The Irish Golf Club Gazette: 03/01/13

3/01/2013

Els Shares Wisdom to McIlroy

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Ernie Els and Mark Wilson were McIlroy's playing companions in the second round. Neither said they sensed McIlroy was bothered by a toothache, and both were surprised that McIlroy walked off after nine holes. McIlroy shook both players' hands, said he had enough and walked away.

"I'm a great fan of Rory's, but I don't think that was the right thing to do," Els said after the round. But this was before he was told McIlroy released a statement explaining his withdrew because of wisdom tooth pain.

Els then backtracked a bit.

"Hey, listen, if something was bothering him, you know, it was bothering him and all credit to him trying to play through whatever pain he was in. He obviously couldn't do it after nine holes anymore. Toothache, it's not fun, I guess," Els said.

"He's feeling terrible about it, I know he is. That's the last thing he wants to do is walk off. Yeah, if he's 7 over or whatever he was, you've got something bothering you, you know, the rules of play, you can walk off at any time. Obviously something was seriously bothering him, and he was not going to make the cut and probably didn't want to continue playing that way. … I've played like that before. It's embarrassing. You don't want to be out there while you feel like, get me out of here."

Els, who has changed equipment as much as any top player in the game, said the scrutiny McIlroy is under might be getting to him.

"It seems like it's kind of building now a little bit," Els said. "I didn't think much of the equipment change. We've all made equipment changes before. I think there was a bit of criticism somewhere, and then I think he's furthering responding to that, and I think he's got a bit of pressure coming on him that way. I thought he played quite well yesterday. I thought he was pretty close to playing good golf, and unfortunately this morning, hopefully he gets it together. We've got next week, got four rounds there. You know, such a talented player, he'll get it figured out."

Graeme McDowell, who played on the opposite side of the morning wave, said he sensed something was amiss with McIlroy as he warmed up on the range.

"He was in good spirits, but I felt he wasn't hitting the ball well. There were some groans coming out of the bay next to me," McDowell said.

The fellow Irishmen haven't spent much time together of late but McDowell understands what McIlroy is going through right now.

McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open for his first major, changed equipment and struggled with both his new clubs and his new stature as one of the game's best players. Finally, McDowell said, he had to slap himself in the face and get over it, which he has. McDowell said McIlroy has to do the same thing.

"He's had a funny start to the year," McDowell said. "He missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, the lost to Shane Lowry in Match Play. All of a sudden he's not getting a lot of momentum.

"He just needs to get over the hurdle of playing for others and start playing for Rory McIlroy. He wants to prove to the world he's good enough with Nike equipment. He'll get it worked out."

"He's a smart kid. We all experience this sometime in our careers. To me, it's a mini-crisis. … There's a lot of golf to be played and he's a class player. He's just going through a unique phase in his career. A lot of going on his world and he has the largest spotlight on him.

" … But you don't write him off. He has the "X" factor that so few people have."

McIlroy missed the cut in his first tournament of the year in Abu Dhabi, lost in the first-round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, and shot even-par 70 in Thursday's first round of the Honda.

McIlroy, who made an equipment change from Titleist to Nike, has downplayed concerns about his new equipment. Instead, he said he was more concerned with his swing and just needed competitive rounds to get it in shape.

McIlroy is scheduled to play in next week's WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral.

McIlroy Copies Bobby Jones

The news breaking on Friday from Florida and The Honda Classic places Rory McIlroy in an exclusive – if somewhat unwanted short list - of Irish players to walk off a golf course mid round. In doing so he joins another Ryder Cup player, Ronan Rafferty, who was fined £5,000 pounds for doing the same thing during the 1991 US Open at Hazeltine. In departing the PGA National at Palm Beach Gardens the world number 1 leaves Jack Nicklaus record safely intact of winning the event back to back...

However having carded 7 over by the turn that 35 year old record was not under any threat from McIlroy – this week at least.

