2012 PGA Tour Awards

The Francis Ouimet Rookie of the Year – John Huh

21 made cuts in 27 events

11 Top-25s, 4 Top-10s, 3 Top-5s including 1 win (Mayakoba Golf Classic)

29^th in the FedEx Cup

9^th overall with 68.58% Driving Accuracy

5^th in Total Birdies with 343

20^th in Par 5 Performance at -100

27^th in Total Putting

John Huh easily takes the honors as the PGA Tour’s top rookie in 2012. I’m not actually sure if his nickname really is “Johnny Question Mark” but either way, this kid can play golf. Missing just 6 cuts all year, Huh becomes just the second rookie in FedEx Cup history to make it all the way to the TOUR Championship, ultimately finishing a very respectable 29^th overall. Though it was in an alternate event, he picked up a win in a playoff at the Mayakoba, while also bagging a T-2 at TPC San Antonio and a T-5 at Colonial. The two things he does best are driving the ball in the fairway and putting. If he can continue to excel at those two things, this 22 year old should enjoy a long and decorated career.

Runner-up: Seung-yul Noh

The Steve Stricker Comeback Player of the Year – Tiger Woods

8 Events and 23 full competitive rounds in 2011

19 Events and 69 full competitive rounds in 2012

13 Top-25s, 9 Top-10s, 6 Top-5s including 3 wins (Arnold Palmer, Memorial, AT&T)

3^rd in the FedEx Cup

4^th in Birdie Average at 3.97 per round

2^nd in Scoring Average at 68.904 strokes per round

2^nd in Par 4 Performance at -4

19^th in Total Putting

You had to know I was going to find an excuse to talk about Tiger in some way. But when you consider the kind of 2012 he had with respect to 2011, it’s astounding and scary at the same time. Most golfers are happy to make more cuts than miss after a major surgery. Woods not only did that (by a 17 to 2 margin) but also won 3 tournaments and finished 3^rd in the FedEx. The win at Congressional moved him past Jack Nicklaus on the all time wins list. While he isn’t the same dominant golfer he once was, his best stats are of the all-around variety and with the exception of Rory McIlroy, there’s no one who has a better chance of winning any given week.

Runner-up: J.B. Holmes

The Tom Watson Old Man Award – Vijay Singh

49 Years Old, turned pro in 1982

21 Made Cuts in 24 Events

8 Top-25s, 4 Top-10s

33^rd in the FedEx Cup

41^st in Average Driving Distance at 295.3 yards

33^rd in Scoring Average at 70.285 strokes per round

26^th in Par 5 Performance at -97

21^st in Going for the Green success at 63.11%

5^th in Approaches from 100-125 Yards at 16’ 7” average distance to hole

I have always loved Vijay Singh. His year in 2004 is arguably one of the greatest of all time and the fact that he did so in the middle of Tiger’s prime makes it all the more impressive. At 49 years young, this old Fijian is still showing he has gas left in the tank. Singh says he’s ready to absolutely tear up the Champions Tour (which I am sure he will), but his year in 2012 with the whippersnappers should not be ignored. Vijay has always been a long hitter and his stats prove that he can still make a living on the TOUR feasting on the Par 5s.

And he is still just flat out money with a wedge in his hand leaving himself an average of 16.5 feet to the cup on approaches from 100-125 yards. His hottest 4 weeks was from late July to late August where he finished T-9 at the Open Championship and T-7 at the Canadian Open, following by taking the 36-hole lead at the PGA. Unfortunately the rain shortened Saturday forced him to play over 30 holes on Sunday starting at 7 AM, so let’s give the old man a break. Vijay ended his season strong with a solo 8^th place finish at the BMW.

Runner-up: Steve Stricker

The Todd Hamilton “What the hell happened to you?” Award 

– Charl Schwartzel

2011 Season: 15 Events, 10 Top-25s, 3 Top-10s, 1 win at The Masters

2012 Season: 16 Events, 7 Top-25s, 2 Top-10s, Best major finish T-38 U.S. Open

This might be a harsh awarding of the first annual Todd Hamilton, but the golf world had high hopes for this young South African in 2012 and he failed miserably to make good on them. And let’s not forget why: at 26 years old, he won the Masters by shooting a closing 66 that including 4 consecutive birdies on his last 4 holes. Moreover, he followed that up by finishing T-9, T-16, and T-12 in the year’s remaining majors. I expected big things coming into 2012 and it looked like that was going to happen: T-17 at WGC-Accenture, T-5 at the Honda, and T-4 at WGC-CA Championship.

Then disaster (for someone with his talent): in his final 13 events he missed 3 cuts and failed to finish in the top-25 six times. The lone bright spot, if you can call it that, was a T-14 at the Wyndham. Schwartzel and Keegan Bradley (the other two 20-something major winners of 2011) have the benefit of operating in the shadows of the limelight shining on McIlroy, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are young, immensely talented, and already part of the major’s club. He’s not yet a full time player on the PGA Tour yet, but after seeing Rory’s success in just his first year playing full time in the States, perhaps Charl makes that jump sooner rather than later.

Runner-up: I don’t think there’s a true runner-up for this award in 2012. I will say that I expected more out of Nick Watney, but then again he did win a playoff event (The Barclays) at an extremely difficult course (Bethpage Black).

The Poor Jim Furyk Disastrous Collapse Award aka The Greg Norman Award – Jim Furyk

Wins in 2012: 0

“Almosts” in 2012: 3 including a major

- Shared the 54-hole lead at the Transitions Championship, lost in a playoff.

- Shared the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open, was leading through 69 holes.

- Held the 18, 36, and 54-hole leads at the Bridgestone Invitational, was leading through 71 holes.

