The world is a better place and seems to have gained a new equilibrium. Tiger Woods ascended to No. 1 with his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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In October 2011, he had fallen to No. 58. Six wins over the last 12 months have put him back in a familiar spot. He has held the No. 1 ranking for 632 weeks in his illustrious career.

The question is, however, can the previous No. 1 Rory McIlroy regain that lofty status. He first rose to No. 1 after his win, a little over one year ago, at the 2012 Honda Classic.

As the defending champion and reigning No. 1, McIlroy became so frustrated with his game that he withdrew after just eight holes during the second round at the Honda Classic this year.

That hopefully was the low point for McIlroy. In his next start at the WGC-Cadillac he posted three rounds under par and a T-8 yielded his first top-10 finish of 2013.

McIlroy’s very public relationship with tennis professional Caroline Wozniacki, youthful exuberance and golf prowess have made him a media darling. The pressure of maintaining the No. 1 ranking appeared to weigh heavily on his young shoulders.

His off-season switch to Nike for a multimillion-dollar sponsorship contract also put a ton of pressure on McIlroy to perform.

He will make his last start prior to the Masters this week in the Shell Houston Open. He is only percentage points behind Woods and could reclaim the No. 1 spot with a win this week.

We only have to look back to last summer when McIlroy missed three cuts prior to winning the PGA Championship and two FedEx Cup Playoff events to end the 2012 PGA Tour season.

McIlroy held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 32 weeks before losing it to Woods. He is only 23 years old and is beginning to understand the focus necessary to stay in the top spot.

He is a quick learner and it would not be surprising to see him hoisting the trophy on Sunday afternoon and leapfrog Woods to regain the No. 1 ranking.

McIlroy and Woods will next meet at Augusta. A strong showing in Houston for McIlroy will only heighten the anticipation level for the Masters.

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 26th, 2013 at 10:58 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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After his final round on March 10 at the WGC-Cadillac, Rory McIlroy confirmed that he only planned to play in the Shell Houston Open prior to the Masters.

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Because of his poor play and lack of competitive rounds thus far in 2013 it was speculated that he may add the Arnold Palmer Invitational to his schedule.

McIlroy has struggled mightily this year. The WGC-Cadillac was only his fourth start of 2013. In Abu Dhabi, his first tournament using the new Nike equipment, he missed the cut, shooting 75-75 over the first two rounds.

In his second start, Shane Lowry, the No. 64 seed, knocked McIlroy out in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play.

He was the defending champion at the Honda Classic but played poorly and became so frustrated that he withdrew from the tournament before completing the second round.

McIlroy struggled to a one-over par 73 on Thursday at Trump Doral, but turned in his first two sub-par rounds of the year on Friday and Saturday with scores of 69-71.

Entering the final round on Sunday he was three-under par and T-30, but only Adam Scott had a better final round with a 64. McIlroy posted a seven-under par 65 on Sunday and got his first top-10 finish of the year.

McIlroy cited fatigue from too much play at the end of 2012 and announced that he would play fewer events this year.

With two majors, the WGC-Bridgestone and the FedEx Cup Playoffs, falling in July, August and September the top players must play a lighter schedule this time of the year to stay physically fit for the peak summer season.

With the Masters looming in just four weeks the trick is to be ready for the demanding confines of Augusta National and the pressure of the first major championship of the year.

McIlroy feels he found his form at Trump Doral and is on the right track.

Golf fans will be forced to wait until Houston for his next examination.

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine

This entry was posted on Friday, March 15th, 2013 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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World No. 1 Rory McIlroy scrambled his way to an even-par 70 at PGA National in the Honda Classic on Feb. 28.

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It was evident to everyone that McIlroy was playing better than his previous two starts in 2013, but his iron-play was still not quite up to his high standards. He missed several greens and was forced to make difficult up and downs to save pars.

He was one-under par through 17 holes Feb. 28. A solid drive and layup left him only 107 yards from the green on No. 18. He once again failed to hit the green with a wedge in his hand. He made a bogey and turned his 69 into an even-par 70.

