Golf Notes: Dubai Desert Classic

I must be one of the few obsessive golf fans who has never played a round of (non-miniature) golf, although I keep promising myself that one day, I will learn to play the game, badly. In any case, I should post more golf notes here at PMD, in line with the project of reflecting all my interests.

Yesterday, I was lucky to find an Internet stream of the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic, and watched it till the end. It was a very exciting tournament with a lot of golfers in contention, and the blazing young Spaniard Alvaro Quiros finally prevailing. This morning, I saw a mopey column by Shane Bacon at the Devil Ball Golf blog that started thus:

This story should be about a 28-year-old Spaniard that won his fifth European Tour title on Sunday in Dubai, emerging from an incredibly star-studded field to do so. It should be about Alvaro Quiros, the long-hitting heartthrob that posted three 68s to end his week, the last coming on Sunday when Quiros made two eagles (the second being a hole-in-one) in his first 11 holes. But the story isn't. You know what this story is about. It's about Tiger Woods...

It went on in that vein of let's keep talking about Tiger by asking why we're still talking about Tiger, a fairly transparent trick. I responded:

I am a little puzzled here, since this story is a perfect example of the phenomenon it is complaining about. What the media concentrates on is up to the media. Write about Quiros instead, please! The guy is an exciting golfer who has won every year he has played the European Tour. Like many of the up-and-comers, he is great for the game and is a completely media-friendly subject -- handsome, likable, best buds with Kaymer, super-long off the tee. What more do you want? Tiger is a tired story not least because the story has now been told a thousand times, and there are only so many ways you can spin it. Quiros is fresh.

What the media is terrified of is that once Tiger ceases to be a story, a lot of casual fans will stop following golf. And you know what? That is exactly right. It cannot be helped, so get over it. There will still be plenty of real fans who want to read stories about what is actually going on, not what could be happening in an alternate universe.

POSTSCRIPT: Here is a fun exchange about Quiros from the weekly Sports Illustrated golf roundtable:

Gorant: Alvaro Quiros outlasted everyone in the desert, helped by an ace in the final round. What do we think of this guy? He's crazy long and has a decent short game. Has he reached his apex as an exciting and excitable occasional winner, or is there another level out there for him?

Van Sickle: He could be the Spanish Dustin Johnson, or D.J. could be the American Alvaro Quiros. Either way, I love watching them play. They're great for the game.

Godich: Agreed. And anybody who can post a triple bogey and still win has what it takes to get to the next level. He has won in each of the last five years. That says something.

Bamberger: Absolutely he has another level in him. He's just learning to play, truly. He has horrible distance control. He's wildly inconsistent as a putter. He's so much fun to watch and listen to. He could win a Masters when he gets it all together. He can be a Vijay, and he could be around for a long time because he's fit and has a range of interests and hobbies. I'm a huge fan.

Lipsey: I sure wish he played Stateside. He's as fun to watch as anybody, and a lively speaker too.

Evans: A few years ago we analyzed Alvaro's swing, and according to Jim Suttie, one of our Top 100 teachers, there is not a more athletic swinger of the golf club in the world.

Dusek: No one has more fun, or smiles more easily on the course, than Quiros. I watched him crush tee shots at Firestone using a persimmon driver two years ago (he'd never hit a wooden wood before), and he was giddy. He was laughing and joking, and everyone else on the range stopped to watch him blow the ball by them using a 30-year-old club.

Herre: Quiros is a freak, but he is in ascendance. Sort of reminds me of Bubba Watson, but with a more conventional swing. Still makes the big number now and then. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from him.

Wei: Quiros reminds me of [a] more eloquent, gregarious Dustin Johnson.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,2048870-3,00.html