Doral D-Day

It's showtime in Miami, as the Doral Eastern Airlines Ryder Genuity WGC Cadillac Championship kicks off this morning.  We'll let Dave Shedloski bat leadoff with his game piece.  He starts with the Resort ribbon-cutting ceremony, but we'll cut to the chase with this on El Tigre:

Woods said Wednesday that he intends to compete, even though he hasn't hit a shot longer than 60 yards since Sunday and wasn't planning to do more than chipping and putting on what is virtually a new golf course throughout.

"I feel better, how about that? I feel good," said Woods, who has just 10 competitive rounds under his belt this year. "It's been a long couple days of just treatment nonstop, trying to get everything calmed down, first of all, get all the inflammation out and from there, getting the firing sequence right again. And once we did that today, feels good."

Fortunately for us, Ivanka posted this on Instagram:

Caption contests anyone?

Hmmmm..."firing sequences" might be a valuable addition to our dictionary of Tigerisms.  Back to our prior discussion of weight training:

Woods, 38, has worked out with almost fanatical consistency since he turned professional in 1996, and he dismissed the idea that his weight training might have contributed to some of his injuries over the years or might be aggravating a back problem that first struck last August at The Barclays. He said most of his training today is intended to prevent injuries. 

"That's been a constant throughout my years working with my team, ever since I turned pro, is what can we do to make sure I have a long career?" Woods said. "Unfortunately there are times where I've damaged my knee pretty good and I've had surgeries over the years. I've had knee injury, wrist injury, elbows, you name it, now I've had back, neck. It's the nature of repetitive sport. 

"As we get older, and I've learned it as I've aged, I don't quite heal as fast as I used to. I just don't bounce back like I used to. There's times that watching my kids run around '[I think] I wish I could do that again.' They just bounce right up, bruises, and they are gone in a day. It's just not that way anymore."

Color me skeptical, but it's his body and career.  

Tiger practicing Wednesday at Doral.

Shedloski also provides this amusing detail about Rory:

"I'm staying in this Tiger Woods Villa here and there's pictures all over my room of him," McIlroy, 24, said, drawing laughs. "I sent him a message [Tuesday night], 'Can't get away from you here, I can't go to the bathroom without looking at you.' No, it's not like you're coming into the tournament thinking of one particular player. But obviously if Tiger's not 100 percent it makes it a little easier on the field for sure. "

Rory, you might be hearing from Commissioner Ratched about the bathroom comment.  I'm quite certain that Tour policy precludes public admissions that Tour players, you know, go to the bathroom.

Robert Lusetich files this piece at Fox Sports to update us on the condition if Tiger's back.  Alas, not much light is shed, though there's some cute father-daughter talk as Tiger left the course holding daughter Sam's hand.  Tiger is planning to play, and given that pairings are based on world rankings, will spend Thursday and Friday with Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson.  Were Scott to win this week, he would take the No.1 spot on the Official World Golf Rankings from Tiger.

Shackelford continues his discussion of the new finishing holes at Doral with this Local Knowledge post about the 17th, which is mercifully water-free.  From his website he explains it thusly:

Not every hole has to be Thunder Road or Born To Run. The totality of the work should welcome a Tenth Avenue Freeze Out now and then to bridge the wilder tunes.

I would have thought that Shack had the ageing Baby Boomer demo down, and might have gone for something more relevant to the kids.... Back to the LK piece:

The approach shot on No. 17.

Currently, the 430-yard hole's tee shot calls for a left-to-right shaped play, probably a 3-wood for most players. That is followed by a distinctly opposite-shaped approach shot. It's a Wilson-Lee trademark, and this subtle mix of rewarding different shot shapes within the same hole appeals to both players and those looking to test all facets of their games. In renovating the Blue Monster, Hanse and Wagner could have brought a pond in play but chose not to, figuring the other finishing holes provided enough water. 

Like a great album, Doral has up-tempo songs, some mid-tempo numbers and a ballad here or there. No one wants a steady stream of rockers. The ear just can't handle it.

It's not that I disagree in the least, it's just that it's so awfully difficult to change the tempo in South Florida because Mother Nature gives you so few instruments with which to play.  It's basically an endless procession of sand and water, sand and water, rinse and repeat.  That's why design geeks such as your humble blogger are excited to see what Hanse can add to that limited repertoire.