Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington….what do they all have in common? Great swings, multiple tour victories, major winners, Ryder cup representatives, hunger, desire, great putters, erratic drivers of the golf ball! Hold on a minute, what that last one again?

Yes it is true. Tiger has been inconsistent to say the least, off the tee over the past few years. Phil has been spraying it around too, although I sometimes wonder does he do it on purpose to amaze us with his recovery shots (Seve Ballesteros had a similar habit). This season, Harrington too seems to have caught the awful curse of having difficulty finding fairways.

Its a shame really becasue the art of driving the golf ball seems to be lost in many courses these days. Take for instance this weeks Quail Hollow Championship. While it is a tree lined course, the rough is non-existant. Early round leaders therefore include Woods (-7), Mickelson (-5) and Harrington (-4). Now obviously these are three of the best players in the world and might have been at the top regardless of the rough. However, consider that Woods hit just over 50% of fairways in his round and Harrington, after 14 holes, has hit a disappointing 33%…hardly inspiring is it?

Im not surprised by the course conditions though. Sponsors and TV companies want birdies and excitement and so, the courses are generally more playable these days. Roll on the thick lush rough of the US Open and countless pro’s moaning and complaining about the state of the course…. Chances are though, that Woods, Mickelson and Harrington will still be there or there-abouts then too, even if it does mean having to scramble time and time again….nit-picking the best players faults isnt easy you know!