Tuesday 19 May 2015 19:14, UK
Robert Lee reflects on two impressive winners in Spain and Carolina last week, and predicts a tough week for the field at Wentworth if Rory McIlroy continues his golden run.
While Rory McIlroy was cementing his place at the top of the world rankings with a dominant victory in the Wells Fargo Championship, I was in Barcelona watching a European Tour field battling to avoid being blown away by the elements.
Conditions were very tough at the Real Club de Golf El Prat, but James Morrison coped better than his rivals and emerged as the Open de Espana champion by an impressive four-shot margin.
I thought 10 under par was a very good score for the week on a difficult course with raised greens which got firmer and faster over the week due to the strong breeze and a week of sunshine. There were also some really tricky pins, and it was very far from straightforward.
Morrison's performance in the last round, not dropping a shot when he was tied for the lead, was absolutely brilliant. If there was a template for how to play when you're at the top of the leaderboard, that would be it.
He went for his shots, he wasn't afraid to use his driver and he was fully committed to his round. He and David Howell had a little buffer over the field after 54 holes, but David didn't have his best stuff on the front nine unfortunately.
Morrison just kept going and didn't back off, while Howell looked a little loose on Sunday. He said he felt comfortable, but his game just wasn't there and golf can be like that sometimes. But at least David was very professional. When he realised his chance to win had gone, he knuckled down and was determined to finish as high as he could, and he did well to finish tied for second.
Amazing Jimenez
As usual, we also had plenty of moments to savour from the amazing Miguel Angel Jimenez, who was the defending champion at 51 years of age. He thrilled his home fans with a hole-in-one on Friday, and he danced again when he holed his second to the fifth on Sunday.
Miguel remains loved and adored by everyone watching him, and he was a joy. And closing with a 67 to finish in a share of second was another superb performance from the veteran.
As for Sergio Garcia, he flew to his homeland after losing out in a play-off at the Players Championship, and he looked jaded. I thought he wasn't going to make the cut, but the wind picked up for the later starters on Friday afternoon and he got in by a shot in the end.
He had a great run through the field on Saturday with a best-of-the-day 67 and gave himself a chance. It would have been tough to win from two under, but I thought he might have scared the leaders. Unfortunately, he just didn't have it on Sunday.
From a betting perspective, it's getting to the stage where you have Rory or you have the field. We haven't seen that since Tiger was at the top of the game.
But one man who certainly did have his game last week was McIlroy, who destroyed a top-class field in clinical fashion in Charlotte. Rory just keeps surpassing expectations - he won the Match Play, had a top 10 at the Players, and then he wins by a street at Quail Hollow.
This week, he's the defending champion at Wentworth, and we can expect the very best from him again. He is very much the man to beat and, from a betting perspective, it's getting to the stage where you have Rory or you have the field. We haven't seen that since Tiger was at the top of the game.
Magnificent McIlroy
Rory's dominance, when you consider the quality of the competition, is remarkable. In his 61 on Saturday, the longest putt he holed was from 13 feet. And look at the way he obliterated the 508-yard par-four 16th on Sunday, reducing the toughest hole on the course to a 364-yard drive and a gap wedge to a foot for a tap-in birdie.
He's playing a game that nobody can match at the moment. I've been saying for a while that if he putts well, he'll win by eight shots. He won by seven at Quail Hollow, and it was fantastic to watch.
McIlroy is the clear favourite as our attention turns to the European Tour's flagship event, and the rest of the field could be playing for second if he hits top form again.
So who else can contend at headquarters? James Morrison will arrive full of confidence after his win in Spain, and he's got previous at Wentworth, having led at the halfway stage in 2012 after a second-round 64.
Francesco Molinari is in good form and also played well in Spain, and what about Miguel? He's a former BMW PGA champion, and finished second last week. I also liked the look of Gregory Havret last week, his ball-striking looked very impressive.
And David Howell has been knocking on the door for a few weeks now. He's a very tidy player, and that's what you need here. One look at the list of former champions reveals that you don't have to be a power hitter at Wentworth, you just have to manage your game around there.
But having said that, it's all about beating a super-confident Rory McIlroy this week.
And in the evenings from Thursday onwards, we'll be showing live coverage of another classic course with a strong field contesting the Crowne Plaza Invitational at the Colonial Country Club.
It's an old-fashioned course, not very long by modern standards and you have to be super accurate. Recent winners include the likes of Boo Weekley and Zach Johnson, and it's a layout suited to players who make the least mistakes rather than the most birdies.
Colonial is a clever design that has stood the test of time, and you can build fear and trepidation into a golf course without the need for sheer length. You can set a course up to reward accuracy over length, it doesn’t have to be 7,800 yards long.
ROBERT'S SKY BET TIPS:
It's easy just to say Rory McIlroy for the BMW PGA Championship, but at 3/1 there's not much value there. So I'll go for Gregory Havret. His ball-striking was tremendous last week, and if he putts well at Wentworth, he could have a chance.
And at Colonial, it's hard to look past Jordan Spieth. He loves playing in his native Texas and, having not performed to the level he was at a month ago, he'll be super keen to win in front of his home fans.
