Wentworth recap gets best of Rock

By Robert Rock,
Special for WorldGolf.com

For the first time in my career, at one of the biggest tournaments on tour, I broke a club in anger.

Still, it didn't do me any harm as I went on to make two birdies and four pars using my sand wedge on the greens.

Wentworth and the PGA Championship is one of the biggest tournaments and my patience wasn't the only thing that snapped after three and a half rounds of frustration on the greens.

From tee to green I was playing so well but I was losing it on the putting surfaces. Then, on the 12th during the final round, I finally lost my temper.

I threw my putter. To be honest I was aiming at my bag but I even missed that and the putter bent. It was close to the female scorer and I had to apologise later on to her because I think she was a bit upset.

If a putter is bent you are not allowed to use it so I was forced to use my sand wedge.

When using a wedge you just try to hit the wall sweetly, and about half way up, and fortunately that worked. I made back-to-back birdies and four pars to make up a couple of shots.

Golf can be the most frustrating game and, although I'm one of the more relaxed people, sometimes it's just too much.

My putting is rubbish and is costing me a lot of money. If I had been putting half decently I would have made at least 10 under par. As it was I finished two under and way off the pace.

At least the crowd had some entertainment and I rewarded one of them when I gave away the broken putter. He was in a group who followed me round on the last day. They were quite boisterous and were drinking beer they had carried in.

But that was quite good fun and they kept me going when things were tough.

The finish to the tournament was one of the most exciting I have ever watched with Scott Drummond coming from nowhere to beat all the big names.

I have played with Scott a few times this year and he is a really decent bloke. It just goes to show that we can all win a big tournament.

For Scott to win when all the big names were up at the top of the leaderboard is great for the game. And I have just heard that until the 18th he had no idea just what he was doing and that he was going to win.

He just kept his head down and played the round of his life.

Via this column I have a confession to make. Throwing my putter wasn't my only temper tantrum of the weekend -- and the results were captured on BBC TV.

Commentator Ken Brown was talking the viewers through how to play one of the holes and I had just hit a poor drive. I was so frustrated I slammed my club into the ground and made a huge hole.

When Ken came to the tee he sat by the hole on the tee and said it looked like somebody had slammed their club in disgust. The camera focused on the results of my tantrum for the whole world to see.

He was right and it was me. But even though he was staying in the same hotel I didn't own up. Sorry Ken.

Still, I'm not the only angry one on tour. My friend Simon Khan has been fined £2,000 and docked a shot for slow play - the same amount as the guy who refused to sign another player's card. That doesn't seem fair and many of the guys think the same way.

At least I've got over my anger now and have been back to get a new putter, an Oddysey.

Let's hope this one helps me change my luck and I can get further up the leaderboard when we compete in Wales this week at the Ryder Cup venue, Celtic Manor.

Wales promotes itself as the land of "Golf As it Should Be", where the game is played in tranquil surroundings without the pressures faced elsewhere.

I hope that's true and I can manage to hold on to all my clubs and not make any holes in tees.

Also From Robert Rock Series:

• Rock rubs elbows with golf's big guns at Scottish Open
• Rock stays busy during hectic week on tour
• Rock heads back to the practice tee
• Rock follows advice, hopes good fortune awaits
• Wentworth recap gets best of Rock
• Belly putters' controversy is the talk of the town
• A few lessons still can't help Rock's game
• British Masters next up for pro Robert Rock
• Rock feeling good heading into Telecom Italia Open
• Seville Open good to Robert Rock
• Robert Rock's putting starting to come around
• Inside the ropes with Robert Rock
• Rock struggles at Algarve Open de Portugal
• Taking a week off proves to be best
• Qatar Masters could be a start for Robert Rock
• Rock takes you inside the ropes

June 3, 2004