The United States Amateur is one of the most familiar events in the world of golf, but I think it’s starting to lose some steam. Since 1990, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, and Tiger Woods have won the U.S. Amateur. Woods, as we all know, won three in a row from 1994-1996. These players have gone on to make their mark in a big way on the PGA Tour and for great reasons. Woods has nine major championships on the PGA Tour, Mickelson has one, and Leonard has one. Since Tiger’s win at the U.S. Amateur in 1996, however, the event winners have struggled in a bad way on the PGA Tour.
The winners of this event since 1997 include names such as Matt Kuchar (1997), Hank Kuehne (1998), David Gossett (1999), Jeff Quinney (2000), Bubba Dickerson (2001), Ricky Barnes (2002), and Nick Flanagan (2003). These golfers haven’t exactly been accustomed to heading to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour. Kuchar and Gossett each have one victory on the PGA Tour, but both of those victories came at least three years ago. Kuehne’s best finish was a second place, but at least he placed first in driving distance last year right? The others on the list rarely ever play on the PGA Tour.
That brings me to my main question. Will the latest amateur phenom Ryan Moore sizzle or fizzle on the PGA Tour? Moore won the U.S. Amateur last year after having one of the best ever summers by an amateur player. Along with his U.S. Amateur title in 2004, Moore also won the NCAA Championship at UNLV, the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, the Western Amateur Championship, and the Sahalee Players Championship. His summer definitely set the new standard for amateur golf.
Ryan Moore turned pro earlier this week, even though he had an invitation to play in both the British Open at St. Andrews and the PGA Championship at Baltusrol. He forfeited playing in those two major championships to pursue his dream of playing on the PGA Tour. He has already played in The Masters and U.S. Open this year, but he will be playing for money from now on. Moore won over everyone’s heart at The Masters earlier this year by finishing as the low amateur and tied for 13th at Augusta National after a wonderful week of golf. This past weekend, he made the cut at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst but didn’t finish so strongly: +16 and in a tie for 57th place.
After The Masters, Ryan Moore had this to say to the media regarding his amateur status. “As far as I’m concerned I’ve done everything I could possibly do as an amateur,” Moore, of Puyallup, WA, said. “I’ve wanted everything I’ve wanted to win. I don’t see the point of going back. My first goal of the summer is trying to get my PGA Tour card.”
Moore will be making his PGA Tour debut as a professional at the Barclays Classic on Thursday. This is the tournament formerly known as the Buick Classic. It will be played at the wonderful Westchester Country Club. The course is great, and the field will be even better. Ryan Moore will have his work cut out for him when he tees it up Thursday. He is going to get a lot of media attention, but he should be used to that by now. He had as much success as any amateur since Tiger Woods, but how will he compare to the stars on the PGA Tour? The PGA Tour is definitely the highest level of golf in the world as far as I’m concerned, and Moore will find out quickly that these guys really are good!
Playing only the major championships and playing each and every week are two totally different things. Moore has decided it’s time to start getting paid to play the game of golf, so the level of pressure will double right from the start. He will have the task of qualifying for the British Open on his own now instead of getting in because of his Amateur title last year. Moore will also have the task of trying to earn enough money to get his tour card. If he fails, he will have to go through qualifying school in the winter.
Ryan Moore will try to follow in the footsteps of Tiger Woods instead of Kuchar, Kuehne, Gossett, etc. Those guys were one-hit wonders as far as I’m concerned. Sure, they had great success as amateurs, but once they were labeled “professionals,” they choked under the pressure. I’m not saying some of these guys haven’t made a decent living playing golf. I’m just saying they haven’t lived up to their potential, any way you slice it. Some of them are playing on the Nationwide Tour trying to work their way up to the PGA Tour. But more than likely, none of them will ever be great golfers on the PGA Tour. Will Ryan Moore’s career start out any better, or will he just be another overrated Amateur champion this time next year?
Final Thought
On the outside, Ryan Moore has everything needed to be a big star on the PGA Tour. He has the amateur accolades and the look of a champion. However, the “outside” isn’t what separates the great golfers from the rest of the pack. The inside grit and determination go a long way in a golfer’s career. In my opinion, Ryan Moore has what it takes and will become “The Next Big Thing” on the PGA Tour. There is one big difference between the amateur champions listed above (Quinney, Barnes, etc.) and Ryan Moore. The other amateur champions didn’t seem to think they belonged on the PGA Tour. They were just along for the ride. Ryan Moore looks and acts like he belongs on the same courses as the big boys.
This will go a long way in determining his future success. I think Moore will have a very strong finish to his 2005 season on the PGA Tour. He will take advantage of his sponsor’s exemptions and will qualify for both the British Open and the PGA Championship. Not only will Moore earn his PGA Tour card for next season, he will be teeing it up at the Mercedes Championship at the beginning of next season. That’s right, he will play well and taste victory sometime before the end of 2005. I don’t think he will play well enough to make it into the Tour Championship later this year (top 30 in money), but I do think he will finish in the top 75 or so.
Ryan Moore is going to be a star, and I think he is only months away from being a household name in the golf world. He is in a tough spot, however, because the past seven United States Amateur champions have combined for just two wins on the PGA Tour. This makes me think the U.S. Amateur title is overrated slightly, although I know many people who think different. With this being said, Ryan Moore will show the golfing world, including myself, that Tiger Woods won’t be the last great U.S. Amateur champion to make a huge impact on the PGA Tour.
Do you think Ryan Moore will become the next dominant force on the PGA Tour? Also, does the U.S. Amateur Championship really mean as much as it used to? And finally, am I overreacting with all of this overrated talk? Let me know what you think to all of these questions. Feel free to either comment below or discuss it in our forum. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk, now get out of the office and play some golf!
Photo Credit: © John Mummert, USGA.
Even though Ryan let me down this past week (he was my sleeper U.S. Open pick), I’m behind him 100%. After all, there aren’t many golfers from the NW anyway, and when we get one from within 30 miles of here we’ve got to be supportive. I believe Moore can be very solid on the Tour for many years to come, although I’m not so sure I agree with turning pro and forfeiting the two major exemptions. Time will tell whether that was a good decision or not, but I think waiting two months and being able to play all four majors may have done his career more good than giving up that opportunity just to play a little earlier.