Can Donald Fight Off McIlroy To Finish Top Of Race To Dubai & Complete The Money List Double?

 

By Rod Crowley: The 2011 "Race to Dubai" reaches its conclusion this week with the Dubai World Golf Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates and at the end of the four days, there will be two champions crowned, firstly the winner of the tournament itself and the 2011 winner of the "Race" itself, which was previously known as the European Tour Money list, will also be decided.

It is even possible that the same golfer could be crowned both! The event is only open the top sixty players on the tour and with $10,000,000 up for grabs in prize money, including $1.6 million to the winner, a competitive end to the season is guaranteed. 

Twelve months ago, the Race to Dubai was won by Martin Kaymer but it was Sweden's Robert Karlsson who won this final tournament.

Having played most of his golf on the US PGA Tour this year, Karlsson only managed to qualify in 42nd place which means he is well out of contention of topping the money list whilst Kaymer, although consistent form on the tour in 2011 is currently in third place he is unable to overtake the current leader, Luke Donald.

Donald has also played much of his golf in the States this year but his performance have seen him establish a comfortable lead at the head of the Race to Dubai having earned €3, 856,394 from just 12 tournaments! World number one, Donald, also finished top the money list on the US PGA Tour and could become the first man in history to win both the American and European Tours in the same season.

His consistency has been truly remarkable with four wins and a host of high placed finishes, which has kept him at the number one spot in the world golf rankings for most of the year even though a major win still eludes him.

Fittingly, the only man who can leapfrog Donald in the Race to Dubai is the current world number two, Rory McIlroy, who will need to win the final tournament this weekend and hope that Donald does not make the top ten. Any other outcome would result in Donald winning.

McIlroy has also had a remarkable year, the highlight being his record breaking victory at the US Open in June, earning the 22 year old a first "Major" and huge acclaim in the process.

There are many golfing commentators who believe that McIlroy can reach the same heights that Tiger Woods has done and the Ulsterman heads to Dubai on the back of a great win in Hong Kong last weekend and is the favourite amongst bookmakers to win but Luke Donald is also amongst the front runners.

Luke Donald, who suffered the loss of his father recently, during the same week as his wife gave birth to their second daughter, only returned to playing last week.

He was one of 12 golfers invited to compete in the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City but could only manage seventh place, leaving some questioning his frame of mind and current form. However, he knows what is on the line this week and he will be surely be in determined mood to deny McIlroy his slim chance of finishing ahead of him.

Winner for the second successive year in Sun City was Lee Westwood, who in the process broke the course record with an amazing third round of 62. He too has been in terrific form for most of the year which has secured him, along with Donald and McIlroy, in the top three in the world golf rankings.

Westwood won both the tournament and the Race to Dubai in its inaugural year in 2009 and although he is too far behind Donald this year to top the list, he still poses a major threat to both Donald and McIlroy in the tournament.

Rory McIlroy Wins US Open

Rory McIlroy has won this US Open, after dominating play since the first day's play claiming his maiden major title as the Northern Irish golfer won the tournament at Congressional Country Club.

McIlroy was engineering nothing short of a mass conversion, the galleries were watching a 22 year-old execute a strategy for dominating the US Open precisely how he wanted it.

Rory McIlroy wins the U.S. Open for first major, breaking tournament records.

McIlroy shot 2-under 69 Sunday to close the four days at Congressional at 16-under 268, shattering a U.S. Open scoring record held by four players, including Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

He became only the third player in US Open history to fire all four rounds in the 60s and he was the youngest winner of the tournament since Bobby Jones in 1923.

Luke Donald hailed the play of Rory McIlroy after ending his own disappointing US Open with a two-under 69.

Tiger Woods Out Of US Open

Former World No1 Tiger Woods has been forced to pull out of the US Open at Congressional which is due to take place next week, Woods is still recovering after suffering a knee and Achilles tendon injuries which he suffered during the Masters in April and then Woods suffered a re-occurrence of the same injuries at the Players' Championship last month.

