Demise of McIlroy’s Masters chances greatly exaggerated

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AUGUSTA, GA. — Rory McIlroy? We begin by paraphrasing one Mark Twain, another golfer whose long walks occasionally were spoiled.

The chatter about the demise of McIlroy’s chances to win the Masters after his semi-disastrous opening round have been greatly exaggerated. 

McIlroy shot the day’s low round on Friday—a 6-under-par 66—that brought him out of frustration and squarely back into contention, joining a leaderboard stacked with big names and even bigger games. McIlroy, the acclaimed favorite to finally add the Masters to his other three championships, seemed doomed after finishing Thursday’s round with double bogeys on two of the last four holes that dropped him figuratively into Ray’s Creek and dropped him down the list. But as we were reminded once again, golf is the most unpredictable of sporting ventures. One swing, you are despondent; the next, you are elated. Or vice versa.

Halfway into the 89th Masters, Justin Rose retained the lead. He earned the first round. Rose, a very young 44—look at how he is playing—is at eight under 136, after Friday’s 71. Second at 137 is Bryson deChambeau, the two-time US Open Champion, who had a 4-under 68 Friday at Augusta National. 

McIlroy is at 138, tied with Cory Conners for third, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who had a 71 today, is at 139 with Shane Lowry, Tyrell Hatton, and Denny McCarty.

After his opening-round collapse, McIlroy, usually a talkative sort, refused to do interviews. But, not surprisingly, Friday he said a lot after he gained a lot of strokes. Asked his mindset after Friday’s round, McIlroy said, “Not as frustrated obviously. But I mean, it’s only halfway. You know, we’ve got 36 holes to go on a very, very tough golf course. Anything can happen.”

What happened Thursday when he chipped into the water on 15 and then 3 putted 18, for the two devastating double bogies, left McIlroy more stunned than shaken. 

“I hit two good shots into 15 (Thursday),” said McIlroy. “And I felt like I hit a pretty good chip shot. I was really surprised at not so much the speed—I knew it was a fast chip. It was just the first bounce was so firm.” 

McIlroy, the Irishman, has been a golfing star since before his teenage years. The expectations have been as large as his talent. Early on, he won a PGA championship, a US Open, and a British Open. But the Masters has been elusive.  

Most famously, he had the lead at Augusta in 2013 and then shot 80 in the fourth round. That failure is brought up every time he comes here. 

McIlroy met with six-time Masters Winner Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest player ever, and listened to Jack’s advice on how to finally get that Masters victory. Jack told him the key is as much in the way he thinks as in the way he plays. And McIlroy mentioned that after his comeback Friday. 

“I was so frustrated last (Thursday) night because I played so well, and you can make these big numbers from absolutely nowhere on this golf course, just like the most benign position.  So it was a good reminder that you have to have your wits about you on every single golf shot.”

Rose rises to Masters lead while Rory sinks with late double bogeys

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The golf people—and the odds people—told us if this 89th Masters isn’t won by Rory McIlroy, then it will be won by Scottie Scheffler. 

Perhaps we better save a space for Justin Rose. He twice has finished second in the Masters, and after shooting a 7-under par, 65, Thursday, he has the lead in this year’s opening round.

You know the famous advice that the Masters won’t be decided until the back nine Sunday.

We have many miles to go and holes to play just to get to Friday, so it is a bit premature even to think that Rose is finally going to get the victory he just missed in 2015, when Jordan Spieth won, or 2017, when Sergio Garcia came out on top.

However, he certainly is going to be a factor and even more than Scheffler, who going for a second consecutive title at Augusta, shot a 4 under 68, and McIlroy, 72, who ruined his round with double bogeys at both 15 and 17.

There is no sport quite like golf where you can give back what you just took, as befell McIlroy, who chipped into the water on the par-5 15th, a frequent birdie hole, and then three-putted 17.

That the 35-year-old McIlroy refused to talk to the media after the round was both unfortunate and normally unusual.  He’s usually quite communicative and promotionally minded, although he went silent after blowing short putts that cost him a chance at the US Open at Pinehurst.

True, with 54 holes remaining, he is not out of this Masters. Still, as he tries to win the one event that has kept him from completing the personal grand slam, Rory again seems befuddled. His disappointment has persisted even since he held first place in the 2011 Masters and then shot 80 in the final round.

So, if this is not to be more of the same, Rory must regain his composure and his touch.  

Rose has gone through his own bit of frustration here at Augusta. But Thursday, when the temperature climbed to 70 degrees, Justin had only one bogey, at 18. 

“It was a really good day’s golf on a golf course that was a stern test,” said Rose. “I think if you look at the overall leaderboard, not many low scores out there. A lot of quality shots, and delighted the way I played.” 

As he should be. 

A careful McIlroy has a cool week and a win at the AT&T

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PEBBLE BEACH — This was as good as it gets in golf—magnificent Pebble Beach in the sunshine, a leaderboard full of major champions, and Rory McIlroy, his once wild game tamed by maturity and wisdom, now under control, beating them all. On this Sunday, McIlroy delivered a masterful 66—each shot carefully crafted—even opting for a 5-iron off the tee at the historic par-5 18th. 

That’s the bayside hole that was nicknamed “The Finisher” nearly a century ago, and it proved to be just that for Rory McIlroy, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by two shots with a score of 21 under par, 267. In McIlroy’s wake were some of golf’s biggest names. Fellow Irishman Shane Lowry finished second at 269, while Justin Rose and Lucas Glover tied for third, another shot back. Lowry has a British Open to his credit, Rose owns both a Masters and a U.S. Open, and Glover is also a U.S. Open champion. Meanwhile, Sepp Straka, who led by a shot over McIlroy going into the final round, could only manage a 72 and slipped to a tie for 7th.  

