Golf:Having spent their formative years learning their trade on punishing links around Ireland, it was perhaps a little surprising that a three-pronged Irish attack struggled to cope with high winds on the opening day of the WGC-CA Championship.
Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, fine links exponents one and all, were unable to exploit those skills as gusts of over 20mph added a little extra bite to the Doral’s Blue Monster.
Of the three, Harrington emerged relatively unscathed having reached two under thanks to a rare birdie at the tough closing hole. That was three adrift of Charl Schwartzel, who reached the sanctuary of the clubhouse with a five under 67 on his card.
But the South African will have little room for manoeuvre later today with Vijay Singh, Robert Allenby and Ernie Els breathing down his neck. Allenby finished with mixed emotions after a commanding lead was swallowed up down the Monster’s closing stretch.
Having covered the front nine in just 30 shots, the Australian stood on the 15th tee at eight under. But he bogeyed the last four holes to drop back into the pack.
Allenby, Singh and Els had all fallen foul of the tricky 18th hole with its expanse of water to the left of the fairway and green with just five players making birdie on the hole.
Singh double bogeyed after finding the water with his tee shot and Els bogeyed after driving wide right and then going in the lake with his second stroke.
What might kindly be described as a gentle breeze by club players from these shores was enough to nudge the world’s elite out of their comfort zone and McIlroy fared worse than most.
The 20-year-old, who declared earlier this week that a niggling back complaint is now a thing of the past, hasn’t exactly imposed himself since committing to the PGA Tour on a full-time basis.
Knocked out of the World Match Play in the second round before finishing 40th at last week’s Honda Classic, the youngster arrived in Florida reinvigorated after sitting down for a fatherly chat with Jack Nicklaus over lunch.
But whatever words of wisdom Nicklaus dispensed failed to do the trick yesterday as McIlroy sprayed his ball around the wide open Doral layout. The world number nine, playing alongside defending champion Phil Mickelson, misfired badly from the tee, hitting just a handful of fairways all day.
When he did manage to find the green in regulation McIlroy was met with a cold putter. Unsurprisingly, with little going his way, it was a case of damage limitation and a four-over-par 76 was the best he could manage.
“I’m just struggling,” the deflated youngster said afterwards. “I’m not playing well and just can’t keep things going. I’ve been struggling since the weekend in Dubai (now over a month ago).”
Of his back trouble, but added: “That’s not really a factor. I’m struggling with the whole game. When you’re playing well it’s easy, but when you’re not it’s difficult.”
Although McIlroy was exercising his back as he spoke he did not want anything read into that.
“Just keeping it mobile for the 500 balls I’m about to hit!”
McDowell, after falling away badly last weekend, had hit the ground running with three birdies in his first five holes. But that good work was undone with three consecutive dropped shots from the 17th (his eighth) and McDowell would drop another two shots on his way home to finish on two over.
With more inclement weather forecast today the organiser have moved the second round tee-times forward by over three hours. Harrington is the first of the Irish in action at 1.31pm (Irish time), McIlroy follows at 2.34pm with McDowell in the final group of the day at 2.55pm.