Only 234 More Days....
After Kevin Kisner failed to hole out from the fairway on the 72nd hole of the 99th PGA Championship on Sunday, the countdown was already underway for next year's major golf schedule. In 234 days, The 2018 Masters Tournament will tee off and another group of major champions will be crowned. But the 2017 major golf season was far from disappointing and had a little bit of everything.
First, we crowned Sergio Garcia a major golf champion after 74 attempts. Garcia first came onto the scene after battling Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship. Garcia was an up-and-coming Spaniard whose youthful exuberance was embraced by a worldwide audience. It seemed like destiny that Garcia would win a handful of majors. Instead, Garcia was tagged as the "Best Golfer Never to Win a Major." He came close on many occasions including two separate battles with Padraig Harrington. Finally, in 2017, Garica was able to pull through and claim the green jacket after a battle with fellow European Justin Rose. While Garcia was a first-time winner, he was also an elder statemesman of the game whose career resume was finally complete.
Brooks Koepka continued the youth-movement in golf capturing his first major championship at Erin Hills. The US Open Champion stormed the back-9 on Sunday en route to the win. Koepka looks more like a tight-end than a professional golfer and his athletic skills have provided tons of video clips of gargantuan drives. Not only was Koepka another first-time winner, but he continued the trend of rising young players winning big titles and major championships on the professional tour.
The trend of first-time winners came to an end at Royal Birkdale, but not the youth movement. Jordan Spieth captured his third major championship after being crowned Champion Golfer of the Year. Jordan got out to an early lead, and started to falter a bit on the 14th hole on a Sunday. But Spieth did Spieth-like things with his putter and went on to defeat his American compatriot Matt Kuchar to capture the third leg of the career grand slam.
And finally, on Sunday, Justin Thomas took home the PGA Chamoionship. It was his fourth win of the season and finally shed the moniker of "Jordan Spieth's good friend." Thomas is a third generation professional with a game to match his swagger. He showed his onions on the 17th hole when he rolled in an insurance birdie putt that secured his first major championship. Thomas was greeted by his good friends and fellow competitors Jordan Spieth's and Ricie Fowler as he walked off the 72nd hole. It was an illustration of the future of the game.
Unlike the late-90s and early 2000s, good will not be dominated by one individual. Sure, guys like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth may distance themselves from the lack by winning several majors, but the Tiger-like dominance is not returning anytime soon. Instead of having one superstar carry the entire Tour, this young crop of stars it's up to collectively win over and over again over the next 10 to 15 years. And that is definitely not a bad thing. Golf fans have a bevy of players to follow and root for. If variety is the apiece of life, then the future of the Tour is looking very bright.
First, we crowned Sergio Garcia a major golf champion after 74 attempts. Garcia first came onto the scene after battling Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship. Garcia was an up-and-coming Spaniard whose youthful exuberance was embraced by a worldwide audience. It seemed like destiny that Garcia would win a handful of majors. Instead, Garcia was tagged as the "Best Golfer Never to Win a Major." He came close on many occasions including two separate battles with Padraig Harrington. Finally, in 2017, Garica was able to pull through and claim the green jacket after a battle with fellow European Justin Rose. While Garcia was a first-time winner, he was also an elder statemesman of the game whose career resume was finally complete.
Brooks Koepka continued the youth-movement in golf capturing his first major championship at Erin Hills. The US Open Champion stormed the back-9 on Sunday en route to the win. Koepka looks more like a tight-end than a professional golfer and his athletic skills have provided tons of video clips of gargantuan drives. Not only was Koepka another first-time winner, but he continued the trend of rising young players winning big titles and major championships on the professional tour.
The trend of first-time winners came to an end at Royal Birkdale, but not the youth movement. Jordan Spieth captured his third major championship after being crowned Champion Golfer of the Year. Jordan got out to an early lead, and started to falter a bit on the 14th hole on a Sunday. But Spieth did Spieth-like things with his putter and went on to defeat his American compatriot Matt Kuchar to capture the third leg of the career grand slam.
And finally, on Sunday, Justin Thomas took home the PGA Chamoionship. It was his fourth win of the season and finally shed the moniker of "Jordan Spieth's good friend." Thomas is a third generation professional with a game to match his swagger. He showed his onions on the 17th hole when he rolled in an insurance birdie putt that secured his first major championship. Thomas was greeted by his good friends and fellow competitors Jordan Spieth's and Ricie Fowler as he walked off the 72nd hole. It was an illustration of the future of the game.
Unlike the late-90s and early 2000s, good will not be dominated by one individual. Sure, guys like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth may distance themselves from the lack by winning several majors, but the Tiger-like dominance is not returning anytime soon. Instead of having one superstar carry the entire Tour, this young crop of stars it's up to collectively win over and over again over the next 10 to 15 years. And that is definitely not a bad thing. Golf fans have a bevy of players to follow and root for. If variety is the apiece of life, then the future of the Tour is looking very bright.
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