McIlroy started early off No. 10 on March 1 for his second round. He made double-bogey at No. 11, bogey at No. 13 and an ugly triple-bogey-seven at the par-3 No, 16, the second hole in the “Bear Trap.” He added another bogey at No. 17 for a seven-over-par start through just eight holes.

He found the fairway with his drive on No. 18 but hit his second shot into the water on the par-5. USA Today reported that he walked directly to his car and exited PGA National.

This was only the fourth competitive round for McIlroy this year. He missed the cut in Abu Dhabi after shooting 75-75 while paired with Tiger Woods.

Shane Lowry, the No. 64 seed defeated McIlroy, the No. 1 seed, in the first match at the WGC-Accenture last week in Tucson. Lowry only got into the elite field event because of the withdrawals of Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker.

McIlroy cited exhaustion and took an extended rest from golf in December after winning the money titles on the PGA and European Tours in 2012. He won his second major last year at the PGA Championship and also won the PGA Tour’s Vardon Trophy for the lowest accumulated average score throughout the year.

He ascended to the No. 1 ranking on the Official World Golf Ranking after his win last year at this same event, the Honda Classic.

McIlroy has a residence in the Palm Beach area and this was a home game for him.

He is clearly frustrated with the state of his game right now. Errant shots, new clubs and lack of confidence do not bode well for successful golf.

With the Masters just six weeks away the world No. 1 has a lot of work yet to be done.

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine

This entry was posted on Friday, March 1st, 2013 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Sports, Walleye hockey.
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Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Louis Oosthuizen will be the top seeds this week for the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Tucson, Ariz. The match play is played on The Golf Club at Dove Mountain which can be stretched to more than 7,700 yards. The winner will need to win six matches over five days in the Arizona desert.

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Only the top 64 golfers from the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) are invited to this elite field event. Brandt Snedeker, ranked No. 4 in the world, was forced to withdraw with sore ribs. Phil Mickelson announced he would not play in the match play and planned to spend the week with his family instead.

Tiger Woods has won the match play on three different occasions in his career and is the overall No. 2 seed this year. 2006 and 2009 WGC-Accenture champion Geoff Ogilvy is the only other player that has won this event more than once.

A big question mark heading into the match play is the state of No. 1 ranked Rory McIlroy’s game. The last time we saw McIlroy, he was leaving Abu Dhabi after shooting 75-75 in the first two rounds and missed the cut.

He has not played competitively on any tour since Jan. 18. Has he ironed out the difficulties with his new clubs from Nike? Did he get them a nice Valentine’s Day gift?

McIlroy will face Shane Lowry who only got into the match play due to the withdrawals by Mickelson and Snedeker.

Watch out for this match. McIlroy is coming off a long rest and is using new clubs. Lowry has nothing to lose and may just be able to pick off a No. 1 seed in the first round.

Tiger Woods is the No. 1 seed in the Gary Player Bracket and will play Charles Howell III in the fist round. Howell has played well thus far in 2013 with three top-10 finishes including a runner-up and a third-place finish. He has won nearly $1 million this year and is No. 7 on the 2013 FedEx Cup standings.

The last time that we saw Woods, he was hoisting the trophy from the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines for the seventh time in his career. His game appears to be solid and Howell may be catching an early plane on Wednesday evening back to Florida.

Luke Donald ranked No. 3 in the world is the No. 1 seed in the Sam Snead bracket. He made his 2013 PGA Tour debut last week at Riviera. He posted 69-66-70 to be among the leaders on Sunday, but a final round 75 moved him down to a T-16 finish. Donald will face Marcel Siem in the first round Feb. 20.

Siem, from Germany, plays on the European Tour and is currently ranked No. 63 on the OWGR. He has not had a particularly good start to the year.

Donald should be able to get through this round to face the winner of Paul Lawrie/Scott Piercy match.

Since Brandt Snedeker is not in the field, Louis Oosthuizen is the No. 1 seed for the Ben Hogan bracket. Oosthuizen has one of the best swings in golf. He won the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews and was runner-up to Bubba Watson in the 2012 Masters.

Oosthuizen already has a win on the European Tour in 2013 and will play Scotland’s Richie Ramsey, who is No. 61 on the OWGR. Ramsey was T-9 in the Volvo Golf Champions, T-23 in Abu Dhabi and missed the cut in Dubai in his first three starts of the year.

