Woods plays down talks of rising McIlroy rivalry
Source: AFP |
January 17, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
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TIGER Woods has played down talk of a rivalry with Rory McIlroy, saying that the two first needed to cross swords at the business end of the majors before that could become a reality.
The two topped ranked golfers in the world have for a second straight year opted to tee off their seasons in the Gulf at the Abu Dhabi Championship and they will be paired together in the opening two rounds.
It has all the hallmarks of a classic rivalry with the 37-year-old former kingpin Woods out to exact revenge on the 23-year-old upstart McIlroy who has taken away his crown.
But Woods insists that such talk is mere conjecture.
"It would be very similar to saying that I had a rivalry with Phil (Mickelson) two years into my career," he said.
"That wasn't the case. It takes time. Over the course of my career, I've gone head-to-head against, I think Ernie (Els) and Vijay (Singh). That's happened, what, over 17 years, something like that we've been going at it like that. But it takes time.
"You know we haven't really had the amount of matches that are head-to-head duels that I've had with Phil and Vijay and Ernie.
"But then again, it's only been a few years, so let's just give it time and see how it pans out."
What is for sure is that Woods will have noted the differences in the questions he has to field at press conferences.
The American, more used to talking about himself, responded to a total of 20 questions, 15 of which concerned McIlroy.
Woods is unfailingly complimentary, saying: "We've certainly hit it off and our relationship has grown and our friendship's gotten better."
The two topped ranked golfers in the world have for a second straight year opted to tee off their seasons in the Gulf at the Abu Dhabi Championship and they will be paired together in the opening two rounds.
It has all the hallmarks of a classic rivalry with the 37-year-old former kingpin Woods out to exact revenge on the 23-year-old upstart McIlroy who has taken away his crown.
But Woods insists that such talk is mere conjecture.
"It would be very similar to saying that I had a rivalry with Phil (Mickelson) two years into my career," he said.
"That wasn't the case. It takes time. Over the course of my career, I've gone head-to-head against, I think Ernie (Els) and Vijay (Singh). That's happened, what, over 17 years, something like that we've been going at it like that. But it takes time.
"You know we haven't really had the amount of matches that are head-to-head duels that I've had with Phil and Vijay and Ernie.
"But then again, it's only been a few years, so let's just give it time and see how it pans out."
What is for sure is that Woods will have noted the differences in the questions he has to field at press conferences.
The American, more used to talking about himself, responded to a total of 20 questions, 15 of which concerned McIlroy.
Woods is unfailingly complimentary, saying: "We've certainly hit it off and our relationship has grown and our friendship's gotten better."
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