By Eric Flowers for River’s Edge Golf Course
The major season is officially over. There is still the Ryder Cup and the FedEx cup. But for most casual fans and, as far as the history books are concerned, the professional season is essentially over. That’s not to say there isn’t golf worth watching, it’s just that you don’t HAVE to watch it.
Personally I feel a bit liberated. I can feel free to book my Saturdays AND my Sundays for the rest of the summer and fall without suffering Golf DVR anxiety. Wondering if I’ll have enough time to watch the round on Sunday, worrying that I’ll hear the score.
However, I find that as I get older, I’m not worried about either. The important thing for me is that I set the DVR and give myself the option of seeing a great round. Or at least that I have it tucked away for a rainy day, extended unemployment, or a zombie apocalypse (in any order). Maybe its the slow and rather pathetic end of the Tiger era, that has sapped some of my golf fandom. The knowledge that I’m no longer watching history in the making — just another round of less than compelling competition with a cast of aging and unrelatable characters.
It’s not that I want Tiger to come back and complete his quest of surpassing Nicklaus. The guy is a jerk — to put it mildly. But at least he’s a compelling prick. Or at least he was. Now he’s just another has-been, slugger. Stuck in the DH slot and ringing up strikeouts and dragging down his lifetime average.
No golf doesn’t need a resurgent Tiger, it needs a new star. Tennis has its Federer and Nadal. It also has a succession plan in the Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
Like it or not individual sports need super stars, one man franchises. And golf has had its share: Palmer, Nicklaus, Norman, Woods to name a few in the modern era.
Rory has shown as of late that he has the stuff. But who is watching this on the edge of their seat. If you’re like me, you tuned into the PGA last Sunday and stay glued not to see if Rory could cement his stamp on 2014, but to see if Phil Mickelson could derail the McIlroy Express.
A week later it was back to No-Need-To-See TV at the Wyndham where Camillo Villegas, yes he is still on the PGA tour, outlasted the likes of Bill Haas. Yes, the same Bill Haas who won the 2011 FedEx Cup but were still most famous for being Jay Haas’ son.
And yes, Jas Haas is still playing some fine golf out on the Champions Tour where the most-recognizable faces and most interesting story lines are unfolding this year, including Kevin Sutherland’s Saturday 59 and everything that Miguel Angel Jimenez does.
Yes, the Major Season is over. Yes, I’ll still be watching. But no, I don’t care. And I’m not alone.
Eric Flowers is a Bend-based freelance journalist and the former editor of Bend’s Source Weekly. His work appeared in 1859 Magazine, Oregon Business, Central Oregon Visitors Association and the Drake. He spends his free time with his wife and two daughters, chasing trout, fresh snow, firm trails and an even-par round of golf.
Source: River’s Edge Golf Blog