Chipping In: McIlroy Magic, Great Scott, Montys Moment

In his weekly column - Chipping In, Nick Bonfield refelects on the tournaments this weekend.

Magical McIlroy

No one was more pleased than me to see Rory McIlroy triumph at the BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour’s flagship event. Yes, I’ve been somewhat critical over the last couple of years of some of the decisions and comments he’s made – notably pulling out of the Honda Classic when things took a turn for the worse - but he’s a prodigious talent. What’s more, he’s also proved over the years that, fundamentally, he’s a very pleasant young with an almost unparalleled ability, and someone who has the potential to dominate the world game for decades to come.

His finish at Wentworth very much justifies my effusive praise. With people dropping shots all around him, McIlroy did what all great champions do and seized the initiative at the perfect time. He rolled in a 25-footer at 13, produced great up and downs at 14 and 16 and took the tournament out of sight with two fine closing birdies. It was hard not to feel sorry for both Shane Lowry – whose strong showing in unfamiliar territory must be commended – and short-game maestro Luke Donald – whose approach came so close to clearing the water on the 72^nd hole – but McIlroy was a hugely popular champion. Despite all he’d been through, which was clearly on his mind during a post-round victory interview with Kirsty Gallacher, he played with a focus and freedom we haven’t seen of late. Perhaps now the latest dramatic episode in the Ulsterman’s life is out the way, we’ll start to see him flourish doing what he does best: playing golf to an extraordinarily high standard.

Tournament the winner

Well, there simply couldn’t have been a better advert for prospective sponsors about the merits of staging golf tournaments in the United Kingdom. As we’ve come to expect, the spectators defied the weather and came in their droves to support an event that means so much to the tour and the players. The sight of what seemed like tens of thousands of fans around the 18^th green was something to behold, and the players frequently tout the spectators’ knowledge of the game as a pivotal reason for the tournament’s success.

Wentworth was presented in immaculate condition, some of the world’s best players came to the fore and BMW, coupled with the European Tour, once again did a terrific job of enhancing the spectator experience and ensuring the whole tournament was a spectacle to marvel at. With so many top English players willing to support events on home soil – Westwood, Rose, Poulter, Donald and Casey to name but a few – the vast body of knowledgeable, respectful fans in this country and the desire of top players to play in front of such an audience, it really does amaze me that we only have one regular tournament in England this year. That said, I can’t see that paradigm existing for too much longer, especially with improving economic conditions and the home contingent’s love of, and willingness to support, tournament golf in England.

Not all misery for Bjorn

It was sad to see Thomas Bjorn surrender a five-shot advantage at the BMW PGA Championship, especially because it was so out of character for the experienced and normally unflappable Dane. He’ll be extremely disappointed, but that shouldn’t cloud the bigger picture. With the amount he earned for his third-place finish, Bjorn has moved into third place on the European Ryder Cup points list and fourth on the world points list. The Dane hasn’t played on the Ryder Cup since 2002, some 12 years ago, and if he keeps up his solid form, he’s got a great chance of making Paul McGinley’s side. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a couple of old timers like Bjorn and Jimenez – who would become the oldest Ryder Cup player in history if he made the side – teaming up to take down an American team laden with emerging youngsters and future superstars.

Great Scott

There were some who doubted, whether rightly or not, the legitimacy of Adam Scott’s ascension to the summit of the world rankings without hitting a single golf ball. Still, only a hugely deluded individual could now attempt to claim the Australian doesn’t deserve top spot. At the Crowne Plaza Invitational, Scott closed with a fine 66 on a tough golf course to force his way into a play-off with Jason Dufner, but his play-off performance was more impressive.

With Dufner – an incredible tee-to-green golfer, a top-10 player and reigning PGA Champion – just four feet from the 17^th hole after a sublime second, Scott drained a 14-footer from the fringe to stay in contention. After Dufner pushed his approach to the 18^th – the third play-off hole – Scott took on a perilously positioned flag, knocked his second to seven feet and inevitably holed the subsequent putt to the adulation of on-looking Australian fans. It was a performance befitting a world number one and further indication the rest of the game’s top players will have quite a task in catching him.

Monty’s time

The third facet to an incredible day of golf was Colin Montgomerie’s triumph in the Senior PGA Championship – his first major championship and first victory on American soil after a string of heart-rending near misses. Monty was relentlessly aggressive in the final round and produced a succession of imperious iron shots to shut out Bernhard Langer, a man who’s been rampant on the Senior Tour since turning 50. Even if you dislike Monty, you simply can’t dispute his on-course brilliance, and I for one think he’ll be dominant in Senior circles for the next five to 10 years.

On another note... Nick Dougherty continues to impress me in the studio with his eloquence, excellent analysis, insight and friendly character. A great find from Sky.

This week, the European Tour heads to Sweden for the Nordea Masters, while the PGA Tour moves to Muirfield Village for the prestigious Memorial Tournament.

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