THE TEE BOX | WHAT’S GOING ON
W
hile many sports have an
extended ‘off season’ we
are happy to report that
golf is one sport which
is played year-round. Why? Well look
at the great destinations which are
available to both the PGA and European
Tour’s to stage their events. Scotland
may not be great for golf in January but
Hawaii certainly is, so let’s take a look at
what’s been happening in the world of
golf over the winter months.
Many casual observers do not know the
new PGA Tour season actually started
way back in 2015, October 18th to be
precise. The European Tour also teed
off last year, with the Alfred Dunhill
Championship on the 26th November.
So things have been up and running
for quite some time in the world of
professional golf.
In terms of the PGA Tour, there has
been a wide variety of winners, including
Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Justin
Thomas, Russell Knox, Jason Dufner
and most recently, Hideki Matsuyama,
who claimed the Waste Management
Phoenix Open.
Winners on the European Tour include
Charl Schwartzel, Rickie Fowler, Branden
Grace and Danny Willett. There is yet to
be any player who has won more than
one tournament on either tour so far this
season. So who is entering the build up
to The Masters in the best form?
Spieth has made three starts, winning
one tournament and finishing in the top10 for the other two. Not bad for a young
man who has been travelling the globe
in recent months. Jason Dufner also has
three top-10 finishes to his name this
season and has won one tournament,
while Kevin Na has finished in the top10 in over half of the tournaments he
has played to date. Brandt Snedeker
has also been in great form, winning the
Farmers Insurance Open and finishing
inside the top-10 three times. Kevin
Kisner has also been performing well,
with five top-25 finishes from his seven
starts, plus a win at the RSM Classic.
So, what about the likes of Rory McIlroy
and Jason Day, of which big things are
expected this year?
McIlroy led during the closing stages of
the Omega Dubai Desert Classic but it
wasn’t enough, as Danny Willet claimed
the victory. However, the Northern
Irishman looked good off the tee and
demonstrated some excellent approach
play at times. Concentration wavered
slightly every now and then but things
are looking promising, ahead of the first
major of the year. As for Day, illness cost
him the chance to succeed at the Farmers
Insurance Open and the Australian is yet
to really get hi ͕́