Compiled by Philip Reid
Stat attack
WHICH STATISTIC do you believe? According to the folk at Genworth Financial who assiduously format the statistical information for the European Tour, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer head two of the main categories: McIlroy leads the stroke average with 69.57, while Kaymer leads the putts per round with an average of 28.4.
McIlroy is ranked a lowly 123rd in the putting stats.
The little details
IT’S A bit like bringing coal to Newcastle or oil to Texas. The sand in the bunkers on the Earth Course has been imported – from North Carolina.
Apparently it is the same variety of brilliant white sand as that used in the bunkers at Augusta National.
“It’s not the same granular shape,” explained course designer Greg Norman of the reason why the copious amounts of local sand wasn’t used.
McGrane's little gamble pays off with week's rest
DAMIEN McGRANE only secured his place in the Dubai field by, as he put it yesterday, “the skin of my teeth.” The Meath man qualified in 58th place, just over €4,000 clear of Jamie Donaldson who occupied the 60th, and last, qualifying position.
But the much-travelled McGrane, who has competed in 31 tournaments this season, doesn’t regret taking his chances in the white-knuckle ride to the desert, having decided to miss last week’s Hong Kong Open and thereby risk losing out.
“If I lost out, then it was a case that I didn’t play well enough all year. I just wasn’t going chasing tournaments at the very end of the year. Panicking and starting to add one more to my schedule was not something I was going to get into.”
McGrane hasn’t played since he missed the cut in the Singapore Open three weeks ago, but he prepared for the mega-rich finale to the season with practice rounds on his home course at Headfort in Kells, Co Meath.
“Hopefully now that I am here, I can sneak in a few putts. Who knows what can happen?”
Fisher staying put for time being
ROSS FISHER, who could snatch the Order of Merit title with a win here, isn’t planning to follow Rory McIlroy and take up US Tour membership.
“I’d obviously love to play more in America, but my focus (for 2010) is the Ryder Cup and still playing golf in Europe. We’ve recently had a baby daughter and I’m not ready to up and leave.”
Fisher may not be making the big jump just yet, but he is on the lookout for a base in Florida. His manager, Conor Ridge of Dublin-based Horizon Sports, is shortly due to go house-hunting in Lake Nona where, not coincidentally, his stablemate Graeme McDowell has a home.