My heart truly goes out to Jim Furyk and I ask anyone who disagrees to put themselves in his shoes. Oh, what’s that? You can’t? Because you’re not a professional golfer and have no concept of that pressure in those moments? That’s what I thought. And I didn’t hear a single pro say that Jim “should have” done this or that. Because Poor Jim Furyk had a 2012 that he probably doesn’t want to remember.

This pretty much sums up Jim's year.

In the middle of March at the Transitions, Jim shared the 54-hole lead with Retief Goosen. It’s an event he’d won before at a course that fits his game. But he couldn’t seal the deal, ending up in a four-way playoff that was won by Luke Donald. For most people, that would be plenty of heartbreak for one year. But Jim kept his head up and fired off a T-11, solo 11^th, and T-8 in his next 3 events. After a couple of shakier starts, if you call T-26 and T-25 shaky, Jim finished solo 4^th and T-13 before descending on the Olympic Club for the U.S. Open.

As he had been for 2 months running, Jim’s steady accuracy looked to be unbeatable and he shared the 54-hole lead with Graeme McDowell heading into Sunday. But McDowell struggled from the start, going out at +4 and giving back birdies at 11 and 12 with bogeys at 13 and 14. The door was open for Jim. Lacking the length of many on Tour, the 670-yard par-5 16^th hole (which he had played at +2) was shockingly moved up some 90+ yards, completely changing the look from the tee. He proceeded to hit the worst snap hook I have ever seen. Remarkably, he managed to escape with bogey. He bogey 18 too, but really the damage was well done with. I still can’t get the image of that hook out of my mind.

That is, when it’s not being nudged out by the following two images. Naturally after such a disaster, Jim struggled to return to form, sandwiching two missed cuts with a T-34 at the British. But something must have clicked in his practice rounds for the Bridgestone, as he roared out of the gates with a 63 and backed it up with a 66. An even round of 70 still had him in the lead and it looked like he would be the first wire-to-wire winner on Tour since Rory at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Furyk looked more than ready to go on Sunday, birding the first three holes to build a nice lead and put the pressure on his playing partners Louis Oosthuizen and Keegan Bradley. Despite making birdie after birdie, Bradley still found himself behind Furyk’s comfortable position. On the 72^nd tee, Furyk stood with a one-stroke lead over Bradley and needed just a par to win. His tee ball was just off the fairway and trees impeded his approach. But really he just needed to play a solid draw to the left side of the green, or short on the collar for an up-and-down.

Bradley had played a poor tee shot and ended up in a buried lie in the right greenside bunker. Not having drawn the ball enough, Furyk ended up in the same bunker Keegan was buried in. The advantage was still clearly his, and again, Bradley needed to hole a basically impossible bunker shot just to have a chance. Or so you would think. Jim undercut his bunker shot and barely got out of it into the rough in back of the fringe. I am really good at executing that shot; so if you ever need a demonstration, let me know.

Bradley, not surprisingly, had splashed out well beyond the hole. Now sitting at 3 and a bit rattled, Furyk faced an up-and-down for bogey that looked like it could still win. Bradley’s putt was just hard enough. Furyk undercut again, this time catching too much grass and stopping his follow though. We’ve all done it before. It was not a good shot, but he was left with 5 or so feet for par. Not ideal but should be automatic for a pro and the onus is still on Bradley. To his credit, Keegan stepped up like the major champion he is and drained his par putt to get in with -13. OK, so yes, this has not gone well, but you have an easy 5 footer to take this to a playoff. I can’t express how hard Jim slammed his bogey putt past the hole. I think the only person who was in more shock than I was Keegan Bradley.

I dedicated this much ink to poor Jim because my heart and the dedication of this award go out to him.

The Golden Bear Award – Rory McIlroy

13 Made Cuts in 16 Events

11 Top-25s, 10 Top-10s, 7 Top-5s including 4 wins (Honda, PGA, Deutsche Bank, BMW)

2^nd in the FedEx Cup

5^th in Driving Distance at 310.1 yards per drive

1^st in Birdie Average at 4.20 per round

1^st in Scoring Average at 68.873 strokes per round

1^st in Par Breakers at 24.28% of holes played under par

4^th in Par 3 Performance at -2

4th in GIR Percentage from 175-200 yards at 62.61%

3^rd in Approaches from 175-200 yards at 30’ 2” average distance to hole

4^th in Approaches from 125-150 yards at 19’ 9” average distance to hole

McIlroy is the obvious choice for the award I dedicate to the greatest of all time, though it wasn’t until August and September for that to be clear. He roared out of the gates starting with a 2^nd place finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play, followed by a win at the Honda Classic the next week. The week after, he finished solo 3^rd at Doral. He took the next few weeks off and it wasn’t clear if it was just enough time for the rust to settle in, or if the ghosts of 2011 got him, but he finished a disappointing T-40 at Augusta, shooting 77-76 over the weekend.

Shockingly to many, he took another several weeks off but he put any doubt to rest with 2^nd place finish at Quail Hollow, losing to Rickie Fowler in a playoff. The following week he brought nothing to Sawgrass and surprisingly missed the cut. Shaking off further questions regarding his schedule, he took another two weeks off before playing in the Memorial where he again missed the cut. Now the questions flowed about his distractions; young, rich, famous, and dating a star tennis player, was he really dedicated to taking over the golf world?

Perhaps out of sheer pride, McIlroy quickly entered in the St. Jude Classic for the next week and finished with a strong T-7. Because it’s played right after the Memorial, it’s not typically a super deep field, but TPC Southwind is actually one of the tougher courses on Tour. Despite this showing, McIlroy missed the cut in his title defense at the U.S. Open then took another month off before carding a T-60 at the Open Championship. Mostly media chatter before, now people were genuinely worried.

