Tee Time
April 4, 2012
The eyes of golfing fans will be on Augusta this week, as the Masters 2012 Tournament tees off tomorrow. Seasoned pro Tiger Woods looks to parlay his recent win at the Bay Hill Club into his fifth Masters title. Meanwhile youngster Rory McIlroy hopes to avenge the heartbreaking loss he suffered on the same course last year. While it would be unwise to discount Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson, here’s how the top two seeds stack up:
Tiger Woods
Born: December 30th, 1975 in Cypress, California.
Child Prodigy: Coached by his father, Tiger showed promise early on, appearing on television shows to showcase his golfing prowess and winning the Junior World Golf Championship at the age of eight.
Education: Attended Stanford University, where he studied Economics. Tiger left college after two years – a smart move – he’s now the highest paid professional athlete in the world.
Twitter: Has over 1.9 millions followers – impressive for someone who only follows 15 accounts.
Website: Heavy on the stats and charity work.
Love Life: Tiger’s personal life was splashed over front page tabloids in the wake of a marital dispute with ex-wife and former model Elin Nordegren. The two eventually divorced.
Random Fact: Reigning Masters champions host a traditional dinner for past winners and board members the Tuesday before the tournament. As a 22 year-old winner, Woods served his guests a menu of cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes.
Playing Record: Woods has won 72 titles on the PGA Tour, 14 of which are Majors.
Rory McIlroy
Born: May 4th, 1989 in Holywood, Northern Ireland.
Child Prodigy: McIlroy was introduced to the sport by his father before he turned two. Following in Tiger’s tracks, he won the Junior World Golf Championship in the 9-10 year-old category.
Education: McIlroy expressed intent to pursue a golf scholarship at East Tennessee State University but turned it down in favour of pursuing a pro career.
Twitter: Closing in on 1 million followers.
Website: Heavy on the photo and video content.
Love Life: Has been dating professional tennis player Caroline Wozniacki since 2011. Perhaps her can show her a thing or two about winning a major?
Random Fact: McIlroy was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to sport. Other recipients on the list included former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis and England Rugby Captain Jamie Peacock.
Playing Record: 14 years younger than Woods, McIlroy has three PGA tour wins, one of which is a Major.
