4 minute read
The Bogeyman
The Bogeyman
Dan O’Neill
(Editor’s note: This story appears courtesy of Morning Read (www. morningread.com)
There’s a number of reasons why a baseball player like Adam Wainwright can still pitch effectively at the age of 39. He keeps fit, uses his knowledge and experience, and there are eight teammates competing along with him.
Likewise, you can explain Tom Brady quarterbacking a Super Bowl win at age 43 in a lot of similar ways. He’s a remarkable talent, to be sure, and he succeeded with the help of his offensive line, receivers and running backs. How does Zdeno Chara patrol a blue line for the Washington Capitals at age 44? He’s big, he’s tough, he’s smart.… and he shares his ice time with four teammates and a goaltender playing a team game.
But how do you explain Phil Mickelson winning one of golf’s four major championships at the age of 50, a PGA that featured 99 of the top 100 players in the Official World Golf Rankings playing the same golf course? Golf is different from baseball, football or hockey, different from the team sports entirely. You have a caddie, but you have no teammates in golf. No one’s blocking for you, no one’s catching or hitting for you, no one’s back-checking or making saves on your behalf.
No one else impacts your performance, other than you. So how do you explain it?
How does Mickelson out-drive brawny Brooks Koepka (31 years old) with a 366-yard bomb on the 16th hole on Sunday at Kiawah Island. How does Mickelson average 313.1 yards off the tee during the championship?
And while we’re at it, how does 63-year old Bernhard Langer outplay 27-year-old bombardier Bryson DeChambeau at the 2020 Masters? How does 48-year old Lee Westwood finish tied for 13th at the 2020 U.S. Open? For that matter, how does DeChambeau win at Winged Foot while hitting just 23 fairways all week, the fewest by a U.S. Open champion since 1981?
A lot of factors are in play: fitness, talent, know-how, guts. But the explanation of Mickelson’s victory last month, and the performances of Langer, or Westwood or DeChambeau, includes one other prominent ingredient - equipment.
Yes, the golf adage remains true in many ways. When it comes to repeating a swing, making smart decisions, course knowledge, reads, poise, accuracy…. it remains the Indian, not the arrow. But the technology that goes into the arrows these days have altered the relationship considerably. They are more forgiving, more empowering and more dynamic than ever before. And in the hands of the right Indian, they can be lethal.
They even cause some of the most prominent Indians to wonder where the game is headed.
Yes, the golf adage remains true in many ways. When it comes to repeating a swing, making smart decisions, course knowledge, reads, poise, accuracy…. it remains the Indian, not the arrow. But the technology that goes into the arrows these days have altered the relationship considerably. They are more forgiving, more empowering and more dynamic than ever before. And in the hands of the right Indian, they
Time travel has a special place in golf. Reunion tours always have been part of the charm. It doesn’t happen frequently, but it happens occasionally. And when it does, it enriches the scrapbook and adds to the historical fiber.
Irwin is part of that colorful display, with his U.S. Open win at the age of 45. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at 46, Julius Boros captured a PGA at 48 and Old Tom Morris won four British Opens in his 40s, the last in 1867 at age 46. In all, 39 majors have been won by 28 different players older than 40.
Perhaps Mickelson can add another chapter at Torrey Pines Golf Course, site of the 121st U.S. Open June 17-20. Perhaps he can chase away the demons of six second-place finishes in the U.S. Open. Perhaps he can become the sixth player to achieve a career grand slam.
If he does, it will be a remarkable moment in golf. If he does it will be because he is among the game’s greatest practitioners. And if he does, it will be because the technology in today’s equipment has given him a chance.
