US TOUR:THE MEDIA love a good rivalry, preferably with teeth and hair flying, but ahead of teeing off together at the the FedEx Cup play-offs at The Barclays at Bethpage Black, neither Rory McIlroy nor Tiger Woods was taking the bait yesterday.
The Northern Irishman’s US PGA Championship win a fortnight ago has copperfastened his position as heir apparent to the 14-time Major winner Woods and the FedEx rankings will conveniently cast them into the arena, along with Zach Johnson.
McIlroy, having won another Major – his second – by eight shots, is in a good place at the end of a season in which he missed four cuts out of five at one stage. The Farmingdale, New York, venue, like Kiawah Island, is a big course that should suit the new driver that has settled into his bag so well over recent weeks.
Woods, ranked first in the FedEx standings to McIlroy’s third, slipped away over the weekend of the US PGA but three wins on tour this year have him well primed.
It would be all set up if one of them would just fire the first shot.
McIlroy did play along somewhat but a burst of laughter meant no battle lines could be drawn when he expressed a wish to meet Woods early in the Ryder Cup at Medinah and “kick his ass”.
Woods, said the world No 1 brings out the best in him, and he expects him to do the same today.
“I really enjoy his company. I know we’ll have a good time out there,” said McIlroy. Yeah, but, is it a rivalry? “No, I don’t think so,” said the 23-year-old. “I’ve always said the players don’t build up rivalries themselves, people from the outside build up the rivalries. I just want to play good golf.”
Woods, it seems, feels much the same way. “I enjoy playing with Rory,” said the 36-year-old, “and I hope he feels the same way about being in the same group as me. He’s a great kid and it’s great to be around him. What an amazing talent he really is. I just hope that everyone just lets him grow and develop as a player because it’s going to be fun to see over the next 20 years how this kid’s career is going to pan out.”
McIlroy is one those who can go “ungodly low”, added Woods. “Once he gets rolling, he just makes birdie after birdie after birdie. Not afraid to keep trying to push it, to try to shoot lower scores. Some guys have a little governor on them and they’ll back off, but there are a few players that just don’t have that.”
Neither Pádraig Harrington nor Ian Poulter have any fight left in the race for an automatic Ryder Cup place and both have skipped the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles to play in Farmingdale, hoping for a performance that impresses European captain Jose Maria Olazabal enough to offer a wild-card pick.
Course: Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York.
Prize money: $8 million (€6.4 million). Winner gets $1.44 million (€1.15 million).
Length:7,468 yards. Par: 71.
Field:125.
The layout:Bethpage, host to the 2002 and 2009 US Opens, may be a public course, but is considered one of the toughest in the United States. Narrow fairways, high rough, well-placed bunkers and small greens make this long layout a real brute.
Defending champion:Dustin Johnson (played at Plainfield CC).
Key attribute:Accuracy.
Weather forecast:Threat of thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday, with light winds.
On TV: Sky Sports 3, today and tomorrow from 7.0pm; Saturday, 9.0pm; Sunday, Sky Sports 2, 5.0pm.
