PGA Championship

The only thing that would have fucked it up even more was letting them play as a 4-some all the way through......which was a thought at one point.

 

And that it finished an hour-plus later than scheduled with no other significant sports on during that stretch run.

Tiger in the lead was appointment viewing for a lot of non-golf fans. People liked it when he was in contention and even more when he was up by a bunch. You just aren't going to see that level of interest for any of the other top players. My next door neighbor isn't going to call over the fence and ask if I saw how Jim Furyk or Jordan Speith did.

Phil and now Rory are probably the only others who move the needle at all and not nearly at the level of Tiger. And Phil's style, demeanor (whether phony or not) and early history of high level failure is captivating in a way that has crossover appeal.

 

Competitive contests draw viewers, or at least keep them from changing channels when they come across one in any sport. And the late hour helped immeasurably. People who watch golf on TV almost all play golf themselves. A significant percentage of the potential audience for any summer tournament is lost because its out on the course rather than at home. But by cocktail time, that ends.

 

At a certain point -- 7 majors by 30 or something, 12 by 34, anytime from 14 on -- I would retreat, robbing you of that pleasure. I'd simply sit silently, perhaps in a dark room, watching old Tiger tourneys on VHS, writing poems and leaving them in the comments section of Tiger's website, and psyching myself up for the 2024 British Open at St. Andrews because it would be the perfect setup for Tiger to win major number 15.

 

It's pretty amazing to think that even with Rory's start, he'll need to AVERAGE a major a year for the next 15 years to catch Nicklaus. Yeah, Nicklaus won the Masters at 46, but that came at the end of a six-year drought.
If Nicklaus was playing today - in his prime - I don't think HE would be able to catch himself. The sport has gone global, there are more distractions (sponsors, course design) and just more people who can win week to week.

 

It's not just the 18 championships, it's the 19 times Nicklaus was a runner-up. He was first or second in about of every three majors in his career, or prime of career until, oh, age 50.

 

Obviously, the one thing no one can predict is injury. But IF he can stay healthy --- big IF --- I can envision McIlroy getting well into double figures in the number of majors he'll win in his pro career.

 

I have put the over-under on McIlroy majors at 8.5, but I also wouldn't be shocked if, say, he never won another one. It's a funny sport. One man against the field, only four times a year.

 

Yeah, hard to guess. Nicklaus won his 18 majors over a span of, what, 23 years (1963-1986)? And Woods won his 14 over 11 years (1997-2008)? Back in the day, it was said a golfer didn't reach his prime until his 30s. Now, maybe sooner than that.

 

Throw in that the four majors happen over a fourth month period - it's not the Triple Crown, but you do have a small window each year to be at your peak. One significant injury could knock you out of four majors.

 

Tiger makes it easy for Tom Watson. He pulls out of the Ryder Cup.

Good decision.

 

I totally agree. I'm not sure I would have picked him anyway, but this takes any potential pressure off Watson.