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In watching Conor Ridge’s stable at Horizon Sports over recent years it has been great to see such quick success, with the money rolling in since 2010 measured in shovel fulls, following Graeme McDowell’s victory at Pebble Beach at the US Open. It all must have looked since then as if good times would roll on forever, afterall, the buses seemed to come together after McDowell broke into major territory as he then became a vital component of the European Ryder Cup tea, later the same year at Celtic Manor. That momentum opened up many commercial doors for Horizon Sports and set the small Dublin start up into a global player with everything the company touched becoming gold.
Even at the 3 Irish Open in Killarney, the same year, Englishman Ross Fisher stormed home ahead of Padraig Harrington to win the half a million Euro in prize money with Ridge once again on the final green hugging his signing. The momentum was added to when the winner of the US Open last year decided to join the Horizon juggernaut - from Team ISM - which propelled the company into the nether regions of global dominance, with Rory Mcilroy even attending the White House for a function earlier this year. But as the business is sport it also about ebbs and flows, and that dreaded word - momentum. Or indeed, the lack of it.
Which would sum up the last year for GMAC who has not won since Pebble Beach, and until this year - when he played in the final group at the Olympic Club during the US Open – and then repeated the same at Royal Lytham in the British Open, had become a worry in itself. But having arrested that supposed rut in his game last weekend, a new battle has arisen based on some of the post Open interviews – and it is a failure to convert on the final day.
If this becomes the new mental challenge it sounds a little over played given that going into Sunday McDowell looked the most relaxed of all the leading pairings, was also playing the course with ease and proffered the body language that indicated a second major was really in the offing for him. Especially with experienced caddie Kenny Comboy at his side.
However it was not to be this time and a few sessions with mind coach Bob Rotella are no doubt already booked. Which me thinks is too hasty if is the case.
In fact a chat with the carefree Brandt Snedeker would seem to be the best medicine as he is a golfer who has gone through more than a few ups and downs over the past years yet arrived at The Open unfancied, promptly matching the 36 hole record posted by Sir Nick Faldo.
By the end of Friday evening he had not dropped a shot, despite having had missed the cut in his three previous trips to golf's oldest major and suffering from the same disadvantage all the American players do – too much target golf. Fortunately Snedeker managed well his discomfort with links courses this time, aided and abetted by the favourable weather, and learning to embrace links play with the help of Tom Watson when they played together in a practice round at Royal Birkdale before the 2008 Open. The 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, had six birdies Friday and, on the second day had a bogey-free round with four of his birdies on the front nine.
But Snedeker is made of stern stuff as at the second round of the Memorial he cracked a rib when coughing, and was forced to take a month off to recuperate, missing the U.S. Open.
But since turning pro in 2004, Snedeker has battled injuries and health problems, and seems to respond to these setbacks by winning. In fact after breaking his collarbone in a freak accident in 2005, he won on the Web.com Tour for a second time to secure his PGA Tour card. He has also had victories in the past two years after hip surgery, winning the Farmers Insurance Open in a playoff over Kyle Stanley in January. At the Accenture Match Play, he lost to Peter Hanson in the third round.
Last Saturday Snedeker finally lost the lead to his playing partner Adam Scott - never to regain it - yet finished the tournament in a share of third place along with Tiger Woods. And listening to Snedeker's post Open comments was very refreshing, all about building on the momentum rather analysing why he fell short. A tip there for Graeme McDowell perhaps.
A harder task though faces International Sports Management and Andrew Chandler who saw the 2011 Open Champion relinquish his grasp of the Claret Jug with an opening round of 76 and unable to find more than a 71 on Friday to miss the cut. For Clarke there now maybe a chasm to be crossed having passed through a twelve month period not only without a win, but on most occasions battling just to make the cut. Although not fancied to retain the title he won at Royal St George, Clarke arrived at Royal Lytham desperate to end the bad run, and not unlike last year his being unrated would not have bothered him.
What will no doubt bother him more is how his challenge fizzled out the first day in what were very easy conditions, on terrain that is bread and butter to a golfer raised on links.
But that will be for Chubby Chandler to unravel and a much harder task than escorting a reining Open Champion around the world with the Claret Jug - as has been the case over the past 12 months.
Ironically, it is the golfer known to be the biggest tinkerer that has matched the achievements of the golfing greats by winning consecutive Open Titles. For that Harrington probably deserves more credit given that so many have tried and few have achieved - as McDowell, McIlroy and Clarke can attest. Although being part of colossus IMG his achievements are well recognised and his emoluments and earnings equally well matched no doubt. The only headache now being that Padraig is outside the top fifty players in the world, and some events are now beyond the Dubliner's reach, the Firestone being one of them later this month.
It is now a challenge that also lengthens the odds of Harrington maintaining his unbroken record since 1999 of qualifying automatically for the Ryder Cup contest at Medinah in September - and may require a wild card. Padraig's renowned natural mental toughness will come in handy over the coming months.
One player who slipped through all the headlines at Royal Lytham last weekend was Michael Hoey, who despite his win in Morocco earlier in the year and some good ball striking at Royal Portrush over four days at the Irish Open, missed the cut at The Open after dismal rounds of 79 and 75. No doubt a disappointment for the Belfast man who was returning to the venue where he first made his Open debut as the British Amateur Champion. Over the coming weeks he will reflect over his round and establish where to focus his efforts, having decided to leave Horizon Sports earlier this year.
Now seventeenth in the Ryder Cup rankings Hoey now requires another few top finishes to fulfil a dream that back in March might have seem nearer his grasp.
Courtesy of OS Media - All rights reserved
