Is golf better off without Woods?

The PGA tour has had one notable absentee of late. World number one Tiger Woods had to take an enforced break from the game due to a knee injury that required surgery.

We know what’s in his bag, but is the game better off without him?

Tiger generally dominates the golf scene, so it has been argued by his fellow professionals that the game has benefited from its stint without Tiger.

Both Mark O’Meara and Colin Montgomerie have said that tournaments have been, and will be, much more open, leaving the path clear for anyone who has the cajonas to step up to the plate.

You can be sure that whoever does win a competition in Tiger’s absent will be posed the following question; “Would you have won it if Tiger was here?” Well the answer should be; “He’s not here, so it doesn’t matter! In ten years time people will forget that Tiger wasn’t here, they will just see who won it!”

I’m actually of the opinion that golf is weaker without Tiger. His persona and his performances often raise the level of good golf on offer, which can only be good thing and I’m looking forward to having him back on the tour.

World Cup of Golf set to begin

Colin Montgomerie returns to Mission Hills in China where Scotland defend their World Cup of Golf title this weekend.

The 45-year-old looked in decent shape for two days during last week’s Hong Kong Open where he opened with rounds of 68 and 65 en-route to posting a top-20 finish.

After 54 years of disappointment, Scotland finally got their hands on the prestigious trophy 12 months ago when they fended off the United States in a play-off.

Over the previous half-century Scotland had finished second a remarkable six times but shrugged off the tag of bridesmaid to claim the $1.6m first prize.

Whether or not the Scots can claim back to back wins remains to be seen, but it won’t be easy.

Let’s take a look at some of the runners and riders…

 England: England are represented by Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter and World Cup debutant Ross Fisher. Undoubtedly this is one of the strongest pairings of the event with both players showing some decent recent form. England are a best price of 5/1 with Sportingbet. 

 Sweden: The Swedes have an arguably even stronger team with two Ryder Cup players in Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson. Karlsson won the final European Order Of Merit with a brilliant run of form towards the end of last season and Stenson has a great record in this event finishing 2nd in 2005 and 3rd in 2006. The Swedish team are 4/1 with Totesport, Stan James and Canbet.

 Germany: The two-time winners have a solid partnership in Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka. Germany, champions in 2006, have posted five straight top-eight finishes in the event. Sky Bet are offering odds of 16/1 for the Germans to lift the cup.

 Scotland: Reigning champions Scotland have gone for a change in half of the personnel on show with Alastair Forsyth replacing Marc Warren in partnership with Scottish stalwart Colin Montgomerie, who is playing in the event for the tenth time. If you fancy Scotland to retain the title then you will be rewarded with odds of 25/1 from Paddy Power. 

 India: The Asians will field Jyoti Randhawa, an excellent player who has seven victories on the Asian Tour to his name and Jeev Milka Singh who has two victories on the European Tour, including the Bank of Austria Open in 2008. 22/1 with Bet365 looks good value about this team who both have winning experience in Asia. 

 Denmark: Close friends Soren and Anders Hansen will be hoping to improve on last year’s 10th place finish. But do they have enough in the bag to produce the win? Odds of 11/1 with Sky Bet are probably worth an each way punt.

 United States: The most prolific nation in World Cup history has not won the trophy for eight years – their longest wait ever. However, they must not be discounted and in Ben Curtis and Brandt Snedeker have put together a pairing more than capable of lifting the title for a 24th time. The US are a decent value bet at 12/1 with Bet365.

The Caddy’s tip // Get behind those English boys!

Watch all four days of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup on Sky Sports.
Live coverage starts on Thursday from 3.30am on Sky Sports 1.

Interview: Coventry City’s Jay Tabb

We all know that footballers enjoy a bit of golf, but why is that? We managed to grab a quick word with Coventry City midfielder Jay Tabb (pictured), and he admits that when he’s not aiming for the goal, he can often be found aiming for the hole, on the golf course!

Hi Jay, how long have you been into golf?
I have always enjoyed golf. I’ve been playing for about 10 years now, since I was about 14.

Which golfers do you admire?
My favourite golfers are Ernie Els, Luke Donald and Colin Montgomerie. They are all great Pro’s and I like their swings!

Are you a member at a club?
Yes, I am a member of a club called Wimbledon Park back home in London.

Do you play off a handicap?
I play off a handicap of 9.

Which clubs do you use?
I use Cobra Woods, an Odyssey putter and Mizuno Irons. My Irons are the same as what Luke Donald uses!

Do any of your team mates play?
Yeah a few play. Kevin Kyle is a very good and Steve Ogrizovic can play a bit, but I’ve never played with any of the others.

Is golf something you will look to go in to after you finish playing?
No, I’m not good enough to play golf professionally when I retire from football, but I will definitely play a lot more often just for fun and in competitions at my golf club.

Why do you think that so many footballers play golf? relaxation? competitiveness?
I think they play because most footballers are pretty good at most sports and golf is very challenging and gives you a good test, it’s very hard to crack, but it’s also quite relaxing.

Finally, how’s the football coming along this season? It seems that Coventry’s only consistency this season is inconsistency!
It’s going OK, we just need to grind out a few good results to get us going again. People only seem to remember the last results and not all the good games we’ve played this season! The wins against Birmingham and Southampton have proved that we are capable of big performances, we just need to produce that form more often!

Thanks Jay, and good luck with the golf!