TOM’S BRUM BLUES
SPEEDWAY SGB CHAMPIONSHIP
RORY McILROY will bid to become the first man to retain The Players Championship title – after recalling how his Sawgrass debut ended in a missed cut and getting thrown out of bars.
The world No.1 is the hot favourite in Florida to turn his record run of top-five finishes into his first win of the season on Sunday.
But his chance to add more history follows an awkward start to his career at the TPC. McIlroy missed his first three cuts, beginning when he had just turned 20 in May 2009, when he shot rounds of 74 and 77.
The Ulsterman (left, practicing yesterday) said: “The first year I played here, the weekend before I was in Vegas for a fight and then probably didn’t prepare the best way possible.
“I missed the cut and ended up getting kicked out of bars in Jacksonville Beach for having a fake ID. So I’ve come a long way!” McIlroy, now a wiser 30-year-old,
FORMER Grand Prix star Tomas Jonasson has stunned Birmingham by quitting — before making his debut.
The Swede (right) agreed to join the Brummies three months ago but has now asked to be released from his contract.
Jonasson, 31, blamed his decision on his Swedish club has since won four Majors and has just racked up 100 weeks as world No.1 – but like 12 months ago, he arrives at the self-styled fifth Major without a victory.
Last year his Florida win was the launchpad to claiming the FedEx Cup and the Player of the Year. “It is nice to be back,” he said. “This week was huge last year in terms of getting the monkey off my back a little bit.
“I had a few close calls and I wasn’t able to walk through the door and get it done, and I was able to do it here.”
The PGA Tour has insisted the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play will go ahead later this month despite the cancellation of a major music and arts festival in Austin next week due to the coronavirus.
But Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who denied there is a plan to move May’s US PGA from San Francisco, suggested the Texas event could go ahead without crowds. He said: “This thing is so dynamic that we have to go hour to hour, day to day.”
But McIlroy was critical. He said: “It’s obviously very worrying and I think the United States has really been casual about it compared to the rest of the world.” switching their fixtures to a Wednesday night, which would clash with Birmingham’s SGB Championship matches. Brummies Boss Laurence Rogers said: “The news gave us a headache so close to the start of the season, but we have accepted his decision.” German Valentin Grobauer, 25, will come in as a late replacement.