Tiger was forced to withdraw after playing nine holes at Sawgrass and the latest news will come a big blow for the former world no 1 after the serious nature of the injuries.

"Not playing in US Open. Very disappointed. Short-term frustration for long-term gain," he wrote on his Twitter site.

"I was hopeful that I could play, but if I did I risk further damage to my left leg.

"My knee and Achilles tendon are not fully healed. I hope to be ready for AT&T National (on June 30-July 3), the next two majors and the rest of the year.

"It's been a frustrating and difficult year, but I'm committed to my long-term health.

"I want to thank the fans for their encouragement and support. I am truly grateful and will be back playing when I can."

Monty confident on Westwood's fitness

European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie says he is encouraged by news of Lee Westwood's fitness battle ahead of the contest in October.

The world number three was forced to pull out of this week's USPGA Championship because of a calf injury and has been advised to rest.

"He will be hitting balls in four weeks, which is great news for everybody in Europe," said Montgomerie.

"Our team will be greatly weakened if he didn't make it, so I'm delighted."

"That gives him still another couple of weeks to prepare," said Montgomerie.

"He wants to play in the preceding event (The Vivendi in Paris on September 23-26) and I would be glad to see him there.

"But if he doesn't I'm sure three practice rounds around Celtic Manor will be good enough for Lee."

Lee Westwood pulls out of PGA

Golfer Lee Westwood has been forced to pull out of WGC Bridgestone invitational & next weeks USPGA Championship with an injured ankle, Westwood had been closing on the no 1 ranking spot after Tiger Woods recent lack of form.

Westwood current no 3 in the world finished runner-up at the Masters and the British Open this year, suffered a calf injury at the French Open in July. Westwood had swelling on his right ankle and it reached a breaking point Friday.

Lee Westwood released a statement saying, "I will be out for as long as it takes to get better,"

"I am just hoping that it will be in time for me to play in the Ryder Cup."

100 Greatest Sports Stars - Number 98 - Annika Sörenstam

Annika Sörenstam giving an interview on the Today Show (aired 24th April 2007), on the opening of her new academy

From the fjords of Sweden, Annika Sörenstam comes in to our list at number 98.  She is often referred to as The Female Tiger as her achievements in womens' golf rank her as one of the most successful golfers (of either gender) in the sport's history.  She won 90 international tournaments before she retired at the end of the 2008 season.  This made her quite comforably the female golfer with the most winds to her name.

The list of her wins is staggering.  She has 72 official tournament wins to her name and that includes ten majors and 18 non-LGPA tournaments.  She also has earned a pretty penny from the sport - her fortune is estimated at well over $US20 million.  She now holds joint American and Swedish citizenship.

She also made history in 2003 when she went head to head against the chaps as the first woman to play in a men's PGA tour event since 1945.  Marketed usually as simply Annika her off course interests include a golf academy along with the usual branded products.  However, she also designs golf courses themselves and, a nobler pursuit perhaps, runs a charitable foundation in her name.

A BBC Tribute to Annika Sörenstam

GOLF: Louis Oosthuizen Won the Open with a Little Red Dot

Louis Oosthuizen has won the 2010 Open but it can now be reveled that he had a secret weapon - a little red dot.

In terms of sports psychology, this just goes to show how a simple mental technique can assist in winning a major championship.

What happens is that he paints a little red dot on his golf glove before he plays.

This serves a a constant reminder that he has to focus on the game and not let his mind wander.

As soon as he took his grip he would see the dot.  This helped him to block out all and any distractions and fully concentrate on that single shot as if it was the only shot in the world - none before and none after.

You may be inclined to scoff, but for Oosthuizenit worked in a fairly spectacular way because he eventually won by seven strokes.

So, are we going to see a deluge of red dots on golfing gloves across the globe?  Possibly, but we think it is already quite likey that the manufacturers are lining up to sign Oosthuizen and get millions of the things in to production very quickly indeed.

Not that we are cynical, of course.