Sport

Woods down to third and returns to action

GOLF: THE GOLF season is expanding, starting to blossom earlier than ever

PHILIP REID Golf correspondent
Tue Jan 25 2011 - 00:00

GOLF:THE GOLF season is expanding, starting to blossom earlier than ever. Once upon a time, the US Masters at Augusta in April signalled the real start to the season – when many club players decided to shake off the cobwebs and take their bags out of hibernation – but, nowadays, the European Tour's dance through the desert and the US Tour's western swing ensure tour players are on their games quicker than ever.

What’s more, this week’s San Diego Open in Torrey Pines – or the Farmers Insurance Open to give it its proper title – marks the return to competitive play of a certain Tiger Woods, the long-time world number one, who is now languishing in an uncustomary third placed in the world rankings. He hasn’t suffered such a fate since 2004, with most of that interim period spent occupying the top spot.

While Europeans now occupy three of the top-five and six of the top-10 positions in the official world rankings, Woods’s return this week generates interest on a couple of fronts, like how has his on-going work with coach Sean Foley evolved over the winter and will being pushed down the rankings act as an immediate spur?

Woods is returning to tournament play on a course where he has been even more dominant than Martin Kaymer’s annexation of that desert-turned-golf course in Abu Dhabi.

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Woods has won seven tournaments at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 US Open in a play-off over Rocco Mediate, and has captured the title in his last five starts on the layout beside the Pacific, which featured a run of four successive Buick Invitationals from 2005-2008.

“I’m really looking forward to competing,” Woods announced last week. “I’ve been working hard on my game and I’m excited about 2011. I feel a lot more comfortable about the changes we’ve made. Hopefully, my good play at the end of last year will carry over,” he added.

While the return of Woods to the tour will undoubtedly generate a huge level of interest on the US Tour, the strength of the European Tour is reflected in the field at this week’s inaugural Volvo Champions tournament in Bahrain – the second leg of the four-tournament Gulf Swing in the Middle East – which has attracted seven men from the top-30 of the world rankings: Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Francesco Molinari, Robert Karlsson, Edoardo Molinari, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pádraig Harrington.

Harrington, after his disqualification in Abu Dhabi, heads a quintet of Irishmen in the field. The 39-year-old Dubliner is joined by Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Michael Hoey in the field as he seeks to put the furore over his disqualification – prompted by armchair officialdom – behind him and belatedly get his season going.

Now down to 28th in the world rankings, Harrington, whose one and only round in Abu Dhabi provided reassurance that the changes he has implemented to his swing over the winter have bedded in quicker than he could have anticipated, is optimistic he will have his “best year ever” as he gets ready for Bahrain, after which he will switch stateside for his build-up to the Masters.

Graeme McDowell has reason to be cheerful after his opening two tournaments of the season, a third place finish behind Jonathan Byrd in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua earlier this season being followed by his third place finish behind Kaymer in Abu Dhabi. The upshot of his running start to the season is McDowell has copper-fastened fourth place in the world rankings but will now take a four-week break – part of which time will be spent overseeing the building of his new house in Orlando – before resuming tournament duty at the WGC-Accenture World Matchplay next month.

Likewise, Rory McIlroy – runner-up to Kaymer in Abu Dhabi – heads into his own break with confidence for the season ahead. Having moved from 12th to seventh in the latest world rankings, McIlroy will have a fortnight off before resuming play in the Dubai Desert Classic (where Woods will also feature).

McIlroy, who had practised at the Butch Harmon Academy in Dubai before heading to Abu Dhabi, didn’t lose the run of himself after a runner-up start to his season. “I’ve got a bit to go to get my game from where it is now to where I want it to be. But it is definitely on the right track, which is a good thing. I played nicely in Abu Dhabi and definitely exceeded my expectations for the week,” said McIlroy, who has taken the precaution of having some artificial mats put down in his house so he can continue to work on his swing if the arctic weather should return.

Gareth Maybin, who was tied-fifth in Abu Dhabi, is also taking a short break and, like McIlroy, will return to tour duty in Dubai, while Shane Lowry – who suffered a hand injury when falling on ice over the winter close season – also hopes to resume tournament play in the emirate.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas is up from 187th to 86th in the world after producing the third shock result in a row on the PGA Tour this season.

Following the wins by Jonathan Byrd and Mark Wilson – ranked 121st and 237th respectively at the time – 26-year-old rookie Vegas beat Americans Bill Haas and Gary Woodland on the second extra hole of the Bob Hope Classic.

It was only the fifth PGA Tour event Vegas had played in his career and in addition to the €600,000 prize he earns a Masters debut at Augusta.

The Scottish Open will be played at Castle Stuart near Inverness on July 7th-10th. Loch Lomond has hosted the event for the last 15 years, but will be moved to the new venue this summer. The prize fund remains at €3.5 million, with a winner’s cheque of €586,000.

BOB HOPE CLASSIC – Leading final scores (USA unless stated, par 72): 333 – Jhonattan Vegas 64 67 67 66 69 (Vegas won at second play-off hole), Bill Haas 69 68 68 62 66, Gary Woodland 65 69 64 66 69; 334 – Ryan Palmer 67 71 65 67 64; 336 – Kevin Na 69 67 68 65 67, Brian Gay 69 69 66 70 62; 337 – Chris Kirk 69 68 64 66 70, Keegan Bradley 66 67 68 66 70, Matt Kuchar 66 70 67 66 68, Chris Couch 67 65 69 70 66; 338 – Greg Chalmers (Aus) 67 67 65 69 70, Daniel Summerhays 69 66 68 64 71; 339 – Jerry Kelly 67 68 67 68 69, Brian Davis (Eng) 67 66 71 68 67, Bill Lunde 74 64 67 68 66, Charles Howell III 66 66 70 67 70, Alex Cejka (Ger) 69 67 67 68 68, Webb Simpson 68 69 67 68 67, Derek Lamely 63 73 72 64 67, Justin Leonard 69 71 64 68 67, Boo Weekley 65 66 72 66 70.