The Iceman cometh - Temper

Temper

"If I've played badly, of course I'm going to get angry with myself or frustrated. But I still think I'm pretty good at leaving it on the golf course."

Well maybe not that good. In September a fit of pique saw him not only smash the head off his driver at the BMW Championship, but also subsequently put his foot through a locker door on his return to the clubhouse. Coach Cowan believes his aggressive streak is a crucial part of his make-up, but feels it too can be worked on if Stenson is to go on and achieve his newly-redefined goals.

"He is one of my players that I have to have a strong word with now and again, and I give it to him straight," explains Cowan. "If he has one minor weakness it's his temper, his temper is still a fraction up, but I think that's a plus in a lot of cases because that gives him the strength to commit more and move harder at the ball."

So what of Stenson's objectives? Where does the 37-year-old go after a summer of such unprecedented success?

Henrik Stenson targets a major win in 2014

The Swede, like everyone who has witnessed his ball-striking mastery this season, concedes that a major championship would be the logical step, describing it as the "one thing missing".

With seven top-10s since 2008 Stenson is certainly no stranger to contending in the big four, but there now seems certain to be a different kind of pressure on him when he tees up in those tournaments in 2014.

But rather than let expectation weigh him down, Stenson is likely to relish the challenge his status brings following his trials and tribulations. Two summers ago, and with no invitation to the USPGA Championship, Stenson opted instead to enter a competition at his local course in Barseback with dad Ingemar on his bag... and finished second to a member.

Skip forward almost exactly 12 months and he would finish as runner-up again, only this time to slightly more acclaim as it came behind an inspired Phil Mickelson at Muirfield.

"When you're that close to winning a major championship and still feeling like you've got a spare gear when everything is working, then that's exciting," Stenson would comment that weekend in Scotland.

But if you thought the Swede had discovered that extra gear in completing his extraordinary transatlantic double, think again.

Ian Poulter embraces Stenson as he secures the Race to Dubai title and wins their now infamous side bet!

The bad news for Stenson's rivals comes from Cowan, who insists his pupil is still operating some way short of his full potential.

"I'd say his game's only at about 70 percent of where he wants it to be. A major's the only thing missing off his CV now he's done what he's done this year. He said to me he's got one in him so why shouldn't he win one?"

Very few, if any, in golf would bet against him... with the exception, maybe, of Ian Poulter.

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The Iceman cometh - Frustration

Frustration

His lack of physical fitness inevitably led to a downturn in results and the beginning of a vicious circle for a player who admits he is, at times, hamstrung by his own quest for perfection. 2011 yielded just a solitary top-10 finish and, as his ranking slid, his frustration levels grew.

After a season of underachievement, Stenson admits that the need for a couple of big results led him to adopt a short-term view that did him no favours.

"When I was out of form, I was chasing my tail a little bit, trying to find something that would work for the week all the time instead of looking at the bigger picture and having a bit more patience and calmness about it," he stated.

They are words that will undoubtedly resonate with many pros who are only too aware how quickly a loss of form can translate into a career-threatening spiral in a sport where the examples are numerous and seemingly never forgotten. Just ask Ian Baker-Finch, David Duval and Nick Dougherty amongst others.

An analysis of Henrik Stenson's swing

But Stenson insists his overriding emotion was not anxiety but frustration. While his slump may have been pronounced, he claims it held no fears having been in the grip of a downturn considerably more severe a decade earlier.

Having ostensibly introduced himself a one of the continent's rising young stars after winning the B&H International at the Belfry as a 25-year-old back in 2001, he would embark on a frankly disastrous run that saw him miss the cut in 35 of his next 64 events.

With the help of Cowan, he would come out the other side and insists the bad times ultimately taught him invaluable lessons in the long run.

"I had a lot of experience from going through a bad period back in '01 to '03, the slump before that I've been through mainly since 2011 season was nowhere near as I had it back then. I think when you've gone through a rough time once before, you kind of have the experience of that and it's not going to get you as bad. I think if I would have completely thought of giving up back in 2001, I wouldn't have been sitting here, because I was playing awful for quite a long time and had to dig deep to get out of that.

"It was more frustrating this time. Back then I was really, you know, lost and confused with my game and with my swing and everything. Now it's been more down to poor playing and the frustration of dealing with that. I've done enough good results to know I can play this game at a very high level and not to be able to be anywhere near that standard is, of course, is frustrating."

But while Stenson may have had faith he would emerge from the doldrums again, he still found himself in an increasingly uncomfortable predicament as poor result followed poor result.

And so in the spring in 2012 he decided it was time for a change of mindset. Gone was the weekly tweaking on the range and, after sitting down with his team, in came what he describes as a more "holistic" approach.

Importantly that team - of which caddie Gareth Lord was an important new feature - also included a familiar face that he had jettisoned a few years previously. Sports psychologist Torsten Hansson, (who numbers fellow Swede Peter Hanson amongst his clients), had worked with Stenson since his days as a teenager on the Swedish national team.

Stenson acknowledges he dispensed with Hansson's services as he looked for newer ideas with people he now describes perhaps not entirely flatteringly as "smarter". But having reached out to rekindle the relationship, he is in no doubt about the significance of the role his old mentor has played.

The Swede practices under the watchful gaze of his long-time coach Pete Cowan

"One of the important things that I felt with my coach, Torsten, when I won him back was that was that we put more of a long term, process orientated plan in place. If we need to work on the swing with Pete, for instance, let's give it two months or three months' work on it, and sooner or later, you get the rewards," he explained.