McIlroy may be only 35, but he has been playing pro golf around the world, mostly on the European Tour, for years. He would hit the ball as far as possible to impress himself, spectators, and those in the media—but not always with precision, especially on the greens. Just last June he botched putts on the closing holes of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. But maybe that had an effect, if you listened to him and watched him at Pebble, McIlroy seemed to have learned from his failings—as golfers so often do as they mature. 

“Pinehurst hurt the most,” said McIlroy. “Again, thinking of strategy and maybe those impulses that I talked about, hitting the right shot at the right time or being in a different place mentally, calming yourself down, using breathing exercises, whatever it is, I think the one thing that I did  (Sunday) really well is that I didn’t get too flustered and it may—it certainly feels a little more boring to me.” 

“It might look a little bit more boring on the golf course, but it definitely is more effective. Today was a test and I was able to come through it pretty well.” 

McIlroy has 27 victories, no matter where they’ve been played, some of which were considered part of the PGA tour. This AT&T was his first this year on tour, with McIlroy having only arrived in California Monday from the Middle East, where he annually competes a few times during the Winter. 

So much success, and yet when people refer to Rory they mention how he fell apart in the final round in 2011 at the Masters, the only one of the four Grand Slam Events he has not won.  

“It’s been a great week for a lot of different reasons,” said McIlroy, who had an ace on the 15th at Spyglass Hill on Thursday, the first round, which is the other course used for the AT&T.

“Playing Cypress Point for the first time, obviously getting a win. Yeah—it’s been a really cool week. Obviously couldn’t wish for a better start for my PGA TOUR season.”

What the AT&T needed: A leaderboard packed with greatness including Rory and Shane

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PEBBLE BEACH — This was exactly what the tournament needed and what the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am got, a leaderboard packed with big names who have big games and a spate of major championships, people like Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Justin Rose. 

After two rounds that felt as dull as the gray skies over Carmel Bay, the third day delivered a much-needed jolt of energy, fueled by standout performances from familiar faces. 

Nothing wrong with Sepp Straka—who remained in front after 54 holes. He’s a three-time PGA Tour winner, but he doesn’t attract the same crowds or TV ratings as Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, or Scottie Scheffler—who is not out of it even if six shots behind may not really be in it. 

McIlroy, arguably the most popular golfer since Tiger Woods stepped away, and his fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, each had a 7-under 65 on an afternoon with occasional rain and frequent wind. Straka had an even par 70. So with one round remaining and apparently any chance of bad weather holding off until at least the end of play, Straka, at 16 under 200, is a shot in front of both Irishmen, McIlroy and Lowry. 

In fourth place is Rose, who won the AT&T two years ago and as many of the others, is a major champion—actually a two-time winner, having claimed the U.S. Open and the Masters.

McIlroy, in his first PGA tour tournament since last summer, completed his round with a stirring birdie putt on Pebble Beach’s seaside 18th. That would please anyone and certainly elated Rory.

“After 18 years (on tour),” said Rory who is now 35, “Yeah, it was a really good Saturday to get myself in contention. I keep reminding myself this week, it’s my second tournament of the year. It's great to be playing well at this point, but the main goal for me is to play well from April through July. It’s really cool to be in contention this early in the season.”

April of course is when they play the Masters, the only one of the four major championships McIlroy has not won.

Someone pointed out to McIlroy that it is not surprising that he and Lowry perform well in gloomy, overcast, and frequently cool conditions. But Rory responded, “That is why we moved to Florida to get away from weather like this.” 

Lowry, in perhaps the most thrilling of majors, won the 2019 British Open at Portrush in his homeland. It was the highlight of a career that sometimes goes unappreciated by those outside Ireland or outside professional golf.

“When I arrived here (Saturday morning),” said Lowry, “People said this weather is gonna suit you. Yeah, it might suit me somewhat but I don’t enjoy it. You know, I live in Florida for a reason. Yeah, look I’m able—I think my game is well equipped to handle these conditions and I go out there kind of no fear and I know I just need to batten down the hatches and make pars when I can.”

Straka is the only Austrian to win on Tour. Not that nationality means as much as keeping the tee shots in play and making the putts. Hey, the ball doesn’t care who is hitting it. The only thing that matters from any player, famous or not, is striking it fewer times than anyone else.

Royal Troon a royal pain for Rory

There’s a hole at Royal Troon, the eighth, that is so short it’s named Postage Stamp. Day one of the Open Rory McIlroy had a double bogey.

There’s another hole at Troon, where the train to Glasgow rumbles past called the Railway. Day one of the Open Rory McIlroy had a double bogey.

This is links golf, with wind, rough and fairways that in some places not only are narrow but are angled. The course was designed by nature which often has been less sympathetic to golfers than architects.

That doesn’t mean someone can’t figure out how to handle the course. Thursday that someone was a pro named Dan Brown. Not to be confused with the Dan who wrote “ DaVinci Code” or the one who is a writer for The Athletic.

This Dan Brown, or Daniel as he is listed in the registration, shot a 6-under par 65 for the first-round lead, albeit, a narrow one, a single stroke. Brown is from Yorkshire in England and is a regular on the DP World Tour.

And second, surely less unexpected on the leaderboard than Brown is Shane Lowry, who won the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, just across the Irish Sea from Troon. Third at 3-under 68 was Justin Thomas, who twice has won the PGA Championship, while Scottie Scheffler was close enough at 70.

The familiar refrain among golf observers is that you can’t win a tournament in the first round but you can lose it.

McIlroy probably lost this 152nd Open, as did Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst a month ago. To think that DeChambeau with a 76 and McIlroy went down to the wire at Pinehurst and now are scrambling to make the cut at Troon. Yes, that’s golf, particularly golf played on different continents.

The golf played by Tiger Woods in the opening round was disappointing, but considering his age, 48, and battered body, it probably wasn’t shocking. He was 1-under through three holes but came in with an 8-over 79.