Last year John Daly hit six balls into the water at the Australian Open and then shook hands with playing partner Craig Parry before walking off the course at Coolum. But then again The Wild Thing had form having also walked off during his second round at the Austrian Open at Atzenbrugg in the same months, following a rules infringement. In Australia Daly had been penalised two shots at the 10th hole for hitting the wrong ball out of a bunker, leaving him seven over approaching the 11th.

“When you run out of balls, you run out of balls. Yes I shook my playing partner's hands and signed my card with [the] rules official." Daly said afterwards.

In 2005 Dane Thomas Bjorn lead by four strokes at the K Club on the final day of the European Masters only to sign for a 14-over par 86 on the Sunday, ending up nine strokes adrift in a tie for 33rd. It was a day he lived a 16-shot swing - a record on the European Tour by five shots – as it eclipsed Nick Faldo's 11-shot swing over Greg Norman in the final round of the 1996 Masters. Although Bjorn three-putted the last the real drama had come at the par-four 17th, where he hit three balls into the River Liffey on his way to a seven-over 11. All of which followed five dropped shots in the first 10 holes.

The two time Ryder Cup vice-Captain had shown brittleness a year previous when he walked off the course after only six holes of the same vent – and at the same venue.

At the time the experience for Bjorn was described as even worse than the implosion in the final round of the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St George's when American Ben Curtis became the surprise beneficiary. On that day Bjorn took three shots to escape from a greenside bunker at the par-three 16th at a time that had been leading the event by three shots.

Like McIlroy that collapse came in the full media gaze and for Rory it also comes on the wake of the much remarked switch to Nike Golf clubs.

It also comes on the foot of a few consecutive missed cuts - and a first round defeat to Shane Lowry at the WGC Accenture match play- all of which only adds to the pressure. But the world number one has been here before, and is well able to bounce back. Indeed The Masters would now look a more likely victory for him given he will arrive at Augusta with little expectations. Especially if the Blue Monster also does damage when he plays the WGC Cadillac in a few weeks.

But whatever the underlying reason for McIlroy's actions it also places him up there with Bobby Jones, who played the Old Course at St. Andrews for the first time at the 1921 British Open. And it was not to be a positive experience as Jones simply walked off the course during the third round after he took four swings at his ball in a deep bunker on the 11th e, and failed to get the ball out.

After which he then picked up the ball and walked off.

As we know now the rest was history at St Andrews in subsequent years. No doubt for Rory it will be the same after the media frenzy dies down and the fines are paid...

Rory in Honda Un-Classic

Rory McIlroy - Defending champion and world No. 1 - withdrew before finishing his first nine holes in Friday's second round of The Honda Classic.

No immediate word was given for his withdrawal, though he didn't appear to be injured or sick.

After hitting his approach shot into the water on the 18th -- his ninth hole of the day -- McIlroy walked off the course and quickly left the course with his coach and caddie.

McIlroy, who started on No. 10, struggled from the start. He nearly hit his approach on the 11th hole into the water before chipping through the green and making double bogey.

Two holes later, he made another bogey after driving it well right and being forced to lay up. He missed a 6-footer to save par.

Things went from bad to worse on the par-4 16th. McIlroy hit his tee shot into the water, took a drop, then hit another into the water before carding a 7.

On the par-3 17th, McIlroy three-putted from just over 40 feet to fall to 7 over through his first eight holes.

His troubles began on his second hole, No. 11, where he nearly hit his approach into the water before chipping through the green and eventually making double bogey.

Two holes later, McIlroy drove it into the right rough and had to lay up. His putt to save par from 6 feet slid past the hole and he made another bogey.

Then things went from bad to worse.McIlroy drove it in the water on the par-4 16th, took a drop, then hit it in the water again. He made 7.

At the par-3 17th, McIlroy found the green with his tee shot, but three-putted from 42 feet after running his first putt 10 feet past the hole.