"That was a big, big part of things to give myself more time. And mentally on the course it's just down to patience and being decisive. When you're not playing great, you're not deciding how you're going to hit the ball, where it's going to start and all these things. And when you're playing well, you're crystal clear, okay, it's a 7 iron, it's going to start at that bunker and draw three yards, and you hit the shot. There's no magic involved, it's just doing the right things, really. We're not reinventing the wheel.

"He'd (Hansson) been my coach for 12 years or something, I think, and then I had a couple of years where I saw smarter people, and for a while I was on my own. No, it's good to have somebody to kind of bounce ideas with and someone that kind of keeps you on the right track, as well."

That last phrase is telling as for all that he is portrayed as a happy-go-lucky character, Stenson has a fiery temper and makes little secret of it.

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The Iceman cometh- Financial losses

Financial losses

The Swede's enormous financial losses following the collapse of one-time sponsor Allan Stanford's empire has been well-documented. They run into seven figures and, despite ongoing legal proceedings, it is unlikely he will ever receive recompense.

Interestingly, though, Stenson maintains to this day that economic catastrophe did not really impact on his form and points to his victory in the Players Championship just a few weeks after news of Stanford's downfall as proof.

"It's obviously not great for anyone to be part of the whole Stanford Financial thing. I mean, that's a private issue, and we'll see what the outcome is. I went out and won the biggest win of my career three months afterwards. Of course it's not fun or something you wish on anybody, but I wouldn't have that down as an issue for playing poorly, if I can win Sawgrass three months after that was revealed. I think that one is kind of done and dusted," he said back in September.

But that is not a view shared by those around him. For many who have been stung in financial scams, embarrassment is often one of the overriding emotions, and perhaps it is Stenson's pride kicking in when he dismisses the impact of that event. But coach long-time coach Pete Cowan takes a stridently different standpoint.

"He lost all that money in Stanford which everyone knows about," Cowan told Sky Sports recently. "In the mid-2000s his confidence went up as a result of his financial security so obviously it dips when the other thing goes. People say he won at TPC six months after, but he didn't think he was going to lose all his money, he thought he could get something back."

Whatever the true extent of the Stanford scandal on Stenson, there can be no denying the influence of another factor which, understandably, garnered considerably fewer column inches.

Stenson poses with both trophies after his win at the Tour Championship wrapped up the FedEx Cup crown

Injury is, of course, part and parcel of a sportsman's lot, but Stenson's problems were not ailments caused by physical wear and tear - such as the wrist complaint he has managed throughout his stellar run this summer.

Instead a bout of viral pneumonia in August 2010 precipitated a degenerative and damaging period of ill-health, the effects of which the powerful Swede believes he only truly shook off earlier this year.

"I finished third at the British Open in '10 and then straight after I picked up like a viral pneumonia or something like that," he explained. "I was very ill... I wasn't fully aware of (it), so I was really struggling. I was in and out of hospital at these tournaments back then, and it was a good six, eight weeks to come back from that because I kept on pushing myself in the heat and playing tournaments when I really should have been in bed.

"But then the other part of it, we went on vacation November '11, and I picked up a parasite, a waterborne parasite, and that kind of took a while before I figured that one out, as well. That was really hanging on all of spring '12, as well. It's been gradually getting better, but there's still been tiny little things even probably a year and a half, two years afterwards. You can still kind of feel sometimes that the system hasn't been 100 percent."

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The Iceman cometh

Mark Kendall investigates how Henrik Stenson went from losing his local club championship to the hottest player on the planet in a year

"There's no point walking around wishing for it. It's all about being focused and doing the right things, and hopefully that will come."

Having racked up around £12 million of prize money since the summer and risen to a career high of third in the world rankings, Henrik Stenson has undoubtedly been doing the right things over the past few months.

The Swede's form figures simply defy belief; since the Scottish Open back in mid-July he has garnered three wins, two second-placed and three-third placed finishes over the course of just 12 tournaments.

And this was not a stretch of run-of-the-mill events, Stenson was competing in elite-level fields on both sides of the Atlantic, culminating in him becoming the first man to win the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup play-off series and the European Tour's Race to Dubai.

It is a run of form that has seen the 37-year-old propelled into the conversation alongside the game's all-time greats. Luke Donald - who had his own golden summer as he rose to World No.1 in 2011 - put the Swede's performance in context when he commented: "Henrik's ball striking is as good as I've seen... and I include Tiger Woods in his prime."

Players pay tribute to Stenson's success

Renowned as one of the more affable and straight-talking characters in golf, Stenson was refreshingly honest in his assessment: "It has been a dream summer for me. I would be lying if I said I saw this coming."

Maybe he didn't see it coming, but his resurgence has been no fluke. The speed and magnitude of the rise may have taken both player and observers by surprise, but this has been no quick fix - something that Stenson has been at pains to point out to those looking for a simple answer to a complicated question.

An established presence in the upper echelons of the world's top 50, a consistent winner on the European Tour and a Ryder Cup regular, there was no sign of the travails that lay ahead for the Swede back at the start of 2009.

But the origins of a slump that saw him slide down outside the world's top 200 can be traced to events far removed from the golf course just a few weeks later.

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Graeme McDowell expects to play for Ireland at 2016 Olympic Games

Graeme McDowell has declared his intention to play for Ireland when golf makes its Olympic debut in the 2016 Rio Games.

The former US Open champion is again representing Ireland along with Shane Lowry at this week's World Cup of Golf in Melbourne.

Being from Northern Ireland entitles McDowell to have the option of playing for either Ireland or Great Britain in the Olympic Games.

But by-law two of rule 41 of the Olympic Charter states that if an athlete has represented a country in a tournament recognised by the relevant international federation, in this case the International Golf Federation (IGF), then three years must pass before they can represent another at an Olympic Games.

With McDowell playing for Ireland in Australia this week, he would then be committed to the country for the 2016 Games although his allegiance could be changed if agreed by the IGF, national Olympic committees and the International Olympic Committee Executive Board.