And the worry was totally justified. Roundly considered the most talented player in the world, Rory had mixed one Top-10 in with 3 missed cuts and a T-60 over the last 3 months of competition. You often hear with those at the elite level that it takes one swing, one realization, to turn things around. At the Bridgestone, this happened for McIlroy as he closed with 67-66 to finish T-5. The next week at the PGA Championship, he again closed with 67-66 to obliterate the field by 8 strokes at what is rated the most difficult course in the United States.

I could end there and he would still deserve this award. Except all McIlrory did was win two of his final four events in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He followed a respectable T-24 at Bethpage with consecutive victories at the Deutsche Bank and BMW, shooting 8 consecutive rounds in the 60s. The prospect of three in a row seemed a bit too much on the final Sunday at East Lake, where he shot a 74 to finish T-10. Still, McIlroy turned what could have been a disappointing year for someone of his talent into a closing onslaught that saw him finish 2^nd in the FedEx Cup, win his 2^nd major, and put any doubts to rest as to whether he’d taken over the golf world.

McIlroy boasts a complete game, though statistically speaking his shortcoming this season was putting. This is more indicative of his streakiness this season than his talent, though. Looking at the numbers, where McIlroy really excels in the distance game, averaging 310 yards off the tee while having the 3^rd best average proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards out. He’s also one of the best par-3 players in the world. Tiger-proofing of the Tour’s golf courses has dramatically increased the difficulty and length of par-3s. Rory’s dominance stems from all facets, but his performance in the long game is hard to ignore.

I wasn’t ready to say it in 2011, but I am ready now. The Rory McIlroy era has officially begun.

Runners-up: Tiger Woods, Jason Dufner

Shot of the Year – Bubba Watson, The Masters, 74^th hole (2^nd playoff hole)

End Notes on Award Dedications

1. Francis Ouimet is a legend. He won the 1913 U.S. Open as an amateur at the age of 20 years and put American golf on the map. He won that tournament in a playoff against two of the best golfers at the time, both British. It did help that it was played at The Country Club in Brookline and it also probably helped that he grew up in a house just off the 17^th hole. OK, it probably also helped that he’d been a caddy at the club since he was 9 years old. Regardless, he’s the man. Before Hagen, Sarazen, and Jones, there was Francis.

2. By some fashion that is completely beyond me, Steve Stricker won the PGA Comeback Player of the Year award consecutively in 2006 and 2007. The first year, it made sense: he had fallen into such a slump that he lost his Tour card but was able to record 7 Top-10s in events he entered on exemptions. But don’t ask me to explain 2007. I mean, he won for the first time in 6 years, but why that earned him comeback honors I don’t know. Either way, I will bet money that no one ever pulls that off again, and so therefore the award should be dedicated in his honor.

3. In 2009 at the age of 59, Tom Watson held the 54-hole lead at the Open Championship. On the 72^nd hole, he needed just a short par putt to win. It would have been probably the most amazing thing to happen in modern golf, but he just missed his putt. While this left him in a playoff, he wasn’t able to hang with Stewart Cink (some 23 years younger) who eventually won. Now, arguably this could be dedicated in Sam Snead’s honor. Snead not only is the oldest winner of a PGA Tour event (52 years 10 months, 1965 Greater Greensboro Open), but also the oldest player to make a cut at a major (67 years 2 months, 1979 PGA Championship). However, Watson transcended two enormously different eras of golf and the fact that he was even able to contend, much less be a short putt away from winning a major in 2009 is flat out insane.

4. In March of 2004, a 38 year old American named Todd Hamilton won the Honda Classic. Four months later, he improbably won the Open Champonship at Royal Troon, beating Ernie Els in a playoff. That is the story of Todd Hamilton.

5. Tales of heartbreak, my friends. The Shark will forever be known as the all-time choke artist and sufferer of terrible luck. But I am not sure we will ever see a succession of chokes in one season that Jim had in 2012.

6. Does this really need explanation?

My Thoughts On Sunday Night's Patriots-Ravens Game

1. Pause the following video at 8 seconds.

That is all.



OK, fine. If anyone is having trouble getting it right, here's a still....

Enough said.

On Wes Welker

This post was first an e-mail I wrote to my father in response to this New York Times article about the impact of losing Aaron Hernandez in last week's 20-18 home opener upset by the Arizona Cardinals over the New England Patriots.

I agree about the blocked punt certainly, but that's one of those things that just happens. Tough to predict - I mean obviously you want the line to protect the punter, but when you're as backed up as we were, it becomes a lot harder.

I also agree with Rodney Harrison that the line needs to be better. Tom Brady's already been sacked/knocked down in the first two games more than I like to see. The compounding effect, of course, is that he's rushing some of his throws leading to more incomplete passes. I am not sure why, but I don't feel as though the Arizona Cardinals defense got enough credit this week. They are clearly a stingy unit, especially with their secondary, and despite how good the San Francisco 49ers are, Arizona is going to make some noise in the NFC West.

As for the Wes Welker thing, I think people are blowing things way out of proportion. As you know, Brady and Bill Belichick were never wild about their reliance on Welker last year and despite the prevalence of Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, they felt it was still a deficiency. A good portion of that had to do with the lack of a receiver capable of running the longer routes (Insert: Brandon Lloyd). I think Welker's usage in Week 1 was a match-ups thing, as was his increased activity in Week 2. Though, I do agree that Hernandez being hurt was a change in game plan, or in other words, the plan in Week 2 was the plan in Week 1. Regardless of that, once the match-ups favored Welker he hauled 5 catches for 95 yards.

