European Tour Choose Short Cut

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The stars of The European Tour got all their leg work done ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship as they were allowed to wear shorts during practice days and pro-ams for the first time following a new initiative which Chief Executive Keith Pelley believes will help “modernise the game”.

Among the players making the most of the new initiative on the eve of the opening tournament of the Desert Swing were Ian Poulter, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Chris Wood as they sported their knee-lengths.

European Tour Chief Executive Pelley heralded the development as a positive step towards modernising the game and bringing a youthful, fun element to tournaments.

“The players have embraced it,” he said. “Shorts are a natural evolution to help modernise the game. It puts our players first and our fans first as well. The fashion of golf is something that the youth adopt. We will have strong rules, but there will be some fashion statements, and it’s a great start.”

Rory McIlroy also spoke positively about the move, saying: “I like it. I think it's a good idea to let guys wear shorts in practise rounds. I probably just need a couple more weeks in the sun to get my legs out in public! I think all the guys enjoy wearing shorts, especially in practise, and especially if it gets hot, I think it's a good idea.”

Jordan Spieth, playing the first regular European Tour event of his professional career and on his first visit to the Abu Dhabi, said: “I think it's awesome. I think it will be something that I would love to see on the (US) PGA Tour, as well. 

“Guys seem to all love it over here. And most of the guys that are really talking highly of it are the older guys oddly enough. Yeah, I think it's a great move.”

Many players took to social media today to support the news.

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Tiger Not Yet Out of Woods

Tiger Woods has revealed there is "no timetable" for his return to golf as he recovers from his third back operation in a little over 18 months.

Speaking ahead of this week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where he is the tournament host, Woods announced that he had yet to begin his rehabilitation from his latest procedure.

The 14-time major champion, who has slumped to 400th in the world rankings, underwent surgery in mid-September to remove a fragment in his back that was pinching a nerve, and he admitted afterwards that he expected his recovery to be "long and tedious".

But after complaining of discomfort, Woods was forced to go back under the knife at the end of October, a follow-up procedure he admitted was "a surprise".

At the pre-tournament press conference at Albany Golf Club, Woods cut a solemn figure when he was asked by reporters when he was likely to make his return.

"Therein lies the tough question and tough answer," said Woods, who turns 40 at the end of this month. "I don't have an answer for that. Neither does my surgeon, or my physios. There is no timetable. That's the hardest part for me - there's nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards."

"Where is the light at the end of tunnel? I don't know. It's different from the other surgeries I've had in the past. For nerves there are really no timetables. It's literally just taking it day by day, week by week, time by time."

Woods also revealed he had not hit a golf ball since attempting "a left-handed chip, two months ago", and his current physical activities are restricted to walking.

"I've had three surgeries on the same spot and I haven't started any type of rehab," he added. "I walk, I walk, and I walk some more - that's it. I really miss being able to play soccer with my kids. I can toss the ball but I cannot bend over. I can't do anything athletic. I am really good at playing video games, that's how I pass a lot of my time."

Woods continued to paint a bleak picture of his future when he reflected on his glittering professional career, which has yielded 14 majors and 79 victories on the PGA Tour - second on the all-time list and just three behind Sam Snead's haul of 82.

"For my 20 years out here I achieved a lot, but everything beyond this is gravy," he said. "I've passed Jack on the all-time win list and I'm just shy of Sam. I passed Sam basically a decade ago in major championships, but I'm still shy of Jack's. I've had a pretty good career in my 20s and 30s.

"If that's all it entails then I've had a pretty good run. But I'm hoping that's not it. I'm hoping I can get out here and compete against these guys. I really do miss it."

Current world No 1 Jordan Spieth heads an elite 18-player field, which Woods described as "the best field we've ever had", while major winners Justin Rose, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and reigning Open champion Zach Johnson are also playing.

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Jones and Spieth in Final Duel

Matt Jones is relishing a final-round duel for the Stonehaven Cup with world No1 and defending champion Jordan Spieth after retaining control of the Australian Open. Not even a blistering back-nine charge from Spieth, highlighted by a spectacular eight-iron hole-out from 165 metres for an eagle two on the 17th, was enough to knock Jones off his perch on Saturday.

After a horror start in which he dropped three shots in the first four holes, Spieth blitzed his last 10 holes in seven under par to fire a day’s-best 67 to move to seven under for the championship. But Jones, a lifelong member of The Australian Golf Club, finished with his own flurry with back-to-back birdies in a 68 to surge to 10 under.

The two US PGA stars will go head-to-head in the final pairing but Jones vowed not to get bogged down in any Sunday shootout with the reigning Masters and US Open champion. “It’s not match play at all. It’s me sticking to a game plan, managing the course and just giving myself opportunities,” Jones said. “If I go out and shoot two or three under tomorrow, I’m going to be very tough to beat. So it’s in my hands.”

Spieth acknowledged as much but said ominously that he was peaking for the final round and would draw confidence from his course-record 63 he shot last year to run away with the Stonehaven Cup. “If he shoots something amazing like last year and beats me, that’s what I’ll have to deal with,” Jones said. “I’m very comfortable with where I am and I’m looking forward to it.”

"I’m just happy to be in the final group and leading the tournament with a chance to win. There’s no better player to beat on the final day and to have him in the group and to go up against the world No1 is going to be a lot of fun.”

Bidding to become the first international player since the legendary Jack Nicklaus in 1976 to win back-to-back Open crowns, Spieth at one point trailed Jones by eight shots before setting up what shapes as a grandstand finish to the 100th Open. Rhein Gibson (68) is five shots off the lead in outright third with Lincoln Tighe (70) and Aron Price (70) six back in equal fourth.

Former champion Geoff Ogilvy (71) is at three under, while Adam Scott is all but out of contention despite carding a 68 on Saturday. Scott eagled the last hole to join Brett Rumford (69), Northern Irishman Darren Clarke (70) and Todd Sinnott (74) at one under and among just 10 players in red figures.

Victorian Anthony Brown provided an early third-round highlight with a hole in one. His beautifully struck five iron on the 198-metre second hole lit up the Open on an otherwise gloomy morning at The Australian. But the 33-year-old’s sixth ace of his career failed to ignite his round as he finished with a three-over 74 to be seven over for the championship, a distant 17 shots behind Jones.

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Good Day for No 1 Jason

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Jason Day will return to world No1 on Monday from the comfort of his couch in Ohio as he awaits the birth of his second child.

Day, who first went to No1 after winning the BMW Championship last month, but lost the mantle a week later after Jordan Spieth won the Tour Championship, will benefit from his phenomenal finish to the year.

While neither Day nor Spieth have played in a world ranking points-earning event since the Tour Championship, the Queenslander’s late year charge, where he won the Canadian Open, his first major at the PGA Championship and two US PGA tour playoff events in six starts sees his average usurp the Texan.

“It was a tough week for me but I ground it out around the house,” Day joked. “But in all seriousness while it is a little strange to get it this way it is just proof that the hard work we put in as a team this year paid off and at the end of the day every week at the top counts and is exciting.

“I know things will likely change again as I continue my off-season so I know I need to get back at it and work even harder than last year to make it easier to be at No1 into the future.”

Day is the third Australian, and the youngest, to be world No1 along with Greg Norman (331 total weeks) and Adam Scott (11 weeks).

With Day out of action until Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in early December, Spieth will have chances to get the spot back, as will No3 Rory McIlroy, over the next six weeks.

McIlroy is currently playing the season opener in California but cannot earn enough points to move higher than his current ranking, even with a victory.

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