World No 1 Rory McIlroy will take an aggressive approach on the greens as he looks to find his putting touch in the Wells Fargo Championship this week.
McIlroy finished eighth in the Players Championship at Sawgrass on Sunday after struggling to convert his excellent play from tee to green into enough birdies to challenge for the title.
But the four-time major winner will be boosted by his impressive record at Quail Hollow as he seeks an 11th PGA Tour title, the Northern Irishman having claimed his first victory on US soil there in 2010 thanks to a final round of 62.
“I’m really happy with where everything is from tee to green,” said McIlroy, who has recorded four top-10 finishes in his five appearances in the event. “So more of the same with that and just hole a few more putts.”
“I felt the ones that had a chance weren’t quite rolling past the hole,” he said in reference to his putting at Sawgrass. “They were just getting to the hole and sort of dying away.
“I was maybe just hitting putts a little too soft at times. I’ll try to get the speed a bit better and be a bit more aggressive on the greens and hopefully that will make a difference.”
McIlroy, 26, is favourite for the title, with last year’s winner JB Holmes hoping to also be in contention.
The American, 33, can boast two second places and a victory in the Houston Open already this season.
Holmes underwent brain surgery in September 2011 and claimed his first PGA Tour title since 2008 when he held off a charge from Jim Furyk in the final round at Quail Hollow 12 months ago.
“It was a great moment,” Holmes said. “I had a lot of hard work to get to there. It was more about not necessarily just that moment and the win, it was more about the collective and all the stuff I had gone through to get there.
“I dwelled more on that stuff and old, hard work I put in more than just that moment of actually winning, but it was a great accomplishment and a lot of fun.”
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The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
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