The part that isn't getting talked about at all - which is astounding to me - is the emergence of Stevan Ridley as a bona fide featured running back. I mean, by definition this is going to reduce every pass catcher's targets across the board. Yes, the tight end offense is still the mainstay, so the targets to Hernandez/Gronkowski are still the first and second options on most plays with Lloyd/Welker/Julian Edelman on the others. Presumably Kellen Winslow takes the place of Hernandez for the next 6 weeks, though I have my doubts given that Chad Ochocinco, a very capable wide receiver, was not able to learn the New England offense over the better part of 5 months. Winslow's had 5 days.

Welker is still an important weapon.

Ridley's presence is going to change this offense in a good way and I think all Patriots fans should be excited. Yes, the tight ends are still immensely important and yes, they will continue to receive the lion's share of the targets. So a diminished role for Welker? Perhaps, but only time will tell. Is he getting Randy Moss-ed? I have lots of doubts. Moss was ousted as of a result a fundamental and philosophical change in the offense with Hernandez and Gronkowski - this fact the article points out correctly. What they are missing is that this hasn't changed. The rise of Ridley is a redistribution of play calling and with that a slight change in strategy from game to game, series to series. But it is not the same type of fundamental and philosophical shift.

A few minor points to tack on the end here. Let's not forget that targets is not an accurate representation of who the quarterback intended to throw the ball to when they called the play. Mistakes happen, the line can break where it wasn't supposed to, and well, the quarterback can just misread the defense. I know this a bit of a "cop out" argument, which is why I'm throwing it in as a minor point at the end. But it is still relevant.

Lastly, let's not put it past a tactician like Bill Belichick to convince everyone of thinking one way just to turn it right back around at the opportune moment to make everyone throw what they thought they knew out of the window. The less anyone knows, or rather can predict, the better. You can make the argument that the Patriots struggled in the Super Bowl because of what became somewhat too predictable of an offense. In other words, the more the other team has to prepare to defend, the higher the probability that the Patriots can routinely exploit the many offensive weapons they have.

Ryder Cup Rant

 This was made in response to a conversation on my fantasy golf league's message board. In the middle of what is clearly a long rant, I thought I should post it. To provide context for the start of this rant, I'm pasting comments made by my brother in the conversation:

"I think you'd be foolish not to take Stanley because when he's on he's lights-out, whereas Phil, Fowler, and Z. Johnson aren't as superior in their own victories. Plus, although I think Phil is a competitor, Rickie and Zach really aren't."

Wait...what?

How is Kyle Stanley "more superior in his victories" than Phil Mickelson? Well first of all, let's change that to "more superior in his victory" as Stanley has a whopping win total of 1 compared to Phil's 40. I agree that the 2nd half of Phil's season has been nowhere close to the pace he was on in the 1st half, but that's why the points are cumulative for the year. Phil gets in the top 8 because of literally just the insane run he went on in February, March, and April. Also, he loves Bethpage and could easily get a top 10 or better this week, changing the outlook of his recent struggles. Plus, I'm pretty sure when Phil's on he dominates the field better than a Kyle Stanley.

The bottom line is the US team is really deep this year, which is why we're seeing so many capable players on the bubble. Like the CBS crew said last week, that's a good problem for Davis to have. I mean, just look at the top 8 qualifiers:

Multiple wins on TOUR this year: Woods, Dufner, Z. Johnson

2012 Major champions: Simpson, Watson

All around solid seasons with a victory in a "premier" event: Kuchar (The PLAYERS) and Bradley (WGC-Bridgestone)

That leaves Phil. The fact that Phil was able to get into the top 8 with a T-36 at the PGA ought to demonstrate just how poorly Hunter Mahan has played in the 2nd half. I mean, he's won 2 tournaments this year, including a WGC, and ISN'T in the top 8. He also duffed a chip that could have won the 2010 Ryder Cup for the US...though, he wasn't totally at fault for being put in that position. That being said, he's an excellent match player. His control off the tee and on approach is so good that he should be on the team no question, even if his short game tends to unravel rounds for him.

Not that it's a question because he played his way into the top 8, but Zach Johnson is also a great fit for the Ryder. He balances out the Watson/Mickelson/Bradley contingent on our team by playing with control and a superior short game. He's the perfect counter to people like Donald and McDowell, who also don't win by hitting the ball far. There's a reason why control guys like Mahan and Donald have won the WGC match play in recent years and it's because their ability to minimize mistakes just wears down other golfers.

Those two reasons are why my second pick along with Mahan, if I'm Davis, is Poor Jim Furyk. I know, I can hardly sit still without having to shit my pants when I think about Poor Jim in a pressure situation, given his two epic meltdowns this year. Despite that, he's been rock solid and is basically half the reason why the US won the Presidents Cup last fall. Poor Jim Furyk was in Brookline in 1999 for the greatest Ryder Cup in history and has always been pumped up for international competition as a result. He gets one of my picks.

That leaves two and this is where the difficulty begins for me. If you're going with the "ride the hot hand" strategy, the picks would be Van Pelt and Stricker. Aside from missing the cut at the Open, Bo's worst finish in his last 6 starts is a T-24 (collected 3 top-10s in there). Similar for Strick in his last 6 starts: 3 top-10s, 2 top-5s, worst finish was a T-23.

Dustin Johnson is creeping into the hot hand category lately. That could be official with a strong finish this week. He's had a strong year overall, including a win, and should be an intimidating match player from tee to green. Emphasis is on the "to green" portion of the last sentence. DJ becomes very not intimidating around and on the green, but that still doesn't change the fact that his length on 5s and shorter 4s should be a huge match format advantage.

Rickie Fowler is an slightly different position. Like Johnson, he's had an overall good year. Upon closer examination, that is mostly due to flat out insane month he had from 4/29 thru 5/27, finishing in order T-10, 1st, T-2, T-5. Since then, he's cooled off in a major way. His best finish has been a T-31, he's finished over par in each event, and missed the cut at the PGA. He started off this week well too, though, so we'll see if that changes things.

