Four of aces in Charlotte, for the Fargo Championship, in North Carolina where, from today to Sunday, four great champions will take the field: Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood.
McIlory and Mickelson haven't played since the Masters and this is an excellent opportunity to see them at work in a less complicated context, where they can show off their powerful and imaginative game. Westwood, former world number one, after two years of fasting, won a tournament a few weeks ago in Malaysia and therefore arrives in top form, while Rose, 2013 US Open champion, is back from an eighth place at last week's Zurich Classic , where South Korean Seung-Yul Noh, 22, prevailed in his first victory on the PGA Tour.
In addition to the Fantastic Four, the combined field, 156 total players, is top notch and includes thirteen of the top 30 players in the Fedex ranks, including number one Jimmy Walker; 21 of the top 50 players in the world and another 21 major winners, including Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera, Darren Carke. Defends the title Derek Ernts, 23 years old, number 177 in the world, holder of this only victory on the Pga tour. The course is a par 72, 6700 meters, with a prize of 6,9 million dollars, 1,2 million for the first and 500 points for the FedExCup.
However, none of the participants, even if they win, will be able to snatch the place of number one in the world from Tiger Woods who, without lifting a finger, accumulates his 681st week as the undisputed king of the World Ranking. In fact, the only ones who can hit the goal of dethroning the tiger in one fell swoop are resting: number two Adam Scott and number three Henirk Stenson, waiting to try again the assault on the world rankings next week at The Players Championship. the "fifth major", won by Woods in 2013. Tiger obviously won't be there, but his recovery is going well, to the point that we hope to see him again at the starting tees in July, for the third round of the Grand Slam, the Open Championship.
The European Tour is in Singapore this week, for The Championship at Laguna National. The Italians Edoardo Molinari and Andrea Del Podio are also on the field.
In the meantime, great news on the management and ownership front of golf courses. Donald Trump made another millionaire purchase on Monday night, bringing his properties in this sector to 17. This time it is one of the temples of golf: none other than Turnberry, in Scotland, a legend overlooking the sea, dated 1901, with three courses, one of which, Alisa, has hosted four Open Championships, the last in 2009.
The figure that convinced his interlocutors, the company Leisurecorp, a subsidiary of Dubai World, is considerable: 35,7 million pounds (writes the Telegraph, which discovered the agreement) for a complex which, in addition to the three fields, includes a 5-star hotel, a golf academy, lodges and cottages; but 40 million pounds would already be ready for a "refurbish" at the place, in agreement with The R & A.
In fact, Trump will not dare to change the dunes of one of the most famous links in the world, without being duly authorized and he also has some doubts about adding his surname to the name of the complex. A gesture that would be appreciated by British golf leaders, also in order not to have to change the lettering on the Claret Jug in the future.
In fact, the British will return to Turnberry within eight years and Trump will thus have his major, but, hopefully, he will avoid placing his helicopter in the middle of the field and his initials everywhere. However, the billionaire's faith in golf is good for this sport, which is not having its best season. The fact that the real estate developer is betting on golf and his future brings confidence, money and beauty, also in the light of the sumptuous 250 million dollar renovation of the Doral, in the heart of Miami, another mythical place that until a few years ago seemed headed for an unstoppable decline.