As the people who play it from the amateur level to the pros, golf can be a cruel game. Those beautiful, expensive clubs, which produce birdies and smiles, can turn on you quickly and go from friend to enemy.

As Rory, who at the piddling 120-yard eighth, reminded us when he left a ball in one of the huge bunkers and had the double. He did the same thing at the Railway hole.

“This can be a tough course,” said Rory. It’s supposed to be. It’s The Open.

A call to the post for a golf major in the Derby city

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The call to the post was being played. Not to announce the horses coming onto the track, but to tell us the luggage was arriving at the carousel.

The Derby may have been run a week and a half ago, but everything in Kentucky seems connected to racing.

Or bourbon, Or basketball. Until this week. When a golf major, the PGA Championship, returns. 

Not that people around here are going to forget the thoroughbreds — “We’ll have the Preakness on TV in the media tent Saturday,” said the golf exec — or college hoops, so help us Adolph Rupp.

He was the taskmaster known as the Baron of the Bluegrass when he coached UK to NCAA titles. It was a few years after the other school, the University of Louisville, began to get its own titles under Denny Crum. They came to appreciate Crum, who, yes, even got involved in horse racing, but Crum was from the south part of California not the south of America, and played under and became an assistant to John Wooden at UCLA.  

He started out by referring to the university and city as “Lewis-ville,” but the public forgave him. As the folks around here tell you it’s “Luville.”

And UK stands for the University of Kentucky, not the United Kingdom, although with the number of trainers and jockeys from England who show up each spring or the Derby, you might be confused.

Apropos of nothing but perhaps pertinent to a great deal, is Brit, Rory McIlroy of Northern  Ireland who along with No. 1-ranked  Scottie Scheffler, is one of the favorites at this 106th PGA at Valhalla Golf Club. 

Rory McIlroy may not know how to say Louisville, but he definitely knows how to play the course, having won the 2014 PGA Championship by a stroke over Phil Mi Mickelson, who indeed is here. As you are aware, McIlroy, in a bravura performance, won the Wells Fargo Championship last Sunday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.

As you may not be aware, although news of a social nature travels like wildfire, McIlroy almost simultaneously filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica. Strange timing some might say, but seemingly the split will not affect Rory as he seeks success. And no smart-aleck remarks that getting out of a bunker should be no problem after getting out of a marriage.

Rory will be ready. No question. We heard the call to the post, albeit for a few suitcases. Now for the golfers, the flag is up.

In a timeless sport, Rory time may be running out at Augusta

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — First a pro football reference. Dan Marino was only 23, in his second season of pro football, when the Miami Dolphins were defeated in Super Bowl XIX by the 49ers. Don’t despair, people told him, you’ll be there again.

He never returned.

Now a turn, at a figurative Amen Corner, of course, to another disappointed athlete. Rory McIlroy was only 22 and in his fifth year as a touring golfer when he blew an eight-shot lead in the 2012 Masters. Don’t despair was the advice. You’ll be there again.

He never has been.     

Twelve years later, McIlroy remains haunted by the failure. The tournament remains the only one of the four majors McIlroy hasn’t won, the piece keeping from gaining a career Grand. He’s made runs, but it’s incomparable to McIlroy, a successful career forever will lack the ultimate closure selection in other games, but age cannot be discounted.

Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at age 46, and Phil Mickelson won the PGA Round Championship at 50.

Still, as you grow older the people you have to beat keep getting younger. And more talented and prepared. Nick Dunlap is your appropriate example. At the start of January, he still was at the University of Alabama. He stunningly won the American Express tournament in the California desert and qualified for the Masters. Oh yes, he turned pro.     

McIlroy’s path was not that different. He left the amateur ranks, and in a relatively short period — the keyword is relatively — won the Open Championship, the U.S. Open-stomping famed Congressional Country Club and the PGA Championship. What’s next? The agony of Augusta, which included a drive so wild it ricocheted off one of those tidy, white-painted buildings known as cabins.

Yet if every following Masters brings memories, it also brings possibilities. Yes, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are the betting choices, but Rory might be labeled the shoulda-coulda-oh-drat-all selection. Sometimes that sort of irreverence works as well as a long putt on those huge Augusta greens. 

McIlroy has done well heading into the Masters, which is no guarantee of anything, but sometimes those fickle golfing gods are sympathetic. Hey, Rory is idolized from Northern Ireland to Southern California.

“This is my 16th start in the Masters,” he said, “so I feel like I’ve done it quite a few different ways, and I guess just trying to bring a little bit of normalcy into what I sort of try to do week in, week out. I play 25 weeks a year, and there’s no point in doing anything different this week compared to other weeks, I guess.”

Actually, there is, winning the Masters.

The new AT&T: Rory McIlroy in place of Bill Murray

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PEBBLE BEACH — The Pacific Ocean still is there, crashing against the edge of one of the world’s great golf courses.  And the threat of weather that so often has defined the tournament through the years remains on the horizon and in the forecast.

But so much—virtually everything else—has changed about the event that advanced from the Bing Crosby Pro-Am to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Basically, it’s gone from Bill Murray, who once tossed a large frozen fish on the 18th fairway to Rory McIlroy, who doesn’t throw out much more than compliments or criticism.

What in effect was a huge party of pars and laughs—chants from the gang at Pebble’s 15th tee—is now a good, old-fashioned competition among many golfers who conveniently avoided the AT&T because of the format and conditions.

Now, for this year’s event, which begins Thursday, as commercials have touted, AT&T has its finest field of pros ever, players such as Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings, and McIlroy, No. 2. 

Does that compensate for a lack of singers and comedians?

The first two days there will be numerous NFL quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers, who won the amateur title a year ago under the old format. But not many Hollywood types.

Will the revisions mean a lot? Who knows? They tell us the key to life is adapting. Fore!

