There are two events to focus on this week: the Australian
PGA Championship at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast, and the Hero World Challenge
in Albany in the Bahamas, featuring the return of Tiger Woods.
Ryan Fox, Michael Hendry and Co are up against Sergio
Garcia, Adam Scott and others in the PGA, which should provide fascinating
afternoon viewing over the next few days, but the golfing world at large will
no doubt be following Tiger’s every move in the Hero Challenge after a 10 month
absence from competitive golf.
A fascinating weekend before things start to settle down for
the Christmas break.
Australian PGA
Championship
This tournament is co-sanctioned with the European Tour, so
if Michael Hendry (or another New Zealander) wins at Royal Pines over the
weekend, we could have three players on the European Tour in 2018.
However, they will have to get past the likes of Adam Scott,
Sergio Garcia, Harold Varner III (defending champion), Mike Weir, Jonas Blixt,
Marc Leishman etc, plus a host of the usual Australian suspects and some New
Zealanders in very good form. Overall,
the field looks stronger than the Australian Open last week, and the course –
depending on the weather – will offer plenty of challenges as well.
Ten of our players are in the field: Brad Shilton, Michael
Long, David Smail, Daniel Pearce, Ben Campbell, Ryan Fox, Mark Brown, Kieran
Muir and Josh Geary.
Ryan Fox plays with Lucas Herbert and Jason Scrivener in the
first two rounds; Michael Hendry is alongside Scott Henry and Fiji
International winner Jason Norris, and Josh Geary has drawn the last tee time
of the day, and will be bringing in the nearest the pin flags….
Recent rain has seen the rough grow at this 6,734 metre
Graham Marsh re-designed layout, which proved a tough test two years ago when
no player broke par. Conditions were
much more benign last year when Harold Varner III won with -19. This year’s winning score is likely to be
somewhere between these extremes.
Coverage starts on SS 52 from 2.00pm Thursday.
Meanwhile in the
Bahamas…
Tiger is back, reportedly with a good back and swinging well
enough to knock it past Dustin Johnson on occasions. If he is physically sorted out, then there is
just the matter of the lack of competitive golf and perhaps a few other issues
to deal with.
The Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas with its 18 man
field is certainly a user friendly way for Tiger to ease his way back onto the
Tour, and there will be massive interest in how he performs.
The bookies are cynical about how he will go in 2018, with
generous odds against him recording any victories, and even on him making many
cuts.
Time will tell, but it would be a major boost to golf if
Tiger was to return and show his ability to still be in contention for PGA Tour
honours.
And then there is the question of the remaining four Majors
he needs to win to equal Jack Nicklaus….