The 34-year-old, along with countryman Rory McIlroy, has always been coy on the subject of Olympic allegiance but McDowell hinted that the decision had now been made for him.

"It is a very touchy political and religious subject, one that myself and Rory have not really enjoyed answering questions about the last few years because it is very difficult to pick a side because you are going to end up upsetting someone from either side." 

Graeme McDowell

"I believe that me being here and representing Ireland will, with the Olympic regulations, mean that I will have to play for Ireland when it comes to the Olympics in 2016," McDowell told www.pgatour.com.

Touchy subject

"It is a very touchy political and religious subject, one that myself and Rory have not really enjoyed answering questions about the last few years because it is very difficult to pick a side because you are going to end up upsetting someone from either side.

"We grew up wanting to wear the green jacket and have the golf bag with the Ireland logo on it. The Golf Union of Ireland looks after all the players in Ireland and I have always enjoyed being part of that.

"When it comes to the Olympic discussion, that raises some questions as to who we play for.

"I was always very much trying to sit on the fence, again, because I really did not want to have to make that decision so part of me feels relieved to not have to make that decision."

McDowell partnered McIlroy in the World Cup of Golf in both 2009 and 2011, and he stated earlier this year that the question of Olympic eligibility would not enter his mind when deciding whether to compete in Melbourne.

"The dilemma Rory and I face is a very unique one," he said in May. "Regarding the World Cup of Golf this year for example, that if we played we'd then be compelled to play for Ireland in the Olympic Games; is that rule going to stand?

"I had an informal conversation with Rory about are we going to play the World Cup together, I need my partner in crime in Melbourne. I would love to do that and the Olympics will not enter my head with regards to making the decision of whether I'm going to play the World Cup.

"If it forces me into playing for Ireland at the Olympics, so be it."

Choice

McIlroy's decision not to play in Melbourne potentially leaves him still with a decision to make and the former world No 1, also speaking in May, was adamant that it was still his choice to make.

"I think it's Rule 41 but I still have a choice. They can't take it away from me," McIlroy said.

"If you change country or don't play for that country for three years you still have a choice. I've not played for anyone since the World Cup in 2011, the Olympics would be five years so I still have a choice."

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Simon Dyson to play in SA Open as he awaits disciplinary hearing

Simon Dyson will return to action at this week's South African Open despite facing the prospect of a European Tour suspension.

The Englishman was disqualified from last month's BMW Masters in Shanghai after he was deemed to have touched the line of his putt on the eighth green in the second round.

Having marked his ball four feet from the hole, he appeared to press down a spike mark with his ball - an offence the tournament committee were alerted to by television viewers.

Dyson's actions incurred a two-shot penalty, which he failed to add to his card before signing, leading to his disqualification.

He now faces a disciplinary hearing in December, and he withdrew from the recent Turkish Airways Open but he has decided to play in this week's opening event of the new European Tour season in Gauteng.

The 35-year-old has maintained his actions in Shanghai were an accidental mistake, but after being charged with a serious rules breach he could be handed a ban at his hearing next month.

Early starters

Dyson will be among the early starters in South Africa, teeing off alongside home hopefuls James Kamte and Allan Versveld at 7.10am on Thursday, local time.

"I want to win the SA Open, but I'm not going to put pressure on myself, that's unnecessary. If it doesn't happen now then I'll win it some other time." 

Simon Dyson

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel is the firm favourite for a title he has never won, and he hopes put that right against a mediocre field this week.

The 29-year-old said: "I want to win the SA Open, but I'm not going to put pressure on myself, that's unnecessary. If it doesn't happen now then I'll win it some other time.

"I know how to win but you can't get ahead of yourself. Being considered one of the favourites is a confidence boost and I can feed off others' confidence in me.

"I've prepared well and if I play well, then I know I can win."

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Born-again Stenson sets sight on majors

Buoyed by his brilliant turnaround, world number three Henrik Stenson has set his sight on becoming the first Swedish male golfer to win a major title.

Stenson's six-shot victory at last week's DP World Tour Championship made him the first man to land the Race To Dubai and U.S. FedExCup double in the same year.

The 37-year-old, who was ranked outside the world's top 100 just 12 months back, came agonisingly close to major breakthrough when he finished second at the British Open and third at the PGA Championship.

"I would go there (to the majors) with more confidence after being able to achieve the things I have achieved this season," Stenson said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.

"I am also very excited because I felt at the Open Championship and the US PGA I probably didn't play the best out of all these weeks. And I still came that close.

"If things would have fallen my way I would have potentially won both those majors this summer."

Stenson has struggled with a wrist-joint injury on his right hand and has constantly been on pain-killers but still managed to scorch the course in Dubai.

The injury forced him to pull out of this week's South African Open but the Swede will tee off at the Thailand Golf Championship from Dec. 12-15.

"A major championship would obviously the one thing missing on my resume. It's one of the tougher things to achieve, that's why they call it a major," he said.

"I would love to be the first male golfer from Sweden to win a major championship. That would be great. But if one of my colleagues from Sweden do it, that would be great too.

"Whether I am first or second is of less relevance as long as I can win one."

Swede Annika Sorenstam, considered by many as the greatest female golfer of all time, is a 10-time major winner.

BACK FROM SLUMP

Stenson's career has never been smooth but the Swede managed two comebacks from serious slump in form.

After winning his first European Tour title in 2001, form suddenly deserted him and he struggled for much of that year and the next. He faced a similar situation in 2011 when he missed cuts after cuts.

"To come back to where my game is now is taking a lot of hard work, patience and dedication. The comeback journey didn't start this summer but it started probably a year and half ago," he said.

