The Irish Golf Club Gazette

3/11/2013

Rory Rebounds with 65

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Rory McIlroy signed for a 7-under par 65 at TPC Blue Monster at Doral, where he ended the week at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in eighth place.

"I was pretty down about my game coming into this week,," McIlroy said. "A day like today felt like a long way away if I'm honest."

Only a week ago, McIlroy had walked off the golf course in the middle of his second round at The Honda Classic, and left many open questions over his golf swing.

This week McIlroy answered the questions then let his clubs do the rest.

After breaking par for the first time this year earlier in the week, McIlroy opened on Sunday with an eagle on the par-5 first before adding five more birdies the rest of the day.

"A few days like I've played, it does my confidence a world of good," McIlroy said. "I probably wear my heart on my sleeve a bit with my golf. If I have a bad round, it's sort of like the end of the world, but if I play a good one, I'm happy again."

With the Masters five weeks away, McIlroy has reason to smile again.

Rory plays the Ernie Els' benefit event on Monday for the Els for Autism Foundation before spending next weekend with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki in Miami. Next it is the Shell Houston Open before heading to Augusta the week before the tournament.

"I always think when I'm playing bad that it's further away than it is," McIlroy said of his play. "That's just where I have to stay patient and let whatever happens, happen, and know that if I put in the hard work, that the results will bear fruit; whether that's sooner or later, it doesn't really matter."

GMAC Tiger Chase Proves Elusive

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Graeme McDowell, started the final round four shots behind leader Tiger Woods, made a birdie on the opening hole, but never got any closer. McDowell had third place to himself until he went for the green on the 18th hole and found the water - to make a double bogey. The final round of 72 pushed him into into a four-way tie for third that cost him $172,500.

"The way Tiger was playing, I was always in chase mode," McDowell said. "He was always going to be a tough guy to catch. Fair play to him. He played fantastic golf the last couple of days."

So one year after Tiger Woods hobbled off TPC Blue Monster, he picked up the pace in his march to the Masters. Woods delivered two quick birdies to take the drama out of Doral, and two late bogeys only made his victory in the Cadillac Championship seem closer than it really was.

Woods had full control of his game and never let anyone get closer than three shots until he had locked up his 17th World Golf Championship title. With a conservative bogey that didn't matter on the final hole, he closed with a 1-under 71.

Woods moves to No. 2, behind Brandt Snedeker, in the PGA TOUR's FedExCup standings. For the first time in five years, he has two wins before the Masters.

And both of them were dominant.

"That's how I know I can play," Woods said. "That's the thing. To be able to bring it out a couple times so far this year -- and then be able to close and get the Ws on top of that -- that's nice. Any time I can win prior to Augusta, it always feels good."

And to think it was one year ago Sunday that Woods withdrew after 11 holes in the final round at Doral because of tightness in his left Achilles tendon, the same injury that had cost him to sit out most of the previous summer. It created uncertainty about his health and whether he could ever get his game back.

Woods now has five wins in the last year, the most of anyone in the world, and he can return to No. 1 with a win at Bay Hill in two weeks.

He won by two shots over Steve Stricker, who might want to claim a share of this trophy.

Woods ran into Stricker on the putting green Wednesday afternoon, and in a 45-minute session, Stricker helped him with his posture over putts. Woods left feeling as good as he did at Torrey Pines, where he won by four shots. And it showed. Woods made 27 birdies this week, one short of his personal best on the PGA TOUR, and he took the fewest putts (100) over 72 holes in any TOUR event.

"Thank you to Steve for the putting lesson," Woods said at the trophy presentation. "It was one of those weeks where I felt pretty good about how I was playing, made a few putts and got it rolling."

Stricker, playing a part-time schedule, picked up his second runner-up finish in just three starts. He closed with a 68, and had no regrets about offering Woods some help.

"At times you kick yourself," Stricker said with a laugh. "He's a good friend. We talk a lot about putting. It's good to see him playing well."

Asked if he would have won without that chance meeting with Stricker, Woods hedged a little.

"I would like to say I probably would have, but ..." he said with a smile. "I've been putting at home and it just still hadn't felt right. I still was a little bit off. ... He basically got me in the same position that I was at Torrey. So once he put me in there where I felt comfortable, I said, 'Well, this is not too foreign. This is what I was a month or so ago.' And I started rolling it and it felt really, really good."

The Masters is a month away, and Woods is sure to be the favorite.

"Majors and World Golf Championships are the best because you know you are playing against the best players," Woods said. "That's what makes wins like this special. That's why I love to compete."

Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, showed signs of recovering from his rough start to the season. He had a 65 and tied for eighth.

Phil Mickelson (71), Sergio Garcia (69) and Adam Scott (64) also tied for third.

Woods improved to 41-2 on the PGA TOUR when he had the outright lead going into the final round, the last two wins with McDowell at his side. Woods last won while ahead at Bay Hill a year ago.

Woods finished at 19-under 269 and earned $1.5 million in winning this World Golf Championship for the seventh time.

McIlroy's week ended on a happy note.

Not only did he finish the tournament, he might have turned the corner with a bogey-free 65. McIlroy opened with a 7-iron into 18 feet for eagle, which he called one of the best shots he hit. He shot a 32 on the back nine for a round that surprised him considering how far away he felt when he arrived at Doral.

"Just goes to show, it's not as far away as you think," McIlroy said. "That's been one of my problems. I always think when I'm playing bad that it's further away than it is. That's just where I have to stay patient ... and know that if I put in the hard work, that the results will bear fruit. Whether that's sooner or later, it doesn't really matter."

McIlroy said he won't add a tournament the next two weeks, returning at the Shell Houston Open before going to the Masters. He is signed up for the member-guest a week from Monday at The Medalist Club, presumably as the guest of former NBA great Michael Jordan.

"He's asked me, so depending on what my schedule is and where I have to be ... we'll see," he said.

Scott had the low round of the tournament with eight birdies in his round of 64.

That's what McDowell, Mickelson and Stricker would have needed to have any chance of catching Woods. As he did early in third round, McDowell gave it his best shot, only to have Woods answer on every occasion.

McDowell two-putted for birdie on the par-5 opening hole as Woods blasted a shot from a buried lie at the back of the green well past the pin and off the green. He had to chip close just to save par. McDowell hit his approach on the second hole to 7 feet and looked as if he might pick up another shot.

In what could have been the most significant putt Woods made, he buried an 18-footer for birdie.

"It was important to make that," Woods said.

That's how it went all weekend. Woods never gave anyone a chance, and he didn't give anyone much hope. His lead was back to four shots, he hit an 8-iron to 4 feet on the par-3 fourth hole, and no one seriously challenged him the rest of the way.

Mickelson hit a 200-yard shot into the breeze and over the water to a foot for a tap-in birdie on the par-5 eighth to get within four shots with 10 holes to play. He missed far too many short putts, however, making bogey on the ninth and 11th holes to fall too far back to matter.

That allowed another easy walk up the 18th hole for Woods to collect another WGC title, another seven-figure check, and offer another reminder that he is closer than ever to getting back to the top of golf.

Woods now has won more than $24 million in the WGCs alone since the series began in 1999, winning 42 percent of the tournaments. This was his 76th career win on TOUR, leaving him six short of the record 82 wins by Sam Snead. He now has more wins than Mickelson and Vijay Singh combined.

3/10/2013

GMAC Still in Tiger Chase

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For nine holes, Graeme McDowell threw his best golf at Woods, and Tiger counter punched in a magnificent display on the breezy Blue Monster.

McDowell opened with a 20-foot eagle, Woods with back-to-back birdies. GMAC then hit his approach to 10 feet on the third hole, and Woods followed with a shot 6 inches inside as both made birdie.

McDowell finally tied him for the lead with a 20-foot putt on the sixth hole, and he had a 10-foot birdie attempt on the seventh for the outright lead. The stroke was tentative, and the ball dipped on the low side.

And that was as close as McDowell could get.

Tiger Woods hit a tee shot that got stuck in a palm tree. That's about the only thing that didn't fall his way Saturday in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.

Woods made seven more birdies on the TPC Blue Monster at Trump Doral, the last one from 15 feet on the 18th hole that gave him a 5-under 67 and a four-shot lead over Graeme McDowell heading into the final round.

Woods has made 24 birdies and taken only 74 putts through three rounds, both personal bests in his PGA TOUR career.

It put him in great position to win his 17th career World Golf Championships, and his first since 2009.

He has a 39-2 record when he has the outright lead going into the final round on the PGA TOUR. The only time he has ever lost a lead of more than two shots was in 2010 against an 18-man field at the Chevron World Challenge, when McDowell beat him in a playoff.

McDowell was six shots out of the lead with three holes to play when he tried to keep it close. His drive on the 16th finished just over the green, and he chipped in for eagle. He picked up another shot on the 17th when Woods' tee shot embedded high into the trunk of a palm tree. Once his ball was identified, he took a penalty drop and made bogey.

The lead was down to three shots, but not for long.

