Before last weekend, I had never even heard of Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner. Based on a number of different reports, I appear to be not alone in that regard. Yet these two gentlemen found themselves in a three-hole playoff at the Atlantic Athletic Club on August 14 to determine the 2011 PGA Championship winner.
Who Are These Guys?
Bradley, the PGA rookie, won the playoff by a stroke to capture his first major and second overall tour win. Dufner, who surrendered a four stroke lead with only a few holes to go, still won over many golf fans with not only his impressive game but also for his calming and disarming demeanor. Even while he self-imploded on holes 15, 16 and 17, it was never readily apparent that Dufner was under any considerable mental anguish. He was able to gather himself on the 18th to force the playoff with Bradley.
With Bradley emerging as the victor this past weekend, that now makes 13 different players to win the previous 13 major tournaments. Don't be surprised that come April of 2012 that streak extends to 14. There is no telling how much longer that string of differentiation may go. What is more probable, though, is that Tiger Woods is not an elite player any longer, and he very likely will never be again.
Based on his remarkably high standards, Woods played two wretched rounds of golf in Atlanta. In fact, his performance may be deemed wretched even by Charles Barkley's standards. The first five holes on Thursday, August 11 went smoothly for Woods, with him garnering three quick birdies, From the sixth hole on, and carrying over into his round on Friday, August 12, the next 31 holes of golf for Woods were nothing if not forgettable.
It Was A Bad Week For Woods
In my view, Woods played worse on Friday but managed to score five strokes better than he did on Thursday. That was little consolation to Woods as he eventually missed the four over cut line by seven strokes. In other words, he wasn't even close. It was only the third time he has missed the cut (and seven overall) when entered in a major tournament, an exceptional feat to say the least. However, those three misses have all come in the past five years.
There are reasonable explanations for why Woods missed previous cuts, including the onset of assorted injuries. It could also be speculated that the rest of the golfing world has caught up to him. That's not to say he will never win again. On the contrary, he may very well win several more times before he retires the spikes. He may even grab another major title.
Yet his days as an elite player, let alone the preeminent talent, are essentially over, in my opinion. I've gotten the sense that what he was doing prior to 2008 isn't working any longer. No matter how hard he practices from here on in, there is going to be somebody that will be practicing even harder and longer.
Tiger Made It All Happen
Woods' extraordinary run helped to significantly elevate the game's overall popularity, raising the awareness of the PGA Tour - and golf in general - to unprecedented levels. His mega-star status also exponentially amplified the total purses at tournaments, and attracted hordes of corporate sponsors that have made multi-millionaires out of even mid-level players - even caddies. His golf game and celebrity have encouraged a generation of dreamers that they, too, can become the next Tiger Woods.
The problem for Woods is, some of those dreamers are now outplaying him. And there are many more of them on the way. These players are supremely talented, hungry, and ready to make their marks on the PGA Tour. If I were Woods, I'd make it a point to enter some winter-time (down time) tournaments. Lots of them.
