Don’t get me wrong. Those who know my opinions on golf (and now you, faithful blog reader) know that I hate the tunnel vision the PGA & the television networks take towards any tournament Tiger is in. Tiger could be clipping a hangnail off the 14th green and it would be featured (and endlessly repeated & looped) on “SportsCenter” and “60 Minutes” for the next five days. I root against Tiger. He’s the greatest golfer ever. But I want him to fail because he’s in control of the PGA Tour, not vice versa as it should be...
But I digress. My real problem with Lucas Glover winning the ’09 U.S. Open is simple. Zach Johnson at the ’07 Masters. Michael Campbell at the ’05 U.S. Open. Todd Hamilton at the ’04 British Open. Ben Curtis at the ’03 British Open. Shaun Micheel at the ’03 PGA Championship.
I don’t begrudge a good Cinderella story in any team sport, but individual sports flow differently. If you have the mental toughness and straight-up cajones to win a major in golf (or tennis, for that matter), you should be able to contend for the big money in your sport for at least the next decade. No exceptions. This ‘one and done’ crap we’ve been getting in golf outside of Tiger, Phil, and a few select others hurts the sport almost as much as Tiger dominating the cameras & the crowns. Guys like Micheel, Curtis, and now Glover need to step up for more than just their 4 shining days in the sun (or 5 in the overcast gloom if you’re Lucas). While Tiger’s cashing in his Dubai checks or just playing the apathy card, these ‘young guns’ need to keep us interested in more than just four professional tournaments a year. They need to be the vanguard for the future of golf. Tiger is Darth. Lucas needs to be Luke...
Who’s your daddy, Mr. Glover?
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