The Open: Rain and Rory?

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HOYLAKE, England — The Open, two magic words. They stand alone, without the designation, “British,” but with decades of history and memories of bad weather and enthralling golf.

We’re at Royal Liverpool, across the River Mersey from the city where the Beatles started so many years ago. Recent generations probably don’t know Penny Lane from Abbey Road — but probably do know the past two winners here were Tiger Woods (2006) and Rory McIlroy (2014).

Tiger will be absent from the 2023 Open, which begins Thursday, but Rory is not only present and accounted for, but after a bang-bang ending to win last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, certainly is among the favorites.

Mcllroy won the 2014 Open at Royal Liverpool, a course also known as Hoylake, the town across the River Mersey where it is located. So yes, he knows the place, American pros and he knows open weather — which can be anything any minute. 

There was a steady rain Tuesday morning, but that didn’t keep any of the golfers from getting in their shots. There’s something captivating about these famous, talented pros standing in a bunker hitting practice shots during a downpour.

Good weather, which Hoylake had in 2006 when Tiger used a driver off the tee only once and never hit out of the sand.

American pros in particular seem to enjoy poor conditions here at least, if not in the States. It’s part of the appeal, sort of. Hey, who says we’re softies? 

During one Open at Royal St. Georges down on the English Channel, Phil Mickelson kept saying he wanted rain and wind if only to show that he, a southern Californian, was as tough as anyone anywhere. He never got the chance, but a few years later at Muirfield in Scotland, where the days ranged from nice to nasty, Mickelson got his Open win.

Basically, when you cross the Atlantic, you take on the whims and wildness of ol’ Ma Nature, who can turn a 300-yard hole into an unreachable par-5 or turn a seemingly easy hole into a disaster.

McIlroy, now 34, grew up playing in that stuff in Northern Ireland. He understands the days are not all sunny and bright, but he also understands how to win Opens. He has four of them, including in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

That is part of the reason he’s a tournament pick, along with people such as Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler.

“I think regardless of whether I won or not,” said McIlroy, referring to the victory a few days ago. “I would have come in here confident with the way I've played overhand the last sort of month and a half.”

“My game feels like it's in good shape, but I think seeing the way I played last week and being able to control my ball in pretty difficult conditions… and I feel good about that coming into this week.”

OK, but keep that rain jacket handy.

From giving lessons to getting a hug from Rory

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Not too long ago Michael Block was giving lessons. On Sunday afternoon, Rory McIlroy was giving Block hugs. Only in golf?  Probably.

Block is a golf professional, as opposed to being a professional golfer.

One makes club members and public course players do what’s possible, to enjoy the sport. The other may make millions, as did Brooks Koepka,  Sunday at Oak Hill Country Club in upstate New York.

Sometimes the twain do meet.

Sometimes we end up with a story that seems more fantasy than is imaginable. That’s what happened for Block. And for golf.

Those guys and ladies who give lessons, whether at some fancy club or resort or a “stop-and-sock” driving range at the muni, very much can play the game.

Perhaps not as well as Arnie, Jack, or Tiger — or Brooks Koepka, who with the victory at Oak Hill now has five major titles — but better than millions of others. 

Some, such as Block, have tried to qualify for one of the pro tours. Others, maybe an ex-caddy, were content to remain teachers.

Block has been around. He’s 46, has a family, grew up in St. Louis, and played college golf at Mississippi State and Missouri. Later on, he came west and had work as an assistant at Palm Desert for a couple of years, then became head pro at Trabuco Golf Club in Orange County, where he took care of the normal responsibilities, including lessons at $150 each.

Yet, he never gave up the dream, and he entered the PGA Tour qualifying school. He reached the second stage, which is good although not quite good enough. Still, there were tournaments to enter and succeed. He’s the reigning PGA of America Professional Player of the Year.

Every year players such as Block get into the PGA Championship. Usually, they miss the cut. Not only did Block make the cut, but he also made a splash. More than that he made himself weep when introduced on TV and made America cheer.

Down the stretch Block not only made a hole-in-one, but he made par-saving putts, long ones, the final two holes which enabled him to tie for 5 and earn an automatic place in next year’s PGA Championship in Louisville.

And not exactly incidental, Block, with a final-round even-par 70 and a four-day total of one-over 281, won $288,000.

Yes, the world and finances and inflation and everything are different now, but in his entire career, Ben Hogan won just $230,000.

As they say, timing is everything.

Block came along at the right time, helping create the right tale, the underdog who catches fire and because it’s on ESPN and CBS on a weekend, it keeps us tuned in and emotionally involved.

That Block, by luck of the draw, had the wonderfully popular McIlroy paired as his playing partner for the final round and it was almost surrealistic. After the last putts at 18, Rory wrapped his arms around Block.

He seemed as thrilled as everyone. And why wouldn’t he be?

A joke turns bad for Tiger and Thomas

PACIFIC PALISADES — So what was supposed to be a joke between a couple of guys named Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas drew more grimaces than laughter.

Then what was supposed to be an affirming round for Tiger — and the Genesis Invitational — turned into a string of missed putts if not a missed cut.

If you thought golf was unpredictable, how about humor?

We’re halfway through the Genesis, the last event before the PGA Tour leaves the West Coast, and the leaderboard has names such as Keith Mitchell, Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm up high.

One of the names down low is Tiger’s, who in his first tournament since the British Open last July, seemingly will play all four rounds — the cut not being made until Saturday morning because Friday’s second round was unfinished.

That Woods, now 47 and still rehabbing after that serious car crash two years ago, almost certainly will be around a larger and more boisterous group of spectators. You should have heard the crowd Friday as Woods, finishing on nine at Riviera Country Club, bogeyed the final two holes.

