McIlroy missing BMW Masters a ‘disappointment’
The tournament director of the BMW Masters has expressed regret that Rory McILroy will not be playing at Lake Malaren in China.
World No.1 McIlroy recently announced he would miss two China-based tournaments – the BMW Masters and the WGC-HSBC Champions Event – in order to prepare for the pending lawsuit with his former management company, Horizon Sports Management.
Those two tournaments are the first of four “Final Series” events in the lucrative Race to Dubai, which culminates at the World Tour Championship in November. McIlroy is currently the runaway leader in the standings and is over three million points ahead of second-place Sergio Garcia.
BMW Masters tournament director Marco Kaussler told Sky Sports: “We are very sorry that Rory McIlroy will not tee off at the BMW Masters for the first time since the tournament has been held.
“We obviously understand the disappointment of the many golf fans in China but we respect his decision.”
McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Henrik Stenson has also withdrawn after the Swede’s wife gave birth in Florida last weekend. He is defending champion, having become the first man to win both the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup in the same season last year.
However, three other members of the European team that won at Gleneagles will be competing at the BMW Masters.
Jamie Donaldson is currently fourth in the standings and still has a slim chance of catching the Northern Irishman. He said: “Obviously it would be great to have Rory here.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of why he’s not playing here but I’m sure he’ll be back playing as strong as ever. It’s mathematically possible to catch him but it’s one hell of a stretch.”
Justin Rose, who was integral in Europe’s victory against the United States, is fixed to play in the three events that precede the final, including the Turkish Airlines Open.
He remains eighth on the Race to Dubai list, but wants to use the next four tournaments to achieve a career-high world ranking.
“I’m not sure I can catch Rory in The Race to Dubai,” Rose said. “But the Bonus Pool runs deep down to 15th and I want to strengthen my world ranking as much as possible.
“If I can play well and maybe win a couple of tournaments between now and the end of the season, I could probably get up to second in the world, which would be a personal best. So there’s always something to play for.”
Only the top 60 in the standings qualify for the finale in Dubai. Ian Poulter currently sits 64th – almost 25,000 points off a place – but is confident he can make up the ground this week.
“It’s always nice to come back to Asia and I’ve got a decent record here,” Poulter said. “I’ve played well on this golf course in the past, so I’m looking forward to getting going.
“I’ve been close here. I like the layout, I like the way it looks and if the weather holds off for us and is kind then it’s going to be a great week. The success over here obviously means that I’ve got a good following, and hopefully that may long continue.”
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
Feeds: ESPN staff
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