Snedeker just doesn't quite make the cut for me and I have hard time making a case for him, though again I think this is mostly due to how deep the US is this season. He picked up a win way back in January at Torrey Pines, but otherwise he's claim is mostly staked on the strong T-3 he put up at the Open. In another year, he might be in, but he's just overall not been good enough to get a spot.

Given all of this, I make my other captain's picks Bo Van Pelt and Steve Stricker. In addition to the things I've mentioned above, Van Pelt brings another big stick to the table, while Stricker brings his superior battle tested putter. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see a US victory sealed by a stroke from Strick's flat blade.

I don't care who Jose Maria Olazalabalaba picks because I hope Europe loses.

Yes, this is going on the blog.

I’m baaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkk / The Prodigal Rambler Returns

Greetings friends of the Facebook, Twitter, and all other varieties. Greetings family. Greetings person who found my blog by Googling “Eisenhower hat”. It’s been a long 6 months since I last contributed to this here blog and even longer since I’ve maintained a posting schedule that resembles anything close to regular. There was a big change in my life last December, one that did not exist during my first 7 months writing. I got a job…like one that pays me…money. Like real money. It isn’t one that consisted of binge reading sports news, pouring over statistics for an hour or two, and then writing for a few more.

So, that was my excuse but I continued to use it well past its expiration date. And so much has happened I don’t even know where to begin. For the Boston in me: I’m not ready to talk about the Patriots or the Celtics. The Bruins convinced me just enough that they could repeat and yet still did the honorary bow out in the first round act that is seemingly required of the defending champions. Once the Red Sox finish 81-81 on the dot, I’ll be ready to bust out a manifesto on that.

For the everything else in me: the stupid Miami Heat and how many times I’ve said “God damn Lebron James” between the NBA playoffs and the Olympics. The LA Kings winning the Stanley Cup and the ascendancy of my Avon Old Farms classmate Jonathan Quick as the best goaltender in the world. BUBBA winning the Masters. Tiger winning 3 tournaments, despite going major-less again (more on that).  Roger winning another Wimbledon. The odd feeling that teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles might be in the post-season. The gut wrenching feeling that the Yankees are really good again and the surprising feeling that the Phillies aren’t favored to sweep their way to a World Series.

And of course, the Olympics and all of its freakishly athletic glory: my unabashed affinity for gymnastics. Michael Phelps solidifying himself as the greatest Olympian and arguably athlete of all-time. Usain Bolt doing his thing and maintaining his status with Jon Quick as “athletes with last name’s that best represent their skill set.” Seeing Kirani James win Grenada’s first ever medal, a Gold no less. Getting to cheer for a team that has Lebron James on it (the worst of guilty sins). Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. Andy Murray getting his redemption and winning an (almost) major tournament in front of the home crowd. And every other random awesome thing that I saw. How do the Olympics get any better? Golf in 2016!!!!!!

And that represents my awesome segue into this post’s topic of conversation.

When Rory McIlroy drained his birdie putt on the 72^nd hole of the 2012 PGA Championship to seal a record 8 stroke victory, Jim Nantz of CBS proudly declared him as the king of golf. McIlory simply obliterated the field at the Pete Dye designed Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, finishing the weekend with an eleven under 67-66 virtuoso performance. He was bogey free on Sunday and needed just 24 putts for the round.

Glory's last shot goes to Rory in 2012.

Those of you who visited the site last summer may have come across this article. You’ll remember at the time that I took particular exception to the notion that Rory had de-throned Tiger Woods as the king of golf. And the rest of 2011 played out more or less how I expected. Rory didn’t have much at the Open a month later and wasn’t seen at all around the US for the rest of the year, save the Bridgestone and the PGA, where he hurt his wrist on Thursday, effectively knocking him out of the tournament. Tiger struggled to regain his form after battling through injury before finding a way into the winner’s circle (unofficially, a point to which I took offense and still do) late in the fall.

Both golfers started 2012 with some fire. Tiger fired off a closing 62 and finished second to Rory at PGA National. Shortly after that though, Tiger took an official victory at Bay Hill. But both were noticeably poor at Augusta and McIlroy fell into a slump and publicly admitted he hadn’t been practicing enough. He had another poor showing for his US Open title defense, not even making the cut. Meanwhile, Tiger bagged his second win of the season at Muirfield Village and then headed into the weekend at Olympic with a share of the lead. But it was all for not, as he shot 75-73 to finish out of the top 10 at +7.

Yet still, McIlroy continued to struggle while Tiger continued to show signs of improvement. In his preparations for the Open, he passed Jack Nicklaus with the 74^th win of his career coming at Congressional. He started the Open very strong and headed into Sunday just 5 back of the (to that point) flawless Adam Scott. A pot bunker induced triple bogey highlighted what was another poor finish, but still Woods finished in a tie for 3^rd place. The real meltdown belonged to Scott who ceded the Claret Jug to Ernie Els in the most epic of fashions.

Rory meanwhile finished in a tie for 60^th place despite starting the tournament with a strong 67. Heading into the Bridgestone two weeks ago, it was pretty obvious that Tiger was better bet between the two. Woods struggled with something each round until Sunday when he put it all together to vault himself into the top 10. McIlroy, on the other hand, found something in his game on Thursday and translated that into a 67-67-68 stretch that placed him in a tie for 5^th place.

And I guess that’s really the story for me because McIlroy is at the age where the memory is shorter, the swagger is higher, and the ability to turn everything around in a few holes is seemingly much easier. If you paid close attention the leaderboard last week, you got the impression that Kiawah was going to hold the field at bay. Upon closer examination, the wet and windy conditions on Friday were the only thing holding McIlroy back from pure domination. There was an interesting debate on Sunday regarding his past comments about not playing in the wind that seemed just, well, unbelievable.

