Tiger can earn stripes again but Rory is left frustrated by rib injury
THE start of any season inevitably brings with it a number of talking points, as we try to predict who will have a campaign filled with greatness and who will fall off the charts. This one is more intriguing than most, with the return of Tiger Woods to the fold next week and Rory McIlroy facing a pivotal year when it comes to defining his legacy.
ahead of a star-filled gathering at the abu dhabi HSBC Championship this week, here are four intriguing questions to whet your appetite.
Will Tiger win again?
THE biggest question of all, of course, but you can only take it as a promising sign that over the next month the 14-time major champion is planning to compete in California, dubai and then back in Los angeles. If he makes it through that trying schedule without clutching his troublesome back we can all start judging him purely on his golf again. at 41, it’s a big ask to be winning titles once more, given he will only be playing in events that attract the game’s elite, most of whom are in their 20s.
But there was something about that delicious cameo in an exhibition event in the Bahamas before Christmas that suggested his return will be more than just a circus act. If he remains healthy enough to practise, I expect him to win his first title since 2013 before the season’s out.
Will McIlroy start winning majors again?
He won’t if he’s dogged by the sort of misfortune that has caused him to pull out of abu dhabi this week with a stress fracture of a rib. after an MRI scan yesterday, McIlroy (right) said: ‘It’s extremely annoying but you have to listen to the experts.’
Let’s hope for a more positive bulletin soon, for the stars appear aligned for McIlroy to get on back on track in the majors after coming up short for the last two years. Only 19 golfers have won more than the four majors accumulated already by the 27-year-old but if he wants to reach the double digits he craves he can ill afford another barren campaign while in his prime.
Happily, this year’s venues should suit him. all eyes will be on augusta, of course, where he will attempt to complete the career Grand Slam, but Royal Birkdale is an ideal Open stage while the USPGA is at a Quail Hollow course where he has won twice before on the PGA Tour.
Given a fair wind, therefore, a marriage to fiancee erica Stoll and a major are both on the cards.
What next for England’s golden generation?
There are now so many good young players from england that it has reached the stage where naming them individually would read like a lengthy shopping list. Certainly finishing this year as england’s no 1 will be an achievement in itself.
are any ready to follow danny Willett’s lead and win a major? a huge task, of course, but it would be disappointing if one or two don’t have a damn good run in them. Keep an eye on the nation’s gold medallist Justin Rose, as well, provided he can remain fit.
don’t forget the precocious Charley Hull, either. Just 20, she finished runner- up in the first women’s major of last year and will certainly start as a prime contender to go one better this time.
Is Jordan Spieth about to be upstaged by his big pal?
Seemingly on course for one of the great careers when he won the Masters and the US Open at 21, the genial american finds himself at 23 not looking up at the immortals but over his shoulder at his college buddy Justin Thomas, who has won the first two events of this PGA Tour season in sensational style. Thomas, also 23, has the power game that Spieth will never acquire. So, is he about to overtake the Texan? I’ve a feeling the friendship that is rapidly turning into a rivalry will be good for both.