Editor’s Note: To revisit the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup team is to reflect on a much simpler time in golf. The U.S. hadn’t beaten Europe in eight years, and was four years removed from a humiliating collapse at Medinah. Tiger Woods was recovering from back injuries but still an imposing presence to players as a Read more…
By Sunday evening at Ryder Cups, as champagne is being sprayed all over the place, no one remembers what happened on the Friday morning. That’s the beauty of the Ryder Cup. The team is what matters.
We have witnessed tournaments without fans – which gave us, if nothing else, a break from screams of, “Get in the hole!” Perhaps in an act of karmic grace, we have witnessed what can best be described as “The Year of the Comeback.”
There were all sorts of sights and sounds worth savouring in the aftermath of Phil Mickelson’s stunning victory Sunday in the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course.
What matters is whether Woods can walk again without a limp and live a normal life. If he can play golf for fun, that’s a bonus. If he can come back to play competitively, that’s a mega-bonus.
Having Brooks Koepka back on leaderboards is good for golf because he’s a great player and refreshing to talk to, especially one-on-one. The same is true of Jordan Spieth, albeit in a different way.
This can be a turning point. Turn away from Donald Trump – the man, not the politician. And make it clear that anyone who incites violence for any reason, in any context in the future, is not welcome in golf.
Fowler still has a lot of golf left to play. He and his legions of fans and corporate sponsors can only hope The Moment he has pursued for a long while now, will arrive sooner rather than later.
I’ve spent much of my adult life trying to help the PGA Tour in any way I possibly can. So, I present to you the fairly simple solution to all this, a system that is fair, that should keep the sponsors happy and will make for – just as important – good TV.
Nicklaus’ numbers as a golfer are absolutely astounding. What might be more astounding, is that they are not the heart and soul of his legacy. That can’t possibly be described in numbers – or perhaps even in words.