Stickin' Out
Rory McIlroy is the winner of 2012 Honda Classic after a two-shot victory over Tiger Woods and Tom Gillis. With this victory, McIlroy has overtaken Luke Donald as the new number-one ranked player in the world. McIlroy completed all four rounds in the 60’s for 12-under-par 268 to hold off a charge from Tiger Woods, who carded his lowest round ever on Tour on Sunday with 62.
Sunday morning at PGA National was going to start much earlier than scheduled due to impending severe weather on the East Coast of Florida. Tee times were moved up to try and avoid the inclement weather and it looked like we all were in for tape-delayed golf on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, the weather DID NOT cooperate! Play at Palm Beach Gardens was a few holes old when a weather system moved through the area suspending play. This delay enabled the schedule to revert to the original tee times and making the event live on television as previously scheduled. Who would have wanted to read about this on Twitter instead of watching it develop live? Not me or you. Not after that show.
McIlroy, known for his sweet swing and smooth demeanor, can now add cool-under-fire to his steadily-growing resume that also includes major champion and number-one ranked player in the world. It’s one thing to hold off young Jason Day at Congressional but it’s an entirely different piece of finishing when Tiger Woods is in the rear-view mirror and charging on Sunday.
McIlroy held off Woods and Tom Gillis the old-fashioned way, with his short-game. He led the field in scrambling, getting up 20 out of 24 times throughout the week. None of these up-and-downs were bigger than the ones on 14, 15 and 17 after Woods was safely in the clubhouse at 10-under and McIlroy had a two shot lead. A fantastic pitch from a gnarly lie on 14 was even better after he sank the putt. Bunker shots on 15 and 17 were above average, but the flat stick still had to knock them home. After holing those putts and not dropping any shots, he stood on 18 tee with a two-shot lead over Woods and he had plenty of margin for error, if necessary.
He didn’t need any of it as his final tee shot split the fairway on the par-five and he cruised home to victory. McIlroy finished the week fifth in strokes gained-putting on top his scrambling numbers. Not bad after he was near the bottom of the scrambling stats last week in his runner-up finish at WGC-Match Play.
Déjà vu All Over Again?
Rory McIlroy began the day with a two-shot lead over journeyman Tom Gillis and rookie Harris English and a nine-shot lead over an up-and-down Tiger Woods. As we’ve learned this year on Tour, no lead is safe on Sundays.
Yet, Rory McIlroy is not Kyle Stanley. Nor is he Spencer Levin, Charlie Wi, Keegan Bradley or Daniel Summerhays. Heck, he’s not even Phil Mickelson, at least not yet. McIlroy did today what those golfers could not do earlier in the year: Close out and win after leading after 54 holes.
Last year, Rory McIlroy played “The Bear Trap” seven-over on Saturday. Yes, seven-over in three holes in one round.
What a difference a year makes. This week, he played the “The Bear Trap” three-under for the week and even on the day when it counted the most, Sunday. He could have easily remembered that experience on Saturday or Sunday of this year but he didn’t. That’s mental toughness.
Are there any other tournaments that McIlroy didn’t play so well last year? If so, I’ll take him to win on those tracks in 2012. What’s that? The Masters where he blew a four-shot lead on Sunday and shot 80? I understand this was not a major, but when Tiger Woods is breathing down your neck with 62, bad thoughts can creep into your head. Jack Nicklaus remarked on the telecast, as McIlroy entered “The Bear Trap”, that he would prefer to be in Tiger’s shoes at that moment in the round. Yikes.
Hey, becoming number one in the world shouldn’t’ be easy and it wasn’t. What started last summer at Congressional has blossomed into fantastic golf over the last nine months. He took the mantle by playing flawless golf this week, Tiger Woods or no Tiger Woods. Speaking of Tiger Woods, McIlroy becomes the second-youngest player ever at 22 years to be ranked number one. Tiger Woods was 21 years old.
