Tiger Woods is recovering from another back surgery. Phil Mickelson bowed out of the FedEx Cup Playoffs after Chicago. But the excitement for golf’s young guns is overshadowing their absences.
Especially exciting is the leader of the pack’s performance this season. Jordan Spieth is the youngest, at 22, but also the poster child (if you will) for the youth movement on tour. With two majors, five PGA TOUR wins, and 15 top 10s, he has put together the kind of year that Tiger did in his heyday.
Joining him are Jason Day (with five overall wins including the PGA Championship, the WGC Bridgestone, and two FedEx Cup playoff events), Rickie Fowler (two wins), and Rory McIlroy (two wins). None of them finished higher than 15th in FedEx Cup points, with Spieth and Day going one-two. 2016 could be a lot of fun.
Let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Spieth Wins It All
Jordan Spieth capped off his remarkable year by winning the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, all at the tender age of 22. [Link]
Hole #2: The Big Three (or Four)
With wins in the FedEx Cup playoffs by Spieth, Fowler and Day (twice), it’s looking like the big three/four is for real. Good thing next season starts in a few weeks; the wait would seem interminable. [Link]
Hole #3: Jaidee Wins European Open
Thailand Thongchai Jaidee won for the seventh time on the European Tour. [Link]
Hole #4: Monkey See…
When a strip club called the Pink Monkey held a golf outing on a public Chicago course, residents were not amused. [Link]
Hole #5: Gutted
Suzann Pettersen apologizes for violating the spirit of the game (and inciting the American comeback). [Link]
Hole #6: Bombs Away
Shocking! It turns out that the pros are hitting the ball really far. [Link]
Hole #7: Nerves
How do you prepare for a final round for all the marbles? [Link]
Hole #8: Love Child
So if Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy had a kid… [Link]
Hole #9: Dustin’s Digs
OK, so I don’t feel quite so bad for D.J. about missing those putts at the U.S. Open, any more. [Link]
Yes, I believe the PGA Tour is merging into a new era.
Many young players are elevating the game to a higher level which has generated more fan base. Next season will bring many exciting players for viewers and fans, a long overdue reason to now choose a favorite and bring along many debates over who will win each and every week.
Unlike the past when Tiger dominated, if he was not playing an event, the field was considered less eventful. With the many great players that are now playing, many of them young or old can emerge on any given week for a victory.
Looking forward to maybe one of the best seasons ever on the tour.
Seems the stars are aligned just right for a fantastic season.
Club Rat
Saying it does not make it so. Golf is not more exciting today without Tiger and Phil. The tv ratings says it all. maybe in time, but not now.
http://www.golfdigest.com/story/cbs-owes-tiger-a-big-thank-you-for-these-ridiculous-tv-ratings
Actually, I don’t know that golf was more exciting when Tiger was really in his prime (after all, Sunday was generally a foregone conclusion when he had the lead on Saturday), but it was riveting. It was more about awe than suspense. Golf certainly owes a tremendous debt to Tiger for the attention (and ratings) that he brought to the game.
However, Spieth, et al., are doing a pretty good job of filling the Tiger-size void left in the game. Jordan is just a month older than Tiger was in getting his seventh win. And the fact that there are two or three other guys that can play at the same level (at least at times), leads me to think that the next 5-10 years could be very exciting, indeed.