I mean, no one likes playing in the wind. If they say they do, they’re lying. I played golf in Colorado for 6 years where it is almost always windy. I got used to it, sure, but did I ever grow to like it? Debatable. And let’s put “wind” into context. We’re not talking about the steady 10 mph left to right cross-breeze. As the CBS crew pointed out, when he meant wind, he probably meant the 22 mph whipping type of wind that likes to throw rain in your face and gust up to 30 mph right as you start your backswing.

So sure, McIlroy doesn’t like playing in the wind and until he grows to accept that and move on (read: not play the ball 767 miles up in the air), he’ll probably play himself out of a few majors. But we can safely bet that he will also do what he did at Kiawah, which was play the 54 holes he had good weather for at a staggering 16 under par, at only the hardest golf course in the United States. It’s now the 3^rd time in last 11 majors that an Ulsterman has won, which is kind of crazy for a country of less than 2 million. Also crazy when you consider that one other person from the island of Ireland has won a major.

Despite all of this, I’m still not ready to fully anoint Rory as the king of golf. I know I’m probably splitting hairs, but hear me out. We’ve known he has the skill set since 2008. He’s also proven that when his game is on, he will dominate the field in a way that is reminiscent only of the man whom he’s in the process of taking the crown from. What we haven’t seen is the consistency week in and week out, to me a defining characteristic of Tiger’s reign of dominance from 1999 through 2008. I know the majors are over, but if Rory can push this momentum forward into a FedEx Cup victory he will have also won the most accurate marker of the “year’s best golfer” that’s out there.

If he can do this, then I would say there’s absolutely no question, especially when you consider how few events he’s played in on TOUR this year. When you think about it, even though he left Chubby Chandler and stated he would enter more TOUR events that really hasn’t happened yet. If anything, he just played less overall in 2012 and yet his record is quite impressive for a golfer who went through a 2-month slump during which he missed 3 cuts in 5 events. All I’m saying is that an argument can be made that the scary consistency isn’t there yet for Rory and when Tiger was king, there was no argument.

There’s no better test for Rory right now than the FedEx Cup, too. He will have to play four consecutive weeks (assuming he sits out Wyndham this week), which he hasn’t done all year. He’s gone 3 weeks in a row on two separate occasions. In the fist stretch, his finishes were 2^nd, 1^st, and 3^rd. In the second, they were Cut, Cut, T-7. He’ll also be vying against the best talent in the world this season. The top 15 in the FedEx standings is just riddled with talent, both young and old. And of course, the one person sitting in front of him at the moment is Tiger Woods.

So what do we make of 2012 for Woods? At the end of the day, the most important factor is to put the entire time frame starting from 2010 into context. It was well documented so I don’t need to go into much detail beyond that we know 2010 was mostly Tiger struggling with his mental game as life kind of whirl winded for a while. Fast forward to Augusta in 2011 and the 31 on the front nine on Sunday. It looks like he’s made the turnaround until putts fail to drop on the back, which leads to the questions. We find out in his answers to those questions that he strained his left Achilles playing out of the pine straw earlier in the week. A short while later, he withdraws after 9 holes at The Players and we don’t see him for nearly 3 months.

Given the context, he was ready to win mentally speaking, but he was employing a golf swing that was not sustainable, given that one swing with unsure footing led to a major injury. Cue Sean Foley, the new swing, and a fresh start. In my opinion, the progression was really fast, stupidly fast. I think it would probably the average pro 2-3 years to complete the progression Tiger did. He went from barely being able to break par or make cuts to winning an unsanctioned (but perfectly legit) event in 4 months and a TOUR event in 7 months. He contended in the final three majors of the year, won two more TOUR stops, and will more than likely be in the pole position for the start of the FedEx Cup, which he has an excellent chance to win.

Jack doesn't think Tiger is "just another guy"

Tiger always defined his career in terms of majors, so he can’t blame everyone for obliging. In this sense, 2012 fell short of expectations especially from a fan’s perspective. I reject the notion that Tiger “is just another guy” now solely because of his weekend performances at the last three majors, though. The “just another guy” guy does not win 3 tournaments in the first 13 months after a major injury and surgery. The “just another guy” guy probably hasn’t even won 3 tournaments in his career. I think Tiger is simply learning to trust himself with his new swing and new approach. That manifested into 3 wins because he is so comfortable at certain golf courses. It’s no surprise that he won at his favorite venues when seen in this light.

So it’s short of our expectations and even of his own because that’s where he’s set the bar. But Tiger and Sean Foley can’t pretend like major strides weren’t gained this season; they know it, even if they can’t publicly admit it. Unless Jason Dufner wins a playoff event and the FedEx, Woods will likely be the Player of the Year. He’s also a dead lock for Comeback Player of the Year. No one has ever won both awards, though the Comeback has only been around since 1990. Not quite major #15, but yet another record nonetheless.

Tiger Still Getting Out Of The Woods

Mickelson wins 40th career title 

Yesterday, the PGA Tour was set up with a confluence of events that its investors pray for, at least when it’s possible. For just the tenth time ever, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were paired together on a Sunday, just a few shots off the 54-hole lead held by Charlie Wi. This is basically what TV execs and American golf sponsor dream about. The model for American sports investment, in this area, revolves around the promotion of stars. In other sports, this is relatively easy to do. There’s a consistent schedule. Barring injury, the stars play.

