EUROPEAN MASTERS:FOR LEE Westwood it was water-skiing, for Darren Clarke it was fishing and for Rory McIlroy it was watching girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki play tennis and treatment on his injured arm.
But now it is back to business after their post-USPGA Championship time off – and Ryder Cup business into the bargain.
The trio return to action at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland – the first event in the year-long race for places in Jose Maria Olazabal’s side.
Having left Wozniacki to continue her bid for what he already has – a US Open title – McIlroy resumes his attempt to achieve what she already has – the world number one spot.
Luke Donald has put that out of reach for the time being, but the 22-year-old Northern Irishman wants to start moving in the right direction again after slipping from third to sixth since his victory in Washington.
“I think if I win I can get back up to third, so that’s a nice little goal for me,” said McIlroy, who like Westwood and Clarke is also playing next week’s KLM Open in the Netherlands, but will not be playing for Britain and Ireland at the Vivendi Seve Trophy in Paris in a fortnight.
New cup captain Olazabal had wanted as many of his big names as possible to appear in the match – not just to see them in action, but to honour the memory of event founder Seve Ballesteros in the year of his death.
But McIlroy said yesterday he has commitments with his sponsors and also wants some time at home before embarking on 12 weeks of travel. “I want to try to get two weeks at home and do a few things before I head off on that big run,” he said yesterday.
McIlroy has needed the last two weeks off after playing that shot – that “stupid” shot, as he now admits himself – against a tree root at the USPGA Championship.
“The wrist is fine and the elbow’s nothing really, but going up into the shoulder there’s a little bit of sensation,” McIlroy told European Tour radio yesterday. “I hit balls three times last week and it was about as much as could do, but I’m ready to go.”
Westwood flew to Barbados after the disappointment of seeing the USPGA slip away.
The world number two’s eighth place in Atlanta was his seventh top-10 in his last 10 tournaments, but he now has to wait until next April for his next chance to break his major duck.
“There’s still a lot of big tournaments coming up,” said Westwood. “I know Luke’s a long way in front in the Race to Dubai, but we should try to put the pressure on.”
The 38-year-old trails Donald by over €2 million – and it would still be over €1.13 million even if he won over the next two weeks.
Clarke hopes to start afresh at Crans-sur-Sierre after two weeks in America when the “whirlwind” that followed his British Open victory caught up with him. “I was done – I had no concentration,” he said of finishing 68th out of 76th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and then missing the cut in the final major of the season.
McIlroy partners defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez and young Korean Noh Seung-yul in the first two rounds, while Westwood is with Swede Alex Noren and Thai Thongchai Jaidee and Clarke with 18-year-old Matteo Manassero and recent winner Oliver Fisher. German Martin Kaymer, down to fifth in the rankings from top in May, is also in the field.
Shane Lowry, Michael Hoey, Peter Lawrie and Gareth Maybin complete an impressive list of Irish players taking part.
THE LOWDOWN
Course: Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland.
Length: 6,822 yards. Par: 71.
Prize money: €2 million (€333,330 to the winner)
Field: 156.
Defending champion: Miguel Angel Jiminez (21 under par)
The layout: Crans is a short track. Three par fours (5th, 6th, and 7th) are under 339 yards. However, the 4th (503yds par 4), 9th (629yds par 5) and 16th (235yds par 3) will provide stiffer challenges.
Type of player suited to challenge: An accurate hitter with good course management although the big drivers will love the short par fours.
On TV: Sky Sports 1 from 10am.
Weather forecast: Saturday will be nice but the forecast for the other three days is unsettled with afternoon thunderstorms possible.