Oosthuizen has to be the favorite to close out Ramsey and move on to the second round to face the winner of the Branden Grace/Robert Garrigus match.

Here are some other first-round matches of special interest.

Graeme McDowell versus Padraig Harrrington

This is the battle of the Irish. McDowell lost in the first round in this event last year and is coming off a missed cut at Riviera after a long layoff. Harrington was T-9 at the Waste Management, but missed cuts in his last two events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.

Bubba Watson versus Chris Wood

Watson and Wood are both, tall, lanky and long. On this golf course it may be more enjoyable just to see who will outdrive the other.

Hunter Mahan versus Matteo Manassero

2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play champion Hunter Mahan is coming off a great final round 69 to finish T-8 at the Northern Trust Open. Manassero has been playing very steady this year, but his lack of length off the tee will hurt his chances of getting past Mahan.

Ian Poulter versus Stephen Gallacher

European Tour Ryder Cup standout Ian Poulter won this event in 2010 and the 2011 Volvo World Match Play Championship. Poulter is always fun to watch in match play and would face the winner of the Brad Van Pelt/John Senden match.

Bill Haas versus Nicolas Colsaerts

Bill Haas held the 54-hole lead at the Northern Trust, but shot a one-over 73 Feb. 17 to finish T-3. He has three top-10 finishes in five starts in 2013. Colsaerts has labored for several years on the Challenge Tour and on the European Tour. The long hitter made an impression on the golf world with his performance in the Ryder Cup at Medinah last fall. He won the 2012 Volvo World Match Play over Graeme McDowell. This could be a very good match.

The WGC-Accenture Match Play begins Feb. 20 this week. Match play is a unique event and there is sure to be upsets that will force higher ranked players to make an early exit.

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Louis Oosthuizen, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, WGC-Accenture

This entry was posted on Monday, February 18th, 2013 at 1:19 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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What a great start to the 2013 golf year! January turned out to be a month that golf fans will remember forever.

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The first event of the year, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, had its first four rounds blown away by high winds that prevented any official golf being played over the weekend.

Golfers were able to play 36 holes on Monday and a final 18 holes on Tuesday to make it an official 54-hole event with Dustin Johnson getting the win.

Tour rookie Russell Henley blitzed the field in the Sony Open in Honolulu. He made putts from everywhere and played with the calm and confidence of a seasoned veteran.

While the PGA Tour moved to the mainland for the Humana Challenge, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods opened their 2013 campaigns in Abu Dhabi.

Nike made the formal announcement of McIlroy’s switch to Nike with a laser light show that could only have been dreamed up by Disney.

McIlroy shot 75-75 with his new sticks and beat a hasty retreat out of Abu Dhabi. Nike executives were left wondering what went wrong.

Tiger Wooods played with McIlroy and Martin Kaymer over the first two rounds in Abu Dhabi. Woods shot 71 in the first round but he took an illegal drop during the second round. He was assessed a two-shot penalty and also missed the cut.

With neither Woods nor McIlroy making it to the weekend, officials in Abu Dhabi could not have been pleased. They had paid huge appearance fees to have both the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world in their event only to watch them fly out of town after just two rounds.

While Rory and Tiger were in the Middle East, Phil Mickelson started his year at the Humana Challenge. He didn’t play particularly well but made headlines with his comments on Sunday afternoon concerning California and Federal tax laws pertaining to higher income individuals. It seems Americans couldn’t feel Mickelson’s pain and he was forced to issue an apology the next day.

After his long weekend at home, Woods made his 2013 PGA Tour debut at the Farmer Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He had won six trophies from this event previously plus he won the 2008 U.S. Open played at Torrey Pines.

Marine layer fog delayed play on Saturday and forced a Monday finish. Woods, feeling very comfortable over the friendly confines of Torrey Pines, took a four-shot lead into the final 11 holes on Monday. He struggled over the last six holes, but was able to get the win.

It was yet another record for Woods as he becomes the first player to ever win eight PGA Tour events on the same golf course.