"After I made birdie on 15, I was looking pretty good with a six-shot lead, and with a drivable par 4," Woods said. "Two holes later, it's now cut down to three. I piped a tee shot down there, hit a little 9-iron there and was able to pour that putt in there."

Woods made birdie to reach 18-under 198, and McDowell did well to stay only four shots behind with a two-putt from 85 feet away. That gave him a 69, and another date with Woods in the final group at Doral.

Phil Mickelson, who badly wanted to get into the final group, overcame a three-putt from 4 feet for double bogey on the third hole by making four birdies the rest of the way. He had a 69, along with Steve Stricker, and both were five shots behind.

"I threw away five or six shots on the greens and around the greens, and I feel like I don't have to play too much different," Mickelson said. "I just can't afford to give away those shots. I'm going to have to play a round like I played at Pebble last year, something in the low 60s."

A year ago, Mickelson shot 64 in the final round to win at AT&T Pebble Beach while playing in the same group with Woods.

Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 1 player, had a rough start until rallying on the back nine with five birdies in a six-hole stretch that carried him to a 71. He was 15 shots behind.

Woods used to own these WGC events, winning 16 of the first 30 that he played. He has gone 0-for-10 since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August 2009, though the odds were stacked in his favour at the Cadillac Championship. He already is a three-time winner at Doral, and he has been putting well ever since Stricker gave him a tip on the eve of the tournament.

"You know what kind of closer he is," Stricker said. "When he gets the lead in a golf tournament, it's tough. He doesn't let too many guys in usually when he gets the lead. We've all got our work cut out for us. We're going to have to go out and try to make birdies on a difficult golf course, which is hard to do."

It's even tougher with Woods playing like this. He has matched the low round of the tournament all three days.

Woods had a one-shot lead as they walked toward the green on the par-5 10th hole, with McDowell on the green in two and poised to catch him again. It all turned so suddenly.

Woods hit another superb wedge to 6 feet for birdie, while McDowell's eagle attempt slid 4 feet by the cup, and he missed it coming back for par. McDowell was furious, slapping his leg in disgust. McDowell and Woods each had 6 feet for par on the 11th -- Woods made, McDowell missed, his first bogey of the week.

That gave Woods a three-shot lead, and McDowell fell even further behind when he muffed a pitch behind the 14th green and took double bogey, and Woods hit a towering tee shot on the par-3 15th to 6 feet for birdie.

"The three-putt on 10 kind of rattled me a little bit, because Tiger didn't look like he was going to do anything wrong," McDowell said. "I really felt like I needed to be making putts like that."

McDowell at least stayed in the game, but after his putt across the length of the 18th green stopped inside a foot from the hole, he could only watch as Woods poured in another putt for yet another birdie, making the task on Sunday even more difficult.

The leaderboard still had the best golfers. Woods, however, separated himself from them.

Honda Classic winner Michael Thompson and Sergio Garcia each had a 67 and were at 11-under 205, along with Charl Schwartzel (69) and Keegan Bradley (69). Masters champion Bubba Watson could only manage a 71 and was eight shots behind.

Woods will be going for his second win of the year, an ominous sign with the Masters a month away.

"All respect to the way he handled himself today and the way he played," McDowell said. "He's going to be a tough guy to catch. But according to the forecast tomorrow, we are going to have strong winds. I think that's an advantage to the rest of the field. ... With tough conditions tomorrow, hopefully we'll have a chance."

3/09/2013

McDowell Trumps Monster Party

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Graeme McDowell led the chasing pack as Tiger Woods stepped up his quest for a seventh WGC - Cadillac Championship title with a sizzling 65 in the second round at Trump Doral in Miami.

Not content with yesterday’s birdie laden 66, Woods - one of five overnight leaders on six under par - went one better on the Blue Monster on Friday today. The 14 time Major Champion took full advantage of glorious conditions to end the day 13 under par - two shots ahead of McDowell.

The 2010 US Open Champion began with seven successive pars before picking up shots on 17 and four - having started on the tenth

Birdies at five and eight were added to on the par three last as he delivered a quite brilliant tee shot to set up an easy putt; that completed his second successive bogey free round, creating a 36 hole run that is his best effort on The PGA Tour.

McDowell, the only player to have not yet dropped a shot, said: “I saw Phil (Mickelson) sneaking up the leaderboard there behind me and I said to Kenny, I said, let's spoil this party tomorrow.

“I'm sure they would have liked Tiger and Phil in the last group tomorrow; it would have been great for the tournament, but I certainly will enjoy the position of being in the last group and the mix. That's right where I wants to be.

