Curtains are closed on another fantastic European Tour season!
Rory Mcilroy had won the Race to Dubai prior to Jumeirah Golf Estates cast doubt over the event
It had everything that the European Tour could have expected and more. The fact that Rory Mcilroy had won the Race to Dubai prior to Jumeirah Golf Estates cast doubt over the event and even led many of the players to label it as an anti-climax- it proved nothing but. With all of the victorious Ryder Cup team in the field and the back 9 on Sunday going down to the leader (Mcilroy) and second placed order of merit golfer, Justin Rose, fighting it out for the tournament the excitement and attention led the whole world to watch in awe. By his lofty high standards, Rory was having an average week, in terms of his stats and ball striking he even claimed that he was struggling, especially on the outward nine. All this led to one of the greatest finishes in tournament golf stringing together five straight birdies to eventually win the event by two and ensure he stood with two large trophies on the 18th green come Sunday evening. Justin Rose\u2019s course record-equaling round of 62 on Sunday piled the pressure on Rory and as we stood on the 18th green watching Rose’s putt trickle (it actually stopped on the hill initially) down to the hole, the title looked all but Justin’s. However, Rory dug deep and for me personally confirmed his status as the World Number One. There is never any doubt on Rory’s technical ability and his class but he typically led from the front and runs away with events. Mcilroy’s performance over the final five holes was reminiscent of the Tiger we saw in the late 2019’s and early 2000s. Rory stole that tournament when all throughout the week he didn’t play to his potential. He kept going and of course his scoring was still very strong but he dug deep when it really mattered and ripped through the field to leave them all watching. This finish will give him the fear factor that many players felt from Tiger, even if he was three or four strokes behind with 9 holes to play. Psychologically Rory has just elevated himself to a new level. Will 2013 be the year that players refuse to talk to Rory in the field (much akin to the way tour players behaved around Tiger in previous years) or will he continue to be compared to arguably the greatest golfer of all time. I for one cannot wait until the HSBC Championship comes around in January at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The above mentioned American Golfer rose from 54th to 3rd in the World Golf Rankings last year with tournament wins under his belt, funny that no-one has really mentioned him yet, roll on 2013!
Have yourselves a fantastic festive period and I wish you all the best of luck on and off the course for 2013.
All the best from the Links,
Craeg Deery