This is the first time in McIlroy's career that he has withdrawn from a tournament.

Rory released a statement through the PGA Tour, citing wisdom tooth pain for his exit.

He said: "I sincerely apologise to the Honda Classic and PGA Tour for my sudden withdrawal.

"I have been suffering with a sore wisdom tooth, which is due to come out in the near future. It began bothering me again last night, so I relieved it with [painkiller] Advil.

"It was very painful again this morning, and I was simply unable to concentrate. It was really bothering me and had begun to affect my playing partners."

His statement continued: "I came here with every intention of defending my Honda Classic title. Even though my results haven't revealed it, I really felt like I was rounding a corner.

"This is one of my favourite tournaments of the year and I regret having to make the decision to withdraw, but it was one I had to make."

Speaking to the PGA Tour website, McIlroy said: "It's hard to commit to the shot that you need to play every time. If you know that you should play a fade and you're not comfortable with it, it's hard to do."

Asked if he was close to fixing his swing, he added: "Definitely. I felt like I hit the ball okay, not as good as I can, but it's getting there."

He was playing in a group with Open champion Ernie Els and American Mark Wilson.

McIlroy Holds Level Speed

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Rory McIlroy carded an even-par 70 at the Honda Classic on Thursday a score that left the world's top two golfers six shots back of first-round leader Camilo Villegas.

Graeme McDowell fared better at Palm Beach Gardens, dropping only shot, in an opening round of 67, to leave him in a share of 16th place after the first day.

Colombian Villegas capped a flawless six-under-par 64 with an eagle at the par-five 18th that left him one stroke ahead of South Africa's Branden Grace, Canada's Graham DeLaet and Americans Rickie Fowler and Robert Streb.

Villegas, who won here in 2010 but has struggled over the past 18 months, was one-under through 12 holes at PGA National but grabbed the outright lead with a scorching finish that saw him pick up five strokes over his final six holes.

World number one McIlroy had a similar day to Tiger Woods with a pair of birdies and bogeys and remained hopeful of getting in the frame for the weekend.

"If I had been playing well or playing the way I know I can there is something in the mid-sixties out there," said the 23-year-old Northern Irishman.

Woods, who started on the back nine, had a rough start with bogeys on his first and fourth holes but recovered with two birdies on the back nine in unusually chilly and overcast conditions for Florida.

The 14-times major winner bogeyed the par-four 10th hole and added another at the par-four 13th before recovering with a birdie on the par-five third hole.

On the par-four sixth, Woods hooked his tee shot into the water hazard but managed to save par after going barefoot, putting on his rain pants and playing out of the water.

"It was only half submerged so I could play some sort of explosion shot and get it back in the fairway," said Woods, who used a nine-iron out of the water.

"I wasn't trying to advance it very far just get it back on the fairway and give myself some sort of wedge shot in there - which I did and got up and down."

It might have been uncomfortable for Woods but his decision to get wet saved his round, particularly when he followed the par with a birdie on the par-three seventh.

"If I didn't get that up‑and‑down, I am looking at a six, three‑over, and all of a sudden I flip it, make par there and birdie the next," said Woods. "Could easily have been three and all of a sudden I'm even."

Woods needed 32 putts in his round but appeared unconcerned with his performance on the greens.

"Just a ton of good putts that burned the edge and either the green didn't take it or I snagged it and I never really made anything until number seven," Woods told reporters. "It was a pretty boring day on the greens and I hit a lot of good shots."

Villegas has not won on the PGA Tour since winning the Honda Classic in 2010 and the 31-year-old looked at home hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 14 greens in regulation, needing just 27 putts, including nine one-putts.

"It's a great score, good day, perfect conditions, we got away a little bit with the weather," said Villegas, who enjoyed warmer and less breezy conditions in the afternoon.

Britain's Paul Casey had a nightmare round that saw him finish eight-over 78 after a round that included a birdie, seven bogeys and double-bogey.