I never imagined it would last this long, that in predicting three years ago Tiger Woods would never again win a major championship, so much time would pass without my seemingly faulty forecast being proven wrong. But his streak without a major has reached 27 events. I’m more confident now than ever he will retire stuck on 14.
Phil Mickelson has six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, the only major he has not won. But he is playing well, and bettors are showing faith in him. More tickets are being written on Mickelson than on any other player at the Westgate Las Vegas sports book, where his odds are 15-1 after opening at 25-1. Rory McIlroy is the 7-1 favorite, with Jordan Spieth at 8-1.
Like most college sports in this era of the BCS and now playoff football, the national championship for men’s golf is more about generating fan interest than fretting over what might be the most demanding test for its participants. It’s all about the number of eyeballs watching. Just ask UNLV coach Dwaine Knight.
A wager on a golf major typically means four days of lead changes and nail-biting suspense. It’s rarely a leisurely Sunday stroll to the window. The exception was Jordan Spieth, who ignored a tradition unlike any other.
ESPN sent news that Las Vegas tied for sixth place with Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Norfolk, Va., for most viewers of the Masters’ first round.
If golf tournaments ended after 18 holes, this would be a popular result. Jordan Spieth, the betting public’s pick to win the Masters, threatened to run away from the pack during Thursday’s first round and walked into the Augusta National clubhouse with a three-stroke lead.
Under normal circumstances, Rory McIlroy would be the top story. He’s the No. 1 player in the world, he won the past two majors and he’s the favorite in the Masters. But for the first time in two months, Tiger Woods is playing, and guess who is getting all the attention?
Edward Fryatt was a golfing All-American at UNLV and had a nice little run on the PGA Tour. Then he lost his tour card and set aside his clubs for 10 years — until he started playing again recently as an amateur in Southern Nevada Golf Association tourneys.
On one of those postcard Sundays in San Diego, Jason Day got his moment in the sun at the same time it was setting on Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Day’s win in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines is a good story, but it was overshadowed.
The greatest golfer of his generation — and perhaps any — has become more human as his game has become more frightening to watch. He is older, weaker and more vulnerable with each shank. Now 39, his best days are behind him.
