5 Things: The players’ poll, Rory & Anthony Kim spotted in a pet store

1) The Sports Illustrated poll – Which PGA Tour player would you want to help you in a bar fight..

This is probably the most eagerly-anticipated poll in the game and Sports Illustrated have come up trumps. This was the (anonymous) poll last year that had Rickie Fowler as the most over-rated player on Tour, along with Ian Poulter, before then winning the Players Championship shortly after.

Here are the highlights, some more depressing than others..

• Will Tiger win another PGA event? His PGA Tour peers said Yes 42% No 27% 

• More Majors; Spieth or McIlroy? Jordan 56 % Rory %

• Have you gone on a date with a woman you’ve met at a tournament? Yes 71% No 29%

• In a bar fight who would you want next to you? Els 15% Bradley 9% Cabrera 7% No-one out here 18%

• Does the caddy deserve 10% of a winner’s cheque? Yes 67% No 33%

• Prettiest swing on Tour? Scott 31% Oosthuizen 20% Me 27%

• If Hilary Clinton halved what you paid in taxes, and the Republican candidate kept them the same, would you vote for her? No 56% 33% Don’t care 11%

• Win the PGA Championship or Olympic gold? PGA 71% Olympic 29%

• Players or Olympic gold? Players 62% Olympic 38%

• Texas Open or Olympic gold? 76% Olympic gold 24% Texas

• Rather be paired with Bubba or Kevin Na? Bubba 62% Na 16% Neither 22%

 

 

• Better Ryder Cup captain, Phil or Tiger? Phil 49% Tiger 44% Neither 7%

• Drive it like Dustin Johnson or putt like Spieth? Putt like Spieth 75% Johnson 25%

• Champions Tour only – how many pills do you take during a tournament week? None 40% 1-7 26% 8-15 17% 20+ 17%

• LPGA Tour only – will Michelle Wie win another Major? Yes 64% No 36%

• LPGA Tour only – Adam Scott or Rickie Fowler? Scott 84% Fowler 11% Neither 5%

• Have you ever taken something from a hotel mini bar and not paid for it? Yes 73% No 27%

 

2) Rory to miss Wentworth

Before everyone gives McIlroy a bit of a kicking after he decided to pull out of the PGA they should just take into account his next few months.

Yes, it is the European Tour’ ‘flagship event’, yes, he is European and yes, he only won it a couple of years ago.

But when you are hosting your own tournament the week before and your record at Wentworth – MC-Won-MC-MC-24-48-5-MC ­– is relatively dreadful then it’s not a tricky decision to make.

As for owing something to his home Tour then that’s a weak argument; he’s the face of the European Tour, he hosts the Irish Open and he’s playing the French Open instead of the Bridgestone at the end of June.

“The reason that I took three weeks off after Augusta is I’m not going to have more than a week off until after the Ryder Cup,” he explained.

Here’s what he’s up to in the coming month…Quail Hollow just gone, Players, Irish Open (hosting), week off, Memorial, week off, US Open, week off, French Open, week off, Open Championship, week off, PGA Championship, week off, Olympics.

He also needs to find time for first-time recces to Oakmont, Troon and Baltusrol, home to this year’s Majors.

And he’s getting old now anyway, last week he turned 27.

 

 

3) And Leishman to miss Rio

Adam Scott copped a load of flak for his early withdrawal from Rio, hopefully people will be a little more lenient with Marc Leishman.

The runner-up in last year’s Open has also pulled out as his wife Audrey became seriously ill and almost died with toxic shock syndrome. And with the Zika virus still an issue he won’t be risking anything for the chance of a gold medal.

“Since then, Audrey has been prone to infection and is far removed from 100 per cent recovery of her immune system,” the World No 35 said. “We have consulted with Audrey’s physician and due to her ongoing recovery and potential risks associated with the transmission of the Zika virus, it was a difficult yet easy decision not to participate.”

Marcus Fraser, 63^rd in the world, is now in prime position for an unexpected trip to Brazil in August with Matt Jones (71), Scott Hend (76) and Steven Bowditch (76) pushing him hard.

 

4) Spotted; Anthony Kim. Remember him

Golf’s version of Lord Lucan added another chapter when Anthony Kim was spotted, and snapped, in a Dallas pet store. Obviously.

A sports chiropractor and ‘Nike Golf performance specialist’, Dr Brian Mann, put this image on his Twitter account over the weekend.

The American, a three-time winner and Ryder Cup player, hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since 2012 with some claiming that he won’t play to be eligible for a large insurance policy that he took out against a career-ending injury.

The player denied that but offered no hint of any sort of playing return. In that interview in 2015 he revealed that he hadn’t played a round in 18 months and that he had had ‘six or seven surgeries in the last three-and-a-half years.’

Anyway, he’s now grown his hair and has what looks like a large collection of tatts.

Crazy running into AK today! Such a nice dude! pic.twitter.com/yr8VnUzOo3

— Dr. Brian Mann (@DrBrianMann) May 7, 2016

5) Woods won’t be at Sawgrass

The last word goes to Tiger’s return or, as it remains, a lack of it.

The 14-time Major winner had reportedly booked accommodation for the Players in Florida this week but he has not entered the tournament.

He has hinted that his comeback is close and Sawgrass, where he has won twice, was a possibility. All eyes will now turn to the deadline to enter the Memorial on June 2, where he has also booked some digs. The US Open takes place two weeks later.