Following golf for the past 25 years or so has opened my eyes to many exceptional players. Unfortunately, no matter which way you cut it, a lot of these greats were lost in the shuffle. The reality is, just like other pro sports, we associate greatness with not just being at the top of your game but also with mass appeal.
From the late 90’s to about 2010 we all know golf was owned by Tiger. He was everywhere and everything golf. There is no doubt about that. It was Tiger’s world and everyone else was living in it. Vijay, Phil and Furyk all had their chances, but couldn’t quite do it. Tiger was…ok, ok…is still a great golfer no doubt but golf is as much mental as it is physical. When his scandal went public his golf game suffered soon after. And so went an era.
What about a decade earlier when Greg Norman and Nick Faldo dominated? Why didn’t they get as much hype? Neither one was presented a $40 million dollar deal from Nike. Wouldn’t that have changed things a bit? I understand times were different then but I’m sure a deal like that would have altered the way things played out.
Going back a few more years, the last golf era I can think of was the Jack Nicklaus days. Granted I was a youngster and caught the end of his reign but you couldn’t mention golf without the name Jack Nicklaus. Looking to the future I wonder who will be next? It should be quite interesting to see especially with a young talented group to pick from.
Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!
Sad for what happen to Tiger’s career. But he’s great. We’ll just wait for young golfers to shock us.