Tag Archives: rory mcilroy

Despite Winning 2 of 3, Bubba Watson (+1000) Behind Rory McIlroy & Jordan Spieth

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Bubba Watson: 2012 + 2014 Masters ChampionIt’s hard to believe, but the Masters are once again right around the corner.  In less than two weeks, all the superstars from the golf community will gather on the fairways to begin the first major of the season, the event that really gets the PGA tour rolling with a full head of steam.

The tournament itself is sure to unfold and offer high octane drama, seeing the green jacket just seems to bring that out in golfers, but there will also be several storylines going on behind the scenes.  One of the best features famed golfer Bubba Watson, who might be feeling just a little snubbed.  Despite winning two of the last three Masters tournaments, (Bubba walked away with last year’s title as well as one in 2012) he finds himself looking up at some of the competition, at least according to the best online sportsbooks for USA players. Continue reading →

2015 Season Preview For Rory McIlroy

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Rory McIlroyRory McIlroy is three-fourths of the way to the career Slam at age 25, with four total Major victories to his trophy case. The Major Championship that has eluded the No.1 player in the world up to this point has been the first of the season.

The green jacket.

What’s a bit ironic is that McIlroy had the opportunity to make the Masters his first Major title in his career back in 2011. He had a big lead through 54 holes and was the leader after each of the first three rounds. Continue reading →

Tiger Woods Says He Is Not Ready For Ryder Cup, Frees Up Tom Watson To Pick

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Tiger WoodsRyder Cup Captain Tom Watson has said for the last several months that he is seriously considering picking Tiger Woods as one of his selections.

He won’t be able to anymore.

On Wednesday, Woods officially withdrew his name from consideration by Watson as a Ryder Cup Captain selection for the event which begins at the end of September from Gleneagles Country Club.

It’s not all surprising that Woods made this decision, at the advice of his doctors. It was the right decision, as this will give him plenty of time to recover from his back injury, which he likely reaggravated by coming back too soon. Woods is most recently coming off of a missed cut at the 2014 PGA Championship. Prior to that, he had did not play a factor at the WGC Bridgestone where he was the defending champion, and one good round at the British Open over the course of four days.

With Woods withdrawing from 2014 Ryder Cup consideration, it probably takes a lot of pressure off Watson and makes his job easier. Either way Watson went with it, there was going to be a big story that followed. This now alleviates that potential storyline, and gives the U.S Team and media plenty of time to prepare for the Ryder Cup knowing well in advance Woods will not be a part of the team.

This also means that we might see Watson pick his team earlier than the September 2 deadline. If Woods had remained steadfast in wanting to be picked, Watson would have probably wanted to give him the maximum amount of time to heal and get his game in shape.

The U.S. team will be facing an uphill challenge regardless of whether Woods would have been on the team. In fact, they might be better off, but still will be the underdogs against the European squad.

Europe happens to have the last three Major winners in Rory McIlroy (twice), and Martin Kaymer. They also have Sergio Garcia, who has been playing very well over the last six months in contending for Major Championships.

To be fair though, Europe has been perceived to be underdogs over the last decade or so in each Ryder Cup, and have contended very well, dominating the U.S. squad on the whole. And let’s not forget the the U.S. has guys like Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, and more. These players are all well prepared to take on the hostile environment that they will face.

The Ryder Cup remains one of the premiere in sports, and should be chock-full of intensity and pressure.

It’s Time To Start Talking About Rory And Jack, Not Tiger And Jack

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Rory McIlroyRory McIlroy is the third player in history to win three majors by the age of 25. The other two are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

While the majority of focus on Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 Majors has centered around if Woods can break it or not, perhaps we should start taking a look at McIlroy.

At just 25 years old, McIlroy is one Major win from the career slam if he were to win the Masters. His next opportunity to close out all four Major woulds be in April. But his next opportunity to win a Major will be in a couple of weeks for the PGA Championship. McIlroy captured the 2011 PGA Championship by a whopping eight shots.

The win at the 2014 Open Championship has shifted the way that McIlroy is being thought of, and more importantly the way that he thinks of himself. It’s been no secret over the course of the last 18 months that McIlroy has struggled with his game. It was just over a year ago that he walked off the course in the middle of the Nissan Open. It is a move that he regrets, but has learned from.