At least I gave you folks a winner this week after last week’s disaster. Thanks for reading as always.
Young Guns vs Old Guns
In 10 tournaments this season, the Young versus Old argument is now 7-2-1.
For the young, Johnson Wagner (31), Brandt Snedeker (31), Kyle Stanley (24) and Bill Haas (29), John Huh (21), Hunter Mahan (29) and now Rory McIlroy (22) lead the way for the Young guys.
Mark Wilson (37) is in the middle, a half-point for each.
Steve Stricker (44) and Phil Mickelson (41) are flying the flag for the old folks on Tour.
This is also the first victory for the rest of the world this season on Tour. U.S. players had won the first nine events. Not a bad start though!
One other note for gamers: This is the fifth-straight year at The Honda Classic that an international player has won. McIlroy joins Yang, Els, Villegas and Sabbatini as winners since 2008 at PGA National. Mark Wilson is the only U.S. player to win (2007) since the tournament moved there.
Stickin' Out
Rory McIlroy is the winner of 2012 Honda Classic after a two-shot victory over Tiger Woods and Tom Gillis. With this victory, McIlroy has overtaken Luke Donald as the new number-one ranked player in the world. McIlroy completed all four rounds in the 60’s for 12-under-par 268 to hold off a charge from Tiger Woods, who carded his lowest round ever on Tour on Sunday with 62.
Sunday morning at PGA National was going to start much earlier than scheduled due to impending severe weather on the East Coast of Florida. Tee times were moved up to try and avoid the inclement weather and it looked like we all were in for tape-delayed golf on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, the weather DID NOT cooperate! Play at Palm Beach Gardens was a few holes old when a weather system moved through the area suspending play. This delay enabled the schedule to revert to the original tee times and making the event live on television as previously scheduled. Who would have wanted to read about this on Twitter instead of watching it develop live? Not me or you. Not after that show.
McIlroy, known for his sweet swing and smooth demeanor, can now add cool-under-fire to his steadily-growing resume that also includes major champion and number-one ranked player in the world. It’s one thing to hold off young Jason Day at Congressional but it’s an entirely different piece of finishing when Tiger Woods is in the rear-view mirror and charging on Sunday.
McIlroy held off Woods and Tom Gillis the old-fashioned way, with his short-game. He led the field in scrambling, getting up 20 out of 24 times throughout the week. None of these up-and-downs were bigger than the ones on 14, 15 and 17 after Woods was safely in the clubhouse at 10-under and McIlroy had a two shot lead. A fantastic pitch from a gnarly lie on 14 was even better after he sank the putt. Bunker shots on 15 and 17 were above average, but the flat stick still had to knock them home. After holing those putts and not dropping any shots, he stood on 18 tee with a two-shot lead over Woods and he had plenty of margin for error, if necessary.
He didn’t need any of it as his final tee shot split the fairway on the par-five and he cruised home to victory. McIlroy finished the week fifth in strokes gained-putting on top his scrambling numbers. Not bad after he was near the bottom of the scrambling stats last week in his runner-up finish at WGC-Match Play.
Déjà vu All Over Again?
Rory McIlroy began the day with a two-shot lead over journeyman Tom Gillis and rookie Harris English and a nine-shot lead over an up-and-down Tiger Woods. As we’ve learned this year on Tour, no lead is safe on Sundays.
Yet, Rory McIlroy is not Kyle Stanley. Nor is he Spencer Levin, Charlie Wi, Keegan Bradley or Daniel Summerhays. Heck, he’s not even Phil Mickelson, at least not yet. McIlroy did today what those golfers could not do earlier in the year: Close out and win after leading after 54 holes.
Last year, Rory McIlroy played “The Bear Trap” seven-over on Saturday. Yes, seven-over in three holes in one round.
What a difference a year makes. This week, he played the “The Bear Trap” three-under for the week and even on the day when it counted the most, Sunday. He could have easily remembered that experience on Saturday or Sunday of this year but he didn’t. That’s mental toughness.
