RORY’S TRUMPED
Scott triumphs after McIlroy is eaten up by the Blue Monster
Given all the wild twists and turns, and outrageous acts of brilliance and buffoonery, you might say this was a final round fit for ‘The Donald’.
in front of extrovert business magnate Donald Trump, the man set to become the Republican candidate for President, we saw Rory Mcilroy become just the latest victim of the fabled Blue Monster, and Adam Scott pull off a second straight victory. Last week the Honda Classic; this, the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
english man Danny Will ett finished tied for third to confirm his position among the world’s finest but will rue a costly drive into the drink at the 18th.
As for Mcilroy, he struggled all day in the treacherous winds that turned the monster into a savage beast. The man who didn’t have a single bogey on his cardd on day three didn’t managege a single birdie until it was too late, at the 16th. He e shot 74, and had to o settle for finishing alongside Willett.
Mcilroy certainly wasn’t helped by the fact that playing partner Dustin Johnson couldn’t cope at alll and ended up with a hapless 79.
nevertheless, this will go down as a disappointing day for the 26-year- old, who expects to win tournaments when leading by three going into the final day, and by four shots with 14 holes to play.
You’re never safe at Doral, however, until the final putt has been holed. Scott’s tumultuous day summed up what can happen.
He found the water twice for two double bogeys in his first five holes and cold shanked a bunker shot at the 16th.
But he played beautifully at other stages, and rode his luck at the 18th, where his second shot finished on the bank of yet another hazard but didn’t trickle to a watery grave.
‘i think i showed the value of experience out there today,’ said the 35-year- old Australian, who trailed Mcilroy by six shots at one point. ‘i know i’m playing well but i’m amazed to win two events in a row.’
Trump arrived by helicopter and made a beeline for Mcilroy on the practice ground. Any hope this would prove a positive omen, however, with Trump’s massive lead in the opinion polls reflected in a similarly dominant final round by the northern irishman, were quickly dispelled.
Mcilroy racked up his first bogey in 40 holes at the seventh, and it was as if the spell was broken. He would have two more and not grab any birdies on the par-five eighth, 10th anand 12th holes that are meat and drink for him. TrTrump, who owns Doral amamong a number of oother golf properties ssuch as Turnberry, got plenty of thumbs-up from the fans but not eeveryone was star sstruck. ‘You’re a racist and yoyou’re no good,’ was the uncunceremonious verdict of one ppatron. He did a quick media scrum, with the stipulation the questions be golf-related.
The man from BBC 5 Live asked him to characterise his tumultuous relationship wi t h the golf authorities.
‘My relationship is excellent,’ he said blithely. ‘ But then it helps when you’re the frontrunner rather than the no 12 candidate. They tend to listen to you better.
‘What will happen if i become President? it will kill my golf game, for sure, but it will be great for golf, because i love golf.’
And, with that, The Donald disappeared with his dozen-strong secret-service personnel for a round of television interviews.
Mcilroy’s lead at the start was nothing like as secure as Trump’s, of course,course with the wind tugg tugging strongly at the flags by the first tee.
There was a lot at stake. He was going for his 12th victory on the PGA Tour, and the only players to muster that many before the age of 27 were familiar names when it comes to Mcilroy and his remarkable list of achievements: Tiger Woods and Jack ck nicklaus nicklaus. Any suggestion this would be a walk around the water, however, disappeared rapidly around the turn.
Round of the day? A contender came from Justin Rose, who began the week affected by flu but finished with a 67 to sneak into the top 20. Fellow englishman Paul Casey shot 68 to tip-toe into the top seven.
Finally, if you’re ever in Florida a and think you’d like to take on the monster, consider the f ate of Stephen Bowditch, good enough to w win on the PGA Tour last year.
He shot 84 to complete four consecutive rounds in the 80s for a combined score of 37 over par. He started the week with four dozen g golf balls and by the end, including p practice rounds, had put 47 of them in the water.
‘ Hey, it’s just golf,’ he said, a sentiment with which golfers everywhere could empathise.
The difference is it will cost you a monstrous $ 550 to play here. Bowditch, by stark contrast, walked off with a cheque for $43,000.