- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Rory McIlroy has won 11 times in 101 starts in the US, but he’s never set foot on the famous Riviera layout.
“I hear it’s a great course, looking forward to it,” was McIlroy’s extraordinary comment,
World number one Jordan Spieth, world two McIlroy and world five Bubba Watson will headline the strong field.
It will be a welcome return for Watson. He’s the defending champion, beating Spieth in 2015. The win ended a two-year, 41-tournament drought for the left-hander.
He’s been pretty quiet for him this year, with four tournaments that included one top ten finish.
McIlroy has played in Abu Dhabi where he finished third on 14-under to Ricky Fowler’s 16-under, and finished in a tie for sixth at the Dubai Desert Classic with 15-under, won by Englishman Danny Willetts with 19-under.
Spieth started 2016 in stunning form by running away with the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii carding 30-under with Patrick Reed second at 22-under.
Fowler finished fifth with 20-under, Watson and Jason Day finished in a tie for tenth with 15-under.
Spieth headed overseas where he finished fifth at Abu Dhabi with 11-under to Fowler’s 16-under, and followed that up with second at the Singapore Open to Young Song’s first pro victory – the Korean shot 12-under, Spieth 11-under.
There’s no Jason Day or Ricky Fowler this week, but Sergio Garcia will be on duty, with Dustin Johnson, Shigeki Maruyama, Matt Kuchar, Bill Haas, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Jimmy Walker, JB Holmes, and Charl Schwartzel, winner last week in South Africa at Pretoria.
Australians on duty – Adam Scott, Matt Jones, John Senden, the exciting youngster Cameron Smith, Geoff Ogilvy, Steve Bowditch, Aaron Baddeley, Marc Leishman, Stuart Appleby, and Robert Allenby.
I’ve left the best story until last – Vaughan Taylor.
The 39-year-old journeyman has not won on the USPGA tour since the Reno Tahoe Open in 2005, and currently is not a member of any tour.
He was first alternate for last week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am and got a start when Carl Petterson was a late withdrawal.
In a titanic battle with Phil Mickelson, Hiroshi Iwata and Jonas Blixt on the Sunday, Taylor’s 65 held off Mickelson by a shot when the leftie lipped out a birdie putt on the last.
Taylor was almost speechless at winning $1.26 million, qualifying for the Masters and exempt for two years. His wife Leot was inconsolable, Mickelson was gutted, it was 938 days since his last win – The Open of 2013 at Muirfield.
But with all respect for Phil Mickelson, Vaughn Taylor’s shock win when all appeared black in his career was the sporting story of the year so far.
It will be interesting to see how he fares in a top field this week now all his financial pressures are well and truly buried.
Cinderella stuff on Valentine’s Day.