| In the words of actor Bill Duke in "Menace II Society": "Now...see there, Phil...you know you done f____d up!" 3 |
CBS: “UH OH!”
T.V. executives and advertisers had cause for concern, if not panic. Golf is not a team sport. Individual sports live and die on the personalities and popularity of the players involved. After Mickelson’s minor melt down. The players within striking distance included South African Louis Oothsuizen, Swede Peter Hanson, and Englishman Lee Westwood. All of whom were foreign; all but Westwood were relatively unknown. There was one American near the front of the pack: Bubba Watson.
| Here's a Tiger Woods highlight: kicking his club like a ten years old after a bad tee shot. Has Tiger lost his damn MIND? 5 |
RETURN OF THE STARS AND STRIPES
Golf’s television ratings are predictable. I have not looked at any of the overnight ratings, but I am quite confident that there was a dip in projected viewership after it became clear, on Friday, that Woods and McIlroy’s chances of victory were just north of the Titanic’s chances of remaining afloat 100 years ago. I would be stunned if the ratings did not drop after Mickelson’s fourth hole in the final round on Sunday.
Those who did stick around were in for a treat. Lefty scratched and clawed his way back into the tournament and had a slim, but measurable shot at winning the Masters until his hopes evaporated by missing a birdie put on the 17th hole. Oosthuizen would make an extremely rare double-eagle shot, catapulting him to the front of the pack. But it was Bubba Watson, the 33 year old University of Georgia southpaw who would birdie four consecutive holes to tie Oothsuizen and force a sudden death playoff.
After a nearly disastrous tee shot in the second hole of the playoff, Watson would nail the mother of all miraculous shots, in between a gauntlet of trees in the rough, and set himself up for his eventual win. It was Watson’s first ever major tournament victory.
| There have only been four double-eagles in the history of the Masters Tournament, established in 1934. 4 |
WHO IS THIS BUBBA?
If you are a casual fan of golf, you have probably heard Bubba Waston’s name. Unless you are a hard core golf enthusiast, you probably couldn’t pick Watson out of a lineup. You certainly wouldn’t recognize him if you passed him in the street. Watson’s major career can be described as “Close but no cigar,” as Watson has been in the hunt in the final rounds of majors in the past, but never won. On Sunday, Watson won the stocked walk in humidor of cigars by taking home the green jacket.
Watson’s story is an interesting one. First of all, the heartfelt emotion he displayed after the long awaited major victory rivaled that of former NFL coach, and renowned man-crier, Dick Vermiel. Watson is also a new father, having recently adopted a son. Most fascinating, Watson reportedly has not taken a formal golf lesson since he was 10 and does not employ a swing coach.
| Vermeil wrote the manual on post victory waterworks. 2 |
NEW STAR?
Watson’s story has some compelling appeal. He seems to be a likable guy. In some ways, the common man can empathize with him: reaching for a goal, a dream, for years, coming close multiple times, and finally reaching that goal, the apex of his professional career thus far.
Time will tell if the golfing world has an emerging star or if Watson simply had his 15 minutes at golf’s mountaintop. Tiger Woods’ personal challenges and declining play over the last several years have left a void of star power in the golf world. Let me be clear: the only way that void will ever come close to being filled is if Tiger starts winning majors again. Golf has never seen anything like Tiger Woods in his prime and I doubt the coming decades will produce anything quite like the transcendent dominance we witnessed in the late 1990s and the 2000s.
Still, that does not mean that the sport can not produce interesting and compelling stars. Phil Mickelson, in spite of being in his mid-40s, still appears to be at the top of his game and, in spite of his advanced age (by athletic standards) offers a glimmer of hope that Tiger can climb back tot the top of the world golf rankings and inject some energy back into the sport. Rory McIlroy is a young, budding star who will garner attention when he is playing well.
Bubba Watson? Time will tell. If he turned a corner in his career, golf may have another developing player asset. If Watson simply broke through a barrier and has peeked, he still gave the PGA a good story and etched himself in Masters history.
| Bubba embraces Mom. 1 |
2) Image from www.bleacherreport.com
3) Image from www.sports-enews.com
4) Image from http://sports.espn.go.com
5) Image from www.usatoday.com
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