Rock and Roll

This week we saw the strongest field of the year in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

We had the top 3 players in the world, multiple major winner and former world number ones.

And, to some, we had a real Cinderella story with England’s Robert Rock winning.

Many off us remember Robert for losing in an extremely wet play off to, the then armature, Shane Lowry in the 3 Irish Open in 2009.

2 years later Rock had his 1st European Tour win in the BMW Italian Open, this win meant he got into the US Open, but because of Visa problems he never arrive in the US until the day before, no practise rounds played and he finished tied 23rd!

With 2 GB&I Seve Trophy appearances he is very popular and well known on the European scene.

So from selling mars bars as an assistant pro to winning one of the biggest tournaments in golf inside 9 years, some achievement ?

A fantastic victory in an very strong field?

A brilliant golfing story?

Well you would think so wouldn’t you.

So adulation and praise all round for Robert Rock?

NO!

As is the want of the golfing media they have taken this fantastic story about a good journeyman pro and made it about Tiger Wood’s!!

If there is another story here apart from Robert’s brilliant win it might have been Rory McIlroy. That I could understand.

If not for a 2 shot penalty Rory would have won by a shot! So if there is a sub plot in all of this then that was it, but no.


Its all about the player ranked at 25 in the world.

In the UK we had to suffer, and I do mean suffer, Sky Sports Mark Roe make the Kelly Tilghman’s Tiger obsession seem normal. When everyone heard Tiger swear at the top of his voice and slam a club into the ground not a word of complaint came from Mr Roe’s lips.

I have said this before, and no doubt will say it again, the total obsession of some of the media with Tiger is sickening.

If Novack Djokovic got beaten at Wimbledon by someone ranked at say 40 something, what would the story be ? The fact the best player in the world lost or about the guy that beat him?

So lets change the tune here guys.

Lets make this about the guy who has had a potentially life changing win, a good guy, a nice guy, a genuine guy.

A guy who has not sold himself out as a corporate image.

Not about someone who has suffocated golf for years.