Golf's conundrum: The end of an era (Tiger) sparked the beginning of an error
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Chambers Bay, the breathtaking and tradition-breaking venue for the U.S. Open, could be the star of this week's show. But you get the feeling that won't be good enough for golf.
The sport has developed a savior fixation. It's a risky business strategy.
Since Tiger Woods' career arc literally and figuratively crashed on Nov. 27, 2009, golf has been searching for another alpha and omega. For a few years, the central hope was that Tiger would get back to being Tiger – and he did for a spell in 2013, leading the PGA Tour in earnings and winning five tournaments, but none of those were majors and that's the coin of his realm. For most of the last five years, Woods has wandered in soul-searching, swing-searching purgatory, and golf became desperate to anoint a replacement.
Phil Mickelson has always had tremendous common-fan appeal, and his career certainly ranks among the best in the game's history. But a savior? In his 40s? No.
Then Rory McIlroy conveniently and confidently presented himself, and the sport lunged at him like a sailor on shore leave. When he won one major each in 2011 and '12, the world gushed – with good reason. When McIlroy won the 2014 British Open wire to wire, you half expected his Nike hat to be replaced by a halo.
Before the PGA last year at Valhalla Golf Club, McIlroy was asked if we were living in the "Era of Rory." He rolled his Irish eyes a bit before saying, "Sometimes I feel that people are too quick to jump to conclusions and jump on the bandwagon and jump on certain things."
Wise words. But when McIlroy jumped on the field and won the PGA, the Era of Rory was on like Donkey Kong.
Until the next major.
When 21-year-old Jordan Spieth blew everyone away in record-setting fashion in the Masters, Sports Illustrated all but declared McIlroy's reign over and done. Quoth the cover: "Jordan Rules: The Spieth Era Begins Now."
So there you go. Apparently modern golf eras are disposable – claimed and then redistributed from major to major. If Rickie Fowler wins this week, does he get his own era, too?
It's a bit silly, and it hints at a pessimism about golf's ability to thrive without a single towering figure. The sport seems to be selling itself short.
The likelihood of anyone having another run like Woods had from Augusta 1997 through Torrey Pines 2008 is slim. If that's what golf is waiting to see happen again, it may be a really long wait. That's why pinning its marketability on one guy is inviting trouble.
Slumps happen (McIlroy's winless 2013 season). Injuries happen (Woods' full-body breakdown since 2008). Competition happens (multiple major winners like Mickelson, Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson aren't here to genuflect in front of Spieth or McIlroy).
Instead of targeting a savior and declaring a one-man era, it would be wiser for golf to spread the wealth and celebrate its international depth. We've had 21 winners in 24 PGA Tour events in 2015. A little variety is not a bad thing.
Championing that variety would allow us to let things play out with the leading lights instead of a rushed conferral of savior status.
If a legit rivalry develops between McIlroy and Spieth, that would be great. For years everyone lamented Woods' lack of a true rival – someone is always lamenting the lack of something in golf – and maybe this could be a compelling two-man act over an extended period of time.
If I were McIlroy, I'd bring a small chip on the shoulder into this Open, wondering why everyone charged over to Spieth's bandwagon in April. He was asked Tuesday about LeBron James declaring himself the best player in basketball, and whether he could say the same thing. His answer:
"If you look at the numbers, you can really see he is the best player in the world. And I guess for me I feel the same way, when I look at the World Rankings and I see my name up at the top. If you look back at the last four or five years, I guess I've won more majors than anyone else in that time period. So do I feel like the best player in the world? Yes. And obviously I want to go out every week and try to back that up and show that."
Hopefully Jordan Spieth brings a comparable confidence and competitiveness to Chambers Bay this week. A duel between those two would go a long way toward establishing a rivalry. And perhaps even deciding whose era this really is, anyway.
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