Back in the Swing of Things

As the Masters loom, the PGA tees it up in Arizona

Dear Loyal Blog Readers, 

I’m back, did you miss me? This time around, instead of the fast-paced and gritty sport of college football, I’m taking my talents elsewhere and blogging about one of the classier sports in the world: golf. 

With a little over a month left until the Masters, the PGA is revving up for one of the most highly anticipated seasons in recent memory. Many questions will be answered this season — Will Tiger win a major? Is Rory’s slump really over? Will Rickie Fowler ever reach his potential? — and I cannot wait to analyze them all. 

Let’s start out at the World Golf Championships- Accenture Match Play Championship this week in Arizona. 

To address my first question, Tiger Woods is not playing in this tournament. But really, does anyone care about what Tiger does before the Masters? 

A newly-engaged Rory McIlroy defeated Boo Weekley in the Ben Hogan bracket on Wednesday, but Thursday was a different story. Harris English took the Irishman out of the tournament, narrowly defeating him after 19 holes. I think a lot of people expect a lot of the former U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner. I personally felt his relationship with tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki would be short-lived and that once it was over, Rory would get back to his old self. (I guess part of me was also jealous because my name is Caroline and I play golf too, but that besides the point.)  Instead he went and asked her to marry him, which surprised me to say the least. We all learned from Tiger how personal relationships could make things messy in the world of golf, but hopefully marriage will get Rory of the right path, because right now, he consistently has been coming up short. 

On to Rickie Fowler, and his florescent outfits. Rickie is playing well this week, defeating Ian Poulter in the first round, Jimmy Walker in the second and Sergio Garcia in the third, all very good golfers. But still, Rickie has never seemed to hit his stride on the tour. A lot was expected of him and the younger generation of tour professionals to come in and start sweeping at tournaments, but for some reason, despite his bright clothing, he rarely stands out in the crowd. We’ve seen Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Jason Day and Keegan Bradley all come in and make an impact, but for some reason Rickie has not. This season I expect to see a lot more from the 25 year old, which may mean I should keep my sunglasses out on Sundays, when Rickie wears his signature orange for his alma mater, Oklahoma State.  

Saturday’s match play should be interesting with Rickie Fowler and Jim Furyk going head-to-head, old school-new school style. I’ll also be keeping an eye out for Jason Day, one of my new favorite golfers, who will be taking on Louis Oosthuizen in the Bobby Jones bracket. Good old Jason Dufner is still in it, and so is the new kid Jordan Speith, who is projected to have a phenomenal season. But golf is like a wild horse — you never know where it will take you. 

Stay Sporty, 

Caroline