Tiger tamed as the Rock rises

Robert Rock went into the final day’s play in the Middle East holding a joint lead with Tiger Woods. After birdying three of his first six holes, Rock faltered on the 13th but held his nerve to finish impressively despite the presence of Woods, which Rock admitted was “a special honour in itself”. Such a performance is undoubtedly the highlight of Rock’s career thus far. A member of the European tour since 2004, the former club pro had only managed one title prior to this victory which was the Italian Open in 2011. Yet that tournament did not have a playing field of the quality on show here with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell also finishing high up the leader board. Indeed prior to this display Rock was more known for his perfectly formed haircut which gets regular exposure since he does not wear a cap or visor while on the course, a rarity amongst golf’s elite. He also gained publicity at the 2011 US Open after taking a $1000 dollar cab ride to the tournament from the airport after visa problems delayed his arrival. Victory here propels the self confessed ‘swing nerd’ into the top 60 of the world rankings, giving him an excellent chance of playing at the Accenture Match Play championships in Arizona later this month. It was a new high for a man who began his professional career as an instructor at the Swingers Golf Centre in Lichfield.
Yet for all Rock’s heroics inevitably it was former World Number 1 Woods who was the centre of attention throughout the tournament. It was the first time Woods had opened his season on the European tour, with the American usually usually begins his season at San Diego’s Torrey Pines but was swayed by a large appearance fee from the tournament organizers clearly looking to cash in on his popularity which for all his recent mishaps remains high. Tiger looked to be back to his best at points during the tournament. An excellent third round in particular having all the commentators and analysts proclaiming the return to form of the greatest player the game has ever seen. Yet much like his performances in other tournaments over the past two years, Woods could not maintain such a high level in the final round, allowing Rock to pull clear of the field. Yet under the guidance of new coach Sean Foley, Woods swing in particular is looking more comfortable than it has for some time.
However it was not enough for the Tiger, allowing Robert Rock to seal victory, a deserved reward for a man who has worked right from the bottom of the professional golf pyramid to achieve success.