Golf Central

On this day in 1959, a golfer who personifies the grind of the PGA Tour and who really just needs to catch a break for once was born in San Mateo, California - career tour hanger-on Michael Allen. Happy 49th, Michael.

You see Allen has always been just good enough to hang around ... most of the time. Allen turned pro way back in 1984 when Tiger Woods was only 9, and amazingly, he has made 296 starts on the PGA Tour ... but he has never won a tournament ...

Hmmmn. This looks different ...: How's that? I see a big leaderboard over there. It says "WOODS" at the top in big letters with a 65 next to it. And everybody else is two shots or more behind.
Yeah, but those are different names behind him! ...: Ah, I see, yes, that's true. Instead of the usual guys like Mickelson, Furyk, Sabbatini, Choi, Cink, et al., Tiger is leading guys named Edberg, Jimenez, Kaymer, Levet and the Euro lot this time.
That's right. He's deigned to destroy the European Tour's elite for a change Does anyone have a chance?: Maybe. Martin Kaymer has something to prove head-to-head and he's only 2 back. And Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els are in striking range at 4-under, 3 back.
That Tiger is all heart ...: Instead of busting open his can of whoop-ass on the poor PGA Tour guys, he's showing that he's an equal-opportunity ass-kicker. Why wait until the majors?
Em, by the way ... it's "arse-kicker". It's the European Tour, you know, old chap. Mind your spellings ...: Sorry, I've just come off the other Tour. Anyway, since when is Dubai Europe?
Since Dubai became the megalopolis of the new rich and the European Tour started making it its "showcase" event of the new year ...: Yeah, but it's still not in Europe.
Stop being semantical ...: Hey, you started on the "arse" thing. Anyway, I'm confused. It's like being in a time-warp. It's weird. Tiger's here in this desert paradise, probably marching relentlessly to yet another victory. So it seems normal ... it's just that whole Euro Tour thing ...
Well, Tiger has obligations all over the world ...: Yeah, and obviously he has a different M.O. than anyone else. He just hops on his plane, flies across the world and dominates where ever he goes.
True, but Camilo Villegas is the main attraction back in Arizona on the PGA Tour this week ...: What's his M.O.?
Well, Camilo just hops on an Arizona State University cheerleader and ...: Stop it right there.

A Tiger-less tour event makes Phil Mickelson the clear favourite to win the FBR Open this weekend at around 6/1. Rory Sabbatini and Steve Stricker are at 14/1, with likely lads Aaron Baddeley, KJ Choi, Vijay Singh and Stewart Cink also in the hunt. My money goes on a trio of players at wider odds:

Mike Weir @ 40/1: It’s just a hunch (so dismiss it at your leisure), but I keep thinking he’ll win big again after a decent 12 months for the other Lefty.

Trevor Immelman @ 60/1: Still struggling to find his A game after a long illness last year interrupted his rise up the world rankings. Will come good eventually, which is why we’ll stick with him this season.

Daniel Chopra @ 70/1: Not his course, but we think the big ol’ Swede will be gunning for more glory in his search for a Ryder Cup place.

Let’s face it he has been a bit quiet of late. And while the word ‘nice’ is probably not the one you’d use seeing Ian Poulter starkers on the cover of UK golf mag Golf World (we’d rather not upset you by showing it), his modesty was just as poorly hidden in the accompanying interview: “I haven’t played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger,”

Poulter can be very engaging as long as you accept it’s all about him. He’s supremely professional at the meet-and-greet end of the operation and the influence he’s had on every aspiring teenage golfer can be seen by the number of Poulter-tribute hairstyles that are on show among junior members of Britain's golf clubs.

Poulter has shown remarkable determination in graduating from club pro to multiple tour winner. His fellow pros always qualify their admiration for his achievements with off-the-record comments of disbelief. They think he’s a nothing-special golfer, but then again many of them will end up lower on the leaderboard most weeks.

Of course his comments about Tiger are laughable. But as ESPN’s Jason Sobel points out in his excellent comment piece, neither does he criticise Tiger’s game, not does he display the arrogance of Rory Sabbatini or Stephen Ames, two of the PGA Tour’s least popular characters. People can help liking Poults, even with his tackle out.

This is the stuff. The Dubai Desert Classic drags the world’s best golfer half-way across the world and an orderly queue for second place forms at a discrete distance. Or that’s what the bookies would have you believe. Tiger is at evens, so forget about it, until he’s three shots clear on the last morning and you’ve got a spare ten grand burning a hole in your back pocket.

Then again, he didn’t win last year, Henrik Stenson did. One of the many backyard boys from the European Tour who live in Dubai, Stenson is available at around 10/1, with Ernie Els and Lee Westwood at 14/1.

My picks are a little further out, though:-

Sergio Garcia @ 28/1: I never back him and I hardly ever regret it. Wouldn’t it just be rich if the twitchy Spaniard really got his groove back this week?

Nick Dougherty @ 35/1: I almost always back him and he often comes in. Nick showed good form in Qatar, is desperate for a Ryder Cup spot and that’s good enough for me.

Graeme McDowell @ 100-1: Another InGolfWeTrust fave, he showed an almost uncharacteristic level of consistency last week. And if he needs to go low, low he can go…