Drive for Show

I was also on driving duty the next week in Ireland, where I was fellow commentator Denis Hutchinson's chauffeur, ensuring that the venerable 81 year-old was where he was supposed to be at any given time. I succeeded for the most part except for the occasion when he took a break from the box to slip across to the excellent halfway house for a delicious beef burger. Unfortunately we were struck by a massive squall at just that moment and he came back sodden from head to foot. I suffered a giggling fit, and fortunately, being the good sport that he is, Denis saw the funny side of it too.

The week had begun with much talk about Rory McIlroy's driver, which another Nike player (who shall remain nameless) had described as unusable. Rory had been such an artist with his Titleist driver, regularly flying it 300 yards straight down the middle, that it is no surprise he is showing increasing signs of frustration. It was a body blow to the tournament when all four of Ireland's major champions – McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington – missed the cut. I have witnessed McIlroy at first hand often and it strikes me he does not have a "B" game. When it is not working well, he really struggles to get it round, and in the process he gives the, no doubt false, impression that he perhaps does not really care too much. When he and Tiger Woods played together in Abu Dhabi earlier this year both men were hitting some awful shots, but the contrast was stark. Tiger's determination to find a way to get it round earned huge respect. Reports in Ireland that Rory was seen texting on his mobile phone during the round, merely add to the feeling that his head is not in the right place, a fact that he admitted later at The Open.

The failure of the Irish, and the intermittently damp conditions, allowed Paul Casey with his specially doctored "wet weather" driver (see July's column) to return to the winner's circle after a lengthy break.