2013 Masters tournament slides into farce

The 77th Masters continues to be a magnet for controversy, as first Guan Tianlang is penalised with a little used 'slow play' penalty while second, Tiger Woods avoids disqualification for a much more serious offence.

Tiger Woods cheats - and gets away with it

Golf's poster child tournament, the Masters, has not had a dream opening couple of rounds. Instead, quite the opposite. Decisions made by those in charge have added to the view that Golf's hierarchy is an archaic, unfair, old boys club, which will drop the hammer of the law on a 14 year old kid whilst protecting one of its bigger money spinners, the latter guilty of a far more grievous foul than the former.

Simply put, 14 year old Chinese future-star in the making Guan Tianlang almost didn't make the cut after having been penalized for 'slow play' by the Masters referee, The decision has been widely criticized by the media, fans and players alike, many of the latter pointing out that the rule is almost never used.

Guan Tianlang

Woods, meanwhile, took a drop shot from a good distance outside the allowed zone, and then, in what is a wonderful mirror into just how arrogant he is, chose to tell everyone he knew he fouled and faulted. Most in the media immediately began to ask, 'Shouldn't Woods be disqualified?'

Incredibly, the Masters is going to let Woods play on with, effectively, a slap on the wrists.

For the Woods apologists out there (believe it or not, there are such a thing as Tiger Woods apologists) who are suggesting that the 37 year old is rightfully in the clear because of the rule that video evidence viewed in retrospect ends with a lighter sentence, not so fast.

The key element here is, Woods himself brought attention to the fact that he had fouled. It is Woods himself who called his foul play to light, not video evidence.

The absolute correct penalty in the situation that unfolded is a simple disqualification for Woods, for cheating. Instead, the old fuddy-duddys in charge have looked at their gross margin percentages, considered a final two days of the Masters without their meal-ticket (Woods) and bent the rules to enable him to continue to play.

This a day after bringing down the house on a 14 year old Chinese kid who took a little too long to select the right club.

What does this all tell us? One thing we can have no doubt about is, once again, Tiger Woods is in trouble for dropping his balls in the wrong place. And, once again, he appears to have got away with it.

Follow Cormac on Twitter  

Epic Caroline Wozniacki Masters tee shot fail - VIDEO

Caroline Wozniacki takes a tee shot for her boyfriend Rory McIlroy during the festivities to open the Masters. Results were not awesome.

Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki

Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe they are not. The famous old ball player and movie star were an all-star couple with a dramatic, star glazed quality that we couldn’t resist. Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki? What can you say, really, bar, Jokin’ Joe and Marilyn will not be challenged for ‘athlete couple of all time’ for some time yet.

Nevertheless, Rory and Caroline are being gleefully rammed down our collective throats at every possible occasion. Thankfully, we still get a chance to laugh at their antics on occasion, perhaps unintentionally, and definitely not as planned out in advance by their seemingly rabid PR teams.

This week in the Masters par 3 tournament Rory McIlroy and his playing partner Graeme McDowell played the course with their respective lady friends as their caddies. Rory even let Caroline have a shot. Let’s have a look at how that went.




Perhaps Caroline should stick to tennis, for now anyway. Notice how the divot went further than the 'tee shot'?

It is just as well McIlroy is not superstitious, and he won't take this epic tee shot fail into the tournament proper with him as mental baggage. It is as well McIlroy is rock solid mentally, and completely unlikely to do anything crazy like, for example, walk off the course in the middle of the back nine.

Oh, wait....

Follow Cormac on Twitter 

Even when Rory McIlroy says sorry he gets it wrong

Last weekend Rory McIlroy walked off the course of the Honda Classic golf tournament, and straight into a veritable blizzard of controversy. His decision to abandon ship after only 9 holes of the course was initially met with mouth-agape amazement from most corners, however that seemed to abate after a half-dressed story emerged that Rory was struggling with dental pain.

Most sporting media entities appear to be buying that line without question and Rory's apology, issued today, is being taken as a humble 'mea culpa' with most commentators advising us to move on and leave the young lad alone.

Wait one second now.

Sure we could all just sit back and accept this apology on face value.

“It was a reactive decision. What I should have done is take my drop, chip it on, try to make a five and play my hardest on the back nine, even if I shot 85. What I did was not good for the tournament, not good for the kids and the fans who were out there watching me – it was not the right thing to do.”

He's right there, it was not the right thing to do, not by a million John Daly drives it wasn't. However, is Rory still sticking by this ridiculous 'the dog ate my homework', dental story? If so, could he kindly explain to us why this photograph was taken one single shot before Rory abandoned ship, because of dental issues?

 Rory McIlroy chomps down on a snack just before withdrawing from Honda Classic because of 'dental pain'

Just to clarify, yes, that is Rory horsing into a sambo, with a disdain for his own safety that Jason Bourne would wince at. How on earth are the media not making a bigger deal out of this? Are we seriously that muted, blind and sheep-like that we are going to take the dental issue story and pathetic subsequent apology on the back of pictures like the above and below?

Rory McIlroy chomps down on a snack just before withdrawing from Honda Classic because of 'dental pain'

Furthermore, could Rory perhaps also explain why he told three journalists immediately afterwards that his reasons to withdraw were not physical (we are going to assume dental equals physical).

Look, maybe there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for the above sambo orgy and subsequent garbled communications around whether it was physical pain or not that forced Rory to withdraw from the tournament. However, treating the public like morons like this, completely ignoring the fact we all saw the snaps of the pre final shot snack fest, ignoring the fact he told three journalists that he didn't withdraw because of physical pain, is just not right.

How are we supposed to believe a single thing that comes out of McIlroy's mouth, when even his apologies are about as accurate as Sarah Palin's global geographical grasp? Until McIlroy starts taking sports fans seriously, there is absolutely no reason for us to do likewise.


