The Loop

Are hard, fast courses a weakness for Rory McIlroy? Nonsense, Ryder Cup captain says

May 27, 2015

Stories of interest you might have missed…

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said that Rory McIlroy has nothing to prove at the Irish Open this week, "even if McIlroy's game has led to some debate over his perceived weaknesses on hard and fast tracks," Brian Keogh of the Irish Golf Desk writes. "He's only in his early 20s and he's still got a lot to achieve and different conditions to get better at,' McGinley said. But as far as I am concerned he's way ahead of schedule, that's for sure. It's easy to be critical. Debate? There is no debate. He is comfortably the No 1 player in the world.'"

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"Jordan Spieth and his caddie, Michael Greller…compete at table tennis. Cards. Pool. Fishing. They have impromptu putting and chipping contests," Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes in this story on the Spieth-Greller pairing. "In most other respects Spieth and Greller are pro golf's odd couple, but they've channeled their competitive natures into Spieth becoming the world's No. 2-ranked golfer. I think one reason we hit it off so well is I don't back down from him at all," Greller said. "I don't care that he's Jordan Spieth. To me he's the same guy I met four years ago. I want to stick it to him so he doesn't stick it to me.'"


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Even if Stacy Lewis seemed as though she needed no help when she turned pro, she found invaluable advice from the likes of Betsy King, Beth Daniel, Meg Mallon and Nancy Lopez, Joe Juliano writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Betsy was the reason I went to Africa [for charity] and she helped me kind of find a purpose to what I do," Lewis said. "Beth and Meg and Nancy, they've helped me on the golf course and dealing with everything. Nancy gets what it's like to be that top American to have the spotlight and Beth does, too."


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The AT&T Byron Nelson is a home game for Hunter Mahan, who won't have a home-course or home-crowd advantage, Bill Nichols writes in the Dallas Morning News. "Mahan criticized the TPC after deciding to skip the event in 2011…Mahan's return is not a public apology. Although he regrets publicly voicing his criticisms, he still stands by his words. I feel bad; you learn a lot through your experience of how you look at things and how other people look at things,' he said. I wish I didn't say things in the media like I did, but there are no emotional ties. I just want to play better. I just want to go there and play well and have a good week.'"