2011: Which Horse to back? The West Side Story- Part 1
For the first time in almost over a decade the great Tiger Woods is no longer the top dog in the wonderful game of golf. At least that’s what the World rankings tell us. However, the real question is, for how long?
Earlier this year, when Tiger’s 121 extra marital affairs became the stuff of public ridicule, not only did golf go through one of the most epic meltdowns, but also for the first time in a long time golf was left without a monarch so to speak. Sure Lee Westwood
has bagged the top notch position for now but is he really going to be able to create a monopoly that Woods had?
For now the rankings seem like a joke due to the wide range of possibilities for the top spot. Indeed it even looks like Phil Mickelson, who has been on tour for 19 years, can pull a fast one and get the Number 1 position. Look at it this way, if Steven
Stricker wins a couple of tournaments early next year he’d be the new number one. Similarly, Rory McIlroy might win in Europe twice and place 3rd in the US Open and BAAM! he’ll be numero uno. It looks like the rankings are in for a rollercoaster
ride of a lifetime.
“As far as the world ranking is concerned, yes, I’m not ranked No 1 in the world,” says Wood. “In order to do that you have to win and I didn’t win this year.” Sure the man hasn’t won a single major title this and yes he has been way off his game but there
have been flashes of his former golf god-like self. His image is slowly but steadily improving and he has been working on his swing; from where we are standing 2011 definitely looks like a promising year.
To be brutally honest, the competition that Woods faces now is not all that tough. Only last year the same group of players would have been child’s play for the great golfer. Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, two of the strongest contenders at the moment haven’t
even won a single major yet! Could it be said then that only Tiger Woods can fill the void left by Tiger Woods? We believe so.
Another strong player from the USA is Phil Mickelson. The player has come to be known as the best golfer in the world to never have been ranked number one.
Things may not ever be as good as they were for Woods before but he definitely looks like he is getting his game back. It may be only a matter of time before Tiger Woods begins his winning spree all over again and once that happens, it’ll be even harder
for Mickelson to chase after the number one spot.
Like every other year Phil’s game has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. The highlight of his year came with the number of amazing shots he pulled off during the Masters. Surely those shots were the stuff of legends, but like always the golfer
last his swagger soon after. He kept coming up short at the Players Championship and the Colonial; missing cuts left right and centre.
Perhaps the most frustrating part is that Mickelson, who has had a total of six opportunities to grab the number one spot from right under Woods’s nose and he has walked home the loser every single time. We can’t help but think that if Phil Mickelson hasn’t
been able to catch up with Woods when he is at his worst; Phil might not be catching up to him at all.
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