The tour next moved to Phoenix for the Waste Management. Even before a shot could be hit, Sports Illustrated broke a story naming World Golf Hall of Fame member Vijay Singh as admitting to using an illegal steroid.

The news set off a firestorm of media attention and Singh withdrew from the event. Will the PGA Tour be forced to suspend Singh from competition?

Singh certainly did not realize he was using a banned substance but according to PGA Tour drug policy rules the player is ultimately responsible for what medications he ingests.

To put an exclamation on the month, Mickelson shot a 60 in the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He needed a birdie at the last hole to post the elusive 59. His 25-foot putt was dead center but did a severe 360 degree lip-out that prevented the historic round.

What a start to 2013!

February and the rest of the season should offer more of the same. With Tiger Woods back as a factor to win every time he tees it up and Rory McIlroy ranked No. 1 in the world, their battles leading up to the Masters in April should be epic.

Phil Mickelson is showing signs of life and could be a nice addition to PGA Tour leader boards.

Young guns Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson are still waiting in the wings for their flashes of brilliance.

Hold on to your seats golf fans — it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2013 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods both had inauspicious debuts to their 2013 seasons in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

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McIlroy shot 75-75 for a six-over-par total and missed the cut by four shots. He even left the new Nike Method putter in the locker room and went back to his old Titleist Scotty Cameron for Friday’s round.

Woods was assessed a two-shot penalty after his round Jan. 18 for taking an errant drop on his fifth hole. The penalty brought his total to three-over-par 75 and, added to his first-round 72, got him to three-over-par for the tournament just one shot outside the cut.

After making bogeys at Nos. 1, 2 and 4, Woods drove his ball wide right into the desert on the fifth hole. The ball was embedded near a bush. Both Woods and playing partner Martin Kaymer agreed that the ball was embedded and Woods took a drop.

Woods finished the round in 73 strokes but the two-shot penalty was added in the scoring tent for his incorrect drop and the 75 moved his two-day total to three-over-par outside the cut line.

Earlier in the week, on Jan. 14, Nike presented a huge a laser-light show for the assembled media, formally announcing McIlroy’s switch to the Nike family and premiered a new television commercial featuring Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdeD6SrQuL0).

McIlroy soared to the top of the golf world in 2012 by winning the money titles on both the European and PGA Tours. He won four titles on the PGA Tour including his second major, the PGA Championship.

McIlroy had two double-bogeys in the first round on Jan. 17 and never seemed comfortable with his swing.  On Jan. 18, he had three bogeys and two birdies for a one-over par 37 through his first nine holes. He added two more bogeys on the back nine for his second 75 and an aggregate total of six-over-par for the two days missing the cut by four shots.

This was definitely not the sort of start McIlroy or Nike would have preferred for their newest endorsement.

Over the last four years, McIroy has finished fifth, third and second twice in Abu Dhabi. His two 75s this year were the worst scores he has ever posted here.

McIroy and Woods were undoubtedly paid large appearance fees to play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world missing the cut is a huge disappointment for the tournament.

On the bright side McIlroy will have some extra time this weekend to work out the kinks and be ready for his next event.

Woods can jump in his jet and fly back to the U.S. to prepare for his 2013 PGA Tour season debut next week in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Fred Altvater, Nike, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods

This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 7:14 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9.
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Tiger Woods has been the No. 1 attraction in golf for a long time. He was trained from the crib to be a predator. His father, Earl Woods, taught Tiger to always be the alpha male. He kept his adversaries at arm’s length and on the defensive.

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In the past when Woods got near the lead at any golf tournament, especially a major event, opponents would cringe and fall away like autumn leaves blown from a tree

If Tiger could get a whiff of the lead he would stride down the fairway with a purpose and confidence unknown to mere mortal golfers.

Tiger has never developed friendships with his peers. Phil Mickelson and Tiger have not shared too many beers at the 19^th hole. Even when David Duval was winning and No. 1 in the world, Tiger and David didn’t become bosom buddies even though they both sported the Nike Swoosh.

Woods helped to build the Nike brand in golf. Nike had shoes and shirts when Tiger signed on in 1996. He helped refine the clubs and balls that are sold in pro shops around the world today. He has been Nike Golf.