"I might have four-five good years ahead of me and that's 15-20 times you can potentially win a major championship. It's not like I will have a million chances.

"I know there's a lot of room for improvement still, a lot of areas where I can become much, much better."

Most top players are reducing tournament commitments to continue playing both Tours in America and Europe and focus better on winning majors.

Asked if it was becoming impossible to continue being a dual Tour player, Stenson said, "It would be pretty stupid to say yes, having won both. But it makes the achievement even greater for me.

"It's definitely not impossible given that we have the big seven or eight tournaments that counts on both tours but it can be quite a tricky travelling schedule.

"But as long as you are top 50 it works out pretty well. You can't do too many trips back and forth between Europe and Asian and the U.S. as all the travelling takes the extra energy out of you with jet lag, the long-haul flights and everything."

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Golf-Olympic-flavoured World Cup under scrutiny Down Under

Organisers' hopes of a triumphant start for the re-tooled World Cup of Golf in Melbourne this week have been dampened by players' coolness toward the tournament's new format and a personal tragedy afflicting Australia's Jason Day.

The team component of the biennial tournament has been watered down to a footnote, with the format reverting to 72 holes of strokeplay to reward the best individual and offer a test event for the Rio 2016 Games, where golf will return to the Olympic programme after 112 years.

The previous editions since 2000 had compatriots pairing up and relying on each other in foursomes and four-ball competitions, but the winning team will now be decided by the aggregate of their individual scores in strokeplay.

With $7 million of the total $8 million in prize money allocated for the individual category, players will compete fiercely at Royal Melbourne both as a team and against compatriots.

"It is a little strange, I must say," world number two Adam Scott, who will represent Australia with Day, told reporters on Wednesday.

"I mean I was kind of hoping that I would be spending four days playing with Jase (Day), I thought it would be good for both of us to do that, for sure.

"It is an interesting week with an individual thing and a teams thing and we are going to want to beat each other but we are also going to want to win, so I do not really know how that sits."

U.S. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem defended the emphasis on the individual as a more "marketable" format.

"We think that it has a better chance of fulfilling its mission which is to create more interest in the game in unique ways," he said.

"But we will see. If we go down this road and it doesn't work, we will adjust but we are going to give this every chance to work and we are excited ... to see what happens this weekend."

U.S. Masters champion Scott and Day form one of the most potent combinations at the tournament but world number 18 Day will tee off weighed down by the loss of eight of his relatives who were killed when Typhoon Haiyan pounded the Philippines earlier this month.

EMOTIONAL DAY

Day, whose mother is of Filipino heritage, is mourning his maternal grandmother, an uncle and a number of cousins, according to local media reports, and said other family members were still unaccounted for.

"(I'm) definitely, you know, looking forward to seeing my mum at the end of this week just to give her a hug, I know that she has gone through some hard times," Day said, as he battled to contain his emotions.

"Everyone that I have talked to have said a prayer for me and my family and I am trying to do the same for everyone else."

Scott is likely to vie for the individual trophy with world number seven Matt Kuchar, who won the last World Cup in China for the United States with team mate Gary Woodland.

Kuchar will represent the U.S. with world number 46 Kevin Streelman this time, and along with Scott, has enjoyed an ideal preparation after playing the Australian Masters at the same course.

Scott and Kuchar engaged in an enthralling final-round shootout on Sunday, with the American coming back from five strokes behind to seize the lead before stumbling on the last few holes to gift the local hero the title by two strokes.

"To at least give him a run it was awfully good," said 35-year-old Kuchar. "Last week is forgotten about and the same goes for Adam... He won and that helps with confidence but you have got to do it all over again."

Despite the Olympic-style format and the added carrot of world ranking points at stake for the first time, the revamped tournament has failed to lure the biggest names from America and Europe.

Former major winner Graeme McDowell, who represented Ireland with fellow Ulsterman Rory McIlroy at the 2011 tournament, has returned but will play with 75th-ranked Shane Lowry at Royal Melbourne rather than the world number six.

Apart from the 26 teams competing in the 60-man field, eight players will compete individually, including former world number one Vijay Singh, who warmed up for the tournament with a third-place finish at the Australian Masters.

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Grieving Day still fears for missing Filipino relatives

Jason Day will play the World Cup of Golf this week with the heaviest of hearts after eight of the Australian's relatives were killed when Typhoon Haiyan pounded the Philippines earlier this month.

Battling to contain his emotions, Day, whose mother is of Filipino heritage, said a number of his relatives were still unaccounted for following the storm.

"I think most of you guys have seen what has been going on over there, it is very devastating and, you know, it is sad to see what has gone on," Day told reporters at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Wednesday.

"I know that there is aid over there now but just in certain parts it is hard to get communications to a lot of the parts over there in the Philippines.

"We are still trying to look for some more people, some more relatives, over there, so it is a tough situation right now and we really hope that, you know, everything kind of gets going in the direction that everyone wants it to go over there."

Day lost his maternal grandmother, an uncle and a number of cousins, local media reported, but hopes his participation at Royal Melbourne can shine a spotlight on the Philippines as the country battles to recover from the disaster.

The Philippines are represented at the World Cup by Angelo Que and Tony Lascuna, who were both relieved to have not lost any family members in the storm which has killed nearly 4,000 people and displaced four million, according to official estimates.

"I know that there are guys from the Philippines here and they have got a heavy heart right now for their people and... being half-Australian and half-Filipino... after something like that happened you kind of tend to bend towards that way," Day said when asked if he felt he was also playing for his mother's country this week.

RED-HOT SCOTT

Day was understandably relieved to focus on questions about the tournament and left reporters roaring with laughter when he put his grief to one side to joke about his relationship with compatriot and world number two Adam Scott.

