"Golf can get terribly po-faced at times."

Thanks to reader Ryan for sending in Tom English's Scotsman commentary on Rory McIlroy's apology/rationale for withdrawing, and as usual English has a thought provoking take that rises high above what we were subjected to earlier in the week.

Though I must admit, I didn't anticipate where he was going with this in bringing up past high profile WD's by Ian Poulter and Sandy Lyle, along with how "golf can get overly pious about these things." And his conclusion makes for a fascinating statement about the culture of golf.

That is the way of it. Tell a porky and save yourself some hassle. Everybody will turn a blind eye and we’ll all carry on as before, pretending that there is no chicanery in golf. No doping, no cheating, no gamesmanship and, in this instance, nobody who just has one of those lousy days when all they want to do was get out of there. Nobody is allowed to just quit. It has to be an injury. Or an “injury”.

Dave Shedloski says the same issues plagued McIlroy's game when opening with a 73 at Doral on a day the Blue Monster was defenseless. But I still like his chances of making it to the weekend!

Comments

[Jock]

Errr ...... No Cut ?

[D.]

Heard of sarcasm?

[meefer]

good article!

[No longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

Good article, moral of the story is: When dealing with the media, when in doubt - lie.

[Nostrildamus]

If Rory can so readily tell a lie where else is he cutting corners? Should Bamberger keep an eye on future drops?

[Chris from DE]

This is the thing about golf that makes it so wonderfully different from other sports. There have been plenty of times that I have been so excited to go out and play golf I could barely sleep the night before only to go out and double the first three holes and be absolutely ready to walk off the course. I've definitely walked off after nine holes before and there have been many times I've wanted to walk off after that third double. I can't think of any other sport or game where this occurs, where your mind and your body refuse to cooperate and do what you know you are capable of doing and it just RUINS the day for you.

Now, add all of the other garbage going through Rory's mind and you've got a perfect storm of hell. 7 over after 8! Screw it! I'm done!

Great article by English.

[bretton]

So when does Tooth Fairy start packing on a few pounds a la Duval? Nice knowing ya, Rors.

[Ghillie]

"When dealing with the media, when in doubt - lie."

Not what English said. He said you have to lie to Golf. The wisdom tooth was not conjured up for the baying hounds. It was to keeo him out of trouble with the autocracy at Ponte V.

[Hilltop]

Is the subtext from English that it's ok to quit?

[Eric]

From a Slavoj Zizek article on Wikileaks in the London Review of Books: "This is the paradox of public space: even if everyone knows an unpleasant fact, saying it in public changes everything".

[DTF]

Chris from DE......earlier this week Carmelo Anthony tripped over the half court line with the Knicks down 20 and 6 minutes to go in 2nd quarter -- he walked off in shame. Behaviour like this is the reason why he will never lead the Knicks or any other team to an NBA championship.

[Hawkeye]

No suitable thread yet, but anyway: That putting lesson from Stricker have been the final piece of the puzzle for Tiger (or the second last, the last being straightening out the driver). He looks so much better on the greens, and the pre-hydrant swagger is back, at least for today.

[Hilltop]

@ Hawkeye ...

Very much agree and what exactly is Foley looking for while watching Tiger putt if he can't pick up on an alignment issue?

[Neil Young & Geraldo]

Hawk and Hill:

The putter and the driver don't really concern me. He's always been streaky with those clubs.

It's the pressure of the last day or two of the majors that's the real deal. He never used to come close to choking or gagging. I suspect chasing history is getting to him-- chasing the kind of history that puts him up there with Babe Ruth.

Jack didn't "break" anybody's record, especially not to any fanfare. He was the best and kept on winning and it was duly noted in a small column in your local paper. Most of the time when Jack won those majors we could only watch the last 9 holes of it happen on (tape delayed) tv.

If Tiger even gets close (17?) he will get the full blown Michael Jackson treatment from the media. (And he'll need Michael Jackson type drugs to be able to sleep at night, too.)

Tiger doesn't stand a chance. :(

[Hawkeye]

@Neil, you were stoned out of your mind on the "Tonight's the Night" tour when Jack broke Bobby Jones' record for total major titles as well as Walter Hagen's record for professional majors at the 1973 PGA, so that excuses you for forgetting that Jack got quite a bit of press in the 70's. It wasn't anything like today, of course, but it's all relative. Tiger's gotten the Michael Jackson treatment since he was 21 and lived through one of the most humiliating public scandals ever, so I have a hard time thainking that the press is what's going to keep him from getting to 18. When he´s on the golf course he's in his comfort zone and when the putter is working, 18 is definitely on. Trust me.