Can anyone stop Rory at Wentworth?

What an amazing performance from Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow, especially breaking his own course record on Saturday with that incredible 61 including a run of 9 birdies in 10 holes. I managed to see most of it on TV over the weekend and it was compulsive viewing.

So will Rory win again in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week? Myself and Mrs Blue are staying in Ascot on Wednesday night and heading to Wentworth early on Thursday for the first days play. Would like to follow Rory around the course but with record crowds predicted no doubt several thousand other spectators will have the same idea! Anyone else on v2 going to Wentworth to watch?

I've been a few times Blue (not far away as you know) but too busy with club golf this weekend!

I have played the West Course a number of times and have gone to watch the PGA Championship a couple of times. I would suggest a good pair of waterproof shoes or boots as it has just lashed down in the area, and is expected to rain a lot before the weekend. But I found it difficult to follow one particular group as in a lot of places - if not all - you can only walk on one side of the hole. Makes it very difficult to make progress. The course isn't really "designed" for spectators. If you are driving there, see if you can borrow a BMW...for some reason they get preferential parking....

Weather forecast is OK for Thu-Sun ... some storms tomorrow and showers Wednesday but doesn't look too bad for the rest of the week

I do not think he will win. In golf it is pretty rare to win consecutive events. I am sure that even tiger had a 1 in 4 win ratio. On the other side I would not be surprised if he did win. I reckon it will be a rank and file European Tour Member who will win. Maybe a Lrazzabel or Siem.

Top 5 is playing isn't he? Could be a surprise winner (and well received I'm sure :P )

Could be a venue for a Donald comeback?

Davie wrote:Top 5 is playing isn't he? Could be a surprise winner (and well received I'm sure :P )

He isn't on the entry list.

OK maybe I was mistaken - I thought I'd read a while back he was one of the few US players

Patrick Reed is in this week's Colonial field in Fort Worth. But believe he's also playing next week's Irish Open at RCD.

Maybe it was some of the other pre-Open tournaments I was thinking of including Irish

I had a bit of brain fade in fact .. I forgot the BMW wasn't really an invitational as so presumably is only open to EPGA members and so Reed was never likely to be there.
I put it down to old age

Could you have got confused with Brooks Koepka? he's in. There are some tournament invitations, 8 of them in fact.

Reed was going to enter the BMW PGA but seems to have changed his mind since stories arose that he would be teeing it up at Wentworth.

Can anyone stop rory at wentworth?

Rory can!

Was it this time last year that he dumped his burd after handing out the wedding invitations. Classy guy.

McLaren wrote:Was it this time last year that he dumped his burd after handing out the wedding invitations. Classy guy.

Nothing wrong with that Mac.

McLaren wrote:Was it this time last year that he dumped his burd after handing out the wedding invitations. Classy guy.

Doh. Suppose you'd think it better if he'd gone through with it knowing all along that it was a bust?

Clearly if he only realized he did want to marry her after the invitation were sent breaking it off was the ethical thing to do. Would you, like me, however not doubt that order of events. I suspect he would have known his feelings on the matter for some time before it got to that stage.

Maybe so, but people do weird things in situations like that sometimes.

McLaren wrote:Was it this time last year that he dumped his burd after handing out the wedding invitations. Classy guy.

It's certainly much more classy than using the phrase "dumped his burd".

Rory has just played 3 weeks in a row in the US, and picked up 2 wins. After such an intense period, and a very successful one at that, I expect his focus will slip a little this week and he'll allow himself to relax. Over here in the UK I imagine he will be bombarded with sponsors events (he was at Nike town in Oxford St today) and mates wanting to see him, which will only add to his distractions.

I reckon he'll finish top 30, but won't really contend (of course now I've said this he will smash all records!).

I'm going Thursday, Blue. Me and a mate will be in the gang trying to get a look at Rory also, plus the weather is meant to be decent. Although thunder storms and rain for the next two days.....

raycastleunited wrote:

McLaren wrote:Was it this time last year that he dumped his burd after handing out the wedding invitations. Classy guy.

It's certainly much more classy than using the phrase "dumped his burd".

Glad to see you picked up on the little easter egg I dropped for you lot.  I thought davie or navy would have been the ones to bite, but you'll do.  

Speaking of. As far as I remember there's a classy poster in here that 'dumped his turd' (in a bunker).....

I think that was super.

Which face would best fit being told that your wedding is off the day after the invitations have gone out?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/32782488

McLaren wrote:Which face would best fit being told that your wedding is off the day after the invitations have gone out?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/32782488

Look no further... 606v2 has its own tennis emoji... :


PS. Wouldn't mind a mixed double with Bouchard (or Ana)

McLaren wrote:Was it this time last year that he dumped his burd after handing out the wedding invitations. Classy guy.

As opposed to your hero 9c who ploughed his way through a fair proportion of the worlds cocktail waitresses AFTER getting married....real classy!!

Hasn't done his game any harm has it?

If he's anywhere near his best he'll win yes but it's a big ask to stay at the level he's at for consecutive weeks plus RCD will be looming in his mind too.