It hasn’t been a fast process, but McIlroy looks like he is well on his way back to the top of the golf world. He is now the No.2 ranked player in the world, and has Adam Scott in his sights to chase down No.1 and reclaim that top spot once more.

He will get the chance to do that at the 2014 PGA Championship, and there is no doubt that he will come in confident.

What is he wins?

That would give McIlroy four Major victories, still 14 behind Nicklaus. But if McIlroy is somehow able to get a couple more Major over the next two of three years, that would legitimately put him in the conversation of becoming the all-time leader.

McIlroy has the talent to win every Major that he enters. But what’s more important, is that he is one of only a handful of players that can win a Major Championship when he isn’t playing his best. Only Woods, and a couple others out there can make that claim.

McIlroy appears to have turned a corner, and if he is able to seize the moment and turn it on over the next few years, we could be looking at a player that has the opportunity to become golf’s next superstar.

And with golf trending down in popularity, that is exactly what the sport needs right now.

Does Rory’s Win In Australia Spell A Comeback For 2014?

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Rory McIlroyRory McIlroy won for the first time in 2013 this past week, capturing the Australian Open over home-favorite Adam Scott. McIlroy made a birdie on the 72nd hole to procure a one-shot victory. The win had to mean quite a bit to McIlroy, who had been struggling the entire year to get back to winning form.

The victory moved McIlroy up to No.6 in the world golf rankings. While still a far cry from the top-spot he held at the start of 2013, it’s a step in the right direction after failing to win on the PGA tour the entire season. Continue reading →

2013 HSBC Champions Field As Strong As Ever; FedEx Cup Points Now On The Line

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2013 HSBC ChampionsIf we go by the calendar year, it’s the last World Golf Championships event for the PGA Tour. But with the PGA Tour adopting the wraparound schedule for the 2013-14 season, it’s actually the first WGC event of the new season.

The addition of the added value to the FedEx Cup points for the first time is also bringing out some of the top players in the world, which will make for a fantastic field this week in China.

There will be 78 players teeing it up at the 2014 HSBC Champions event, represented by 21 total countries for a very international affair. Continue reading →

2013 Masters Power Rankings

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Tiger WoodsAs we all prepare for the 2013 Masters to get started on Thursday, we want to take a minute to look at the field and run down who we feel are the top-five contenders coming into the tournament. There are a number of different players who come into the Masters playing very well.

But when it comes to Augusta, it’s not always about who is playing the best at the time. Experience comes into play at the Masters perhaps more than any other tournament in the world, and that will certainly be evident once again this year. Continue reading →

Top Value Bets For The 2013 Masters Heading Into First round

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Matt KucharFor this purpose, we are going to ignore the fact that Tiger woods, Rory McIlroy, and Phil Mickelson are the top players to watch this week at the 2013 Masters. we already know going in that they are the leading favorites on the odds to win. And we are even going venture further down the list past some of the to-five and top-10 favorites. Continue reading →

Sixteen Players In Field At Valero Texas Open Will Also Be In The Field At The Masters

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Valero Texas OpenWith the 2013 Masters beginning next week, players on the PGA Tour will get the chance to play one last tournament before the first Major championship of the season. But for each player in the field at Augusta National, they all have their own process and routines when it comes to preparing for a Major championship. There are many who opt to skip the event the week before a Major entirely, so as to not waste energy and focus on the Major. Other conventions of thought lead to playing at much tournament and competitive rounds as possible, to keep in the flow and mindset of being in the heat of battle. Continue reading →

Rory McIlroy Changes Schedule, Adds Valero Texas Open To Schedule At Last Minute A Week Before The Masters

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Rory McIlroyNext week the top players in the world will head to Augusta, Georgia for the first Major championship in 2013. The Masters is certainly one of the great events in sports. But this week, players will get their last dose of tournament competition before making their way to the Masters, as the 2013 Texas Valero Open gets underway on Thursday.

As a testament to this, Rory McIlroy committed to play in the event this week on Friday, after making the cut at the Shell Houston Open right on the number. McIlroy has not had the success in 2013 that he enjoyed in 2012, and feels that he needs to get in some more tournament rounds before going to the Masters next week. Continue reading →