“It’s great to see the best players in the game playing as well as they are. It’s always exciting to have Tiger and Phil playing well. It brings the crowds and puts people behind their TV screens and that's what's important.”

McDowell heads into tomorrow having shown an impressive ability to out-duel Woods in the past, notably in the 2010 Chevron World Challenge.

On that occasion, he holed an 18 footer to force an unlikely play-off before doing likewise from 25 to emerge triumphant at Woods' expense.

He added: “I guess, what have I learned, is not to be intimidated by him or the circus around him. The intimidating thing about playing with him is what goes on inside the ropes, and it isn't him, that's kind of what I'm saying.

“He's an incredible guy to play with, very sporting, always complimentary, and like I say I've played with him enough now to feel comfortable.

“It really doesn't matter who you're playing with. You're playing against the golf course. That's the great thing about this sport.

“The other guy can't tackle you. The other guy can't hit your golf ball. All you can do is just play this great golf course and come the back nine Sunday, we'll see what happens.”

Having looked initially solid with three pars, World Number Two Woods found the outstanding approach play that was the hallmark of yesterday’s display.

He gained a shot on the par three fourth following an iron to four feet, and repeated the trick with a wedge at the next.

Another stupendous effort into the green followed to earn a shot on seven and, as if to show all facets of his game were working in unison, Woods let his putter do the work on the par five eighth prior to completing an outward 32.

Similar style was to come on the back as Woods picked up birdies at ten, 11, 13 and 16 - which offset a bogey on 14 - to complete an outstanding seven under round - matched only by South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel.

Woods has profited from outstanding conditions over the last two days, but is not expecting that over the next couple.

The weather forecast suggests the kind of wind that is famous at this resort could well appear over the weekend, while the current leader also notes that the course will be revamped at its conclusion.

“I think they are going to try and push it a little bit,” he said. “It would be fun if they did. We did it last year at Bay Hill on Sunday.

“It basically was a U.S. Open that broke out in Orlando. We don't get too many opportunities where the weather co-operates where they can push the golf course to a point where it's pretty tough like that.”

Schwartzel ended the day eight under for the tournament, one shot adrift of Bubba Watson and two behind Steve Stricker and Woods’ familiar foe Phil Mickelson.

Having thrilled the crowd throughout a performance featuring just two bogeys, Mickelson left the galleries cheering on the last by almost producing a hole in one, falling just a foot short.

He would eventually have to settle for birdie, but could take solace from being 10 under par following a second successive 67.

McIlroy Sees Red Numbers

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Rory McIlroy signed for a second round three under par 69 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Friday at Doral in Florida.

"I was like, `Oh my God, I'm in red numbers,"' McIlroy said with a laugh on Friday. "But you know, it's good. It's nice to shoot something in the 60s and definitely build on over the next couple of days."

McIlroy said he had a good session on the practice range on Thursday evening and felt as though he hit the ball better, though still not as well as he can.

"But it was better," he said. "I saw a lot of positives. I hit a really good 6-iron into the eighth hole and hit a great 3-wood off the 10th. I saw a lot of good signs out there."

Although McIlroy didn't make one putt over 10 feet and ended his round with three-putting for a bogey.

"Three-putted a couple times," he said. "That's not really what I'm focusing on right now. It's about the ball striking. And the ball striking, it's getting there. Days like today were very pleasing because it shows that I'm going in the right direction."

A year ago, Rory missed four cuts in five tournaments and looked lost, and then won the PGA Championship by a record eight shots, won two FedEx Cup playoff events against the strongest fields, closed out the year with a win in Dubai and captured the money title on golf's two biggest tours.

Callery the low point was last week in the Honda Classic when he walked off the course after 26 holes, later conceding that he was frustrated.

"You go through these periods in golf where you just have a tough time and things don't click right away," McIlroy said. "It's understandable. It would be great if it wasn't like that, and it would make the game a lot easier. I'm pleased with today. Overall, I saw some positives out there, something to build on going into the next two days, and obviously, the next few weeks."

McIlroy has only one other tournament scheduled before the Masters.

He only plans to play the Houston Open two weeks before the year's first major as he has not entered the Tampa Bay Classic next week. But could add Bay Hill the following week if he feels he needs more competition.

It would be a nice touch if he did opt for Arnold Palmer's event this season having disappointed the golfing legend last year, when he decided not to play it.

Luke Donald, the world number one a year ago, did n't play either.

"I’m disappointed that they are not here, no question about it,” Palmer said last year. “They are the top players on tour right now in the positions that they are in. And I’m disappointed.”