Are there any other tournaments that McIlroy didn’t play so well last year? If so, I’ll take him to win on those tracks in 2012. What’s that? The Masters where he blew a four-shot lead on Sunday and shot 80? I understand this was not a major, but when Tiger Woods is breathing down your neck with 62, bad thoughts can creep into your head. Jack Nicklaus remarked on the telecast, as McIlroy entered “The Bear Trap”, that he would prefer to be in Tiger’s shoes at that moment in the round. Yikes.
Hey, becoming number one in the world shouldn’t’ be easy and it wasn’t. What started last summer at Congressional has blossomed into fantastic golf over the last nine months. He took the mantle by playing flawless golf this week, Tiger Woods or no Tiger Woods. Speaking of Tiger Woods, McIlroy becomes the second-youngest player ever at 22 years to be ranked number one. Tiger Woods was 21 years old.
At least I gave you folks a winner this week after last week’s disaster. Thanks for reading as always.
Young Guns vs Old Guns
In 10 tournaments this season, the Young versus Old argument is now 7-2-1.
For the young, Johnson Wagner (31), Brandt Snedeker (31), Kyle Stanley (24) and Bill Haas (29), John Huh (21), Hunter Mahan (29) and now Rory McIlroy (22) lead the way for the Young guys.
Mark Wilson (37) is in the middle, a half-point for each.
Steve Stricker (44) and Phil Mickelson (41) are flying the flag for the old folks on Tour.
This is also the first victory for the rest of the world this season on Tour. U.S. players had won the first nine events. Not a bad start though!
One other note for gamers: This is the fifth-straight year at The Honda Classic that an international player has won. McIlroy joins Yang, Els, Villegas and Sabbatini as winners since 2008 at PGA National. Mark Wilson is the only U.S. player to win (2007) since the tournament moved there.
Hindsight:
Tiger Woods: The magic returned on Sunday for Woods as he fired a career-low Sunday round of 62. Beginning the day nine shots behind McIlroy, Woods had no choice but to go low. After three rounds of inconsistent play, Woods put it all together on Sunday firing four birdies and two eagles. Woods only made seven bogeys on the week at a course he hasn’t played since he was a teenager. Gamers, take the “love him” or “hate him” out of your analysis each week with Woods. This about picking guys who can take you to the next level. Remember this as well: Woods led the field in total driving and was T5 GIR. There’s nothing fluky about those numbers to suggest he’s heading the wrong direction.
Tom Gillis: Here’s what’s great about fantasy golf, Tom Gillis. His first five events of the season he was cut three times, WD once and his only finish was T40. His last top 25 was the first week of July last year. Gillis only made two bogeys in his first three rounds before carding three more on Sunday. Gillis led the field in strokes gained-putting on his home course and was T3 GIR. His closing birdie shared second place with Tiger Woods and eclipsed his third place finish last year as the best of his career. Raise your hand if you had him in your line up this week! Now, keep your hand up if you’re lying!
Lee Westwood: As Woods was putting together his masterpiece, don’t let Westwood’s final round slip past when getting ready for next week. For the second week in a row, Westwood finished fourth and is quietly going about his business. His new fitness regimen is working and he showed off his nasty golf game as well finishing with 63 on Sunday. Five birdies and an eagle vaulted Westwood 23 spots to fourth alone. Westwood also only made five bogeys on the week but also carded a double. The knock on Westwood is that he’s only won twice in over 100 attempts on U.S. soil. He’s playing well enough right now to not worry about that moving forward evidenced by finishing this week second GIR. You don’t think McIlroy’s success is pushing any of his buttons, right? I didn’t think so…
Charl Schwartzel: The South African who finished in the top 16 of every major last year continues his excellent play in 2012. Schwartzel T5 even though he made THREE double-bogeys on the week. He made 17 birdies that was T4 and led the field in GIR. In two appearances at The Honda Classic, he’s finished T14 and T5. The reigning Masters champion is on your radar for next year and next week.
