Justin Rose has revealed that he may skip the World Match Play Champion-ship in February, adding to the threatened exile of the top players from the World Golf Championship event.
Tim Finchem, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, will be alarmed to hear that Rose is considering opting out of the knockout tournament in February, which is supposed to feature the top 64 players in the world.
Phil Mickelson is another doubt, as is the world No.2 Adam Scott. And seeing as Tiger Woods's girlfriend, Lyndsey Vonn, is that week scheduled to compete for skiing gold in the -Winter Olympics, the world's premier matchplay event could be missing four of the game's top five players. That would be a devastating blow for the World Match Play, which is probably taking place for the last time in Tucson in February.
"I'm thinking about having a month off around the February time," Rose told the Telegraph. "It's been such a busy year and I think I probably need to recharge the batteries around then."
Rose, who is due to play his first event of the year in Abu Dhabi in the third week of January, will consult about his schedule with his manager, Mark Steinberg, having finished his 2013 campaign at the Thailand Golf Championship on Sunday. The Englishman, who won the US Open in June, came fourth behind Sergio Garcia at Amata Springs Country Club, just outside Bangkok.
After a year to forget, it was a day to remember for Garcia. The Spaniard had been winless all season, but his trophy-less form on the fairways was the last of his problems. In May, Garcia made a racist slur against Woods at the European Tour's annual awards dinner and, after a fine run before, made just one top 10 in his next six appearances.
Garcia has been showing good form of late, however, following up his runner-up placing at the Nedbank Championship in Sun City last week with his first victory since the Johor Open last December. With not only Rose in behind him, but also Henrik Stenson - who won the European Tour's Race To Dubai as well as the FedEx Cup, the US Tour equivalent - this was a notable success.
The 33 year-old, who had his girlfriend Katharina Boehm on the bag, conjured six birdies and two bogeys in a final-day 68 for a 22-under total, which was four too good for Stenson.
"It's feels amazing," Garcia said. "Henrik was pushing hard on that front nine - I'm just really happy to come through. I want to dedicate this win to my mum who had minor -surgery early last week and is now recovering nicely and to my girlfriend who was with me throughout."
The Frenchman Alexander Levy shot a 69 to finish a further four shots back in third place, while the defending champion, Charl Schwartzel, was tied for fourth with Japan's Yuki Kono, Rose and the Indian Anirban Lahiri.
Meanwhile, rumours began to build that Rory McIlroy is being lined up to sign with Team8, the agency set up by Roger Federer's agent Tony Godsick. McIlroy officially quit Horizon Sports Management in October and although he has stated his desire to go alone, McIlroy is close to Federer because of the former's relationship with Caroline Wozniacki.
Federer and Godsick were with IMG until 2012 but are now seeking to expand the operation. They have signed Juan Martin del Potro, tennis's world No.5, and it is understood that talks have been held with McIlroy.
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