| Abu Dhabi and LaJolla Spells Some Good Golf This Week |
| By Brian Hoyle January 26, 2012 Tiger Woods is making his traditional golf season start this weekend, but not at his usual haunt at the Farmer’s tournament in LaJolla. Instead of the U.S. west coast, he is half way around the globe, at Abu Dhabi, where one of the best European Tour fields ever assembled has begun to rumble in the desert. Woods’ finishing momentum at his invitational event in December has carried over to today, where he crafted a strong 2 under par, to lie in 6th place after the first round. In a tie at the top lies Rory McIlroy at 5 under. One of the announcers got it right in assessing Woods’ round, when he observed that Woods now again has the game to win. It is been a few years since that statement has been made. It’s the chance to play with the top-of-the-top ranked players that has drawn Woods to the desert of Abu Dhabi this week. It’s not the price money. First place cash here is a measly … for him … US$450,000. Umpteen time zones away, the top prize in LaJolla edges over $1 million. The California event has started on a snapshot beautiful day on a venue that has achieved iconic status after the epic US Open several years ago, when a fractured-leg Woods edged out Rocco Mediate in a playoff. Scores are low here – Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley are tied at 10 under par. A bit sad is the site of a struggling Phil Michelson. Once a king of the flat stick, Michelson’s putting continues its wayward course. If Michelson is to be around for the weekend on his hometown turf, his putting mojo is going to have to return tomorrow. I’ll be writing more about these two events in the next few days. For now, it’s a treat to sit back and watch the best golfers do their thing in the desert and hard by the sea. |
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