Pete Cowen: LAST month I was with Henrik Stenson at his home in Florida before heading South for the WGC-Mexico Championship, where nine of our players were in action out of a field of 70. They’re going to be facing tougher opposition than previous years and they’re going to have to be mindful of the problem of repetitive strain injuries.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods looked like a man who was hitting every shot protecting his back when I saw him on the range at Emirates Golf Club during the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. I know it’s very difficult for him but his injuries looked pretty severe to me. The problem these days is that there are so many good youngsters coming through, putting constant pressure on the players at the top who, understandably, are carrying injuries – some of which are caused by their fitness regimes.
Repetitive Strain
There’s only one thing that makes players look ordinary and that’s age. Henrik, for instance, is 40. He’s a strong man and he’s very fit but he’s got issues with his knees. It happens to everyone. It happens to us all at some stage. Repetitive strain injuries are pretty extreme but it’s almost inevitable in our sport. The swing action is a violent movement that we all make – and which we keep on doing – and as a result, suffer the consequences.
Impact Injury
It’s not an impact injury, it’s a repetitive injury that’s pretty extreme. It creates a situation which is a problem in itself for our sport. How do you practice with intensity, for instance, without the risk of getting an injury. It’s golf’s holy grail everyone is searching for.
These guys are athletes nowadays. It’s like sprinters. They can sprint at their maximum for, say five, six, seven years but eventually they’re not going to be able to do it anymore. When you look at how far the guys are hitting the ball these days they are just killing the golf courses. That’s why we are seeing scoring 58s and 59s.
Golf Athletes
Look at Dustin Johnson as he romped to a five shot win at the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club. He made an uphill 630 yards hole par-5 look easy, knocking it pretty much stiff in two shots. You’ve got to be a serious athlete to be able to do that.
I was so pleased with Thomas Pieters for finishing tied second behind Dustin at Riviera. Thomas said he didn’t drive the ball too well but he played well in general and he was putting well. One shot he wasn’t pleased with came during the final round when an errant drive hit his girlfriend on the back. Luckily she was ok and it gave him a better angle into the green. I hope he shouted Fore!
Winning is a lot harder
All the leading players are looking good for the season. But nobody can be guaranteed a win these days. My guys are all fairly happy with their form at the moment and they’re making inroads. I don’t think it will be too long before we see them winning. We’ve got off to a decent start. Graeme Storm won in South Africa, Thomas was tied second at Riviera and Henrik was second, three shots behind Sergio Garcia in the Dubai Desert Classic.
Danny Willett was at our driving range in Rotherham last month and he seems to be doing all-right. The problem with Danny is the expectations – not his expectations but everyone else’s. I don’t think it will be too long before we see them winning. They’re happy with their schedules so it’s now our job to keep them fresh.
Good news for Dubai
I heard that Falcon Golf are taking over the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Ladies Dubai Masters. I think it’s a good move to bring all the different elements of golf in Dubai together to promote Dubai in every way and not just in golf. It had to happen eventually to stop people pulling in different directions. It’s a great step forward for Dubai.
