The curious case of the World number one golfer

[ursus arctos]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

LLR, if I recall Torrey Pines correctly (I've only played it once), it isn't a particularly long course, and therefore does not reward the over-torqued style that Tiger was associated with.

[San Bernardhinault]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Yeah. They don't have a lot of space to shove the tees back for the pros, so it's not far from the regular municipal course that I play for $70 ($40 on the north course). It's not massively long. But they make the rough absolutely brutal in the run up to the tournament, so it's very much an accuracy game, and if you are in the rough you need a massive amount of force to get the ball to go any distance (or, in fact, in anything like the direction you aim).

I've no idea how they do it, because the rough is short. But it's evil.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Torrey Pines may not seem to require a Tiger-style game, but he certainly loved it. He won this tournament seven times.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Less than a year after becoming world number one, Adam Scott is no longer even Australia's number one. Jason Day won at the weekend to go to fourth, pushing Scott down to fifth. Day will definitely be worth a punt at the Masters.

[ursus arctos]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Torrey Pines may not seem to require a Tiger-style game, but he certainly loved it. He won this tournament seven times.

I don't have the stats (I'm sure you do), but my sense was always that in his pomp Tiger was completely dominant on California courses, particularly during the January-February swing (as opposed to majors hosted there later in the year). I think that it may have had something to do with his clear conditioning edge at that time, as his opponents tried to play themselves into shape.

[San Bernardhinault]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

He also won the US Open when it was last played at Torrey, which was much later in the year. So it isn't just a conditioning thing.

If I was guessing why, I'd think the Torrey rough, when they set it up for tournaments, is just so difficult it requires a huge amount of strength to get the ball out of (in a straight line, going more than about 50 yards). You could see that yesterday in the TV coverage. And Tiger - in his prime - really did have the speed and power to hit through the tangle of thick, wet, heavy grass that most people don't.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

There used to be, probably in the era right up to Tiger coming along, a real prize for being the leader on the US Money list, early in the season, as it was seen as a 'race' each year and being number one, even early on, attracted more media attention, which meant more sponsorship, and more money, in particular to be number one going to the Masters.

Several players - Johnny Miller and Lanny Wadkins, notably, in the 70s and 80s - almost made their careers out of leading the "West Coast Swing" early on in seasons. Nowadays, no-one really gives a toss who's on top of the PGA Tour money list at the end of the year, never mind the start (for the record, at the moment it's Jimmy Walker) as the (2-year) World Rankings have overtaken the money list as the "race" to be on top of, and no-one cares who's won the most points just in 2015 so far. In a way, it's a bit of a shame.

[ursus arctos]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Though that is characteristic of "US Open rough" anywhere (including Bethpage Black, where he also won). Somewhat interestingly, his three US Open wins were at Pebble Beach, Bethpage and Torrey Pines, whereas his PGAs were all at "mid-America" courses (including Medinah twice).

[ursus arctos]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Rogin, those tournaments were also huge on US television, even among non-golf afficionados. Part of that had to do with the "glamour" associated with the Hope and Crosby pro-ams (and the sheer televisual delight of the Monterrey courses), but it also reflected a post Super Bowl gap in the free to air sports calendar, especially during a period when the NBA was down and college basketball had not become the behemoth it is now.

[bruno glanvilla]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/31432730

Tiger taking a break from golf until further notice.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

The PGA Tour has several exemption categories that protect former champions from having to re-qualify to the Tour for several years - Tiger's primary exemption is good until 2018 (as the 2013 Money List leader). Even if that runs out, he's actually a lifetime member of the Tour (as a winner of over 20 career events), and will also get lifetime invites to the majors as a former champion of each. If it was as strict as only last year's top 125 getting back on, and he were to drop off the Tour and have to play his way back through Q-school with all those hungry college kids who hit the ball 350 yards, I don't think he'd make it back.

[ursus arctos]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

I eagerly await the rumours that Tiger has failed a drug test.

