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Woods and McIlroy Miss Cut in Abu Dhabi
New Clubs Are Work In Progress for McIlroy
Woods and McIlroy Miss Cut in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, Jan 18, 2013 (AFP) - The world's top two golfers, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, both missed the cut in their first tournament of the season at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Friday.
McIlroy finished well outside the cut line, while playing partner Woods appeared to have squeezed into the weekend before he was hit with a two-stroke penalty for a rules infringement that sunk his challenge.
By the time the dust had settled, England's Justin Rose was the leader at the halfway stage at eight under par after a 69, with rising Danish star Thorbjorn Olesen (69), Jamie Donaldson of Wales (70) and Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67) all a further stroke back.
But it was the astonishing double demise of McIlroy and Woods that was the story of the day.
Playing for the first time in competition with his new Nike clubs after signing a mega-money, long-term deal with the US sportswear giant, the 23-year-old McIlroy clearly failed to get the hang of his new sticks.
Starting the day well down the field after an opening 75, McIlroy had three straight pars but that failed to steady his ship and three bogeys in the next four holes sent him spiralling to six over, well outside the projected cut line.
He birdied eight and nine to pick up some hope, but bogeys at the 10th and 14th all but sealed his fate in a tournament where he was runner-up last year with his old Titleist clubs.
Another wild drive into desert scrub at the last summed up his day as he eventually came in with another 75, which left him tied for 99th position and with no hope of making it through to the weekend.
The last cut McIlroy missed was at the US Open in San Francisco last June, which ended a run of three missed cuts in four tournaments.
It was shortly after that that his game suddenly picked up again and he went on to win the USPGA title at Kiawah and the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.
McIlroy does have the excuse that Abu Dhabi was his first tournment since winning the World Tour Championship in Dubai in early December.
But he will need to return to the driving range for some much needed repairs in the four-week break he has that follows before the tournaments in the United States leading up to the Masters, the first of the four majors at Augusta National.
"I knew it was going to be a tough week with everything going on, but I was just looking forward to getting to the golf course and getting back to what I do and what I am comfortable with," a clearly frustrated McIlroy said.
"It just didn't work out like that."
Playing partner and Nike stablemate Woods also struggled to find his game as he bogeyed four of the first five holes.
But the 37-year-old world No.2 produced a battling back nine with three birdies in a row from the 14th to get back to level par. A bogey after another wild drive at the 17th popped him over par, but he shot regulation on the last to come in with a 73.
That left him at one over for the tournament, with the cut projected at two over. But it was then announced that he had been hit by a two-stroke penalty for a rules infringement in sand at the fifth hole, turning a five into a seven.
That was enough to seal his fate.
"It's tough because I didn't get off to a very good start today and I fought and got it back," he said of the penalty stroke drama.
"I was right there and I felt that if I had close to even par, I had a chance going into the weekend, being only eight back. Evidetnly it wasn't enough."
It was also the first tournament of the year for Woods, whose focus this year is on winning a 15th major title, four and a half years after his last success at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.
Tournament leader Rose said that his recent surge of form came down to an improved fitness regime and softer shoes to take the strain away from his suspect lower back.
New Clubs Are Work In Progress for McIlroy
ABU DHABI, Jan 18, 2013 (AFP) - An eventful week for Rory McIlroy ended in frustration on Friday as he departed the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the halfway stage after failing to come to terms with his new Nike clubs.
The world No.1 was the star turn on Monday in the Gulf emirate as his mega-money, long-term deal with the US sportswear giant was unveiled in a glitzy ceremony.
He then used his status as the top-ranking golfer in the world to help push fellow Irishman Paul McGinley past the winners post in the race to be Europe's next Ryder Cup captain.
All was well until McIlroy returned to competitive play for the first time since early December and that's when things started to go wrong.
It was clear early on in Thursday's opening round that he still had issues with his new Nike sticks despite weeks of getting used to them during his winter break.
An opening 75 left him well down the field and there was to be no charge up the leaderboard on Friday as he sprayed shots off the tee and struggled all day with his putter, even after switching back to his old one.
