• Tour Talk

  • So Rory doesn't like Par 3's, even at Augusta

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/28/rory-mcilroy-par-three-competition-masters-augusta

“It’s a bit of a distraction and the year I had my best chance at Augusta, 2011, I didn’t play the par-three contest,” McIlroy said. “So maybe the decision not to play it this year can work in my favour.”

Now I'm not a competitor, and I'm not at Augusta on Wednesdays for the Par 3 contest, but from a fan's perspective the Par 3 contest is one of the best things that happens during Masters week. I mean come on, Jack Nicklaus making a hole in one last year was must see TV. And watching everyone's kids run around on the course is what this game is really all about. It's about family, and fun, and enjoyment. I understand being competitive and wanting to win the Masters, but just like I would say to Eldrick, lighten up, Rory.

I Agree. Rory seems to be turning into a hyper-competitor that doesn't smile, ever. I think it's really cool to see all the kids running around having a good time. And, to be honest, taking a break to do something just for fun is good for the competitive spirit (imho). It gives your brain a break from the constant stress of the upcoming event.

I think Rory needs a serious break to go have fun like a young man should. Or else, he might up a philandering moron whose wife beats his ass with a golf club after multiple trysts with pornstars and hookers...

He's a young single guy dating a model, has no kids and likely doesn't want to hang out with kids and families, like most people his age.
He's got time to join that crowd later on.

I am sure he's around to chat with Jack and the oldtimers, just on his time and not in the public eye.
I don't see the big deal.

I don't see it as a big deal either, really. It's not like he's obligated to participate, and he's certainly not the first player to forgo the contest. But the media loves creating stories when there really aren't any.

That said... the lad has certainly changed over the past couple of years. He went from being this happy-go-lucky kid who seemed to genuinely love golf to becoming one of the game's biggest corporate players, all-business like.

I think the corporate side of things has jaded his perception a bit. He used to be pretty tight with Westwood and McDowell, but then came the agent issues and management legalities. He felt he was being taken advantage of, I'm sure, and maybe on some level felt that his buddies were in on the gig, trying to cash in on his sudden fame and fortune.

More than anything else - I think those two things really influenced his decision to be more guarded, more business-like. Kinda similar to Tiger - his inner circle doesn't seem too big, and much of the time he seems rather indifferent, as though there's someplace he'd rather be than on the golf course.

Maybe Rory figured out that stardom comes with a lot of stresses, commitments and expectations that initially he never gave much consideration to.

But I still think he's a good kid, and I don't believe he's quite finished winning major championships.

...or could it be that he's afraid of winning the par three and jinxing his chances at the actual Masters? Just joking here but the record of par three winners in the Masters is terrible isn't it?

It's sometimes hard to remember that this is business for these guys. Rory has to do what he thinks is best for him. If that includes staying away from the party 3 because it's a distraction, then so be it. He was having plenty of fun with his boy band buddy last year. He wants to win this event, period.

On the other side... I think it you were to ask Tiger (and he was 100% honest), he would tell you he may have taken his game and himself a little too serious... and that helped lead to everything that happened around his downfall from the women, family issues, and injuries. Those are all things he can't go back and fix/change. Moving forwaed, if we see him come back, I fully expect to see a different TW.