McILROY'S STAR TRAPPINGS DON'T GO DOWN WELL BACK HOME

FROM THE GOLF DIGEST WEBSITE
Truth and Rumours

The Irish Times' Brian O'Connor defends Rory McIlroy from critics uncomfortable with McIlroy's embrace of celebrity, especially after his recent White House visit.

The tone was one of disappointment, of barely disguised disapproval. Our young fella with the swaggering gait and swing from God doesn’t look like the ordinary, unaffected kid from Norn Iron anymore. The star system is taking over, apparently.
Rory has security now, and a high-profile girlfriend, and takes private jets, and gets invited to the White House, and hangs out with Clooney and Clinton and that red-haired bloke from Homeland, and promises to help Obama with his swing, and generally looks like he is way too-at-ease in celebrity-land.
Boo! To which one can only ask, what is Rory supposed to do? RSVP Obama and say he can’t accept an invitation to the leader of the free world’s gaff because there might be a few hacks out there with enough time on their hands to ponder whether Rory is keeping it real, like?
Sometimes it’s just plain inevitable that sporting passions lead us to ascribe human virtues in proportion to the wondrous talent in front of us. Journos are no different to anyone else. In fact, sometimes there’s almost a sense of ownership about it.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy made moving to the West Palm/Jupiter area fashionable for PGA Tour pros, and it appears the attraction must be strong for women golfers too.
According to reports, Michelle Wie is going to move to Jupiter, Florida, after she graduates from Stanford University, California this spring.
Her parents will be making the move from Palo Alto to Jupiter as well. They shadowed Wie during her regular practice sessions in Northern California, traipsing along in a golf cart, and they travel with her to every LPGA event. The habit has drawn not-so-muffled criticism over the years, and it seems their role will not subside once Wie is a college graduate.
B.J. comes across as calm and rational, but that's not always the image Bo projects. She's a one-time amateur champion in South Korea, openly emotional when watching her daughter play. Observers describe her as living and dying with every shot as she follows Michelle at tournaments, screaming at times.
There are two ways to view this. On one hand, Wie's parents allowed Michelle some independence at Stanford. Then again, they lived in Palo Alto and now will join her in Jupiter.

David Feherty served as starter/heckler in chief for the Tavistock Cup this week. Some highlights:
Introducing Tiger Woods: "Many of us are out here by helicopter, he came by ambulance."
Introducing Ernie Els (who missed a four-foot putt at the Transitions to get into a playoff Sunday): "Ernie will be putting with a live rattlesnake today."