Another 75 left him six over par, in joint 98th position out of a field of 126 and faced with his first missed cut since last summer's US Open in San Francisco.
"It wasn't so good," commented the 23-year-old Northern Irishman of his form over the two rounds, but he insisted again that it was not the clubs that were to blame.
"I mean, it's the first week out. I wouldn't look too much into that," he said.
"If anything, it's more the Indian than the arrow at this stage. So a few hours on the range tomorrow and Sunday and a bit of work with (coach) Michael (Bannon) and try and clear a few things up."
Running an eye over his new range of equipment, McIlory says that he is happy with his new Nike ball and wedges and that the putter was good on faster greens than he had faced in Abu Dhabi.
But he admits that his normally superb driving is not where he wants it to be and that his iron play "wasn't anywhere near the standard that it usually is for me".
Fortunately he has four weeks out of competition to work on ironing out the flaws in his game before tackling the WGC World Matchplay tournament in Arizona.
That will be the real starting point for his preparations for the year's first major, The Masters, in early April at Augusta National.
"You really want to get off to a nice start to the season, but I've got to realise that it is only the start of the season and there's a lot of work to be done, a lot of golf left," he said.
"And I said to the guys yesterday on the way back, as long as I feel like my game is in good shape heading into Augusta, that's all I'm worried about."
Rules Blunder Sinks Woods
ABU DHABI, Jan 18, 2013 (AFP) - Tiger Woods' first foray of the 2013 season came to an abrupt end at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on Friday when a bizarre rules infringement meant he missed the cut.
The world No.2 had battled back from a poor start to the day to get to one over for the tournament, with the cut for the weekend projected to be at two over.
But he had earlier been informed by referee Andy McFee while playing the 11th that he was facing a two stroke penalty for an incident on the fifth.
That came about when Woods took a drop thinking his ball was embedded in a grounded area to the right of the fairway. He had asked playing partner Martin Kaymer, who agreed the ball was embedded.
The problem was that after spectators had brought the matter to the notice of course officials, an investigation was carried out and the area was deemed to be a sanded area of scrub, from which no relief is allowed under the rules.
The two-stroke penalty was later confirmed by officials when Woods finished his round.
In explanation, McFee said: "The embedded ball rule is for a closely-mown area only. There's a note to that rule, which extends embedded ball relief to through the green, but that is very specific in that it says in ground other than sand.
"So wherever you are, you do not get a relief for a ball which is embedded in sand and that's just a bad lie and you have to play it."
Woods said that he had not realised that the area was sandy-based and that was why he took the drop.
"So that was why Andy gave me a penalty and I missed the cut," he said. "It's tough because I didn't get off to a very good start today and I fought and got it back."
Woods said he would head for home and get ready for his second start of he season at Torrey Pines, California for the Farmers Insurance tournament.
Leading Second Round Scores in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship: (par-72)
136 - Justin Rose (ENG) 67-69
137 - Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP 70-67, Jamie Donaldson (WAL) 67-70, Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 68-69
139 - Garth Mulroy (RSA) 71-68, Joost Luiten (NED) 70-69
140 - Matteo Manassero (ITA) 72-68, Jason Dufner (USA) 71-69, Branden Grace (RSA) 71-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 71-69, George Coetzee (RSA) 69-71, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 69-71, Michael Campbell (NZL) 69-71, David Howell (ENG) 69-61
141 - Keith Horne (RSA) 72-69, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 70-71, Joel Sjoholm (SWE), Liang Wen-Chong (CHN) 69-72, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 70-71, Richie Ramsay (SCO) 73-68, Danny Willett (ENG) 70-71, Raphael Jacquelin (FRA) 72-69, Jbe Kruger (RSA) 72-69
142 - Jorge Campillo (ESP) 74-68, Anders Hansen (DEN) 71-71, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 74-68, Darren Fichardt (RSA) 72-70, Gareth Maybin (NIR) 71-71, Romain Wattel (FRA) 73-69, Alejandro Canizares (ESP) 73-69, Craig Lee (SCO) 72-70, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 68-74