Being No. 1 in endorsement dollars is just another competition, another way to keep score. Tiger was trained to be the leader. At his peak, Tiger was earning $100 million annually in endorsement dollars with the bulk coming from Nike.

Along comes a 23-year-old kid from Ireland with a golf swing to die for. He started winning majors and garnering the attention of golf fans around the world.

One year ago in Abu Dhabi, Woods and McIlroy had the opportunity to play three rounds together and both battled for the lead. Robert Rock eventually won the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship with Rory second and Tiger falling to third.

Not too long after, McIlroy announced he would play more on the PGA Tour. At the end of 2012, it was announced that Rory would be leaving Titleist to join Nike.

Did Tiger start the wooing process to get Rory McIlroy to join the Nike family at Abu Dhabi last year?

Has Tiger accepted the fact that he may not be the main attraction in the golf world much longer and is helping to secure Nike’s future in the golf business?

The stars seem to be aligning quite nicely for young McIlroy. He and Tiger even cut a new television ad for Nike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdeD6SrQuL0

Woods is still trying to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ career major titles record. McIlroy will have something to say about that prospect over the next five years.

Tiger has moved to No. 2 in the world right behind No. 1 Rory McIroy.

Rory has won two majors over the last two years. Tiger has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open.

Every sport needs a great rivalry to spark fan interest and stimulate growth. Rory McIlroy challenging Tiger Woods for titles over the next several years would certainly help to grow golf.

The old saying is: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Tiger is keeping his main competitor very, very close.

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofreepress.com or follow him on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Nike, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9, The Back Nine.
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Rory McIlroy ends 2012 as the No. 1 player on the PGA and European Tours. He has been ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) for 15 consecutive weeks and a total of 22 weeks for the year.

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He added a second major championship title to his resume with his win at the PGA Championship held on Kiawah Island, S.C., in August.

He won €5,519,118 in official earnings on the European Tour as the winner of the Race to Dubai and added another $8,047,952 in prize money as the PGA Tour’s No. 1 player. Most of his European Tour winnings are duplicated with the PGA Tour in the co-sanctioned majors and World Golf Championships (WGC) events.

McIlroy won five tournaments worldwide in 2012. He started the year strong with a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi and a fifth place in Dubai before heading to the states.

He beat Lee Westwood in the semifinals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play but then lost in the finals to Hunter Mahan. The very next week he won the Honda Classic and moved to No. 1 in the OWGR for the first time. He added a third place finish at the WGC-Cadillac at Doral in his final event before the Masters.

He was never in contention at Augusta National and finished T-40. McIlroy followed up his disappointment at the Masters with a runner-up at the Wells Fargo in early May where he lost to Rickie Fowler in a playoff.

The wheels seemed to come off the train a bit as McIlroy missed the cut at the Players and the Memorial. He then hired his long-time coach Michael Bannon on a full-time basis and rebounded with a T-7 at Memphis.

He missed another cut at the U.S. Open at Olympic Country Club and only managed a T-60 at the Open Championship at Royal Lytham.

Things came together for McIlroy after the Open Championship in July and he finished T-5 in the WGC-Bridgestone at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

A T-24 at the Barclays, the first event in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, was followed by wins at the Deutsche Bank and the BMW Championships and he capped off his PGA Tour year with a T-10 at the Tour Championship.

McIlroy helped the European Ryder Cup Team overcome a four-point deficit to beat the USA Ryder Cup Team. He played in all five sessions and compiled a 3-2 overall record. He was the third man out for the Euros on Sunday and beat Keegan Bradley 2&1 to secure the point and draw to within one point of the Americans.

He then switched his focus to the European Tour. A runner-up at the BMW Masters and a third-place finish in the Barclays Singapore Open secured the European Tour’s money title. He then missed his fourth cut of the year at the UBS Hong Kong Open before finishing the year with his win at the DP World Golf Championship in Dubai on Nov. 25.

Five worldwide wins, a Wanamaker Trophy, a historic European Team Ryder Cup win, two FedEx Cup Playoff wins, money titles on both the European and the PGA Tours plus No. 1 in the world, make for a fairly impressive year.

