Renaissance men

> Woods, McIlroy show golf what it has been missing <

IT IS hard to quantify golf’s mini renaissance in recent weeks. There are some signposts, like the record number of spectators crammed around Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, or the 600,000 Americans who tuned in to NBC’s coverage of the opening round, up 52% on last year.

But the wider impact is less tangible: the pub conversations, the glimpses in the media, the swell of punters at the range.

There is certainly a surge of something, and at the centre of it all is Tiger Woods.

The nostalgic sight of the 42-year-old competing and beating some of the best golfers in the world is exactly what brought the crowds to Bay Hill.

Chants of “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!” could be heard erupting from various pockets of the golf course as Woods, wearing his Sunday red, sustained a thrilling challenge up until a wild drive on the 16th.

The galleries were also treated to another resurgent star, Rory McIlroy.

As Woods faded, they were entertained by McIlroy clinching his first tournament since September 2016 with a stunning final-round 64, his driver monstrous, his irons pinpoint, his putter accounting for every undulation in its meticulous calculations. Afterwards McIlroy described it as the “perfect round”.

It all fed into a special atmosphere: McIlroy talked enthusiastically about “feeling the buzz” while the man who finished a couple of strokes back, Bryson DeChambeau, revelled in Tigermania.

“Oh it was amazing,” the American said afterwards. “I told my caddie on the 11th fairway, ‘Man, Tiger’s doing it!’ I was incredibly happy for him.”

Even now, Woods has an extraordinary way of enrapturing even the most impassive passer-by, and in his fist-pumping pomp, McIlroy can too.

With their resurgence, the duo have inadvertently emphasised what has been missing from the top of the game recently. While Woods and McIlroy move the needle, the world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, for example, barely registers.

On paper, the laid-back South Carolinian should command far more attention than he does.

The brilliant young talents of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth will go on to be considered greats of their generation, but likewise they do not seem to transcend the sport quite yet either, and so the return to form of McIlroy and Woods is a timely stimulus.

The Masters – for which McIlroy is the new favourite, with Woods close behind – is a couple of weeks away, the Open returns to Carnoustie in July, before September’s Ryder Cup. This mini renaissance could yet be the catalyst for a golden year of golf. – The Independent