The gasps were inescapable. As was the response to the frat-boy shenanigans Thursday involving Tiger and Justin Thomas. Maybe Tiger had been out of touch for so long that he forgot how much attention someone as famous as he generates over nothing. Or in this case, something.

Tiger and Thomas wondered among themselves whether Woods, away from golf, had lost his power. When his tee shot carried beyond Thomas; Tiger pulled out a Tampon and handed it to Thomas. 

As if you hit like a girl. As if girls, or women, can’t power the ball, which is nonsense. As members of the LPGA prove. 

Thomas, even more than Tiger, should be aware of how the smallest incident, intended or not, can become uncontrollable. Two years ago after a bad tee shot, Thomas berated himself with a phrase that was picked up by a TV microphone. He subsequently was dropped by two endorsing firms.    

Before he started his round Friday, Woods apologized.

“Yeah, it was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn't turned out that way,” he conceded. “If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun. As I said, if I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I'm sorry. It was not intended to be that way. It was just we play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was — it's different.”

Different, also an appropriate word for his round, 2-under 69 on Thursday, a 3-over 74 on Friday.  

“I did not putt well today,” said Woods.

You might say his round was no laughing matter.

Big odds against Tiger who had a big day

PACIFIC PALISADES — So the odds on Tiger Woods just making the cut at the Genesis Invitational, 10-1, are the same as Scottie Scheffler winning the whole thing.

Why not? It used to be that golfers only gambled on themselves, making sure they got strokes from those willing to give them in friendly games. 

Now as with every other sport, golf is awash in betting.

And as you are aware the oddsmakers merely are trying to establish an even floor. They’re not rooting against Tiger. Or for him. They’re rooting for everyone else to offer their hard-earned cash for the chance to win. 

If you can’t drive or putt — or bring a wedge shot down a couple of feet from the pin, like Thursday’s unsurprising first-round leaders Max Homa, Keith Mitchell or Jon Rahm, then betting on them gets you into the game.

Golf historically is a sport of gambling. When the purses were small back in the late 1930s and early 1940s, a pro could earn more by winning a bet than by winning a tournament.

And even now, when they can get rich by getting a victory, pros bet during practice rounds. So as they say, there’s something at stake.    

What’s at stake in this Genesis is a $20 million total payoff with $3.6 million to the guy who ends up in first Sunday afternoon.

After 18 holes at Riviera Country Club on a cool, overcast Thursday — hey, it’s winter even in Southern California — Homa and Mitchell were tied for first with a 7-under par 64 and Rahm was a shot behind at 65. Yes. Those names have been noticeable in the last few tournaments.  

Homa, the Cal grad who was a winner at Riviera in the past, was just outside the top 10 at Pebble Beach two weeks ago. Mitchell was tied for fourth there. Rahm made a run at Phoenix, where Scheffler won for a second straight year.

Earlier this week in a pre-tournament media session someone asked Homa who he would pick between Rahm and Rory McIlroy. Maybe someone should have asked McIlroy, who opened with a 4-under 67, who he would choose between Rahm and Homa.

On any given day, no matter the odds, the average fan would choose Tiger. And in his first Tour event since missing the cut in the British Open last July, Woods had a 2-under 69. Scheffler had a 1-under 70, and you wonder what that does to the Tiger vs Scheffler bettors. If it does anything. 

The crowd was Tiger-crazy, seemingly as thrilled to have him back as he was thrilled to be back.

 “It was a lot louder than I had remembered-- I haven't played in any tournament in a long time,” said Woods, repeating himself. “I was trying to calm my nerves. I didn't really look up as much. I probably should have, but I didn't. I was trying to calm myself down all day, trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing out here because I haven't played. I had to try and figure out what the chess match is going to be.”

As opposed to what the odds are.

Seeking sports’ new hero we can all look up to

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That was an interesting quote from Rory McIlroy about his rival, his idol and, as you interpret it, of sports as a whole. “He is the hero we all looked up to,” McIlroy said about, who else, Tiger Woods.

The players know. The fans know. The folks in management, the people who run the events, who own the teams, who make the deals, certainly know.

Did some observer really tell us that sports were the opera of the poor, long before the time when if you couldn’t afford a night at the Met you most likely could afford a day with the Mets?

Now, from arias to home runs, everything is high-priced. Including the salaries or, in the case of DeShaun Watson, the fine he must pay, $5 million, just to get back on the field after accusations of sexual misconduct. Sex sells.

The numbers make us crazy. And also help make our games what they’ve become, a fascinating blend of star power and high finance.

Maybe when President Biden is talking billions, we don’t even shrug if ballplayers or quarterbacks are talking millions.

ESPN knows. So do the other networks. Who do we want to see? Or, according to the ratings, who do the networks, the producers, the directors, believe who we ought to see?

Sometimes it seemed the only female tennis player was Serena Williams, the only pro golfer Tiger Woods, the only quarterback Tom Brady. Enough already. Or was it not enough?

The Lakers just re-signed LeBron James for two more years, and for $97 million. Bill Plaschke, the fine L.A. Times sports columnist, thought it was a bad deal. The Lakers were mediocre (or worse) with James last season, so why bring him back?

Because he is basketball in Los Angeles, the second biggest TV market in the land. It doesn’t so much matter what the Lakers accomplish, but what James can accomplish. The so-called ultimate team game is dominated by individuals. As are all our games.

You know the famous Michael Jordan response when he was told there is no “I” in team. “But,” he pointed out so accurately, “there is in win.”

Golf has been beholden to Tiger for a quarter-century. People who didn’t care much for golf still cared about Tiger. Or Serena in tennis. Or Brady in the NFL. Or Ronaldo in soccer. Or Justin Verlander in baseball.

Night and day, our games are on, mornings from the Premier League, evenings from some ballpark or tennis complex. Who’s going to bring us in? Who’s going to keep us there?

