19th hole: A final walk down the golden mile

Gary Meenaghan

• Last Updated: November 21. 2009 9:40PM UAE / November 21. 2009 5:40PM GMT

Stephen King’s book The Green Mile details the lives of prisoners waiting to make the long trip down Death Row to meet Old Sparky. This afternoon, when the European Tour’s 58 best golfers walk their own green mile at the Dubai World Championship, the atmosphere will be equally as electrifying.

The final four holes at Greg Norman’s Earth course measure almost exactly one mile, but instead of its visitors meeting a certain death one man will today walk away at least US$1.25 million (Dh4.6m) richer.

The Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy appeared a condemned man as he walked off the 18th yesterday after falling victim to the mile. The Northern Irishman bogeyed his final three holes to finish on 10-under par, five strokes behind leader Lee Westwood.

Ironically, he started the final stretch perfectly, bagging a birdie on the 371-yard uphill par-four 15th. While clearly risky, the hole bears rewards as McIlroy and several other players – including Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy and Louis Oosthuizen – proved yesterday.

However, the 20–year-old’s mood soured after tackling the 16th – a hole he had claimed as his favourite at Earth earlier in the week. “A very demanding hole” was how he described it, and it proved to be just that as he found water on his approach shot.

The 17th is widely regarded as the course’s signature hole; “a fantastic, precise par-three,” says its architect Norman. The tricky island shot is likened to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, but Earth, at 195 yards, is 58 yards longer than its American cousin and requires a six iron opposed to the nine or wedge you can use at Ponte Vedra Beach.

Earth also offers a larger, albeit far more protected, green than Sawgrass, although the wide, shallow putting surface will undoubtedly appear a lot smaller today when Westwood and Co tee-up in the race for riches.

With the pin being moved to between the front-left and rear bunkers for the final round, the sand hazards will surely come into play more as players look to balance the risk of finding sand and finding water in a bid to save a stroke. It’s a tough task at the best of times, but will be made increasingly harder as the wind picks up throughout the afternoon – a fact quickly understood by Race to Dubai challenger Martin Kaymer, who lost a ball to the water yesterday afternoon.

“It wasn’t a bad golf shot,” said the German, who finished the day on two-under. “I just got a very unlucky kick and it went into the water. I guess sometimes you have to be a little bit smart and go for the middle of the green.”

From Padraig Harrington’s double-bogey on Friday to Westwood’s brilliant birdie yesterday, the mammoth 18th has been witness to some intense moments so far, and everyone – with the exception of the players – hope for similar scenes this evening.

In The Green Mile, the central character John Coffey has the ability to perform miracles and the two players who, along with Westwood and McIlroy, can claim the Order of Merit title this weekend will need similar abilities if either of them is to go home with the Harry Vardon Trophy. Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher both start this morning on two-under and the end has arrived early for them it would seem.

The possibility of Westwood and McIlroy – the Race to Dubai’s two remaining protagonists – walking the 620-yard 18th together was ended by the Northern Irishman’s disappointing final mile, but neither player will miss the presence of the other as the duo fight pressure and each other to top the money list. Westwood is once again paired with Ross McGowan, while McIlroy will play with Ogilvy.

gmeenaghan@thenational.ae