Follow Cormac on Twitter

How the US sports media is taking the Ryder Cup loss (clue: not very well)

Well, well, well. Would you look at this. There is cowardly, and then there is downright pathetic. Over the course of a magical Sunday yesterday, the European Ryder Cup team pulled off one of the greatest, most dramatic, come-back victories in team sports history. On Saturday night, despite Ian Poulter’s animated dramatics, most considered Europe completely down and out. The bookmakers had USA restrictive 1/5 favorites, with Europe available to back anywhere between 6 and 10 to 1. Come Sunday night, and Europe had hauled the USA all the way back in, to the point that Tiger Woods pathetic miss on the 18th meant Europe not only tied the US and retained the title, they won the tournament outright 14 ½ to 13 ½ .

A spectacular come-back for the ages, and, you would assume, headline news, right?

Visiting the US sporting media main pages today, it is very interesting to note that the US’s sports journalists appear to have run, scampered to the hills, their proverbial tails firmly between their legs. Is it embarrassment? Shame? Or just undignified, cowardly journalism? Instead of correctly acclaiming or at the very least tipping their caps to such a sensational come-back victory, the US sports media has simply avoided the topic of the Ryder Cup like the plague.

It should be noted strongly most US players have been class acts since their shocking defeat. Take for example Bubba Watson.

The media? Not so much.

Let’s have a look around at the usual suspects.

ESPN has barely a mention. A tiny single line buried on the 'headlines' feed announcing demurely 'Europe snags shocking Ryder Cup win' with as much gusto as someone selling life insurance door to door. NASCAR, college football, the NFL and baseball take all the neon lights. NASCAR, yes, that sport where everyone turns left constantly until someone is declared a winner.

The New York Times allows a tiny insert photo amongst the MLB and NFL action, with a soft headline saying, ‘Europe Retains Ryder Cup’. That’s something like saying ‘The Godfather is a movie’ or ‘The Lafayette Steak in Tante Zoes in Temple Bar is OK’.

You have to scroll down a couple of times on the Washington Post to find anything to do with the Ryder Cup, and when you find it, let’s just say it isn’t worth all the scrolling. It is buried deeper than a pro Obama article on FOX news. Here’s a screen shot of their front page, before scrolling down. There’s fat burning ads, RG3, MLB and regional NCAA action. The Washington Post would have you believe The Ryder Cup did not happen this weekend just passed!

The Boston Globe has plenty on the Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox, and another one of those tiny little insert pen-pictures on the Ryder Cup, so popular with mainstream American Sporting media today, as it apparently hides its embarrassment from the rest of the World.

Perhaps the prevailing image that will define the US sporting media’s participation at the Ryder Cup, will be ESPN’s Rick Reilly, who reportedly earns $3 million a year, sleeping soundly in the press box during the tournament.

US sporting media, wake up, stand up and be counted, show some dignity. The Ryder Cup come-back yesterday was a sensational sporting story, nay, a fantastical human story. Get your collective heads out of your hands, pull your heads out of the sand, and stop snoring on the job.

Show some respect and give the Ryder Cup and the famous European victory it’s dues.

Or else we’ll send this guy round.

Follow Cormac on Twitter

Feeling sorry for Rory? Not so much

Massive disclaimer. I am no big golf fan. This writer got all riled up when the American crowd disrespected the European players at the Ryder Cup a while back, and also enjoyed Padraig Harrington’s brief flirtation with sporting immortality. However other than that, he can take it or leave it.

However, show me a great sporting event, and other than Nascar, where it appears to me advertisement hoardings parade in a circle around a track, I will watch it. If you are reading this, there's a pretty above decent chance you are like that too. March Madness? Nice. Cheltenham? Fantastic. The MLB playoffs, The Champions League, sign me up. Even the recent Cricket World Cup final was pretty interesting.

There is no doubt the thrilling climax to the Masters on Sunday night was great television. Unless of course you write for an Irish or English newspaper or online sporting entity. If you had missed the Masters, and chanced upon the headlines and reports that are being churned out this week, you might think a great human tragedy had befallen Rory.

We on the Emerald Isle are a funny little nation when it comes to sports. More so than many, we latch onto our sporting heroes with the clinginess of Lindsay Lohan’s paparazzi following. Most often, it is somewhat well founded. The classy Sonya O’Sullivan. The easy calm cool of Padraig Harrington. The clinical, winning nature of Ronan O’Gara, and the gregarious, politically brilliant Brian O’Driscoll.

Rory? So far all we really know is, he doesn’t have any respect for the most revered of golfing tournaments, which also means he has very little interest in representing Europe, in which his home nation resides. We also know he likes to take easy pot shots at fallen stars (Step forward Tiger Woods) and that when on the 'Late late show', amongst adoring amateur golfers, he likes to act and look like he would rather be, well, somewhere else.

How have people so easily forgotten that incredibly stupid Ryder Cup comment? Need a reminder?

"The Ryder Cup is an exhibition at the end of the day. In the big scheme of things it's not that important to me."

I am certainly not saying the young golfer shouldn’t be consoled, and helped take a mature step forward after his dramatic one-day slump. What I am saying is, a little perspective is perhaps in order here. Nobody died. A young, rich and somewhat arrogant Irish golfer didn’t win a major golfing tournament.

There are probably people out there more worthy of our consolation.

Linkage

• Contact Cormac
• Boston Irish blog @ Twitter
• Tweet this
  
• Boston Irish blog
• IrishCentral.com

Comments
Comments welcome! Free and open debate and communication are some of the most enjoyable aspects of life. Please leave a comment, disagreements welcome! If you disagree, debate your case by all means. However, anything rude, spiteful or any cowardly anonymous personal attacks will be not be tolerated and will be deleted.