That’s a question pro golf faces essentially with the rebel LIV Tour challenging the established PGA Tour.

Go after the big names, pay them big bucks — though to Tiger’s credit, he turned down something like $700 million from the Saudi LIV group. The hope to create the excitement that will resonate when new TV contracts are decided.

Woods is very much a part of the action, as he should be. “His voice carries further than anyone else’s in the game of golf,” said McIlroy, who has a significant voice of his own, about Tiger.

The hero golf looked up to is in the process of stepping away. Yet, who knows what’s around the next field or diamond, or court or fairway.

Some 50 years ago, in what turned out to be his last column, the great Red Smith closed, “I told myself not to worry. Someday there will be another Joe DiMaggio.”

There hasn’t been, but there’s been a Hank Aaron. And a Roger Federer, a Michael Jordan, a Tiger Woods, a John Elway, a Joe Montana and so many others.

We await the greatness that was. The hero we can all look up to.

A man named Smith makes history

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The words rolled down the 18th fairway of this famous course on a particularly historic occasion.

It was Martin Slumbers, chairman of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, with the annual presentation of the Open winner, “the Champion golfer of the year.” Enlightening words for Cam Smith.

Depressing words for Rory McIlroy. Rory had gone eight years without winning a major championship, and he thought — everybody thought — he had this one, holding the lead until the final 18. But golf can be nothing but sorrow.

Smith, the 28-year-old Australian, did what champions do. He came from off the pace and shot an 8-under-par 64. His playing partner, Cameron Young, shot a 65. McIlroy, the presumptive winner, and certainly from the cheers, the fans’ choice, shot a 2-under 70.

“I didn’t make any putts today” said McIlroy, which is one of the reasons he has had his drought in trying to get his fifth major.

“I’ll be back,” he told SKY Sports, a bit grimly. McIlroy finished second in the Masters and has played well all year, but couldn’t get over the mountain.

Smith is not exactly a surprise. He has won several tournaments including The Players — if that is not a major, and it isn’t, the golfers consider it the next best thing.

Perhaps, because this Open with all the fanfare was at The Home of Golf, there were expectations for a notably exciting champion.

Indeed Smith, with his floppy hat and Australian savoir faire, may be one of the coming greats. On a day that began with light showers and then changed to typical Scottish gloom, Smith showed his talent and persistence.

He has been a comer for a couple of years, and now he can be considered to be a full force. Any Open gives one cachet, and taking the 150th at St. Andrews unquestionably gives the golfer a special place in the game.

The strength of Smith’s game is in his putting. Anybody who can get the ball into the cup is going to be a factor.

“All the hard work we’ve done the last couple years is really starting to pay off,” Smith said to his team, with the trophy in his grip and the tears starting to come. “And this one definitely makes it worth it.”

But Smith, after recomposing himself, made it clear that he intended to put the claret jug to good use, although not at the moment for claret.

“I’m definitely going to find out how many beers fit in this thing, that’s for sure,” he said.

How come Australia, a wine country, drinks so much beer?

Rory a leader in more than one way

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — Not all that long ago, Rory McIlroy was described as the next Tiger Woods. Now he’s being called the moral compass of golf.

It may be hard to say which label is more complimentary.

Rory’s ability to make birdies — and save an occasional par — remains prevalent and relevant as verified Thursday in the opening round of the U.S. Open.

McIlroy’s 3-under-par 67 had him tied for the early lead. Yet these days, he seems more famous for taking the lead in the PGA Tour’s battle to suppress the new Saudi-controlled LIV Tour.

As a kid in Holywood, Northern Ireland (yes, one “L” but same pronunciation), McIlroy was thrashing adult opponents. After turning pro, Rory matched two guys named Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus by winning three majors before reaching age 25, the first of which was the 2011 U.S. Open, when he was 22.

No less compelling was McIlroy’s willingness to speak openly about golf and his successes and even failures, the latter subject being one that players fear. He goes blithely ahead, filling journalists’ notebooks. What an attitude.

Following his fine, if occasionally distressing round Thursday — that rough at The Country Club got him on the fifth hole before he escaped — McIlroy was asked, of course, about the Saudi tour.

And why he’s been so adamant in support of the PGA Tour, the establishment, as it were, against the “we’ll buy you out” rebels of the LIV Tour.

“I'm just being me,” said McIlroy. “I’m living my life. I’m doing what I think is right and trying to play the best golf that I possibly can. I wasn't asked to be put here. I wasn't trying to be in this position. I'm just being me.”

Golf needs heroes, if not villains, although they fit well in the plan. Who would have imagined the villains would not be other players who knock off the stars — majors seem more major when the big guys win — but financiers?

The U.S. Open, as the name implies, is open, so anybody from anywhere who meets qualifying standards gets in, but PGA Tour defectors like Dustin Johnson — the anti-Rory? — won’t be allowed into events such as the Players or the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

McIlroy’s presence as the standard bearer seems part of a renaissance. No, he hasn’t won all four majors (he lacks only the Masters), but he did finish second in this most recent Masters, followed by an eighth-place finish in the PGA Championship. He appears destined for a high finish in this Open.

“Yeah, a really solid start,” said McIlroy. “You’d take 67 around this golf course any day. Even though I'm standing up here slightly frustrated that I bogeyed the last, it's a great start to the tournament.

“I felt like I did most things well today. I certainly putted well, and I hit the ball in the right spots, and I hit a lot of greens, gave myself plenty of chances. Just basically did everything that you need to do at a U.S. Open.”

Meaning staying on the fairways and not getting frustrated by the speed of the greens. As everyone knows, this is the nation’s championship, and you’ll be tested as much emotionally as physically.

Traditionally, the course gets more difficult, with harder greens and length of rough, as the week goes along.

Asked if after the statements he made on behalf of the PGA Tour he was trying to make one on behalf of his golf, McIlroy said, “Not really. It’s been eight years since I won a major, and I want to get my hands on one again.”