Day and U.S. Masters champion Scott will bid to win the team component of the re-jigged biennial tournament.

Scott has been in top form, winning the Australian Masters at the same golf course on Sunday and the Australian PGA Championship at the Gold Coast the week before.

"I am definitely looking forward to playing with Scotty, he is playing pretty hot right now so I have definitely got a good partner that is probably going to carry me along the way," Day said, adding that the pair rarely catch up outside competition.

"He lives a little bit away from me, we are in different spots, but every now and then we see each other at tournaments and stuff, we hang out a little bit.

"But, 'Your Honour', me with my little boy and my wife and Scotty with, you know, all the women that are chasing him, it is just too much - it is just too much," Day added, grinning at a grimacing Scott sitting next to him.

"So I just let him be what he wants to be and I will just go and do my thing."

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CORRECTED-Olympics-Rio Games golf course progress "reasonably good" - Finchem

(Corrects first par to "return" from "debut")

Progress on the troubled golf course hosting the sport's return to theOlympics at the 2016 Rio Games is "reasonably good", PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said on Wednesday.

Construction at the Venue Reserva de Marapendi course, being controversially built in an environmental reservation, was held up for months by legal wrangling over land ownership.

"I was told yesterday that the irrigation system for the golf course had been boarded on a ship in Los Angeles that was headed for the Panama Canal," Finchem told reporters at Royal Melbourne golf club in the leadup to the World Cup of Golf.

"So, hooray, we will now have some water on the property.

"Actually the progress is reasonably good. We think the timeline is in order. We were really concerned there, as you know, for a good period of time.

"But I am going to go down here in spring and look at it."

The Gilbert Hanse-designed course was originally scheduled to be finished by 2014 to give organisers two years to iron out kinks, but it may not be finished until the second half of 2015 due to the construction delay.

After 112 years, golf is returning to the Olympic program in Rio, making it the sport's most significant event after the four major championships.

Players at the revamped $8 million World Cup of Golf will compete in individual stroke-play according to the Olympic format, though a team-based component has been retained from the previous editions of the biennial event.

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Golf-McDowell drops Olympic hint with World Cup choice

Graeme McDowell believes his decision to play the World Cup of Golf under the Irish flag in Melbourne this week indicates he is likely to make himself available for the same nation when golf marks its return to the Olympics in 2016.

Ulsterman McDowell is entitled to choose between competing for Ireland or Great Britain - which includes athletes from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales - at the Rio Games.

Like fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, McDowell has been reluctant to commit to either team due to the political ramifications of such a choice and has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide for him.

"It is a very touchy political and religious subject, one that myself and Rory have not really enjoyed answering questions about the last few years because it is very difficult to pick a side because you are going to end up upsetting someone from either side really," McDowell, who teamed up with McIlroy at two previous World Cups, told reporters at Royal Melbourne golf club on Wednesday.

"From my point of view, when the World Cup came back on the schedule and it was coming to Royal Melbourne, I knew that I wanted to be part of this team, we have always represented Ireland when it has come to the World Cup.

"So I believe that me being here and representing Ireland will, you know, with the Olympic regulations, will mean that I am - I will have to play for Ireland when it comes to the Olympics in 2016... if good enough, if eligible, if fit enough, et cetera, et cetera."

Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson has expressed sympathy for the Northern Irishmen's dilemma, and said earlier this year that he hoped the burden of choice could be taken away from them.

He also suggested McIlroy's representation of Ireland at the World Cup could possibly preclude him from playing for Team GB at the Games when golf returns to the Olympic fold after a 112-year absence.

McDowell appeared confident the issue was settled.

"Part of me feels relieved to not have to make that decision," added McDowell, who will team up with Ireland's Shane Lowry at Royal Melbourne.

"It certainly did not enter into my reasons to wanting to be here this week. I wanted to be here and play with Shane, around Royal Melbourne, in a golf tournament which I have always loved."

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Scott, Kuchar favored at World Cup

MELBOURNE, Australia -- On current form and on a very familiar golf course, the two top-ranked players in the World Cup - Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar - are heavy favorites for individual honors when play begins Thursday at Royal Melbourne.

The second-ranked Scott has won two tournaments in a row - the Australian PGA and the Australian Masters, which was held last week at Royal Melbourne.

Seventh-ranked Kuchar led by two strokes late in the final round of the Masters before a double-bogey on 18 enabled Scott to successfully defend his title. Kuchar finished second.

''He has been in such good form,'' Kuchar said of Scott on Wednesday. ''To at least give him a run it was awfully good. I stood five back going into Sunday. Unfortunately I got a bad break on 18 and that's part of golf.''

The Australians, with Scott's teammate Jason Day at No. 18, are the highest-ranked team this week and will have the benefit of local crowds.

''It's an interesting week,'' Scott said Wednesday. ''We playing together as a team but we still want to beat each other.''

Added Day: ''I don't know whether to love him or not if he beats me.''

Kuchar and his teammate, Kevin Streelman, will attempt to successfully defend for the Americans the title that Kuchar and Gary Woodland won in 2011.

The differences between the tournament, format-wise, that Kuchar and Woodland won in 2011 is about as far as the distance between Royal Melbourne and Haiku, China, where the Americans won.

Then, it was a team event in keeping with the near 60-year history of the tournament. Two days of four-ball competition, two days of foursomes. This time, to prepare for golf's return to the Olympics and the format that will be used in Rio, it's basically an individual stroke-play event.

The financial emphasis is on the individual portion of the tournament - $7 million in prize money to be divided among the 60-man field, including $1.2 million to the winner. And just $1 million allocated for the team event, with money only going to the top three teams.

Kuchar said the change doesn't bother him.

