It all Happened last week; Lefty and Lyle
So much happened in the world of Golf in the past week it is
difficult to know where to start and I'm going to have to make 2 posts to fit it all in.
Tournament News
On the European Tour, Stephen Gallacher held off Sterne and
Olesen to claim the Dubai Desert Classic, his first Title in 201 starts! He held a three shot lead going into the
final round following a Saturday 62 but a shaky start allowed Sterne to catch
him in just three holes. He steadied the
ship and all but claimed it with an Eagle at the par five 16th.
Mickelson claimed his 3rd wire to wire victory and
his 41st PGA title last week in Arizona at the Waste Management Open. He opened up in style, lipping the cup for a
59 on day one and never really looked back leading all the way and eventually
winning by 4. Brandt Snedeker claimed his
second 2nd place finish of the season but in the words of Keegan
Bradley “No-one was going to catch Phil this week, he was too good”. Mickelson cited his new driver as the key to
success; his new Calloway Razr spins the ball less allowing him to have less
loft and makes it easier to hit. He led
the field in GIR and proximity to the hole, while holing a multitude of putts
with his relatively new “pencil” grip.
A Brilliant Hole
with some Added Twists; The 16th
The 16th at TPC Scottsdale is perhaps one of the
best known holes on Tour; attracting huge crowds, this short par three puts
even the top players under the spotlight as any missed green will result in a
surge of boos and laughter. This is a
refreshing hole in golf, there really is nothing like it anywhere else in golf
and nothing makes that crowd go wilder than a hole in one, the most recent of
which was Jarrod Lyle in 2010 and the most famous of which was probably Tiger
back in 1997. But good golf and crowds
is not all we are entertained by on this hole; this year was particularly
special with the caddie races (which as I understand it occurs when 2 or more
players birdie the previous hole) Padraig Harrington kicking an American
Football into the crowd and James Hahn treated us all to a Gangnam style
Celebration following a birdie on Sunday.
All in all a fantastic hole, what a pity we only get to see it once a
year.
Lyle gets back in
the spotlight
Remember, you heard it here first!
Sandy Lyle has made golfing headlines twice in the last week
for varying views and opinions, one of which I hinted at a couple of weeks
ago. Lyle has once again expressed
interest in captaining the European Ryder Cup, a position he had thought was
lost because of age and a disgraceful performance in the Open a few years
back. Tom Watson’s appointment as USA Captain
for 2014, when he will be 65, has proven to Lyle that age is no longer a
constraint and he was told by Thomas Bjorn on the night of Mcginleys
appointment that he was one of five people also under consideration. As you would expect he still very much dreams
of such a selection but has stated he will not campaign for it.
Lyle
has also said that he fears McIlroy’s equipment change will have disastrous
consequences on the young Northern Irishman’s success and has described it as a
potential “Duval like meltdown”. While I
can see where Lyle is coming from, I think it’s too early to say and one missed
cut doesn’t really say much either. It seems
to me that people are always looking for reasons why McIlroy might not be
successful. He had a bad start to the
season last year and critics cited his relationship with Tennis Star Wozniacki
as the cause. McIlroy bounced back to
win the Race to Dubai, equal Donald’s feat of winning the money lists on both
sides of the Pond and then claimed his second major. I too am looking forward to see how McIlroy
deals with his new equipment but I think it’s a bit early to say he will have a
Duval like break down. We shall see.
part 2 coming soon Sexism and Singh's Drug allegations!
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