After Long And Distinguished Career, Rory Hands Torch To Next Irish Golfing Great

There is no truth to the rumors that Rory sustained injuries when burly agent Chubby Chandler sidearmed his young, in-need-of-a-haircut prodigy to slip a card in the pocket of Shane Lowry, amateur and shocking Irish Open winner.

Actually, not entirely shocking considering his topsy-turvy backstory as laid out by Brian Keogh.

Peter Dixon in the Times:

Among those on hand to congratulate Lowry was Rory McIlroy, who put his arm around him after he had missed the “winning” putt in regulation play and told him, “Hang in there. You are still going to win.” And at the end it was McIlroy who led the celebrations by spraying the victor with champagne and whispering in his ear that it was time to turn pro. “He's got nothing left to prove and will learn much more out here than in the amateur ranks,” he said.

Bill Elliott in the Guardian:

For Lowry, there is much to savour. His first European Tour victory came in his first European Tour event, as only the third amateur ever to win on tour and the first to win on his debut.

Unbylined in the Belfast Telegraph:

As Lowry stood on the 72nd hole over a five foot putt for birdie and victory, the title was at his mercy. Yet he couldn’t resist a look, pulling the putt left of the hole.

“Obviously the nerves got to me and I just pulled it. I was just shaking over that putt,” said the 22-year-old, who buried his head in his hands.

In the massive crowd surrounding the green, his mother Briget did the same.

But McIlroy made sure to put his arm around his former Irish amateur teammate’s shoulder as he left the green, saying: “You’ve still got this. You are still going to win this.”

These vital words and the calm assurance of his caddie, David Reynolds, helped Lowry (pictured right) regain his composure for the playoff and later he’d pay due regard to McIlroy.  “I’ve known Rory for a few years now and I’d wondered if he’d wait around for the finish. I actually thought about that for some reason, I don’t know why,” said Lowry. “It was great to see him there.”

“I do feel like a part-time golfer"

Karen Crouse looks at the LPGA's dwindling schedule in a story that is probably most noteworthy because the New York Times put it on the front page during Sybase Classic week. The Brand Lady only conducting interviews via email is also an interesting development. Can't say I think it's a bad idea.

"Kenny has got a lie – it's a down-grain lie but there is a big clump of down-grain grass behind it"

Lawrence Donegan follows up with a more extensive piece sharing a variety of opinions on the Kenny Perry-FBR-Open-controversy first noted earlier this week.

"When I first heard stories about the video I thought, 'I hope Kenny is not being maligned.' And then when I saw it, I was shocked," says Brandel Chamblee, a former PGA Tour player and now a well-respected analyst with the Golf Channel. "What you can say in his defence is that there is no way he was trying to get away with something on a grand scale. The camera was right there and he knew there were millions of people watching on TV. But I was also shocked that no one who was watching at home called in, or that no one who was doing the television coverage mentioned anything about it on air."

It should be noted that the Super Bowl had begun, so the audience at that point was tiny.

John Huggan says this about the incident.

Even the man beaten in the play-off, Charley Hoffman, wanted nothing to do with pointing out the obvious. "I have no problem with that," he gasped. "We all do it."

If what Hoffman claims is true, not only does golf at the highest level have a serious problem, but some education in the area of what does and does not constitute "improving one's lie" is badly needed.

This zoomed in version of the original is below and also on YouTube in a slightly wider version. Note David Feherty's description of the lie as Perry places his club behind the ball.

"Finchem's minions were apparently hard at work pressuring host broadcaster NBC into not mentioning just how many Fed-Ex Cup points the Swede picked up"

John Huggan with this nugget from last week's Players:

Not only did the diminutive leader of the world's richest circuit manage to mangle the champion's name, calling him "Heinrik" more than once, Finchem's minions were apparently hard at work pressuring host broadcaster NBC into not mentioning just how many Fed-Ex Cup points the Swede picked up along with the $1.7million first place cheque. Embarrassingly, that number is nil, due to the fact that Stenson (who will no doubt have welcomed the sizeable boost to his bank balance in the wake of losing a goodly chunk of his fortune amidst the recent Stanford fiasco) thinks he can muddle by without being a PGA Tour member.

Rossie, R.I.P.

The great player and later on-course announcer has left us, Rex Hoggard reports. Here is his memorable Golf Digest My Shot. Sal Johnson, who worked with Rossie at ABC, files this remembrance. And here is his Wikipedia bio.

Suddenly The FedEx Cup Isn't Looking So Bad

In the most strongly worded piece yet, John Hopkins questions the state of the Race To Dubai and the health of the European Tour as Leisurecorp is overtaken by the government.

Hopkins also files this Spike Bar column on the shift in duties for David Spencer, the primary force behind Leisurecorp's forays into golf.

Ten Broeck Goes Twice

This is just an incredible feat...from Reuters reporting.

Rory Not Backing Down; Earning Raves For Faldoesque Honesty!

From the Telegraph:

Northern Irishman McIlroy, who had said that individual competition was more important to him, added to his remarks of Wednesday. "At the end of the day it's (the Ryder Cup) a great event, probably the best spectacle in golf. But sometimes it's been taken a little too seriously.

"If I get into the team it will be massive and I'll enjoy it."

Peter Hutcheon in the Belfast Telegraph defends the young lad, saying his attitude reminds of a young Nick Faldo.

But at its inception as a friendly match between two sets of golfers, it was never meant to be this colossus, which dominates the game like no other.

McIlroy is the first in a generation to dare break the party line and point out that the whole thing has grown out of all proportion.

I dare say he will enjoy the cut and thrust of the competition against the Americans when his turn comes.
But his sights are set on achieving much more in the game.

I'm sorry, but if Anthony Kim said the same thing, the British press would be ripping him to shreds!