Who wouldn’t?

McIlroy reminds us how special a golfer he can be

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — His name went from nowhere to high on the leader board, but not high enough. Everybody knew Rory McIlroy wasn’t going to win this Masters.

But at least they knew him.

Knew of his brilliance as a virtual kid. Knew of his four major championships. Knew of that collapse in another Masters that even now, more than a decade later, seems to identify Rory more than his victories.

On a Sunday when the weather reminded us of the beauty of springtime, McIlroy reminded us of how special a golfer he can be.

The 2022 Masters was destined on Saturday to be won by Scottie Scheffler, who was miles ahead heading into the final round, and a few hours later that’s what happened, Scheffler shooting a 1-under-par 71 for 278.

What we never guessed was McIlroy, who has won a U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship — all but the precious Masters, and that’s what stings — would come up with the week’s best, an 8-under-par 64.

That placed him at 281, which left him three behind Scheffler, who McIlroy called the best golfer in the world — after four wins over the last two and a half months, it’s hard to disagree — and also left Rory in a great mood.

McIlroy, now 32, was touted as the next Tiger Woods, and even though we know there’s never going to be a next Tiger Woods, whether it’s McIlroy or Scheffler or anybody ever, there was a bit of a link this Masters, Woods reminding us of his fighting spirit and Rory reminding us of his potential.

And because we dwell on the failure that has stained his career until now. It will until he does win a Masters.

Which with his skill and at his age is quite likely.

“I’ve had the lead on the back nine here and couldn’t get it done,” said McIlroy.

Indeed. It was 2011. McIlroy was blowing them away the first three days. He constructed a four-stroke lead. Then it was as if he never played the game before.

On the 10th tee, that fourth-round McIlroy’s drive was so awful it hit one of the little cottages — they’re known here as cabins — and sent fans ducking and his game into oblivion. An 8-over-par 80 left him in a tie for 15th, and left the skeptics ruminating: Would he ever recover?

He did win the Open that summer. He’s still not won a Masters to complete the career grand slam.

He needs to play as he did Sunday.

“I think it’s being a little more aggressive,’’ he said, “but especially Thursday in this golf tournament is not the day to be super aggressive. It’s a day to just hang in there.”

He hung in, and then with 18 holes to go, he attacked. Birdies and an eagle and a rush towards the top. But not to the top.

He was the longest driver in the tournament, averaging 320 yards. He’s never been the best putter, however, and even though he also led in greens in regulation, you’ve got to get the ball into the cup.

“I’ve always known that I can do it,” said McIlroy about playing well in the Masters.

“I love playing good enough around here. I just haven’t strung four rounds together like that, but I’ve always known I have the game to win at this place.”

He just needs to prove it.

U.S. Ryder Cuppers get along — and get ball into cup

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KOHLER, Wis.— So the first day of the Ryder Cup, American golfers disproved the idea they can’t get along, or more importantly can’t get the ball into the cup.

Maybe our culture isn’t all that bad at that. It’s obvious our golfers are quite good.

Not only did the U.S. build up a 6-2 lead — you need 14½ points to claim the Cup when play finishes
Sunday — but in the process, American players scored wins over a couple of nemeses from the European team who once were unbeatable, Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter.

In the foursomes matches on Friday morning, team rookies Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele combined to win each of the first five holes and overwhelmed McIlroy and Poulter, 5 and 3.

“I don't know if anyone could have beat Xander and Patrick today,” said Poulter. ”They played really good, four birdies in a row. Geeze, yeah, they played great.”

Geeze, yeah, so did every American playing in what could be described as a home game, on the Whistling Straits course along Lake Michigan, north of Milwaukee and south of Green Bay.

U.S. golfers — meaning golfers who have U.S. passports and not those who just live and play in the U.S. — have been spoiling for a day like this.

Team Europe had won the Cup four of the last five times, the American failures blamed on everything from a lack of team chemistry to a reliance on power over finesse.

Euros, we’re told, are better at communication, although how this helps when you’re alone on the tee is a mystery.

The way Bryson DeChambeau hits a ball is no mystery, however. On the 581-yard, par-5 fifth hole, teamed with Scottie Scheffler in the afternoon better ball, DeChambeau smashed a 417-yard drive. Seventy-two yards from the pin, he wedged close enough for an eagle 3.

DeChambeau and Scheffler halved that match with Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton. Rahm, the Spaniard who won the U.S. Open — and went to Arizona State — was responsible for half of the Euros’ two total points.

The American players were, well, pleased and wary. Things can turn quickly, although it’s doubtful they will. This U.S. team is young but experienced.

Asked about the inability of he and DeChambeau to close out a match in which they were 1-up with a hole to play, Scheffler said, “Yeah, especially in best-ball you have to hit good shots and make birdies down the stretch.

“Bryson made a good par on 15, which was more like a birdie. Made a nice birdie on 16. Got out of position on 18. Overall I’m pleased with how we played. I think we played really solid. A few mistakes here and there, but other than that, a really solid day.”

Emotions were pouring out as the pro-American crowd chanted. DeChambeau was asked how he could keep calm.

“It's going back to your bubble when you're about to hit a shot,” DeChambeau said, “doing your best to control your emotions in that way. I learned from Phil (Mickelson) in that, and I have a great partner and loved every minute of it and hope we can do it again soon. We are a good team, and we're going to dominate.”

Which for a day the U.S. squad also did. Criticism be damned.

Rory plays Torrey like the champion he is

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SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Open? “The only tournament in the world where you fist pump a bogey.”

Rory McIlroy said it again on Saturday. When he had only one bogey, which he didn’t need to fist-pump.

There he was, playing Torrey Pines like the champion he’s shown us to be, shooting the day’s low round, a 4-under-par 67. There he is, from virtually out of nowhere, into a tie for fourth with Bryson DeChambeau.

