Honda Classic: Rory can learn from humble Hunter

General / Ralph Ellis / 28 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

McIlroy congratulates Mahan at the Accenture

"McIlroy shares the top of the early market for the Masters with Woods and will be burning to erase the memory of last year’s final day meltdown."

Rory McIlroy's talent has never been in doubt but the Irishman shouldn't take success for granted, says Ralph Ellis ahead of this weekend's Honda Classic.

Between confidence and arrogance there's a very fine line. Believing in yourself is good. In fact for a sportsman it's essential. Go that bit further, however, and danger lurks.

I thought that on Saturday night, listening to Roy Hodgson telling a press conference, after his West Bromwich Albion team had beaten Sunderland, that he didn't need to answer questions about relegation any more. Brave when they are still on just 32 points.

But that was almost humble compared to Rory McIlroy after he'd lost the Accenture Match Play final to Hunter Mahan, and with it the chance to take over as world number one. "Getting to the top of the rankings is hopefully inevitable," he said.

If only life, and sport, was so simple. The talent isn't in doubt: a sublime swing, a feathery touch around the greens, a steady putting stroke. It seems every ingredient of greatness is there. But if he thinks he can just wait for the wins to follow then he and his fans might just be in for a disappointment.

The undeniable fact is that in 37 career PGA Tour starts now, McIlory has just two wins. It means that while you can happily back him at [2.7] for a top five finish for this week's Honda Classic, the [9.4] for him to be the winner is a different matter.

At the moment there's still a soft underbelly to his performances. He showed true grit in knocking out his big rival Lee Westwood, but then didn't have the mental steel to see off Mahan, whose previous biggest claim to worldwide fame was breaking down in tears when he'd lost the crucial last singles at Celtic Manor in the 2010 Ryder Cup.

It may be unkind making comparisons to a young Tiger Woods, but if McIlory believes he should be judged by those sort of standards then it probably has to be done. And I can't remember the early Tiger coming up with anything resembling Rory's seventh and eighth holes against Mahan, when the Irishman made double bogey from the middle of the fairway and then couldn't take advantage of Hunter's three-putt.

McIlroy shares the top of the early market for the Masters with Woods and will doubtless be burning to erase the memory of last year's final day meltdown. But to do that he still has to find what the football people call a "winning mentality." Since his injury scare at the PGA Championship last year he's finished out of the top ten just once in 11 tournaments, but finished first only in an unofficial event in Shanghai and the Hong Kong Open.

Getting to the top might well happen. But until McIlroy finds the mean streak that turns nearly-winning into winning, it's anything but inevitable.

Five things you might not know about Hunter Mahan

1. Born May 1982 in Orange, California, his dad Monte worked undercover in the drug squad for the LAPD. The family moved to Texas when he took early retirement because he'd been beaten up in a fight with a suspect.

2. Hunter's into fashion because mum Cindy was a buyer at the Nordstrom department store in Dallas and used her company discount to buy her son's clothes. When he was ten he had 20 pairs of shoes, all with matching outfits.

3. His wife Kandi (they married last year at Piazza in the Village, Dallas) is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

4. He teamed up with other golfers Ben Crane, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler last year to make a "boy band" pop video for charity. Check it out on YouTube.

5. His hobby is restoring classic cars. He currently drives a 2007 Bentley, but has been working on a 1969 Chevrolet Nova truck to prepare for shows.

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Premier League Talking Point: Why Fergie still has lots to learn about tact

Premier League / Richard Aikman / 06 March 2011 / Leave a Comment

A law unto himself?

"Ferguson clearly feels that he can bring his own pressure to bear on the appointment of referees by speaking out."

Sir Alex is up to his old tricks - lambasting referees in order to divert attention from his team, trying to influence officials and shunning the media - but Richard Aikman wants to know if the powers will stand up to the Manchester United manager or do sweet FA...

We all know that football managers are biased. They will inevitably view the performances of match officials through one eye, because their livelihood can hinge on the decision of the men in black, or green or whatever colour it is they wear these days.

