Smiling faces, hand-shaking and a bit of revelry surrounded Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as the BMW Championship paired the two golfers for a two-round start to the final legs of the #FedExCup Playoffs. With Rory McIlroy moving stealthily into the winners' circle and Tiger Woods struggling to maintain form, could this competitive pairing be what Woods needs to revitalize his game or does this signal a passing of the torch?
Huff Post Sports "wondered if there was something compellingly symbolic in this passing, if McIlroy, in a larger sense, is ready to take Woods' place on the game’s grand stages." Rory, a twenty-three year old with three wins under his belt this season is young and aggressive like the Tiger Woods from ten years ago. A joking McIlroy who is growing muscles on Tour recently stated he would like to "kick his (Woods) behind" at the Ryder Cup.
Woods, on the other hand, has backed off of his more aggressive style more calmly stating that he still wants to taste victory. "I'm just going to try and get a 'W' this week," Tiger said about Crooked Stick. "That's the goal. That's why I'm here. That's why I entered."
Yes, Tiger Woods may have entered the BMW Championship to win but his comment after the first round that "The game of golf is in great hands with him (McIlroy), and he's here to stay," could be taken as a sign that Woods may be letting go of the struggle to stay on top. Letting go may be the first sign that Woods is ready to come back.
Although Woods has three wins on the PGA Tour this season; the Memorial in which Tiger surpassed Jack Nicklaus' record, a win at Bay Hill that marked his seventh at that golf course and the AT&T which was won with a bit of a struggle at Congressional, there is a definite weakness in his game which now shows up during the final stages of tournaments, a flaw in his putting, in my opinion, caused by a lack of focus.
In 2009, right before his woes began, Tiger won the same tournaments and also included three more wins including the BMW Championship.
Although money may be a motivator for many golfers struggling to stay in position, the "$100 million dollar man" needs a different type of stimulus in order to return to his former greatness and Rory McIlroy may be just what the doctor ordered to wake up a sleeping Tiger.
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photo credit: Canada.com
Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous
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