''I know the format is different but the golf is the same,'' Kuchar said. ''It's much more of an individual event ... but there is a team component and I think we have got as good a shot as anybody.''

U.S. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem defended the move away from the team-only concept at a media conference Wednesday at Royal Melbourne.

''I think it is way too soon to conclude that the team portion of the Cup is lost,'' Finchem said. ''We haven't played yet so let's see how that plays out and then we will see. We feel like the tournament is more marketable. We think that it has a better chance of fulfilling its mission which is to create more interest in the game in unique ways.''

''But we will see. If we go down this road and it doesn't work, we will adjust, but we are going to give this every chance to work.''

The system being used to determine the entries at the Word Cup - rankings and number of players eligible from each country based on those rankings, will be used at Rio in 2016. The other difference is that there will be no team competition at the Olympics, and there, golfers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who are playing as separate countries at the World Cup will play as Britain.

Also, at the World Cup, Ireland and Northern Ireland play as one team. So this week, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Ireland's Shane Lowry will play together.

McDowell says Scott is unquestionably the favorite this week.

''From Scotty's point of view, he is just one of those guys you play with and you think to yourself 'Why does this guy not win every week'?'' McDowell said Wednesday. ''He's that impressive.''

There are 26 teams taking part and eight individual golfers, including Fiji's Vijay Singh, who finished third at the Australian Masters and will also have course familiarity in his favor.

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Teen golfer Lydia Ko now playing for dough

NAPLES, Fla. -- Lydia Ko didn't need to wait for the prize money to be distributed to realize why this week is so different on the LPGA Tour.

She was reminded in the airport by a question she has heard dozens of times. The 16-year-old from New Zealand was clearing customs when the agent asked her purpose for coming to the United States. She told him she was playing in a golf tournament.

''He says, 'Are you a professional?' I was like, 'Yeah, I am.' So that was the biggest thing,'' Ko said Wednesday. ''I never said that before.''

When the agent inquired about her game, the teenager with maturity beyond her years mentioned that she was No. 5 in the women's world ranking.

Clearly, this is no ordinary pro debut.

Not since Michelle Wie played her first LPGA Tour event as a pro - in 2005, just two days after she turned 16 - has there been so much buzz about a newcomer. But their age and South Korean heritage are about all they have in common.

Wie already had signed lucrative endorsement deals with Nike and Sony. Ko doesn't even have an agent, much less a corporate contract. She wore a cap promoting golf in New Zealand for a news conference that was carried live by Golf Channel.

The biggest difference is that Ko is already proven to be one of the top players in women's golf. She won the Canadian Women's Open against a strong field last year at 15, making her the youngest winner of an LPGA event. She defended her title this summer, and she was runner-up in an LPGA major at the Evian Championship. Ko also has two other professional wins in Australia and New Zealand.

''I don't think Lydia has anything to prove,'' Suzann Pettersen said. ''She's already proven she's good enough to be out there on a regular basis.''

LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan waived the minimum age requirement of 18 for Ko. The last player given that waiver was Lexi Thompson, who now is 18 and won last week in Mexico for the second time this year.

Ko starts her pro career Thursday at Tiburon Golf Club with Wie (now 24) and 19-year-old Jessica Korda.

She also is playing a tournament in Taiwan to close out her year, and then she will play a full schedule mixed in with high school. She has one more year remaining, though her mother has not ruled out going to college while playing the tour, much as Wie did at Stanford.

For now, she is testing different equipment and trying to decide her best path with management and endorsements. She is in no rush. One other decision is where to live while playing the LPGA Tour. It's a 16-hour commute from New Zealand.

Just her luck, she met one of her favorite players, Phil Mickelson, while in San Diego to test equipment.

''We're looking Florida and Texas and a couple other places there's no income tax,'' Ko said. ''Phil mentioned that one of the biggest mistakes was staying after college where the taxes are quite high. So I'm trying to stay in a low place. I don't have any money yet.''

She has been getting by on $80 a month as her allowance. A win at the Titleholders is worth $700,000, the richest payoff in women's golf. The purse is still $2 million, though the winner's check has been bumped by $200,000 from last year.

Unlike everyone else at Tiburon, Ko prepared for the LPGA Tour's final event by knocking out some final exams in English and photography.

''It's helped me kind of get my mind off golf and get my mind off the whole pro thing,'' she said. ''That's been a huge help. I couldn't practice as much as I wanted to because of the studies, so I guess it's just balance.''

That explains a lot about the teenager who acts like one only at home.

There is an even temper about Ko that shows some staying power. After her family moved to New Zealand, she took up golf when she was 5 and has been on a fast track ever since. She was intent on staying amateur until her success made it difficult to turn down.

Even so, there is little evidence that Ko is running herself into the ground with a steady diet of only golf.

''When I'm off the golf course, I trying to think of everything apart from golf,'' she said. ''I try to stay calm in all situations. Being steady is one of the biggest things.''

One of those distractions is photography. She wants her first big purchase to be a good camera.

And she was still a little stressed out about that exam. Ko needs a certain grade to be able to take the next level in school. She saw a fellow student's project before she left New Zealand and worried that hers wasn't as good.

Ko's project was unique, for sure. She had to use photos to tell a story. Ko selected pictures she took from her various stops around the world, whether it was in Queensland or Geneva, St. Andrews or Niagara Falls.

''My Photoshop skills are not so good,'' she said with a laugh.

But what a story they tell - not just the cities, but the kind of golf she played in them. And her pro career is just getting started.

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Rio Games golf course progress 'reasonably good': Finchem

MELBOURNE - Progress on the troubled golf course hosting the sport's return to the Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games is "reasonably good", PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said on Wednesday.

