CADDIE'S ROLE:HEATHROW AIRPORT early Sunday afternoon last at terminal five saw a gathering of Europe's finest golfers, their managers, a physio and some of their caddies assemble at gate B35 for the transatlantic flight to Phoenix, Arizona. We had all drifted into the south-east of England to catch the most direct and convenient flight to Phoenix and then continue the last 70 miles of the trip by land to Marana, between Tuscon and Phoenix.
It is interesting in a life of travel in order to work that you can get such a sense of familiarity no matter where you are and how far you are travelling.
We all lingered around the gate chatting about our past week at our homes dispersed around Europe and the event ahead in America.
It is a travelling circus in professional golf where the camaraderie of the tour is some compensation for having to leave home so often.
Miguel Angel Jimenez had flown with Alvaro Quiros from the south of Spain, some of us came in from Ireland and others from northern England. It is the up side and down side of becoming a successful world golfer that in order to compete in these World events you have to clock up some serious air miles. All but one of the four World events are in the well-established golf world of America and the final one in the brave new world of Asian golf, China.
The format of the Accenture World Golf Championship is matchplay, which adds elements of both intrigue and uncertainty for the players.
With the highest seeded golfer playing the lowest seed, the 64 contenders are presented with the rare challenge of 18 holes matchplay. Over 18 holes, even golf at this high level is a little less predicable. So it is fair to say the underdogs have a better chance to knock the top players from their lofty perches than they would over four rounds of stroke play.
There is no doubt, as the Ryder Cup has shown, there can be upsets with players of this calibre over 18 holes. So for young players, such as my man, Alexander Noren, who is playing for the first time in America as a professional on the USPGA Tour, it is a wonderful opportunity to pit himself against the best in an arguably less intense environment.
Having played in the States for the successful and highly-rated Oklahoma State University Alex is used to the American way of life and in particular their way of golfing. But, of course, the stakes are different when it comes to playing for yourself as a professional.
He had his first taste of team matchplay in the Royal Trophy in Thailand earlier in the year where he joined Robert Karlsson as a foursomes and fourball partner, under the tutelage of the European team captain, the wily match-player Colin Montgomerie.
I know Alex has picked up some vital matchplay tips from the two veterans of the European Tour. Hopefully, he will wield his matchplay savvy through the cacti of the Arizona desert
He is drawn to play against last year’s winner of this event, the former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. Ogilvy’s statistics for his victory last year refute the often mistaken belief that the players who win hit loads of fairways and greens. More importantly when he missed the greens he got up and down a huge percentage of the time.
Ten-foot putts both halve and win holes in matchplay, but more importantly, demoralise your opponent. So the key then in this format is to hang in there and chip and putt your opposition back on to an early flight home.
I know Alex is excited about his maiden professional outing in America. He decided to travel to the States early so he can give himself the best possible chance in a very tough opening game.
Given his position as 57th in the world rankings there is the added incentive to get inside the top 50 in the world and gain more exemptions to play in the bigger events on the US Tour. It is one of those unique events that can catapult a lesser player into a bigger arena.
Of course later in the year Alex is guaranteed starts in the Bridgestone event in Akron from his win in Switzerland last year and will more than likely get into the PGA after it. It is a great opportunity for a European golfer to get on to the US Tour through the back door of the world rankings.
Of course it is what he has spent so much of his adult life practising for. So now he has the chance, I know he will enjoy the challenge and certainly I am relishing the prospect of his progression to the next level of his professional career amongst the saguaro cacti in the barren looking state of Arizona.
The down side of the matchplay is a first round defeat and an early arrival back at Heathrow’s terminal five next Thursday and the shortest week ever on tour. There are unlikely to be so many familiar faces at the other end of a bleary return flight as there were last Sunday at gate B35. Not even Tiger’s face beaming down anymore from the ubiquitous Accenture advertisements in the airport. I noticed he has been replaced by a frog.
