On Top Of The World

Every year, the World Cup of golf is an event that has to prove itself. Unaided by some of the world's top players giving it the cold shoulder (no offence to Nick Watney and John Merrick, but they're not quite top of the US tree), there is a tendency to take this tournament less seriously than it deserves. This year, once again, it showed itself to be the great event that it is.

Having said that the top players don't always play, there was no lack of talent this year. McIlroy and McDowell, Karlsson and Stenson, Poulter and Fisher, Garcia and Castano....not a line up to be sniffed at. Of course, no one believes me now when I said I tipped the Italians at the beginning of the week (but I did). Both have shown themselves to be excellent players in the last few years - Francesco winning his home Open in 2006, while Edoardo picked up 3 Challenge Tour titles this season on his way to topping the rankings. Obviously the connection between them is very strong, and they've played a lot of golf together, but I really expected team golf to suit them. Francesco played superb golf in the Vivendi Trophy earlier this autumn, and all this week their excitement and passion was more visible than any other team's.

They've got a lot to do to make it into the running for next year's Ryder Cup, but Colin Montgomerie must be rubbing his hands in glee as he sees another European pairing bringing home the bacon.

They both showed a lot of bottle in the last round. While Ireland and Sweden had their struggles around the turn and early on the back nine, the Italians made their move. Three straight birdies gave them the lead, and they held on to it firmly. In any sport, there's a point in the race/match/etc where the champion ups the pace. Whether it's Haile Gebrselassie, Roger Federer, or Michael Schumacher - they sense the time is right to move up a gear and take advantage. The Molinari brothers showed their nerve in spades on the final hole. A fantastic drive from Francesco still left Edoardo with a hugely intimidating shot, and a slight push put them in trouble in the right-hand bunker. Francesco splashed out to 3 feet, and big brother held his nerve to roll it in, before leaping into the air in true Italian delight. The pressure on that bunker shot was huge, not helped by a gigantic lake behind and the Irish and Swedes breathing down their necks. Each brother played a great last shot on that hole, and next time they're in the running on Sunday afternoon, whether together or on their own, that's what will stand to them.

Ireland and Sweden. Favourites coming into the week, they'll both be remembering missed opportunities, not least at the final hole. Henrik Stenson lipped out from 40 feet to fall one shot short, before Graeme McDowell left his putt from 30 feet an agonising few inches short.

In reality, however, they failed to take their chances earlier in the round, and allowed the Italians to build a lead. 3 bogeys cost Ireland dearly, especially a miss from short range by McIlroy. The Swedes on the other hand just didn't convert birdie chances when they had them.

But to the positives. Rory and G-Mac have sold themselves as a guaranteed team for Celtic Manor in 2010, and Karlsson and Stenson are in the same boat. Karlsson has had a difficult year, battling eye injury for much of the early season and not replicating his Order of Merit-winning form of 2008. He showed good form in Japan last week to finish second (to Edoardo Molinari, ironically) and there can be no doubt that the big man is back for next year.

That finishes up 2009 for the European golfers. 2010 will begin early as always, specifically on 10th December 2009. This season has given us so many remarkable moments, whether it was Rory McIlroy hanging on in Dubai for his maiden title, Angel Cabrera snatching the Masters from the jaws of defeat, Tom Watson living a dream for a week in July, Harrington and Tiger battling through August. It's been a hell of a year, but we couldn't have asked for a better end. The Molinaris have stamped their names on world golf, and they're not going anywhere.

I'll see you next season.

Our Race Is Run

And so it ends.

The inaugural Race to Dubai has run its course, been an unmitigated success, and been won by a worthy winner. Like the FedEx Cup in years before, fears of an anti-climactic final week were rife, but the Dubai World Championship proved to be all it should be and more. Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy went toe-to-toe, until the last 27 holes at least, and the better man won.

No one can deny Westwood this triumph. European No. 1 in 2000, he has come on so much since then. He won six times that year, but he looks altogether more the finished article today.

Westwood had some very tough times in the intervening years; before he got his game back on track a few years ago, he fell out of the world's top 250 players, disappeared of the radar, and apparently considered hanging up his clubs. Let's be thankful he didn't.

Back to his career-highest 4th in the world rankings, he played the golf of his life in Dubai last weekend, shooting 66-64 to take the tournament by six strokes. On Sunday he played simply beautiful golf; his long game is always excellent; on Sunday, he holed everything as well.

His vanquished foes have nothing to be ashamed of. Harrington and McIlroy will look back at costly shots on the closing holes in several rounds, but the fact was that Lee was unbeatable this week.

Nor was he a man to win the Race with a few big money weeks. Like Robert Karlsson last year, it was a year of consistency. Westwood had just two wins, but 13 top-10s this year out of 26 tournaments - not a bad stat - including ties for 3rd in both the Open (where it could have been so much more) and the US PGA. He looks set to take on any challenge now, and I'm confident he'll have a major within the next two years.

Rory McIlroy will no doubt be disappointed not to finish as Number 1, but for him to do what he has done in his second year on Tour is nothing short of immense. He got off to a great start in the Race last November, and kept it going all year long, including winning in Dubai early in 2009, and notching up some big results in the majors and WGCs along the way.

He stills sees everything as a learning experience, and the other guys on Tour must be pretty worried about what he's still learning. His game has matured since that wonderful Open in 2007, and he's held his composure through tricky tests all season.

I'm not going to predict when his first major crown will come (not too far away though), but there's no doubt that he'll win more than once next season.

He's planning on playing both sides of the pond next season, which requires a lot of golf, and I hope he hasn't made the move to the States too soon. Time will tell.

Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer were the other two men in with a chance of winning the Race to Dubai, but neither of them really stayed in the mix as the week progressed. Like McIlroy however, they're still young men, and their hour will come.

Ross McGowan continued his excellent season to finish six strokes behind Westwood (no mean feat this week), and has given himself a healthy start towards a maiden Ryder Cup appearance. But that's another blog....

Padraig Harrington may not have been in with a shout of the money list title this year, but he certainly showed the world that his game is well and truly back on track, after months of tinkering with his swing. He won't be happy finishing the year without a win, but he knows that this year was about setting up a platform for the future, and he's done that alright. Those majors have only whetted his appetite, and he looks keen to take on Tiger for every prize in the game now.

One season ends and another begins. There's seldom a week without golf of some sort or another. The Race to Dubai is won, Westwood has his glory. It's all about to start again though, another 50-tournament run to see who'll do it in Dubai this time next year. There's a lot in between now and then - majors, WGCs, the Ryder Cup.....

So let's just sit back, relax, and let them entertain us.