Golf doesn’t have it so easy. Luckily, there are enough fans now that every WGC and Tour event is broadcast. Beyond the fans this is also thanks to the partnership between CBS Sports and the Golf Channel. But there are only a handful of “promotion worthy” stars in the game and they don’t play every week. If you’re wondering who these people are, watch for when the CBS broadcast first kicks off, when the play the opening video montage. You see Woods and Phil. You’ll also see Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, and Dustin Johnson. This represents an obvious mix of established superstars, well known faces, and the up and coming generation. My guess is that this was also carefully established so that on any given week, at least one of these players will be seen on TV over the weekend.

Two legends of the game, Phil wins this round.

The fortune of having Tiger and Phil in the second to last pairing on a Sunday gunning for a title has remarkably happened just nine times before yesterday. Before yesterday, Tiger had won the tournament three times to Phil’s one, despite the fact that Mickelson has scored better than him five consecutive times. Yesterday at Pebble Beach, Lefty upped the ante and then some.

Tiger is clearly getting the Friday through Saturday thing figured out, but hasn't yet regained the inner ninja status he once held on Sunday. My friend Steven made the good point that he’s always been best as a front runner. I can see that, especially given Tiger's comments after the round yesterday, when he said he thought he'd need a 67 or 68 to win. You can think like that when you have the lead, but not when you're behind. Starting with Johnson Wagner a month ago, the last four PGA Tour winners entered the final round at least four shots off the lead. You can run the numbers when you have the lead and say, “OK, the best round out there today is a 65. I have a three shot lead. I need to shoot a 67 to win.”

Granted, you can’t come from behind to win without a little help from the front runner. Brandt Snedeker only won at Torrey Pines because Kyle Stanley melted down on the 18^th. Stanley himself only won the following week because Spencer Levin dropped shot after shot down the stretch at TPC Scottsdale. If Charlie Wi doesn’t 4-putt the first hole at Pebble yesterday, he finishes in a playoff with Phil. Wi also lipped out an easy par tapper later in the round. If he makes that, Phil’s 64 comes up one stroke short (although, the case can easily be made that in such a scenario Phil surely would have gone for it on 18, instead of safely hitting a 4 iron off the tee).

Tiger looked unconfident and overwhelmed all day yesterday. In short, he’s not quite there yet. In the final round, Woods looked as he did through all four rounds of the Bridgestone Invitational last August, his first event since withdrawing from the Players with an injury that kept him out of the game for several months. It was the same way he looked the following week when he struggled to find par at Atlanta Athletic Club. His confidence is on the rise and anyone who saw him in the first three rounds at Pebble could tell.

Yet still, in Dubai he shared the lead with Robert Rock, a relatively unknown Englishman who was still a club pro when Woods was winning his 14^th major in 2008. This was the type of matchup where the inferior (supposedly, Rock) falters under the weight of Tiger’s (and his fans’) presence. Instead, Rock played a steady round while Tiger failed to muster anything of a challenge. This weekend, the media was ready to write up the “he’s back!” article, only to see him stumble on the 7^th and never recover. To his credit, Tiger reminded everyone that he won back at the Chevron a few months ago, and that’s a win in his book, no matter what anyone else says. This is a point I emphasized myself.

I can't believe Lefty's turnaround. When I was watching him at Torrey Pines, he looked downright terrible. Awful. But then he comes out and shoots a 64 on Sunday at Pebble for his 40th win. That's Phil, I guess. Remember, though, last year he bagged a win at the Houston Open and was more or less irrelevant for the rest of the year, save his almost run at the British in July. Nick Faldo argued that at the age of 41, a guy like Mickelson is only going to get up for the majors, and maybe the tournaments that mean something to him. I guess that makes sense, either way Phil showed us once again that when he's on, he's the best in the world.

Maybe it’s just because he’s been a pro for so long that one or two little things is all it takes. When watching him at Torrey, I felt it was irrelevant that he changed his putting grip given that the issue he was having was finding the green in the first place. Phil calls his coach, Butch Harmon, down to Phoenix last week to sort it out. Butch makes one adjustment with Lefty’s back knee and viola – four rounds under par, a closing 64, and his 40^th career victory. It’s not that I just can’t believe the turnaround as much as it’s just flat out scary. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now, if Phil is on at Augusta, no one has a chance in hell at beating him. Period. Not even Woods. And I think you guys know how I feel about Tiger.

Nevertheless, I still think Tiger makes a serious run at Augusta in April. In some poetic way, it just makes sense that he’d break his slump by winning at the same place he did way back in 1997 when he roared onto the scene. With Mickelson playing his best though, it could well be a difficult task. Perhaps they’ll be paired together on that final Sunday? We can only hope.

When Sports Go Political

I can safely say today that I’m not a fan of athletes getting political. In today’s permanently connected world, where tidbits of news become fully blown debates about society or politics within hours of going viral, the sneaky power that once was an athlete’s ability to make a stark political or social statement is completely lost. When Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the podium at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City with heads down and a fist, covered by a black glove, clenched and raised to the sky, it sent a clear, and powerful message. There was something drastically wrong with our society and it had been so for far, far too long.

Slightly more powerful than a Facebook post

When Muhammed Ali refused to join the U.S. Army in protest of the Vietnam War, it was a big deal. Not just for society, but for Ali himself. He was arrested and stripped of his heavyweight title. Athletes are uniquely positioned in society to make powerful statements about serious things. This is so because sports tend to transcend the socio-political consciousness of individuals. We care about what happens on the field of play, about raw athletic ability, keenness of mind, and the truly fantastic combination of the two. Because fondness of a team, of a player transcends the other divisions we have amongst ourselves, when that moment happens where the apolitical becomes political, shockwaves are sent throughout the system.

