South African Tim Clark will play tournament golf for the first time since withdrawing from The Players Championship in May last year, in the Northern Trust Open this week.
The 36-year-old had surgery on his elbow in August 2010, just three months after his famous win in The Players Championship, but struggled to find form after the surgery.
Clark’s brief recovery
At the beginning of 2011 he showed some signs that he might finally be able to leave his elbow troubles behind him when he tied for 17th in the Tournament of Champions and then grabbed a share of second in the Sony Open.
But after that his elbow trouble return and he began to battle again, he skipped the WGC-Cadillac Championship, missed the cut in The Masters and had to withdraw from the The Players Championship after just one round.
That’s all the golf he managed last year, but he also became a father for the first time just before The Players Championship in 2011, which is probably the reason he didn't rush back from his injury.
In the time since his Players withdrawal he has dropped from 30th to 129th in the world.
Tim Clark is back
The good news for South African golf fans is that he is back for this week’s Northern Trust Open and raring to go.
There may be signs of rust, but he has been putting in a lot of work near his home in Arizona and has a good history in the Northern Trust Open – he has three top 15s in six appearances – so hopefully he will be able to hit the ground golfing.
Other Southern Africans in the field
This will potentially be a great tournament to stay up for as South African Major winners Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman are all in the field.
Rory Sabbatini and Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge make up the rest of Southern Africa’s contribution to the field.
The charitable side of the game
Since its inception, the Northern Trust Open has generated nearly $52 million for Los Angeles-area charities. All proceeds from the Northern Trust Open support non-profit organizations and help approximately 15 000 residents each year and 5 000 children, who are cared for in after-school programs. The Northern Trust Open has also enabled 200 000 children to compete in the Watts Summer Games.
Holes 4 Hope
There is also a chance for you to get involved with helping out through golf as the managing director of Steenberg is going to play 12 straight hours of golf this Saturday to raise funds for the iThemba House. Click here to find out more.
Riviera Country Club
Original architect: Captain George C. Thomas (1926)
Redesign: Tom Fazio (2008)
Par value: 71
Number of PGA Tour events as host venue; 48 (including 2012)
Course ranking: 10 (out of 51) in difficulty on the PGA Tour in 2011
Grass: Bermudagrass, perennial ryegrass (tees); Kikuyugrass (rough, fairways); Creeping bentgrass, Poa annua (greens)
Sand bunkers: 60
Water hazards: 0
Most difficult hole
The par-4 12th: 2011: 0 eagles, 30 birdies, 254 pars, 134 bogeys, 15 double bogeys, 3 others.
Easiest hole
The par-5 1st: 2011: 40 eagles, 258 birdies, 124 pars, 11 bogeys, 3 double bogeys and 0 others.
