While Torrey Pines was playing tough, things in Dubai were declared too easy by some who didn't care for the low cut line. But as you read Martin Dempster's Scotsman commentary, it's apparent the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club has been passed by. It's the darned Pilates and Yoga work these guys are doing, again!
Make sure to read the entire piece for context, but a few things stood out like this...
More than 100 players broke par in the first round when Jamie Donaldson led the way with a 62; that cut was six shots lower than last year and China’s Haotong Li recorded the most birdies – 30, which was three more than Tiger Woods made in 2001 – in the event as he also set a new winning aggregate of 23-under-par. That beat efforts from Thomas Bjorn (2001), Stephen Gallacher (2013) and Rory McIlroy (2015) by a shot.
The reason? Nutrition, you'll be shocked to find out, was not cited as a reason.
Length is certainly a factor in the modern game. It was scary at times to see the distance McIlroy, for example, was leaving himself for approaches into tougher holes like the eighth and 12th last week. Even Richie Ramsay, who is not in the same league as either Rory or Dustin Johnson in the big-hitting stakes, has managed to find a bit of extra distance with a new driver and is benefitting enormously from that.
This was not enough to prevent Rory McIlroy to be upset with himself for some tactical errors on Sunday, reports Brian Keogh.