Construction at the Venue Reserva de Marapendi course, being controversially built in an environmental reservation, was held up for months by legal wrangling over land ownership.

"I was told yesterday that the irrigation system for the golf course had been boarded on a ship in Los Angeles that was headed for the Panama Canal," Finchem told reporters at Royal Melbourne golf club in the leadup to the World Cup of Golf.

"So, hooray, we will now have some water on the property.

"Actually the progress is reasonably good. We think the timeline is in order. We were really concerned there, as you know, for a good period of time.

"But I am going to go down here in spring and look at it."

The Gilbert Hanse-designed course was originally scheduled to be finished by 2014 to give organizers two years to iron out kinks, but it may not be finished until the second half of 2015 due to the construction delay.

After 112 years, golf is returning to the Olympic program in Rio, making it the sport's most significant event after the four major championships.

Players at the revamped $8 million World Cup of Golf will compete in individual stroke-play according to the Olympic format, though a team-based component has been retained from the previous editions of the biennial event.

(Corrects first par to "return" from "debut")

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4 share lead at Champions Tour qualifying tourney

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Wes Short, Jr., Jeff Freeman, Doug Garwood and Bill Glasson all carded 7-under 64s to share the first-round lead at the Champions Tour national qualifying tournament at TPC Scottsdale.

Short then had seven consecutive pars for his 64.With conditions ideal for scoring, Short started the event with a five-foot eagle putt on his first hole (par-5 10th) and then added five more birdies on his next 10 holes.

A winner of the 2005 Michelin Championship at Las Vegas on the PGA Tour, Short has had back problems over the past three years and played on the PGA Tour on a major medical extension. He made the cut at the Shell Houston Open, his first on the PGA Tour since 2007.

''I hit it close four times over the first eight holes and it was nice to start off with an eagle,'' Short said. ''I then made a 30-footer for birdie at No. 18 and another 30-footer for birdie at the second hole.

''It was just a perfect day to play and if you kept the ball in play off the tee, you were going to have short irons into these holes. It's a four-day event and I need to keep playing like I did today.''

Garwood, who played just five tournaments on the Champions Tour this year after turning 50 in late March, finished tied for second at the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and tied for seventh in his debut on the circuit at The Principal Charity Classic.

He came into the event nursing an injury to his rib cage, but it didn't seem to bother him on Tuesday. He made eight birdies and also had a three-putt bogey on his round.

''I wasn't sure I was going to be able to play today, but I took three Advils this morning and was good. When you have conditions like this, you can make lots of birdies and I was able to do that. It was nice to get off to this kind of a start, especially how I was feeling coming in here,'' Garwood said.

Glasson, a winner of seven PGA Tour titles, used a pair of eagles on both of the par-5s on the back nine to also get in at 7 under for the day. He's trying to achieve fully exempt status for next season after finishing 33rd on the 2013 money list with $459,277.

Like Glasson, Freeman, the 2011 Q-School medalist and a conditionally exempt player in 2013 after he tied for eighth at last fall's national qualifying tournament, went bogey-free on his round, opening his day with birdies on four of his first five holes.

There will be no cut in the 72-hole qualifier. At the end of four rounds, the top five finishers earn fully-exempt status through the re-order in the 2014 season, while the next seven players will be conditionally exempt. In addition, the top 30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events on the Champions Tour in 2014.

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2019 PGA, 2024 Ryder Cup headed to Bethpage Black

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- In an unprecedented agreement between The PGA of America and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., one of the country's most popular venues, has been selected to host the 101st PGA Championship in 2019, and serve as the site of the 45th Ryder Cup in 2024.

With Gov. Cuomo in attendance, the dual announcement was made today at Bethpage State Park. Bethpage Black, the renowned gem of five public golf courses within the state park property on Long Island, has hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Championship, and the 2012 Barclays Championship.

"How fitting it is that we will be taking two of golf's premier events to a state that was the site of our first PGA Championship and to a spectacular course whose design was influenced by one of golf's most accomplished architects and a friend of The PGA of America," said PGA of America President Ted Bishop. "It is exciting that both the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup will come to New York, which is home to some of the most passionate and knowledgeable sports fans in the world."

Opened for play in 1936, Bethpage Black was designed by legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast, who was a guest at an exploratory meeting of The PGA of America in January, 1916. After The PGA's founding on April 10, 1916, Tillinghast would later serve as a forerunner to today's "growth of the game" consultants. Rees Jones led the renovation of the Black Course in 1997-98.

Tillinghast also developed the Bethpage Red and Blue Courses, and modified the Lenox Hills Course, which later became the Green Course. The Yellow Course, designed by Alfred Tull, opened in 1958 to enable golfers to play nearly 300,000 rounds annually on Bethpage State Park's property.

"New York is excited that Bethpage State Park and its spectacular Black Course will be hosting two of golf's most acclaimed events, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup," said Governor Cuomo. "These major sporting events will provide a tremendous economic boost for Long Island and promote the beautiful Bethpage State Golf Course to the nation and the world. We look forward to welcoming spectators and television viewers worldwide to experience the best golf here in New York."

Bethpage Black, measuring 7,486 yards and played to a par 71 from its back tees, also has been home to multiple Metropolitan PGA Section and New York State Open competitions.

"As a New Yorker, I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of today's announcement," said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. "New York is part of the fabric of the history of The PGA of America, from our founding in New York City in 1916, to hosting multiple championships and having four great PGA Sections within the state. We are grateful to Governor Cuomo's commitment to hosting these great events at Bethpage and we look forward to working with both local and state officials to add an unforgettable chapter in golf history at Bethpage."

In 2019, Bethpage Black will mark the 13th time that a New York venue has hosted the PGA Championship, the most for any state that has staged the season's final major. The PGA Championship enjoys a rich heritage dating back to its inaugural event in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. Past Champions span both the legendary and recent stars of the game: Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy and Jason Dufner.