[San Bernardhinault]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

He looked a mess during last Thursday's round when he pulled out of the tournament. When your playing partner has to take the ball out of the hole for you because you can't bend down, something is pretty badly wrong.

This doesn't surprise me at all. I'm mostly surprised he's basically blaming it on poor form rather than actual injury. Maybe they'll finally get him to change his swing and start playing like a (highly skilled) mortal. Although that would take a lot longer than the Feb 26th date he says he wants to return on.

[Outside Agent]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Well, well. Padraig Harrington wins his first tour event since the 2008 USPGA. Ranked 297th and only there thanks to a sponsor's invite.

Now watch him decide that the only way to go forward from here is to deconstruct his game, treat it like a science, and attempt to formulate a whole new swing. Because this weekend's win can't have just occurred naturally. And it won't happen again unless something radical is done.

Good man, Paddy. You weirdo.

[Toro Toro]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Ha! Indeed.

There's something deeply admirable about that level of idealism, which should nevertheless never ever be repeated by anyone...

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

A victory that came despite all his best efforts, like dumping his approach at the 71st hole into the drink for a double-bogey.

When he won the Open in 2007 at Carnoustie, he found water twice up the last hole, which was actually a worse finish than poor Jean Van de Velde's in 1999.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Two weeks after losing the world number one ranking to Jordan Spieth (who clearly deserves it following two major wins and almost winning the other two this year) Rory McIlroy returns to number one, without even swinging a club, due to a quirk in the way the points system works.

Spieth will need another high finish in one of the remaining 3 FedEx Cup playoff events, or one of the late-season invitational jaunts in Dubai or Shanghai, to get back to number one.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Or maybe not. Spieth goes back to number one this week despite missing the cut at the weekend. It's a very convoluted system ...

[tee rex]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Men's golf, who gives a shit?

LYDIA LYDIA LYDIA ...

She's edging ahead of Richie McCaw in the NZ pantheon. Everybody loves Lydia.

[tee rex]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

And "everybody" is too many ...



Ewwww.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Jason Day is six shots clear with six to play at the BMW championship, the penultimate FedEX Cup playoff event. If he wins this and Jordan Spieth finishes outside the top three (as looks likely at the moment) then Day will become the world number one (and the third different one in as many weeks after Spieth and McIlroy had been juggling it).

His will be a slightly artificial ranking, to my mind, inasmuch as he's only played about 80% of the events the other two have (and so his points average is 125% ahead of where it might have been). But the system's the system, and it's an exciting time when three young players - who have won 5 of the last 6 major championships between them - are the top three, and all three have been world number one already.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

He did it, btw.

Jason Day, the cocky kid who aged 20 said "I'm going to be number one", and everyone laughed at him, fucking did it (albeit 7 years later). Good on him. Poulter said something similar and is now about world number 35.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Jordan Spieth pops right back, the following week, wins the Tour Championship, with it the FedEx Cup playoff series, picks up a combined cheque for about £7m, and goes back to number one. Only by a whisker, though, so Day will soon get a chance to regain top spot and avoid becoming someone who only topped the rankings for a solitary week.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

Spieth narrowly fails to hole a putt on the final green to retain his Australian Open title (eerily reminiscent of his similar near-miss at St Andrews). But his second-place finish should guarantee he finishes the year as world number one, after two months where he and Jason Day tossed it back and forward to each other and Rory McIlroy came right back up on their heels again by winning the Race to Dubai.

All three holding the number one position at some point in 2016 wouldn't be a bad bet.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The curious case of the World number one golfer

"All three holding the number one position at some point in 2016 wouldn't be a bad bet".

Day regains the number one spot from Spieth, after beating McIlroy to reach the World Matchplay final.

McIlroy, in turn, could get back to number two by winning the Masters in a fortnight, putting him in pole position for a tilt back at the number one spot in the year's subsequent majors.