The following post is from the blog of the BBC’s Iain Carter, a self-confessed golf addict:
There should be no doubt that 2010 has the potential to be a vintage year for golf. Forget for a moment the credit crunch, the gaps in the calendar, the tournaments under threat and the sponsorship deals still to be done.
Leave aside the current troubles of the sport’s top player and instead look ahead to what should be a fantastic twelve months for golf fans. Here are ten reasons to be cheerful in 2010:
1. New rules on groove size and shape: This will add a fascinating dimension to the new season. Groove edges in the professional game will have to be more rounded and will have less depth. The result should be less control on shots from the rough so there will be a greater premium on finding fairways from the tee. “As much as it won’t suit my game, it is a good decision,” says three-time major winner Padraig Harrington. The feeling among the pros is that the move will put the onus on skill and accuracy and courses will be able to chop back some of the rough that has become such a negative aspect to course set-up in recent years. Seems like a win, win situation, while there is plenty of grace time for the rest with the new rules not kicking in until 2014 at elite amateur level and 2024 for the rest of us.
2. The Ryder Cup: 2009 didn’t lack for excitement or drama, but Ryder Cup years always seem to have that extra dimension. Yes we over obsess on this biennial clash between Europe and the US but the intrigue of the qualification period provides a strong narrative for the season and the match itself never fails to deliver. The October date at Celtic Manor provides concern over autumnal conditions in the Usk Valley but this already feels as though it will be a very special match, especially with Europe so desperate to recapture the trophy. Judging by the 2009 year end rankings we will be watching the best players in the world, Europe and America each have 11 players in the world’s top 30. The captains, Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin are such strong competitors they will be their own sources of interest throughout the year and once again golf will be able to transcend and attract general sports fans as well as die-hard golf enthusiasts. Bring it on.
3. The Return of Tiger part 1: Who knows when it will happen, but when it does it will be one of THE sports stories of 2010. Speculation is rife as to what “indefinite” means. Some say he will skip the entire year, but that seems unlikely. The odds are more likely on a return in time for the Masters. The carefully managed media side at Augusta would make the first major of the year an attractive idea for Woods (TMZ would struggle for accreditation), but he would surely want some competitive action before continuing his quest to overhaul Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 big ones. Could his season start at the Match Play as it did in 2009? What would be the message of returning at an event backed by one of the companies that dropped him from their sponsorship roster in the wake of the revelations about his private life? A trip to Uncle Arnie’s place at Bay Hill is another option, but in reality how could we possibly know where Woods will tee up next when in all probability he has no idea? What is certain is that when he does come back golf will immediately jump towards the top of the sporting agenda.
4. The return of Tiger part 2: Quote of the year in 2009 came from Johnny Miller ahead of the final round at Bay Hill: “When you are paired in the final group with Tiger Woods you are the butter and he is the sun.” Opposition has nearly always melted in Woods’ presence if he has a sniff of a title. That’s why YE Yang’s US PGA victory was so special at Hazeltine, prompting “the end of an aura” type headlines. Well that message has been trotted out plenty since Tiger’s troubles showed him to be as prone to human frailties as anyone else. So will the opposition continue to be as meek on a Sunday back nine as it has been throughout much of Woods’ career? He needs five more majors to overhaul Nicklaus. As Peter Alliss recently said if Woods wins those the size of that achievement would dwarf anything he has already done in his glittering career. In any case when he does come back the competitive story will be strong enough to have us talking golf far more readily than the stuff that’s been dominating the winter agenda so far.
5. Lee Westwood: Europe’s number one doesn’t believe much in mind gurus, the chaps who encourage clients to set their goals and keep them secret. We know the targets Westwood has in his sights and he is happy to tell us. Immediately after winning the Dubai World Championship he was discussing how he can use this success in his bid to win the Masters in April. For the Englishman it’s simple. The one thing he hasn’t won is majors and everything will be pointed at satisfying that aim. Emboldened by his recent wins in Portugal and in the desert, having finished the year as world number four and with the best caddie in the business, Billy Foster, on his bag 2010 is surely the year for the big breakthrough. He is now ready to seize the moment. He had the opportunity to do so at Turnberry and couldn’t manage it. Expect him not to make the same mistakes again given the chance in 2010. Remember the groove factor too – Westwood is long but accurate from the tee a quality that should now have a higher premium.
Make sure you visit Iain’s blog for the other five reasons.
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