Golf

Tough going as Sergio Garcia describes the rough as dangerous

Paul McGinley shoots a 68 in first round of HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi

Paul McGinley watches his shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the HSBC Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Paul McGinley watches his shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the HSBC Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Ewen Murray
Fri Jan 17 2014 - 01:00

in Abu Dhabi

A combination of Sergio García, severe rough and a high score is only ever going to end one way. And so it transpired in Abu Dhabi, with the Spaniard branding the rough as "dangerous" after an opening round of 76 at the HSBC Golf Championship.

García, it must be noted, was far from alone in pointing to the most penal element of the course but, typically, he was the most vociferous. This is the man, after all, who once branded Augusta National unfair.

“I would say so, yes,” said García when asked if he felt the rough was dangerous. He had required physio treatment after injuring his shoulder on the 13th hole. It is not yet assured that the 34-year-old will complete this, his first event of the year. “It’s very, very thick and what we see at a US Open,” Garcia said. “The problem is they have cut it from green to tee and the ball nestles down. Every single ball nestles down and you can’t hit it 100 yards.

"I have tweaked a muscle and hitting from the rough is not helping. We will see how it feels tomorrow. Hopefully I am the only one [who gets hurt ]but unfortunately the way the course is set up it could happen to more people."

Physical problems
Phil Mickelson also pointed to physical problems, albeit while defending the setup of the venue. "You have got to be careful," the Open champion said. "I kind of hurt myself going after one. When you really go hard into it and the rough grabs your club, your body jars up. I kind of twinged my back on the last hole. "You have got to be careful, maybe just wedge out and not risk any injury. It's extremely thick and you need a lot of loft just to get it out to the fairway.

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"It's a world-class course, there's nothing unfair about it. It's just difficult. Tomorrow I will have to be very conservative off the tee just to put it in play."

Player discontent
Miguel Vidaor, the European Tour's tournament director here, offered a response to rumblings of player discontent. "In terms of the direction of the cut, cutting the rough from green to tee is normal practice on the European Tour and has been the case in all eight previous editions of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship."

Amid this background noise, Rory McIlroy’s play was perhaps worthy of more attention than it was afforded. The Northern Irishman signed for a two-under-par 70, which included glorious ball-striking but not a single bogey. Even more notable was McIlroy’s driving, which proved such a problem last year but now looks back to being what it once was: the most potent weapon in his arsenal. “I’m definitely on to something with this driver-ball combination,” said McIlroy, which will please his Nike paymasters. “I’m hitting it longer than I have before. Driving is the foundation of my game. If I drive it well, I play well and score well. It’s that simple.”

McIlroy was still three shots off the lead, held with 67s by the trio of Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, France’s Romain Wattel and Scot Marc Warren.

Paul McGinley's positive affiliation with the capital city of the United Arab Emirates continued. A year ago in Abu Dhabi, McGinley was confirmed as Europe's Ryder Cup captain. Upon his return, the Dubliner opened with a 68 which included a stunning front nine of 33.
Guardian Service