GOLF/Dubai Desert Classic: Retief Goosen has often played a magnificent round, only to find the gaze of those outside the fairway ropes diverted elsewhere, but never has the world number three been overshadowed by the news from the divorce courts.
Yesterday the South African's 64 in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic was good enough to lead the field, but it left him a distant second in the attention stakes to the man in 101st place, Colin Montgomerie.
For the record, the mercurial Scotsman shot a two-over-par 74, but the only number anyone was interested in was the size of the out-of-court settlement reached this week with his former wife, Eimear, reported to be anything from £8 million to £16 million.
"You can't forget the last 16 years in one day," was his understandably brief response to all questions relating to his personal life.
He was happier to discuss his round, even though it was not pretty, especially an opening nine of 42 which featured three sixes and, presumably, a great deal of soul searching.
However, four birdies on his inward half, played over the Emirates course's more difficult front nine, proved you can relieve a multi-millionaire sportsman of half his bank balance but you can't take away his competitive spirit.
"Out in 42, back in 32 - at least it gives me a chance of making the cut," Montgomerie said.
If that sounded like a limited ambition it was at least a realistic one, not least because almost half the field were under par by the close, with Goosen in the lead on eight-under alongside the Australian left-hander Richard Green and Jamie Donaldson of Wales, who birdied six holes in succession en route to his 64.
Tiger Woods, rumoured to be receiving a $3 million "promotional services fee" - some $40,000 per hole over four days - for making the trip, was three shots back after a five-under 67 which could have been better given that he was four under for his first four holes.
"You couldn't ask for a better start. But after that . . ." he said, his voicing trailing off in disbelief.
After that he did not do much of very much, though there were a couple of highlights for the vast galleries following him and playing partners Darren Clarke (68) and Henrik Stenson (67).
After bogeying the par-five 10th, the easiest hole on the course, he stepped on to the 11th tee and hit a low, punched seven-iron to a couple feet for a tap-in birdie. "It is just the kind of shot Hank (Haney, his swing coach) and I have been working on for a long time," he shrugged.
That is the kind of shot which, rightly or wrongly, will persuade tournament sponsors to continue to pay Woods vast sums just to have him play in their events, although they should be warned that one day not even money will be enough to tempt the world number one from his homeland. Never one to discuss anything personal in the presence of journalists, Wood did let it slip that he will curtail his schedule when he and his wife, Elin, start a family.
"My responsibilities will change. The dynamics of my life will change," he said.
Good news for parenting. Bad news for the game around the globe.
Clarke's round didn't spark into life until the 13th, when he began a hat-trick of birdies, and he got to four under at the 17th when a botched chip slammed into the flagstick and fell into the hole for birdie.
His protege, teenager Rory McIlroy, put in an impressive show to fire a level par 72. That left him tied for 71st, so he'll have to improve by a couple of shots to survive the cut.
The Holywood Golf Club star had four birdies and an eagle in his round, but they were matched by four bogeys and a double.
Damien McGrane matched Clarke's 68, and Peter Lawrie was just a shot further back, but Gary Murphy struggled to a 74 which included a triple bogey seven at the sixth.
A refreshed Goosen put his share of the lead down to taking a leaf out of Woods' book of relaxation. The South African put his feet up over Christmas, like his American rival.
The double US Open champion said: "I didn't touch a club for five weeks. I put them in the cupboard and wherever I travelled I didn't even take them with me. That's the first time I've not played for five weeks.
"I took six weeks off and moved a spot up the world rankings. So maybe if I take another six weeks off, I'll move up to number two!"
Guardian Service
Irish in Bold and Brit unless
stated, par 72):
(x) denotes amateur
64 - Retief Goosen (Rsa), Richard Green (Aus), Jamie Donaldson.
66 - David Lynn, Ross Bain
67 - Nick Dougherty, Nick O'Hern (Aus), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Tiger Woods (USA), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Paul Casey
68 - Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Anders Hansen (Den), Oliver Wilson, Joakim Backstrom (Swe), Barry Lane, Lee Westwood, Ernie Els (Rsa), Constantino Rocca (Ita), Mark Foster, Darren Clarke, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Damien McGrane
69 - Johan Edfors (Swe), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Paul Broadhurst, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Richard Sterne (Rsa), Stuart Little, Marc Cayeux (Zim), Phillip Price, Gary Orr, Peter Lawrie, Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Emanuele Canonica (Ita).
70 - Jamie Spence, Peter O'Malley (Aus), Stephen Gallacher, Simon Dyson, Phillip Archer, David Park, Markus Brier (Aut), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Simon Wakefield, Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Steve Webster, Bradley Dredge, David Howell, Kenneth Ferrie, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Soren Hansen (Den), Alastair Forsyth, Wade Ormsby (Aus).
71 - Andrew Coltart, Christopher Hanell (Swe), Andrew Oldcorn, SK Ho (Kor), Richard Finch, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa), Robert-Jan Derksen (Hol), Paul Lawrie, Peter Hanson (Swe), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind), Marcus Fraser (Aus), Mark O'Meara (USA), Steven O'Hara, Marcel Siem (Ger), Robert Karlsson (Swe), Jose Manuel Lara (Spa).
72 - Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Robert Coles, (x) Rory McIlroy, David Carter, Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Jonathan Lomas, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra), Ian Poulter, Stephen Dodd, Andrew McLardy (Rsa), John Bickerton, Gregory Havret (Fra), Andrew Marshall, Simon Khan.
73 - Ian Garbutt, Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Peter Fowler (Aus), Paul Sheehan (Aus), Jean Van de Velde (Fra), James Kingston (Rsa), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa), Gary Emerson, Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Scott Drummond, Garry Houston, Marten Olander (Swe), Philip Golding.
74 - Maarten Lafeber (Hol), Colin Montgomerie, Mark Roe, Miles Tunnicliff, Richard Bland, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Graeme Storm, David Smail (Nzl), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Gary Evans, Gary Murphy.
75 - Peter Gustafsson (Swe), Raymond Russell, Brett Rumford (Aus).
76 - Anthony Wall, Francesco Molinari (Ita).
77 - Soren Kjeldsen (Swe), Ernie Rellon (Phi), Shiv Kapur (Ind)
79 - Ian Woosnam .
83 - (x) Stuart McMurdo.
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