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GC.com Extra: 2012 Welcomes Tiger (4:43)
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DESCRIPTION
GolfChannel.com senior writers Jason Sobel and Randall Mell join Mike Ritz to preview Tiger’s 2012 debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and also preview the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open.
TRANSCRIPTS
-Greetings golf fans. Mike Ritz here with Jason Sobel and
Randall Mell. And 2012 in some people's minds isn't gonna
start until this week because this is when Tiger Woods
finally starts his season in Abu Dhabi. Guys, what do
you expect from him? -You know, Mike, I expect a
continuation of what we saw at the end of the
2011 season. He played well at the Australian Open. He
played well at the Presidents Cup. And of course, won
his own Chevron World Challenge. We all know that over
the past 6 weeks, Tiger Woods hasn't just been sitting
around in his living room watching cartoons. He's been out
there playing golf and practicing. So, I-- I've got to
think that he's only gotten better and improved his-- his
swing over the past 6 weeks and he's ready to
go and ready to make this season a much better
one than the last 2 have been. -Yes. I-- I
expect Tiger will play well and contend, and he doesn't
have to win to build in the positive momentum of--
of his victory at the Chevron World Challenge. If he
does win, it reignites possibilities in golf. The hype and
hoopla will rival next week's Super Bowl. -Well and-- and
it will be a statement if he does because of
the-- the quality field that he's going up against. We've
got Martin Kaymer who's-- who's trying to win this thing
for the 3rd consecutive year. You've got number 1, Luke
Donald. Rory McIlroy played a-- a practice round with Tiger.
Lee Westwood, and on, and on. Sergio "Resergio" Garcia-- -Uh-huh.
-in the field. So can-- You know, forget about Tiger.
Can Kaymer keep winning here? -You know, I wouldn't be
against him. They always say horses for courses. Well, this
guy is a thoroughbred at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. He
certainly figured something out and all. I'll be playing dark
courses-- dark horses over the course of the year, but
it's tough to go against Martin Kaymer. He-- He's gotten
on the last 4 years win, win, runner-up, win. I'm
sure that runner-up finish is really eating at him. He
could have a 4-peat right now. He'd be going for
1 for the thumb this week, but he has really
played so well at this course, not this tournament. I
gotta stick with him until he proves otherwise. -Tough to
pick against him. I mean, he-- he won by 8
shots over runner-up, Rory McIlory, last year. His highest score
in his back-to-back win is the 67. Yeah, he-- he's
tough there. -Alright. So, mean time, State side, we've got
a great event and a great field at-- at Torrey
Pines. And of course, last year, people remember Bubba Watson
sitting there with a lead and Phil Mickelson is trying
to catch him and he goes and lines up his
80-yard-- -[unk] -That's right. Bones is holding the flag stick
on the green and Phil's trying to hole up. It
was actually reasonable to consider. -Yeah. -So, that great action,
what do you anticipate this year? -You know, the thing
I'm most looking forward to is some of the players
that we haven't yet seen in the 2012 season. Hunter
Mahan is one of them. I think Hunter Mahan is
ready for a breakout performance, not saying he hasn't broken
out already, but he's a guy who could win the
Fed-Ex Cup maybe, contend in majors, maybe even win a
major championship. Geoff Ogilvy looking for his second career major
championship victory. That could happen this year. Justin Rose, his
wife just gave birth to their second child. He's making
a season debut and we talk about wins-- Rickie Fowler
finally out one towards the end of last year in
Korea, but still looking for his first on the PGA
Tour. I think it happened sooner rather than later. In
a SoCal kid, it could happen this week at Torrey
Pines. -Uh-huh. With Bubba, my question is really about motivation
'coz I'm wondering, you know, when you've won generally the
fame, the car from Dukes of Hazzard with your bed
at an auction, you know, what prize is really left
in life? -So, you've got an amazing feel in 1
guy that won a discount and we-- we saw Ernie
Els. He makes it to a play-off, European Tour. Maybe
he's falling on his putting strokes. It will be interesting
if, you know, Ernie plays on-- at a course where
he's had great success going back to when he was
13 years old, but-- but for Bubba, you know, was--
Was Bubba's win here real last year? I mean, is--
was that an anomaly or his-- does he have a
type of game to repeat here? -No. He certainly does
and, you know, Randy mentioned that the Dukes of Hazzard
car, the General Lee, that Bubba just bought, I-- I
can't wait to hear that horn flying down Magnolia Lane
this year, but Bubba's a guy who-- Look, if he
plays the way he did last year, he can win
anywhere because only twice last year did the-- did a
player-- did a tournament winner lead in both driving distance,
and greens, and regulation. One was Bubba Watson at Torrey
Pines. The other one? It was Bubba Watson at the
Zurich Classics. So, this is a guy who cannot only
hit a long way, but hits a ton of greens.
And if he does that, he can win anywhere. So,
I wouldn't count Bubba out by any-- by any means--
-Yeah. -depending on what car he is bringing to course
or not. -Yeah and-- and-- and it all depends on
the putter too. If he's making putts, look out. -Alright.
Well, generally speaking-- -Ooh! -Nice job 'fellas. Thanks for watching
everybody.
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