However, for me the progression of time and the nature of our instantly viral world have tarnished an athlete’s ability to go political. What Smith and Carlos did over 50 years ago was subtle in its implementation, but profound in its setting. On a world stage, they made a powerful statement about race in the United States with a simple gesture. Perhaps because we have progressed from those days, there are just fewer opportunities.

Former slugging first baseman Carlos Delgado refused to stand during a singing of “God Bless America” some years ago to protest the Iraq War. It was effective in so far as everyone noticed it, but it required far too much explanation. Maybe Carlos didn’t think it through too well. In the end, it seemed like more people were offended by it because the singing of “God Bless America” in the middle of the 8^th inning during Major League Baseball games was adopted in the fallout of 9/11. As a member of the New York Mets, that just didn’t go over so well.

During the stretch run of the 2004 season, former Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Curt Schilling started spouting political and publicly endorsed, if you can even call it that, the reelection bid for George W. Bush. Now, not only was he doing so in a decidedly blue state but in an election year where the challenger was a Senator from that very state. But because most Red Sox fans wanted a World Series more than they wanted George Bush out of office (and if any of them ever try to dissuade you otherwise, they’re flat out lying), the reaction was basically to pretend not to register. Like when someone says something really awkward that silences the room and before it becomes way too awkward someone else jump starts a conversation about what a nice day it was yesterday.

Of course, not all athletic acts of politics have been ineffectual. When the Phoenix Suns wore “Los Suns” jerseys as a way of protesting a recent Arizona state immigration law, it invoked images of a subtle but still in your face way of making a political statement.  When hockey player Sean Avery publicly made statements in support of gay marriage, it sent multiple shockwaves. On the one hand, it’s a particularly divisive issue in our society today. On the other, many people who loved to hate Sean Avery for everything he’s done on the ice were forced to respect, or at least level with the guy for doing something seemingly so unlike his on ice persona.

Some of that was done away when he utilized an opportunity earlier this year to reopen his thoughts on homophobia. But he did so in an inexplicable fashion. In the aftermath of Wayne Simmonds, a black man and current member of the Philadelphia Flyers, dealing with having a banana thrown at him on the ice, Avery went to the press and said that Simmonds had launched homophobic slurs at him on the ice in the past. Somehow apologizing to the media for saying words that just come out in the heat of the moment became part of Simmonds having to deal with an incredibly ridiculous and offensive incident. Really Sean Avery? I’m not entirely sure defending some racist Detroit Red Wings fan (two really awful things if you ask me) is an effective way of communicating your views on homophobia.

So when I heard about Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas refusing to attend the traditional champions visit at the White House, I expected there to be a juicy story behind it. At the very least, Thomas would release some treatise on the Obama administration or the national debt, something along these lines. Only to find out that he chose not to attend because he’s one of those odd anti-government anarchist types. As far as political statements go, I am the least bit impressed. First of all, I’ve never been able to understand this view. The government started growing beyond its constitutional conception as early as 1803 when Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase. That was 16 years after the Constitution was signed. I mean, even engaging in this argument means operating under the assumption that a bunch of dudes in the 1780s knew what society would be like some 230 years later.

Thomas’ statement doesn’t just transcend sports; it transcends reason, but before I get too political myself, let’s just leave it on a joke about how goalies are always crazy. At the end of the day, what I care about most is what happens on, well in this case, the ice. I’m more concerned about whether Timmy can replicate his historic 2010 season and lead the Bruins to another Stanley Cup. I respect the fact that he has some deep personal beliefs and beyond what was required of him because it became news, he seems to not really want to talk about it. It’s the opposite of Sean Avery – he’s not going to utilize talking about a bad call or lengthy suspension as a metaphor for his anti-government beliefs. He just really didn’t want to go to the White House and while I find that weird (because it was probably cool) I’m not losing sleep over it.

A Closing Thought on the Super Bowl

The only time I’ve been close to this nervous for a Super Bowl was in 2001. Brady was a rookie who had gone on an improbable run with his team, part of that being a game that was played in a blizzard, decided by a field goal, and enabled in part by a rule effectively being invented on the spot. All that ran into Kurt Warner and the mighty Rams. I was afraid that the result would be what most of the country predicted. Instead, we got one of the most memorable upsets in recent Super Bowl history. People that have grown to hate Brady and New England for their continued success will still, now somewhat ashamedly, admit to having totally rooted for the Patriots in that game.

For a Patriots fan, the last four years have been a constant exercise in what should have been. In uniquely improbable fashion, the New York Giants ended the run at perfection with their own upset in 2007. Then we lost Brady for all of 2008. The following season ended in embarrassment as Ray Rice and the Ravens smoked New England at Gillette Stadium. The 2010 team bounced back from that loss to secure a bye and face our hated division rivals, the New York Jets, only to lose and have to endure the awful punishment of seeing Rex Ryan happy.

This year is different, though. At an overall of 15-3, the Patriots are somehow the underdog in this game. The Giants overall record of 12-7 doesn’t accurately depict how good Eli Manning and their offense has been. It doesn’t show how solid they’ve played defensively for the last two months. In 2007, the Giants had to somehow stop the Patriots offense, which they did, but the game still came down to one of the most improbable catches, and plays, in NFL playoff history.

I’m nervous, not because everything on paper looks to be in the Giants favor, but because my experience, at least this year, has been paper means absolutely nothing. On paper, the Eagles were supposed to go to the Super Bowl. On paper, that team became the Packers, who were supposed to, on paper, complete the 18-0 dream that the 2007 Patriots failed to realize. I have the feeling that this game will be well contested on both sides of the ball. I’m nervous because I think it will come down to some type of weird, improbable, and lucky play. I just really hope it’s an end around for 60 yards and a touchdown by Julian Edelman with one minute left in the game…something epic like that.

Photo Credit: Tommie Smith's Facebook page