"Bethpage State Park takes great pride in its history of serving as host to golf's pre-eminent events," said New York State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey. "With the combination of a PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup being conducted on our property, it solidifies the confidence that the golf industry has in our staff, our venue and the community to provide the ultimate spectator experience."

In 2024, Bethpage Black will join Oak Hill Country Club's East Course of Pittsford, N.Y., as the only New York courses to host a Ryder Cup. Oak Hill was the venue for the 1995 Ryder Cup in addition to three PGA Championships (1980, 2003, '13).

The Ryder Cup, golf's most compelling event, began in 1927, bringing together the finest tour professionals from the United States and Europe. In September 2014, Europe will host the U.S. in the 40th Ryder Cup, at Gleneagles' PGA Centenary Course in Perthshire, Scotland.

About The PGA of America Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf.

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Golf-Born-again Stenson sets sight on majors

Buoyed by his brilliant turnaround, world number three Henrik Stenson has set his sight on becoming the first Swedish male golfer to win a major title.

Stenson's six-shot victory at last week's DP World Tour Championship made him the first man to land the Race To Dubai and U.S. FedExCup double in the same year.

The 37-year-old, who was ranked outside the world's top 100 just 12 months back, came agonisingly close to major breakthrough when he finished second at the British Open and third at the PGA Championship.

"I would go there (to the majors) with more confidence after being able to achieve the things I have achieved this season," Stenson said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.

"I am also very excited because I felt at the Open Championship and the US PGA I probably didn't play the best out of all these weeks. And I still came that close.

"If things would have fallen my way I would have potentially won both those majors this summer."

Stenson has struggled with a wrist-joint injury on his right hand and has constantly been on pain-killers but still managed to scorch the course in Dubai.

The injury forced him to pull out of this week's South African Open but the Swede will tee off at the Thailand Golf Championship from Dec. 12-15.

"A major championship would obviously the one thing missing on my resume. It's one of the tougher things to achieve, that's why they call it a major," he said.

"I would love to be the first male golfer from Sweden to win a major championship. That would be great. But if one of my colleagues from Sweden do it, that would be great too.

"Whether I am first or second is of less relevance as long as I can win one."

Swede Annika Sorenstam, considered by many as the greatest female golfer of all time, is a 10-time major winner.

BACK FROM SLUMP

Stenson's career has never been smooth but the Swede managed two comebacks from serious slump in form.

After winning his first European Tour title in 2001, form suddenly deserted him and he struggled for much of that year and the next. He faced a similar situation in 2011 when he missed cuts after cuts.

"To come back to where my game is now is taking a lot of hard work, patience and dedication. The comeback journey didn't start this summer but it started probably a year and half ago," he said.

"I might have four-five good years ahead of me and that's 15-20 times you can potentially win a major championship. It's not like I will have a million chances.

"I know there's a lot of room for improvement still, a lot of areas where I can become much, much better."

Most top players are reducing tournament commitments to continue playing both Tours in America and Europe and focus better on winning majors.

Asked if it was becoming impossible to continue being a dual Tour player, Stenson said, "It would be pretty stupid to say yes, having won both. But it makes the achievement even greater for me.

"It's definitely not impossible given that we have the big seven or eight tournaments that counts on both tours but it can be quite a tricky travelling schedule.

"But as long as you are top 50 it works out pretty well. You can't do too many trips back and forth between Europe and Asian and the U.S. as all the travelling takes the extra energy out of you with jetlag, the long-haul flights and everything."

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Have the Rules of Golf Become Too Reactive?

COMMENTARY | What level of influence should outsiders have on how a sport is governed? It would appear a great deal, if we're talking about the Rules of Golf at least.

As has been reported on numerous sites over the past week, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) have unveiled a grocery list of rule updates and decisions to become effective on January 1, 2014.

The one that is getting the most attention -- and rightfully so -- is Decision 18.4, which decrees movement on a golf ball that cannot be seen by the naked eye will not result in a two-stroke penalty.

In other words, as FoxSports.com Robert Lusetich puts it, "integrity trumps technology."

The knee-jerk reaction to this specific update is to suggest its implementation is the result of a high-profile rules snafu during the BMW Championship in September. I'll admit, it was my immediate reaction (I'm still not convinced otherwise, truth be told). However, many folks have informed me that this decision was in its sixth draft before the governing bodies' announcement. Fair enough.

What I find most interesting about this rule is its aura of reactivity and focus on an outside influence. It is directly addressing the viewing public, even if by way of high-definition television.

In other words, this decision was made because of golf fans.

We all know where golf came from. We constantly remind one another that it is a gentleman's game that preaches integrity, honesty and personal accountability. Those arguments hold true, but this is the first time a rule has been amended as a direct result of opinions expressed by people who have absolutely no impact on how the game is played.

Well, used to have no impact, I suppose.

This presents a scary time for golf's governing bodies. I understand that as times change so must the games we play to entertain ourselves, but to what end? Will the USGA and R&A have to continuously edit the rulebook to account for future advancements in technology or social communication? Where do the USGA and R&A draw the line?

What happened to simply sticking to the rules we all learned long ago?

While players and fans are more worried about how golf equipment advancements are changing the way golf is played -- even to the point of decimating historic golf course layouts -- they are overlooking the true danger of new rules altering the essence of the game itself.

Of course, I cannot be so naive to suggest that the rules of golf should revert back to "the good old days" when players were trusted to referee themselves and no questions were asked. At some point, however, those responsible for the enforcement of golf's rules will have to plant a stake in the ground.

Otherwise, the game we play tomorrow might look nothing like the one we once knew.

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