Tiger Woods took the 36 hole lead at the Olympic Club in the 112th United States Open last week. He fired scores of 75 and 73 on the weekend to finish six shots back. Wait, what? Tiger Woods? Yep, that wasn't a misprint.
Golf is in a transition stage. We have now seen fifteen different players win the last fifteen majors, including the last nine by first time winners. Those kind of things just don't happen. It began with Graeme McDowell at Pebble Beach in 2010, as he stole the title from a headline of players including Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson. Most recently, Webb Simpson took the title at the Olympic Club, beating out McDowell and a host of other great players.
The era that I have grown up in has been dominated by one player: Tiger Woods. This "balance of power" is just not something we are used to seeing. Even the players at the top of the World Golf Rankings aren't dominating the game. Luke Donald, the world's top ranked player, has yet to win a major. Even Lee Westwood, who is ranked third, still lacks that elusive major title as well.
Indeed, having nine different players win the last nine majors has been strange. However, I urge golf fans to be patient. This is an auspicious beginning, not an ominous one. Each of the nine previous winners are all relevant at this point in golf, with the exception of Darren Clarke. Players like Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, and Keegan Bradley are going to win more majors. These players are emerging at young ages and are going to be the faces of golf for a long time.
I truly believe that we are past the days of Tiger Woods dominating the game of golf. Woods isn't going to win nine times in a year anymore like he did back in 2000. He isn't going to win four consecutive majors at a time. Unfortunately, we are past that time in his career. Let's be happy for what we had with Tiger, and just hope there is something left in the tank to thrill us a few more times. I'm sure there is.
Don't get me wrong. Tiger is going to win more majors and a plethora of other tournaments on the PGA Tour. I just don't see him winning at the ridiculous level as he did in past years. I would be foolish to count out a player that has won 73 times on tour, and 14 major titles. So, I'm not going to count him out.
Golf may never be the same. If you are one of those people that tunes in to watch the majors and maybe a few tournaments other than that, you probably aren't happy with the way the game is evolving. "Oh Tiger's not winning? I'm not watching that," is what we will continue to hear. But for those of us die hard golf fans, this change in power is not so bad. There are more first-rate players than ever in the game today including six Americans in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings.
I enjoy seeing parody and new faces emerge to rule the game of golf. We are on the verge of having 25-30 really super players battle it out every week. It is only a matter of time before one of these nine first time majors winners closes out their second major title. It may even come as soon as next month at the Open Championship in England. So watch out golf fans, new faces are emerging to lead the charge in this great game we all love. If you've got a problem with a host of players leading the way, rather than just one, I suggest you get ready for Wimbeldon.
--GM
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