They certainly don't wear red. Not as far as Arsene Wenger is concerned anyway. The Arsenal manager labeled Anthony Taylor's decision to rule out Andrey Arshavin's goal for a non-existent offside on Saturday as "disgusting" and "disappointing" but at least he had the good grace to say, "What can we do about it? We must take it on the chin". As a result of that decision - and Arsenal's poor finishing - the Gunners are now three points behind Manchester United and out to [3.8] form [2.72] to win the title.

Blackburn boss Steve Kean was also restrained - unlike his players - when discussing the contentious late penalty that condemned his side to a 3-2 defeat at Fulham, admitting that "technically, he [referee Mark Clattenburg] is probably right that there was a bit of contact. But if that happens you would have to give ten penalties a match." As a result of that decision - and Rovers' bad defending - Blackburn are now just two points above the relegation zone and [4.8] to go down. Kean's response was disgruntled, but dignified.

Sir Alex Ferguson, on the other hand has shown no such tact. He is up on his latest FA charge for questioning the integrity of referee Martin Atkinson, after he awarded Chelsea a soft penalty against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and sent off Nemanja Vidic for repetitive fouling. "You hope you get a strong referee in games like this," said Ferguson. "It was a major game for both clubs. You want a fair referee - or a strong referee, anyway - and we didn't get that. I don't know why he has got the game. I must say, when I saw who the referee was I did fear it. I feared the worst." As a result of Atkinson's display, and United's poor finishing, the Red Devils's odds lengthened to [1.78], though they are now [1.56] following Arsenal's stalemate with Sunderland.

The first thing to say about Ferguson's comments is that he contends that a match like Chelsea v United should be treated differently to any other match, which is a flagrant insult to other clubs. He also clearly feels that he can bring his own pressure to bear on the appointment of referees by speaking out.

Of course, the main reason behind Ferguson's comments was to divert attention away from his side's unexpected defeat - an age-old technique that has become his trademark. He feels that he can get away with it too because he has been slapped on the wrist so many times that he has become a law unto himself.

Ferguson had every right to be frustrated. David Luiz could have been dismissed for his foul on Wayne Rooney, but the 69-year-old's reaction to the foul was risible when you consider that Rooney should not have been playing in the first place after elbowing Wigan's James McCarthy the previous Saturday. The former Aberdeen manager even suggested the incident would result in the press "raising a campaign to get [Rooney] hung or electrocuted" - yet another example of Ferguson pressurising the notoriously weak FA into doing nothing about the incident.

So it will be interesting to see how the FA reacts to Ferguson's decision to appeal his charge for his Atkinson outburst. According to reports, the Scotsman has rejected legal advice to accept the charge - which would have resulted in a three-match touchline ban, starting with today's trip to Anfield. By doing so he could receive an extended suspension for repeat offending and wasting everyone's time.

But Ferguson knows that the FA is loath to alienate him and he has calculated that when the hearing takes place (probably 25 March) his side will have already played Liverpool, Arsenal (FA Cup) and Bolton anyway, by which time they might have built up enough leeway to cope with the absence of their magus from winable games against West Ham (a), Fulham (h), Newcastle (a) and Everton (h).

The next fixture in the calendar after that is Arsenal (h) in the league and it will be interesting to see whether or not the FA stands up to Ferguson by invoking its right to extend his punishment to a five-match ban.

With perfect timing Kenny Dalglish has waded into the debate. "It is impossible for officials not to make mistakes," he said. "But there is a respect campaign in football and I want to know whether we are going to be the only ones who adhere to it." In other words, are you going to act or do sweet FA?

It will be interesting to see what Ferguson does in the unlikely event that the FA does mete out a five-match ban. Maybe he'll refuse to talk to them. After all, he's not talking to the BBC and he's not talking to MUTV. He's probably not even talking to his wife at the moment. But then how will he exert any influence with the hairdryer turned off?

Sir Alex is up to his old tricks - lambasting referees in order to divert attention from his team, trying to influence officials and shunning the media - but Richard Aikman wants to know if the powers will stand up...

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