The man with consistent form on the ET at the moment is Howeller (t4,2nd & t2nd in his last 3 events) He's settled, injury free and back near his 2006 best. Also has his old club mate Jason Hempleman (formerly Monty & Molinari's caddy) on the bag. Must check out his odds, he's due to convert that form into a W.

For those that are going Here's where the European tour suggest you go.

I'm inclined to agree that Pubehead won't really challenge here. He's played a lot lately at the top level, and he's got his Oirish Open next week that he'll want to do well in. I expect him to take his foot off the gas a bit at Wentworth.

I'm never wrong wrote:For those that are going Here's where the European tour suggest you go.

Cheers INW, paid an extra £20 for a couple of tickets in the 18th Grandstand. The plan is to get there early, spend a bit of time around the practice area and then walk the course in the morning before heading for the seating at the 18th in the afternoon!

Blue, will you do press-ups at 18 so we know it's you?

Dunno how he'll do. Obviously in seriously hot form just now and he's defending at Wentworth (isn't he?) so I think he'll want to do that justice. Will he win? Too many in the field who could do that so impossible to say. Even 9C at his best never made a 50% win ratio. Hope it's a good event though.

For those that know the course, have they eased off the landing area on/around the 18th green at all? Too many didn't want to take it on for their second shots in the recent past.

pedro wrote:Blue, will you do press-ups at 18 so we know it's you?

Or scream "Mashed potato!". No. Don't do that.

As for Rory, it's a hard one to call - if you went on pure form you'd say he's odds on to win it, but it's a course that he thinks doesn't suit him and last year was a bit of an anomaly (beware the injured heart-broken golfer and all that). It will be interesting to see just how driven and focused on winning he is, or whether he coasts it as S_R suggests. I'm guessing on the latter, but of course, that could still be good enough to do well and if he's in contention on Sunday, the competitive juices will take over.

So Blue, what are you going to do so we can spot you?

pedro wrote:Blue, will you do press-ups at 18 so we know it's you?

Pedro/Ray...You won't miss me, I'll be the bloke sitting next to the blonde Essex girl with a glass of champagne in one hand and flashing her boobs at the camera!  

BlueCoverman wrote:

pedro wrote:Blue, will you do press-ups at 18 so we know it's you?

Pedro/Ray...You won't miss me, I'll be the bloke sitting next to the blonde Essex girl with a glass of champagne in one hand and flashing her boobs at the camera!  

On the 18th you say? I'll see you there

Footballer has-beens and golf seem to go hand in hand...

http://app.europeantour.com/webapp/news/newsid=256554.html

Mind the hailstones.... That's twice today.

I see Reed has also pulled out of the Irish Open, shame!

Why P. Reed is missing the BMW PGA

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/europeantour/11615129/Mystery-surrounds-Patrick-Reeds-late-no-show-at-BMW-PGA-Championship.html

pedro wrote:Footballer has-beens and golf seem to go hand in hand...

http://app.europeantour.com/webapp/news/newsid=256554.html

I do a bit of photography and there was the opportunity to take photos at the Pro Am tomorrow. Only trouble with this deal was that it cost £300. I passed. Link here

No-one can stop Rory at Wentworth. It's the start of another hot streak for him, and he likes the course. He will win.

In connection with the Players Champo we talked about hot finishes, with Fowler finishing 5 under in his last 4 holes. I came to think of Thomas Bjorn who last year at Wentworth was 7 under in his last 8 holes in R3, just missing a 5 footer for being 8 under in his last 8. Unfortunately (for him) he choked in R4.

Hot finishes? That would be the return of curry I had last night.

pedro wrote:Footballer has-beens and golf seem to go hand in hand...

http://app.europeantour.com/webapp/news/newsid=256554.html

A lot of them are pretty good. I think Dalgleish's house overlooks Birkdale, Hansen is low single figures, Shevchenko is lower than scratch, Julian Dicks and Roy Wegerle both had + handicaps as well.

I hear Rose, Redknapp and Yorke have pulled out of the Pro-Am citing trust issues.

raycastleunited wrote:

pedro wrote:Footballer has-beens and golf seem to go hand in hand...

http://app.europeantour.com/webapp/news/newsid=256554.html

A lot of them are pretty good. I think Dalgleish's house overlooks Birkdale, Hansen is low single figures, Shevchenko is lower than scratch, Julian Dicks and Roy Wegerle both had + handicaps as well.

I'm very skeptical of their actual handicaps. Shevchenko and Kafelnikov have proven to be absolutely horrendous in tour events, shooting in the high 80's and 90's more often than not.

Hansen was certainly a very good amateur in his day...and squash player...and footballer. More money to made from footy (so he said) so chose that.

Alan Hansen is indeed a good golfer. He is a contemporary of mine, I played him a few times in various amateur events. He plays off about 2 at the moment, and he's been lower. He was reserve in the Scotland team for the Boys' Home Internationals in about 1973.

He wanted to concentrate on golf, but his parents were keen for him to become a footballer, and I guess they won out in the end.

I played with him again a couple of years ago - first time in about 30 years. he's still good. He said he went round Augusta just a after the Masters a few years ago in 77.