There is no question that Tiger Woods is golf’s player of the year. He probably deserves to be Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, more so than last year, when he played in only seven tournaments.
If SI believed Woods changed the face of the game last year, then what he did this year was a Phyllis Diller-into-Cindy Crawford transformation. After his victory in the Masters, Woods brought golf into urban neighborhoods where it had been a stranger, his reach proving to be longer than his tee shots.
Yet the best thing about this year in golf is that Woods wasn’t the only player of the year. Maybe it should be broken down this way: Woods was the best player for the first part of the year; Ernie Els and Justin Leonard get the award for the middle part of the year; and David Duval, with his three straight victories, was the best closer of the bunch.
If the year had been about Woods alone, it would have been more than enough. But the year was about Woods and much more.
In fact, 1997 might be the most significant year in golf since the 1930s, when three novices named Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead burst onto the scene. Twenty years from now, when golf fans are watching 41-year-old Tiger Woods on their hand-held big-screen televisions (they’ll think of a way), they’ll use 1997 as the marker for the beginning of one of golf’s most important eras.
Never before has so much young talent arrived at the same time. It was one of those rare times when the future ran right into the present.
In a sport in which players aren’t supposed to peak until they hit 30, four of the top five money-winners and six of the first 11 were 28 or younger. Three of the four majors winners were under 30, the exception being that venerable graybeard, 33-year-old Davis Love III, in the PGA Championship.
“You can’t always rely on (40-plus) Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Tom Watson to hold the torch,” Els said. “It was time for the young players to show their mettle.”
Woods grabbed the torch, and not by the handle. He was so hot when he won the Masters in April, at 21, the question was whether anyone was capable of challenging him.
On came Ernie Els, who turned 28 last month, to win his second U.S. Open. Then came 25-year-old Justin Leonard in the British Open.
Finally, it was the 25-year-old Duval’s turn. The “Avis of golf” for his second-place finishes, Duval lived up to predictions that his first tournament victory would prove to be a gusher. When next season’s tour begins at the Mercedes Championships in January, Duval will try to become the first player to win four straight starts since Hogan bagged five in 1953. Since Hogan.
Little wonder PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem has to feel like NBA Commissioner David Stern did in the 1980s, when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan performed CPR on pro basketball.
Just a few years ago the PGA Tour was being labeled faceless and dull; it even took a back seat to the Senior Tour, of all things.
Not anymore. The top seniors got old, and the youngsters got better.
“We’ve had more recognizable stars on the PGA Tour than we have ever had,” Finchem said. “And the number of stars keeps going up.”
Woods is a galaxy unto himself. He was the main attraction, getting the fans in the tent.
Then the other sideshows went to center stage. Now it’s not just Tiger. It is Justin, and Ernie, and David, among others.
“A lot of people came out because Tiger was out there,” Love said. “They wound up finding out that there was a whole lot more out there. They found out about David Duval. They saw Justin Leonard. They found out there was a lot more than just Tiger Woods and Greg Norman.”
Now the PGA has to capitalize on this year, bring golf to even bigger audiences. The tour’s new television contract begins in 1999, and the additional money will hike purses significantly. This year’s Motorola Western Open had one of the top payouts at $2 million. By 1999 that figure will be the average.
When there’s more money to pay, the more golfers will play. That should help ensure the best players will be out there on a weekly basis.
However, the PGA Tour should remember that too much of a good thing isn’t so good. Overexposure could be a side effect of success.
Last week plans were announced for three World Tour tournaments beginning in 1999. One of the events looks interesting: a 64-player match-play competition. The new format will be a welcome change, provided the final doesn’t pit Thomas Bjorn vs. Frank Nobilo.
But the other two tournaments are basically big-money invitationals featuring the best players in the world. Excuse me, but don’t the four majors already attract the best players in the world?
The World Tour events run the risk of diluting what is established on the PGA Tour. It’s like the pro leagues adding an extra round of playoffs. More isn’t always better.
Still, the best marketing is for the PGA Tour to have a continuation of what happened this year. The storylines can get better. In the 1970s, the big rivalry was Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. The 2000s could start off with Woods-Leonard.
This much is certain: 1997 is just a start.
“The beautiful thing about this is that the players who are competing at the top level now are going to be there for many, many years,” Duval said. “It shows the game is in good hands for the future.”
And the future is now.
YOUNG MONEY
Six of the top 11 money-winners in ’97 are in their 20s. %%
Rank, player Trn Money
1. Tiger Woods 21 $2,066,833
2. David Duval 25 $1,885,308
3. Davis Love III 33 $1,635,953
4. Jim Furyk 27 $1.619,480
5. Justin Leonard 25 $1,587,531
6. Scott Hoch 41 $1,393,788
7. Greg Norman 42 $1,345,856
8. Steve Elkington 34 $1,320,411
9. Ernie Els 28 $1,243,008
10. Brad Faxon 36 $1,233,505
11. Phil Mickelson 27 $1,225,390 %%
