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5th Hole Correspondent, White Cover Magazine
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At first glance, Adam Scott’s ascension to the top of the Augusta-based heap seems perfectly in line with every other young — or youthful — golfer. Of course, Scott looks a lot younger than he is, which is 32.
In reality, his golf game and his career trajectory to this point are just as deceiving.
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5th Hole Correspondent, White Cover Magazine
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Tiger Woods is back, apparently. Being ranked number one in the world for the first time since his sex addiction was merely a hobby will do that to your reputation, but the Masters is still four days long and it starts this Thursday — not last Thursday, or at any other point this year. Regardless of Tiger’s return to occasional greatness, you’d be crazy to say he’s the same old Tiger that used to rip the PGA Tour a new a*shole just for fun. (If you really think he is, then show me his Majors since 2009.)
But, this is Augusta. A green jacket is up for grabs and Eldrick is in the house.
Unfortunately for him, so are these guys…
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Haight-Ashbury Correspondent, White Cover Magazine
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The thing about golf is, it’s popularity has legitimized it to the point that it’s formed its own brand of cool and it’s transcended its obvious nerdy-ness.
Let’s not forget: this is a sport of men – white men — who think that Tiger Woods is good-looking. This is a sport that features a Swede with a flat-brimmed hat and a polka dot wardrobe. This is a sport where Englishmen are viewed as rogues and rebels on the scale of Ernest Hemingway. This sport makes Brandel Chamblee look cool… like the Clooney of some all-Caucasian Josh Schwartz show on Fox.
This is a sport with an athlete named Davis Love III. The digits are pronounced, The Third. That simple fact should be enough to condemn golf.
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Sometimes, people get accolades they don’t deserve. The rest of the time, Rory McIlroy wins the PGA Tour’s player of the year award.
Four wins, including an eight-shot victory at the PGA Championship. Nike’s biggest face. 23 years old. And, the new king of professional golf. McIlroy is the youngest winner of the player of the year award since Tiger Woods in 1997. Remember that year? Yeah, Rory is only two years older. Tiger won his second major in 1999, and then erupted for, like, lots more.
“It’s just a great way to end what has been a year, my best season so far,” said McIlroy, taking an extra dose of Vitamin Duh.
In 2011, Rory took over the golfing world’s attention with his earth-shattering victory at the US Open. It was even more impressive because it was just a couple months after his collapse at that year’s Masters. Since then, we’ve all been waiting for him to slingshot ahead of guys like Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. (Funny how they’re all suddenly European.)
Oh, and Tiger Woods.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve been dedicated to the game and I’ve practiced hard and I’ve worked at it,” he said, according to BreakingNews.ie. “But, I guess over the past 18 months, especially after winning the US Open, I sort of felt like I went to the next stage of my career. I feel like my personality away from the golf course hasn’t changed, but definitely when I get to the golf course I’m maybe a little more professional, a little more business-like.”
That personality away from the golf course includes his also-famous girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. She was accused of being Yoko Ono or — at best — Brad Pitt’s version of Robin Givens. Rory, though, believes she’s made him stronger. That may have been hard to believe last year, because he was struggling just a wee bit. But, now, I guess we can give him a break.
Right?
“Seeing how hard she works and how hard she practices and how dedicated she is, it definitely flipped a switch with me that I could be a little more like that.”
Behind every great man is a greater woman. Ask Macbeth.
Folks, this is how it happens. Like Tom Stearns Eliot said, “Not with a bang but a whimper.”
As if 1997 was really a whole 16 years ago, Tiger Woods is no longer Tiger Woods. This is not a statement of opinion, but rather one of mathematics and fact. He has more majors now than he did then, which was one. He is 16 years older, obviously. He’s no longer a symbol of golf’s youth movement. He is still one of its biggest ambassadors – maybe still the biggest – but he’s far from the meal ticket.
Even as No. 2, he’s still not No. 1. You can’t deny this. In marketing and in play, Tiger is no longer tops. He’s an opening act or, if you’d prefer it, the guitarist who is still capable of stealing some spotlight away from the lead singer.
So, who’s No. 1? Who’s the headliner?
It is, of course, a little Northern Irish man named Rory McIlroy. Twenty-three, and full of glee.
On Nov. 3, McIlroy usurped Tiger as Nike’s go-to guy, signing a contract that could promise him $250 million and put little black check marks all over England, as if they weren’t there already. Northern Ireland, welcome to the circus, as if you weren’t there already.
It probably shouldn’t be shocking to see Tiger knocked down the status of official opposition — although his friendship, cordiality, and commercial symbiosis with Rory shows he has come to peace with it. Of course, that is shocking, isn’t? The Tiger we all knew — or, thought we knew — was never cool with letting his guard down, or even losing a hole. He was never cool with missing a cut or missing a pay day. He was never friends with the ones who beat him. Friend-ly, maybe. But, not friends.
Now? Tiger doesn’t think Rory McIlroy is his biggest rival. Back in the day, he thought Rory Sabbatini was his biggest rival.
“Obviously, among them are Phil, Vijay, and Ernie… Rory has two Major championships so far but he’s so young, he’s only 23 years old,” Tiger said from golf’s new mecca, Asia. “Let him grow and develop over the next decade. He’s got so much talent and he’s just learning how to play the game. He’s only going to get better with age.”
Right. He’s just learning how to play the game, but he already has two majors.
Tiger’s right. Rory isn’t his biggest rival. But, Tiger is Rory’s.
Suddenly, McIlroy has his foot on everyone’s throat. Suddenly, McIlroy is Kobe Bryant. Or, LeBron. Michael Jordan.
Somehow, we have to stop associating Tiger with Nike, because Nike has gradually stopped associating itself with Tiger, at least unconditionally.
Who knows whether Rory will ever beat the 18 majors mark that Tiger is still chasing, or whether he’ll catch Tiger.
All anyone knows beyond a reasonable doubt is that Nike has placed its crown on a new royal’s head, and his hair is curly.
Long live the King.
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