and Dh150 for a four-day pass. Guests staying at any Abu Dhabi hotel over the championship period can enter free.
No comments | 8:02 AM
There are several options available when trying to pass time during a highway traffic jam: listen to music, play on a smart phone, make estimates about how much farther along you might be if on foot.
If you're PGA Tour rookie John Peterson, though, you use the stoppage to create an impromptu driving range session.
The leading money winner from the inaugural Web.com Tour Finals in September, Peterson was driving across I-20 in Texas this weekend when traffic came to a sudden and significant halt. Despite freezing temperatures and snow on the ground, the former NCAA champion hit a few balls on the side of the road, taking aim at a road sign in the distance.
No comments | 7:27 AM
New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko's first victory as a professional has bumped her up two places to fourth in the world rankings.
The 16-year-old won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters by three strokes in Taiwan on Sunday after coming from three shots behind midway through the final round.
She carded a three-under 69 to finish at 11-under for the 54-hole tournament, pocketing $US150,000 ($A165,000) for the victory.
Ko's ranking points average of 7.78 is well behind leader Inbee Park's 11.47. The South Korean, who finished third at the Swinging Skirts, has spent the last 35 weeks in No.1 position.
Norway's Suzann Pettersen is second with 10.83, and American Stacy Lewis third on 9.61.
Sunday's win was Ko's fifth on a major tour but her first since turning pro in October.
She tied for 21st at the CME Group Titleholders event in Florida late last month in her first pro tournament.
Ko's next tournament will be the LPGA Tour-opening Bahamas Classic from January 23, before she returns home to defend her NZ Women's Open title in Christchurch the following week.
No comments | 7:24 AM
Rory McIlroy received much unwanted attention from the media this year, and he admits that he let it get to him.
In September, McIlroy parted with Horizon Sports, his management company. His friend Graeme McDowell was not pleased with the decision and in the fallout McIlroy missed McDowell's wedding. The media was only too happy to report the split.
"I let it get to me a couple of times this year and it's sort of a tough - not a tough position to be in, that's not the right word - but it was a challenge for sure," said the Northern Irishman.
The following month, it was incorrectly reported that McIlroy had broken up with his girlfriend and former number one ranked tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki.
McIlroy said: "I don't care what people say about my golf, it's all the other stuff. When they start digging into your personal life, start digging into that, then that's where it starts to annoy you.
"Whether it is Caroline, whether it is management companies, it shouldn't really be as a consequence as to how I play my golf. That gets at me more than anything else."
The 24-year-old was world number one just 12 months ago and pulled off a record eight shot win at the 2012 PGA Championships, beating legendary Jack Nicklaus' record.
This year, the young talent didn't win until the Australian Open just two weeks ago. The 2014 season begins in January at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and will no doubt be an important season for the current world number six.
No comments | 7:16 AM
Australian Brady Watt, a former world No.1 amateur, is turning professional at this week’s Thailand Golf Championship.
The move comes just over a week after 23-year-old Watt took out the title as the highest-placed amateur at the Australian Open when he finished tied 14th at Royal Sydney.
Watt, who was a semi-finalist at this year’s US Amateur, will also attend the 2014 Asian Tour qualifying school but hopes to attract invitations to play globally.
West Australian Watt said his dream as a boy was to turn pro eventually, ‘‘and I am absolutely delighted that this day has arrived.’’
Brad James, Golf Australia’s high performance director, said the organisation will continue to work with Watt through its rookie professional program, ‘‘which is specifically designed to support players as they make this transition.’’
No comments | 7:05 AM
Thousand Oaks, California: Rory McIlroy’s year began with a coronation. He was the star attraction at what felt like a rock concert, with music blaring and lasers flashing in a room at Abu Dhabi to celebrate the No.1 player in golf joining Nike’s stable.
It ended on Sunday with a bogey on the ninth hole at Sherwood Country Club, with hardly anyone watching.
An off season never looked more appealing to him.
“It’s been a long season, a long stretch,” McIlroy said after carding a 70 to finish 11th in an 18-man field at the World Challenge. “I’m excited to put the clubs down for a little bit, have a few weeks’ rest and get after it at the start of the new year.”
He won’t have to worry about getting used to new equipment. He spent the better part of nine months doing that.
Expectations are sure to be lower.
A year ago, McIlroy was the clear No.1 in golf. He was coming off another record win in a major — an eight-shot victory in the US PGA Championship — and threw his game into overdrive with two FedEx Cup playoff wins and money titles on both sides of the Atlantic by closing his season with a win in Dubai.
It looked as if he would stay there for many years.
It lasted three months.
There were equipment issues, a product of changing everything at once instead of slowly working the swoosh into his bag, as Tiger Woods did a decade earlier. He changed management companies, which ordinarily is a seamless transition unless the split is ugly.
McIlroy is scheduled to be in a courtroom in Ireland not long after the Ryder Cup next year. So yes, this is ugly. According to reports in Irish newspapers, he split with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at least twice, maybe three times. Except it wasn’t true. The tennis star was at Sherwood all week, an ever-present smile as she followed him along, even going across the parking lot to hit balls (tennis, not golf) at Sherwood’s stadium court.
All that became as tough an obstacle as anything on the golf course.
McIlroy, for all his brilliance inside the ropes, is refreshingly honest when it comes to his golf and often self-deprecating. He was talking earlier in the week about playing casual rounds with friends, noting that he had more of those days than in previous years.
“Had more weekends [off],” he said.
It wasn’t that bad, though his golf certainly was by his standards. He failed to make the cut five times, which is high for a player of his caliber. One was at the British Open. Another was at the Honda Classic, where he walked off the course after 26 holes out of sheer frustration, blaming it on his wisdom tooth.
He didn’t win a tournament until his 24th start, two weeks ago at the Australian Open. He ends the year at No.6 in the world, miles away from Woods at the top.
“It’s been the first year I’ve had to put up with scrutiny and criticism,” McIlroy said. “You just have to believe in what you’re doing and not let it get to you too much. I let it get to me a few times.”
The toothache was one example of that. McIlroy conceded a week later at Doral that all the hype translated into more pressure he put on himself to perform, and he snapped. An honest answer. He said he would never do it again. So far, so good.
More than the golf was the inspection outside the ropes.
“All the other stuff,” he said. “I don’t care what people say about my golf. It’s when people start digging into my personal life, that’s where it starts to annoy you. Whether it’s Caroline, the management, all that should be no consequence to how I play my golf.”
That’s a part of celebrity he still hasn’t mastered.
When you’re 24 and already have two majors (setting records in each), when you’re dating a former No.1 tennis player, when you’re looked upon as the next great player in golf, there will be prying. He has to learn how to protect what he wants to keep private and ignore the rest.
As for the golf, McIlroy can only hope this year was an aberration.
Woods went through his first “slump” — everything is relative when it comes to Woods — at age 22 in his second full year as a pro. He won only two tournaments. About the only off-course issue he faced was a GQ article that quoted him telling racial jokes.
“As far as battling a slump, that’s just part of playing golf,” Woods said. “You play golf long enough, you’re going to go through it.”
The great ones emerge. And the great ones don’t stay in slumps for long.
McIlroy headed to his Florida home to start his vacation. He’ll eventually wind up in Melbourne to watch Wozniacki in the Australian Open, and then go to Dubai to start preparing for a new season that will begin in Abu Dhabi.
Even at age 24, this is shaping up as an important season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
