Date: September 05, 2012
Author: Luke Elvy / Golf Australia

Luke Elvy blog: buckle up for clash of the titans

Golf is an individual game, especially at the professional level, except for once or twice a year when the big guns face off in team Match Play events like the Ryder and Presidents Cup. Yet rarely do we get great rivalries or head to head contests like Tennis and Boxing or many other individual sports. However, with the emergence of Rory McIlroy and the resurgence of Tiger Woods over the past year, golf now appears to have its own version of Federer/Nadal or Ali/Frasier. Don t tell me you re not excited by Tiger v Rory? With McIlroy s win at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he now has three W s for year. That s the same as Tiger but only Rory boasts a major in 2012. This will (more than likely) see him claim Player of the Year honours and it will also (most likely) ignite the fire inside Woods again because he is no longer king. That s right, there s a new boss in town and he’s ready to raise the bar after growing comfortable with being World No.1 . and Tiger isn t comfortable with not being the Alpha male. Since coming back from his worldwide humiliation the winner of 14 majors has held a grudge and it s affected his results. No longer is he wanting to win to break records, he’s doing it so he can stick it to his many critics. It has built subconscious pressure, which has seen him do things he never used to like lose majors after holding the 36-hole lead. You might be thinking rubbish, what does Elvy know, he’s not in Tiger s head. Of course I m not but having spent the past two years covering the PGA Tour in the States I ve been able to not only see with my own eyes and form an opinion but also regularly speak to those closely connected to the game. Players, caddies, coaches, commentators and writers largely agree that Tiger s recent struggles stem from his contempt for the way the world reacted to his publicised infidelities. But now it s different motivation as he has something else to drive him .beating Rory. The roles have reversed, Woods has gone from the hunted to the hunter and now McIlroy, the money leader on both the US and European Tours, has a target on his back. The Northern Irishman has many of Tiger s attributes, the ability to crush his opponents his two major victories were by 8 shots. He’s learned to close without having his A Game think Honda Classic and Deutche Bank Championship and he does things the regular player can t. Yet he possesses a level of authenticity his predecessor does not. McIlroy, engages the fans, the media, those clambering for a moment of his time and that has seen the US fall in love with him. His crowds are building and the chants are getting louder. The last non-American they idolised as much as this kid was Greg Norman. Does that tell you something? It all points to more showdowns, more head to head tussles for supremacy that can only be good for the game. As 1st & 3rd in the Fed Ex Cup standings they will be grouped together for the opening two rounds at this week s BMW Championship at Crooked Stick. It was the same story at Bethpage Black for the first event of the playoffs. If they remain in these spots heading into the Tour Championship, we ll see it again at East Lake and who knows we could see them fight it out in the decisive Ryder Cup singles match at the end of the month. These will all be moments where their games will be tested against each other, on big stages, and it will give us, the fans, a heightened sense of excitement. But if this is to be one of golf’s great rivalries its going to need head to head situations, down the stretch at majors and how good would it be if that happens starting at Augusta next year? Ryder Cup After US Team captain Davis Love III s announced his picks overnight the stage is now set for the 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah, September 28th-30th and if you re anything like me, this is one of the great events in golf. His wild card picks of Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson Brandt Snedeker and Steve Stricker adds form and experience to an already world-class line up which includes Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson plus others. They say there are three types of pressure tournament pressure, majors pressure & Ryder Cup pressure. I was fortunate to have a beer with Darren Clarke when he played the Australian PGA last year, he talked about past Cup experiences and it can bring the world s best to their knees. Amongst many stories, Clarke recalled the memorable 05 Cup at K Club in Ireland and on the 1st tee in the opening day matches an American (who ll remain nameless) changed a driver, to a 3-wood then a hybrid before hitting a squirty 3-iron about 150m up the right rough. Walking up the fairway the US player admitted to being so afraid he had to revert to a club that he knew he wouldn t miss the ball with. Don t worry, the players know the world is watching will you be? Luke Elvy hosts golf for Network TEN & has recently returned from the United States covering the PGA Tour. He writes exclusively for Golf Australia but his thoughts and opinions don t necessarily represent those of Golf Australia. Follow him on Twitter – @elvisgolf