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Great Blog Iain. Which of the Brits is likely to do well at Doral this week?

I think Oli Wilson is just due one, be it big or small, any win will do! It would be a good place to start though...

I think a return to form from Ross Fisher would be go to see this week.

Looking forward to seeing Justin Rose deliver a result of real substance on the PGA Tour; perhaps last Sunday will kick-start a crucial season for him. A great shame he didn't finish off a couple of events earlier this season which, had he done so, would have wrapped up his Doral and Augusta invitations by now.
Oli Wilson (among others of course, Rory, Owen, etc) was especially unlucky to have started Friday's Round 2 in almost freezing temp's and gusting winds, which warmed up and died down respectively soon after they'd wrecked his first nine holes.

oms1-

If your a betting man, you could do worse than have an each way bet on Donald... 2nd in LA, 16th at Pebble and a decent performance at the Matchplay.


As for Iain with Oli, I feel that this course may stretch him a little. This course offers the bigger hitters a huge advantage. too many power houses in the field this week. also if you look at the last 3 winners, Mickelson, Ogilvy and Woods, It bodes well for a big hitter. Not to mention that they are all major winners.

Mr Rose will continue to kick on as his new attitude will serve him well. As he said himself he is staying calm on the course and learning to accept what happens out there. His new coach Sean Foley works with Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair who are both on great form. Mr Rose is on the right path!

oh, forgot to mention that Sean Foley has been longtime coach of Stephen Ames too. Ames won at Disney at the end of the year, O'Hair won twice and Mahan won a few weeks ago... Rose is up next!

I think Phil is an obvious choice..............plays well here usually...............

Pleased to see Rose doing so well at the weekend, but can't still help thinking that he's just as likely to throw in a 74 as a 64 in one of the 4 rounds. It's difficult to see past Paul Casey this week despite a very strong field of US players;
My top 5 (not too adventurous!!);
1. Casey
2. Mickleson
3. Kim
4. Rose
5. Garcia

Meant to say that I reckon the reason Wilson hasn't got across the finishing line is that he's a 'choker'. He almost blew it against McIlroy in the WGC Matchplay and only won when McIlroy couldn't hole out.
Don't think Wilson will make the cut.

Good point Ian, well made. OK, I can see you're an Oli fan, so I'm prepared to get behind him too up to a point. He's an excellent player and seems like a genuinely good guy; my point is however that I get the impression that he doesn't really seem to have a tough 'winner' mentality. Not many do; but sufficiently many to make 'getting across the finishing line' increasingly difficult for the likes of Oli.

Crocodile-

How many times did Harrington finish runner, not to mention the tournaments he threw away... Duval was the same. Both went on to be multiple winners. Oh, and Major winners!!!

Mr Wilson is working on the right things with the right people... Me thinks it is just matter of time.

Mr Carter, whats the weather like in Miami?

sorry crocodile, whats Rose doing in your top 5. hes not in the field.

Just a typo! Ross Fisher was my intended for fourth place. If you want to get picky; Harrington won a European Tour event his first year as a pro, so showed pretty well straight away that he has what it takes; Duval won on his second or third season on the PGA Tour; Wilson turned pro in 2003, so your comparison with Harrington and Duval is a bit off the mark.
I would be well pleased if Wilson proves me wrong. Indeed I hope he does so this week, but I'm not alone in thinking that he won't.
Looking forward to watching this evening to see how things go. I'm not sure if the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has a 'live' presence at the tournament. Maybe Iain Carter is there; if so looking forward to his updates and seeing if his tips come good.

Iain
nice to have a golf blog about golf instead of sh---ing.Also tremendous news that it really sounds like Seve's playing in the pre open game at st. Andrews.
Thats a proper story(front or back page).Back to you know who-why haven't the USPGA been totally castigated for allowing Tigers apology to be made
from their HQwhich completely affected the tournament that was happening at the time?

Nice to hear a little about Justin, it's funny how the world of competitive sport ebbs and flows. I am sure he will have his time again, it's odd but I think he may just be one of those players who could have a topsy-turvy career yet end up with a major championship win in the cabanet. I can imagine him going low on the final day of a wind-swept Open or just having won of those weeks at USPGA where eveything he touches turns golden. Like Michael Campbell, I think Rose will have extremely lofty highs and scraping-the-barrel lows! Lovely man though and I wish him all the very best (and hope that he proves me wrong and becomes consistently one of the world's top-20 for years to come)..
ross, at

Where did the info on Tiger coming back for the Tavistock come from?
I really took it from his Press conference that we may not see him till close to the end of the year.................
If he's gonna play the Masters then great ............

By the way, McIlroy has played himself out of the tournament already...........wonder how that injury is??

Filma! Its a bit early to say 'I told you so', but with a 78 on day 1 (very tough conditions granted) and lying joint second from last in the field, things are not looking too rosy for Oli Wilson. Had there been a cut Iain, he'd be struggling to make it. Go on Oli! Make me eat my words! As for Woods; you can just imagine the script, which seems set for his next major victory at Augusta; but who knows? Maybe he won't have the same aura as before. Who am I kidding! If he wins more majors this year, then they'll be no living with his ego and the other players will feel even less worthy than prior to his absence. Currently living in Sweden, where you can imagine his antics have attracted even less sympathy than perhaps elsewhere. Mr Woods is unlikely to be welcome in this neck of the woods (excuse the pun) for the foreseeable future.

Iain,
Reference your comment #11;
Perhaps you could inform the young apprentice who wrote this evening's Round 1 report as he also seems to think Rory McIlroy will be unlikely to miss the cut. Where do you find these people?
What are your thoughts on the unctuous Ari Fleischer(sp?) advising Woods. You'd think that following Dubya and Mark McGwire he'd've found someone with a bit more street cred. Wouldn't you?
The US press are going to have a fine old time with this, pretty much as they did with McGwire.

'Morning Iain,
Fleischer won no friends, and Mark McGwire even fewer, following his recent pr fiasco. Perhaps he can be effective if his client already has good pr, but my sense is that TW has worn media patience thinner than wafer thin.
Perhaps this episode will teach the media that, if something/one seems too good to be true, it usually is. Just like weapons of mass destruction in a contorted way. But Fleischer got away with that one, didn't he? Oh What A Lovely War . . . .

I'm worried about Rory! Not sure he needs to canvas more opinions (see his visit to Jack and Rotella) about how to win. He's done it since he was a kid, he just needs to believe. He doesn't want to go down the route that has led to Ernie's demise ie thinking about it too much!

NTV-

I dont think you can compare winning junior and amateur tournaments to becoming a multiple winner on tour. I think this little lull that is happening to Rors will do him the world of good. You learn far more about yourself when the chips are down than when your riding high. I am however, very surprised that he hasnt been in the winners circle since Dubai. No need to worry about the young man... just a few growing pains.