Justin Rose: Oy, Rosey! “The Bear Trap” earned it’s keep at the expense of the Englishman on Sunday as he found the water on 15 and made another bogey on 17. Heading into “The Bear Trap” Rose was nine-under and just three shots back of McIlroy. He had played the previous three rounds three-under through this stretch but didn’t have it on Sunday. He was T10 GIR and his putting stats were very steady but he played the weekend one-over to fade to T5.
Rickie Fowler: After finishing his round on Friday positioned at one-over for the tournament, it looked like Rickie Fowler was on pace for another quiet weekend. After being beaten in the first round last week, T62 at NTO and CUT at AT&T in his last three outings, this could have been expected. Instead, “Agent Orange” (my nickname, calm down) made 11 weekend birdies to hit the top 10 for this first time this season and the first time in full-field events since last August. He’s playing new equipment this year and it looks like he’s starting to figure it out. We might be seeing more Sunday orange in the future.
Dicky Pride: After T5 at Mayakoba last week, Pride was given entry into this week’s field at Honda. He made the most of it, hitting the top 10 for the second-consecutive week. His hot played from Mexico carried over to the first two rounds as he made 10 birdies to just three bogeys. Not surprisingly, he cooled off on the weekend but still finished T7 to wrap up a fantastic two weeks on Tour.
Chris Stroud: Speaking of playing some excellent golf two weeks in a row, Chris Stroud backed up his T5 at Mayakoba with a T9 this week at Honda. I mentioned last week that Stroud has been all or nothing this season and he was “all” again this week. Stroud again was steady with his putter, his strong suit, as he embraced making par this week. He also was three-under through “The Bear Trap” on the week. In seven starts this season, he’s been cut three times and been in the top 13 the other four appearances.
Kevin Stadler: After opening up with four-under 66, Stadler played steady golf throughout the weekend to hit his first top 10 since Crown Plaza last May. Don’t let that last fact fool you: In his last four starts on Tour, he’s been trending in the right direction finishing T9, T16, T24, and T25. He played his final 17 holes three-under after an unsightly double-bogey to open on Sunday. He only made five bogeys the entire week as well.
Graeme McDowell: After watching him knock it all over the desert last week, I thought I was safe in omitting G-Mac from my top 15 after his first round 73. Wrongo. McDowell tied the course record that he set last year on Sunday, 64, in second round and he was right back in the thick of things. McDowell did lead the field in birdies made with 20, was third in strokes gained-putting and T8 GIR but only carded 39 pars (T73) on the week.
“Hey, what ever happened to…”
Kyle Stanley: The No. 1 ranked player in the FedExCup season standings finally had a week to cool off after four great events. Stanley struggled, making four doubles and 11 bogeys in 36 holes this week and his putter wasn’t cooperating either. It was also noticed on the course was his caddy was no longer lining him up on his shots. We’ll see if that continues next week at Doral.
Rory Sabbatini: The defending champ struggled with his putter and made too many bogeys to successfully defend this week. His T62 finish broke a three-event streak of MC. Horse didn’t run on this course this week. Rory needs to put a few rounds together to get back on my radar in the coming weeks.
John Huh: The winner last week in Mexico continues his excellent start to his rookie season in 2012. Yet to miss a cut in his six starts, he hit the board at T36 this week. He was right in the thick of things until a five-over 75 on Saturday effectively ended his chances of repeating in back-to-back weeks.
Y.E. Yang: The 2008 champion and 2011 runner-up hit the board with T30 which could have been better except for a double on 15 on Sunday. It was his second double of the week which cancelled out finishing in the top 10 for pars made on the week. Yang was T60 on driving accuracy and GIR this week and still managed a top 30.
Coming Tuesday: Range Rover WGC-Cadillac Championships Preview