Listening to the Northern Irishman on Tuesday, he gave the distinct impression tht he just did not agree with golf being part of the Olympics. He is quietly putting together a memorable season, while the Big 3 (Day, Spieth and McIlroy) and Dustin Johnson capture the headlines.
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Officials at this week’s Open Championship were quick to insist that there would be no repeat of the farcical scenes which marred the final round of this year’s US Open.
Missing from St Andrews 12 months ago after suffering an ankle injury while playing football, McIlroy will start his challenge on Thursday morning in the same group as Bubba Watson and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama. “I’m determined not to miss any more, for the foreseeable future anyway”.
“It puts a light on what Tiger has done even more so”, Spieth said about Woods’ victories.
18 – Stroke index for Royal Troon’s club golfers (ie: the easiest hole on the course). “There’s not that many guys that can do what he does”. While McIlroy’s third place at the Open de France earlier this month hinted at a return to form following a miserable U.S. Open tilt, his preparations in Scotland have been far from straightforward.
Chamblee, a former PGA Tour player, said that golf “suffers from being too expensive, too exclusionary, too slow and too hard to understand the rules”.
Masters champion Danny Willett said he would love to be in the mix come Sunday afternoon, having won his first major at Augusta in April. I’m not trying to get my first victory at a major.
“But I mean, it’s definitely a little bit different coming out and not trying to win that first major”.
And, as he was at the “Home of Golf” previous year, Warren can expect to be backed by a huge local following which is sure to include plenty of fellow ‘Gers fans.
Winning a first British Open is clearly number one on Day’s list of immediate priorities but hanging on to top spot in the rankings comes a close second in his list of ambitions. “I’m happy where my game is. I’m going to win more times than not”.
Like Peter Parker was reminded, perhaps it is time for someone to tell McIlroy… Here is where German amateur Herman Tissies took 15 in 1950 but also where a 71-year-old Gene Sarazen had a hole-in-one in 1973. “If I have my best stuff, I believe”.
Concern over the Zika virus has been chief among the reasons for players’ absences, but other factors such as the intensity of golf’s calendar and family matters have also arisen.
Back in 2012, The Open in Britain was his first Major, and now ace Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri, a regular on the Major circuit, is back for another crack at the only Major, outside of the United States. “We played a tournament at St Andrews Bay and played a couple of other courses and then I came back a couple years later (2007) and played the Walker Cup at Royal County Down”. “Their defence is the bunker, so for me it’s all about just navigating the bunkers… if you can stay out of the bunkers this week, I think you’re going to do pretty well”. I feel like that’s the big thing.
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“I didn’t quite finish as high as I would have liked to, but hopefully if I can get myself into that situation this weekend, I can finish a lot better”. I didn’t have two good majors so I’m looking to get the last two and play well here and at the PGA.