Oh and don’t forget adding a gorgeous world-famous girlfriend to his entourage this year. He is in a globe-trotting relationship with the beautiful as well as talented young professional tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki.

For any mere mortal that was a pretty formidable year.

Am I forgetting anything? Just one other minor detail to add to Rory’s incredible year.

He will start 2013 with a brand new mega-deal with Nike. He will team with Tiger Woods as the marquee brands in the Nike stable and will be covered in Swoosh gear. Just Do It!

I think Christmas came a little early this year for the 23-year-old McIlroy.

Let’s see if he can follow up that outstanding performance next year.

I’m betting that he can.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine

This entry was posted on Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 5:03 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9, The Back Nine.
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For years Tiger Woods was the highest-paid athlete in the world with revenues from prize winnings and endorsements approaching $100 million annually.

Tiger’s fall from grace has affected his endorsement earnings, with major sponsors American Express, Gatorade, Accenture, Gillette, Golf Digest and Tag Heuer dropping Woods after his sex scandal in 2009.

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Nike has been the one constant in Tiger’s life. The company stayed with Woods, paying him an estimated $35 million per year. CNN reported that at $54 million in annual endorsement income, Tiger fell behind Phil Mickelson on the highest-paid athlete’s endorsement money list.

The hottest property for endorsement dollars on a world stage is now Rory McIlroy. The No. 1 golfer in the world has won six titles including two majors and over $13 million on the PGA Tour. Rory also won another $3 million on the European Tour plus bonus money from both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai.

Rory’s current endorsement contract with Titleist ends at the end of this year. It has been rumored that Nike is actively seeking to add McIlroy to its impressive stable of athletes. The Guardian has reported that McIlroy is close to signing a 10-year $250 million endorsement deal with Nike.

Could we see new best buddies Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods both sporting the Nike Swoosh when they tee it up for the first time in 2013 in Abu Dhabi?

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Fred Altvater, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 at 3:09 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9, The Back Nine.
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While Turkey and Syria lob bombs at each other, eight of the world’s top golfers will lob golf balls on the Antalya Golf Club.

Located along the Mediterranean Coast, Antalya, Turkey, is approximately 250 miles west of the Turkey/Syria border area that has been the site of some recent rather nasty problems between the two countries.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Lee Westwood, Webb Simpson, Charl Schwartzel and Justin Rose will play the Pasha Course at Antalya in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Finals and split a $5.2 million purse. Last place pays $300,000.

Turkish Airlines is trying to draw attention to the resort vacation possibilities and mild climates in that part of the world — so much so they have been willing to put up the big purse to hopefully attract more passengers.

The Turkish Airlines World Golf Finals, which teed off Oct. 9, is not sanctioned by any world golf tour. The PGA and the European Tours had to grant these stars releases to play in this event. That brings up some interesting dilemmas for the tours.

The Frys.com Open is scheduled to be played this week in northern California. Frys has made a huge commitment to the PGA Tour and promises to do even more in the future.

Last year the Frys.com was blessed with “El Tigre” himself. It received a huge boost to the ratings and ticket sales for that event. This year they find themselves competing for newsprint and airtime against a big money exhibition from Turkey.

The European Tour is also holding the Portugal Masters this week and they would dearly love to have Rose, Westwood, Schwartzel or McIlroy at their event.

This also raises the old question of “appearance fees” for PGA Tour events.  Can lesser golf tournaments continue to prosper if big-name golfers shun their events for lucrative no-cut, huge purse events?

Golfers are independent contractors and are able to play wherever and whenever they wish. The last three months of the PGA schedule was very demanding for the top players in the world. Beginning with the Open Championship in July, the top golfers participated in two majors, four FedEx Cup Playoff events and the Ryder Cup.

Even if the PGA or European Tours had denied the requested releases to play in the Turkish event, these eight players would not have played in either the Frys.com or the Portugal Masters.

It does, however, highlight the problem that the various sanctioned tours around the globe face today as the top players receive many offers to play for huge amounts of money all around the world.

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Tags: Antalya Golf Club, Charl Schwartzel, Fred Altvater, Frys.com Open, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar, Rory McIlroy, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, Turkish Airlines World Golf Finals, Webb Simpson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9, The Back Nine.
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