Rory: a fair weather golfer?

[muttleee]

Rory's apparently not a fan of Open-style golf:

“I am not a fan of golf tournaments where the outcome is predicted so much by the weather, it is not my sort of golf,” he said after signing for a hangdog three-over-par 73.

“My game is suited for basically any golf course and most conditions, but these conditions I just don’t enjoy playing in. That’s the bottom line. I’d rather play when it’s 80F (27C) and sunny and not much wind.

“We play one links tournament a year so I’m not going to change for one tournament. I can win an Open. I just have to wait for a year when the weather’s nice.”

I suspect he'll come to regret these remarks as much as those about the Ryder Cup being 'an exhibition'...

 

[USER1999]

It's true though.

I for one would rather play in the sunshine than in the weather they had on Saturday. Why would a pro golfer not be of similar mind?

 

[G1BB0]

I agree, he is just being honest.

Pro's are a bit spoilt though with the places they play and some of the courses. 20 odd under par for a tournament to me means the course was too easy!! Nice to see the buggers struggle and look almost ordinary over the weekend.

 

[muttleee]

It's not so much the fact that he prefers playing in good weather (who doesn't?) so much as the fact that he apparently thinks he has no chance of winning when the conditions are poor. Seems a bit defeatist, to say the least.

 

[bladeplayer]

I suspect your right & he will take some stick for it ..BUT what is actualy wrong with what he said ?? if we got a choice to play in our weekend comp & we knew sat would be wet & windy & sunday calm & dry which would we rather play.. strange old world tho isnt it? .. when you answer a question honestly .. you more than likely will get slated for it .. Remember when poulter was asked .. Do you think Tiger will finish in top 5?? answered NO i dont think so .. headline read .. POULTER SAYS WOODS WONT FINISH IN TOP 5 or something like that .. all he did was answer a question honestly.. media cop on needed ..

 

[Curls]

Give him time, as the wind blew up I had a feeling it was going to be an older hand who walked away with the claret jug, Rory has an exceptional game and once he learns with experience how to manipulate a course like the likes of DC (look at the performance of Tom Watson), he'll surely add an Open to his list.

Just has to learn to punch and not stop punching ;-)

 

[Dodger]

The Open is more than any other tournament very much down to luck of the draw.Those playing late/early on Thursday Friday on both of the last 2 years have scored big time.

At my own links track pegging it up pre 8am usually gets you a few holes before the wind whips up.

 

[palindromicbob]

It can be worth hitting the course an hour or so before high or low tide as well. Very often the wind will calm a bit in the hour around the tide change when you get slack water.

 

[Snelly]

I thought his comments were in poor taste and smacked of sour grapes. I didn't hear him saying this before the Open began. Far from it in fact.

He went down in my estimation when I heard him make these comments.

 

[brendy]

His comments are fine, I prefer benign or windy days, I hate wet weather where the wet gear is off, then on, then off, then on all day and its hard to get a consistent tempo. He finished top 25, where is the problem?

 

[Mattyboy]

The weather, combined with the luck of the draw can have a massive impact at the open. Take his 83 last year at St Andrews for example.

This year was a bit different as the later starters on Saturday got the luck (and who wasnt trying to get a late start on Saturday?).

Matt

 

[richy]

I can't see any difference to when westy said the course in the middle east didn't suit his eye. Except he said it before the tournament started

 

[muttleee]

His comments are fine, I prefer benign or windy days, I hate wet weather where the wet gear is off, then on, then off, then on all day and its hard to get a consistent tempo. He finished top 25, where is the problem?

There's no problem with saying he prefers to play in nice weather...pretty much everyone can sympathise with that. I just thought it was a bit bizarre to say he basically accepts that he won't win an Open in bad weather so will only have a decent chance "when the weather's nice".

 

[birdieman]

Why did he say they play links just once a year so he won't alter his game for links? They have the Dunhill links in October and now the Scottish Open in July, isn't the Irish Open on links sometimes too? Even Pebble Beach is sort of links, well it's windy anyway.

I saw it broadcast live and my thoughts at the time were that it belittled the Open a bit, most players (including many Yanks) would readily change their game to win the Open over and above the other 3 majors. Seemed like he was in a bit of grump as 3 weeks of being labelled the greatest thing in golf were given a bit of a reality check.

 

[wormic]

Don't have a problem with his comments, but I do find this strange:

“We play one links tournament a year so I’m not going to change for one tournament.”

If he's willing to chance 1 of 4 majors every year and hoping to reach record major wins (from Rory McIlroy - Major Breakthrough), he's got another thing coming.

 

[Snelly]

Why did he say they play links just once a year so he won't alter his game for links? They have the Dunhill links in October and now the Scottish Open in July, isn't the Irish Open on links sometimes too? Even Pebble Beach is sort of links, well it's windy anyway.

I saw it broadcast live and my thoughts at the time were that it belittled the Open a bit, most players (including many Yanks) would readily change their game to win the Open over and above the other 3 majors. Seemed like he was in a bit of grump as 3 weeks of being labelled the greatest thing in golf were given a bit of a reality check.

I completely agree with you.

 

[19thagain]

What does surprise me about his comments is that he is not some spoon fed yank who has been brought up on 'target golf' golf courses but is a product of N Ireland - the land of wind and rain sweeping in from the open sea!

I would like to think that the comments were made with him on a wee bit of a downer.. his time will surely come!

Great for Darren and N Ireland!

 

[brendy]

If you read that as if it were him speaking, I see it coming across less serious than it reads to be honest.
The reporter has added words like bemoans, and added sentences in there which make it sound more of a moan than it actually was, afterall, he did make the cut.

How many of us have walked off a course after 18 holes and not enjoyed it? Me, I have done a few times, once was Castlerock (one of the best courses in NI apparently). Has it put me off links golf? not on your nelly.

Anyone found any of the interviews from Donald and Westwoe et al? bet they wern't all about the joys of the Summer weather either.

 

[USER1999]

As Peter Aliss said, the winner will think it was a fantastic course, with fantastic weather, and the losers will think it was terrible.

I think the incident where Rory was penalised when his ball moved may have clouded his judgement on this. Getting interviewed straight after a disappointment is never going to get a balanced view.

 

[Dodger]

I think he is just speaking the truth.

After watching him 3 years ago at Loch Lomond I said that he will never win an Open until he softens his ball flight......he hits it into orbit,great for the other 3 majors but not the Open.