One more round in this 121st Open being played on a bluff above the swirling Pacific. One more round of possibility and anxiety. Of balls stuck in the rough and chip shots that drop into the cup.

An eclectic leaderboard. Sharing first at 5-under 208 are Mackenzie Hughes of Canada, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and Russell Henley of Georgia. Two back at 210 are DeChambeau of Texas (via California) and McIlroy of Northern Ireland.

Oosthuizen won the 2010 British Open, DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open and McIlroy won a U.S. Open, a British Open and two PGA Championships. The big boys are present.

One of the not-so-big boys, Richard Bland of England, who went 477 events on the Euro Tour before winning a month ago and was the co-leader with Henley after the second round of this Open, shot a 77, 6 over par.

Meaning in 18 holes Friday, McIlroy gained 10 shots on Bland, which was not a surprise given their pedigrees.

He also picked up strokes on many others, which considering the erratic way Rory was playing — he was 49th in the PGA Championship and missed the cut at the Masters and Players — might be considered a surprise.

Then again, he has been No. 1 in the world ranking and is only 32 years old in a sport in which Phil Mickelson captured the PGA a few weeks ago at age 50.

“I thought the golf course played short (Saturday),” McIlroy said about his move into contention. Short or long, it was the way McIlroy played that mattered. He had only one hole over par.

“I stayed patient,” he said, a phrase we’ve heard from Open winners, “(and) was rewarded with a little bit of a fortunate birdie on 10 and then a really fortunate birdie on 12 with a chip-in.”

McIlroy, along with Jordan Spieth (another multiple majors winner) is one of golf’s best conversationalists. He’ll discuss everything and anything including his own failings, a subject players normally avoid like they would a water hazard.

“I was just accepting hitting my approach shots into the middle of the green,” he said about playing it safe. “I got pulled into being overly aggressive out there (Friday, when he shot 73) and the pin positions were a bit trickier, but I hit good drives on 14 and 15 and got bogies.”

McIlroy’s strength always has been off the tee, and you could take that in more than one way. But he said the kikuyu grass rough hasn’t been the problem it is when the Farmers Open tournament is held on Torrey in February. Now, the kikuyu is drier and easier from which to extract a ball.

McIlroy was to start Round 4 at 11:34 am. PDT Saturday. “A weird time,” he said. “Sort of too early to have lunch and then you have a couple of bars on the course, and then I’m starving. So I’ll probably get some food.”

Presumably, he’ll have a better chance than the spectators. Because of COVID, the decision to allow fans at Torrey Pines was not made until May, not enough time to prepare for concessions. On Thursday, the wait to get food was two hours.

It improved on Friday. But Rory is sticking with his routine.

After the day’s best score, who can blame him?

Masters success still elusive for Rory; he shoots a 76

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Sam Snead won 82 pro golf tournaments, more than Jack Nicklaus, more than Gary Player. More than anyone except Tiger Woods, who also has 82 victories.

But Snead never won the U.S. Open, and that bothered him until his final days.

The four majors, the tournaments we remember, the ones we remember. Or in the case of Snead, choose not to forget. Snead won three of the four, as did Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson.

Rory McIlroy also has three. He lacks the Masters, and although Rory is skilled enough, and days from his 32nd birthday young enough, it is legitimate to wonder if that shortcoming can be conquered.

Not only because of what McIlroy shot Thursday in the opening round of the 2021 Masters, a 4-over-par 76 that left him 11 shots behind Justin Rose, whose play at Augusta National of late has been as exciting as McIlroy’s has been discouraging, but because McIlroy seems perplexed by what continues to happen year after year — from heartbreak (that collapse in 2011 when he shot 40 the back nine) to humor (on Thursday he hit his own father in the small gallery with an approach shot to the seventh green).

“Obviously there have been a few rounds where I’ve put myself behind the 8-ball, not being able to get any momentum,” McIlroy said Tuesday when asked to describe his relationship with a course that should fit his game.

“But they all are learning lessons, and you just try to go out next time and do a little better.”

What he did the first day here was par the first four holes, then bogey the next three. You win at Augusta by making birdies, and McIlroy had only two on 8 and 15, both par-5s. Yes, the greens were hard and slick, and the wind was blowing, but you’re talking about a young man who has been No. 1 in the world rankings.

“It was tricky,” said McIlroy. Not so tricky, one must remark, that Rose couldn’t shoot 65, even though he was 2 over par after seven holes.

Surely there’s a zone of comfort — in 2017, Rose tied Sergio Garcia for first and lost in a playoff — or a zone of discomfort. Ten years on, what befell McIlroy remains the stuff of nightmares.

Tied for first with the final nine holes to go, McIlroy yanked his drive from the 10th tee so far left the ball nearly smacked into one of those buildings Augusta calls cabins and took a triple bogey. He followed that with a four-putt double bogey at 12. A final score of 80 dropped him into 15th.

Other majors, the U.S. Open, the PGA, the British, rotate among several courses. The Masters goes nowhere. It’s always at Augusta National, and so are the memories and agonies.

The Masters is back. So is Rory. So are the same questions.

Sort of golf’s version of the film Groundhog Day. Say, Rory, can we talk about where the ball landed at 10?

What McIlroy discussed after his round Thursday was everything from plunking his dad down at the seventh to the instructor with whom he once worked and again is providing assistance, Pete Cowen.

“My goal is to play well,” said McIlroy, “at least give myself a chance. Honestly, I’m quite encouraged the way I hit it on the way in. I think anytime you’re working with things on your swing it’s going to feel different.”

His father? “I knew it was my dad when I was aiming at him,” McIlroy said. “Give him an autographed glove? I don’t know. He needs to go and put some ice on it. Maybe I’ll autograph a bag of frozen peas.”