2019 was a great year for Golf

[Hoganman1]

Well, another golf season is drawing to a close. I know there are the playoffs in August, but I just cannot get excited about that. I'm old and for me the four majors define the year in professional golf. All in all it was a fantastic year. Tiger's comeback, Brooks's repeat, Woodland's breakthrough and Shane prevailing in Northern Ireland were all compelling. Also, while I'm still not ready to declare The Players is a fifth major it ranks fifth in importance in my book. Having Rory win just added to the legacy. Of course I'll watch the Tour Championship. Having it at the course Bobby Jones played daily as a young man is historically important. As the 2020 season dawns soon I feel extremely fortunate to have lived through so many wonderful moments in golf. From the Nicklaus/ Palmer/Player era, the Watson/Ballesteros/Faldo era, the Tiger/Els/Mickelson era to the McIlroy/Spieth/Koepka era I've seen some of the greatest golf ever played. My only regreat is that I missed the Hogan/Snead/Nelson era. Here's hoping I'm able to experience many more majors and maybe the next era. I believe that the majors define greatness. Maybe that will change someday, but I'll hopefully be playing the back nine in heaven if and when that occurs.

 

[Orikoru]

I usually only watch the majors but they've finished too early this year. What other tournaments are good of the remaining ones?? I'm going to have withdrawal symptoms if I don't watch any golf again until April.

 

[fundy]

its July lol, you cant call it the end of the season!!!

 

[Hoganman1]

You're right. It's not the end of the golf season. It's the end of the major tournament season. For me the only two tournaments left that I'll watch with any interest are The Tour Championship and The President's Cup. The Race to Dubai should be interesting as well, but once college (American) football starts over here in the colonies I don't watch much golf.
That being said I forgot about the Senior Open Championship which starts this Thursday. Of course I'll be watching that and pulling for Monty or Clarkie.

 

[Dan2501]

I usually only watch the majors but they've finished too early this year. What other tournaments are good of the remaining ones?? I'm going to have withdrawal symptoms if I don't watch any golf again until April.

Two WGCs left (both pretty dull with crap turnouts but still WGCs), the Fed-Ex Playoffs start on August 11th, BMW PGA in Wentworth in September, end of Race to Dubai in November, Presidents Cup in December, the Ladies British Open on the 1st of August and the Solheim Cup in September. Plenty of golf left this year.

 

[GB72]

In all honesty, I think that this is probably the first year that I have not watched a single shot of televised golf. I follow the scores on the BBC app but that is about it. Not sure why really, just not leaping out as must see TV. The clamour for Tiger to keep winning is of no interest. It is more of a concern that nobody in the sport has even looked like filling the breach since his injury woes. It cannot be healthy for so much of the viewing interest to be based on someone at the tail end of their career.

As for the rest of the field, again, nobody that I really feel that I have to watch as they carefully plot their way around a course with no obvious passion and swagger. Rory on a good day is worth a watch but other than that, it could be anyone hitting the shots as they all seem much of a muchness.

As I mentioned on another thread, golf needs to seriously up its game in the way it is shown on TV to become interesting again. I mentioned being able to watch the day from different spots on the course or follow individual golfers all day as an option (imagine how some people would react to their being a Tiger Cam) and those are just basic suggestions.

 

[Orikoru]

In all honesty, I think that this is probably the first year that I have not watched a single shot of televised golf. I follow the scores on the BBC app but that is about it. Not sure why really, just not leaping out as must see TV. The clamour for Tiger to keep winning is of no interest. It is more of a concern that nobody in the sport has even looked like filling the breach since his injury woes. It cannot be healthy for so much of the viewing interest to be based on someone at the tail end of their career.

As for the rest of the field, again, nobody that I really feel that I have to watch as they carefully plot their way around a course with no obvious passion and swagger. Rory on a good day is worth a watch but other than that, it could be anyone hitting the shots as they all seem much of a muchness.

As I mentioned on another thread, golf needs to seriously up its game in the way it is shown on TV to become interesting again. I mentioned being able to watch the day from different spots on the course or follow individual golfers all day as an option (imagine how some people would react to their being a Tiger Cam) and those are just basic suggestions.

Not Koepka? The feller who finished top 4 in all the majors this year?

 

[GB72]

Not Koepka? The feller who finished top 4 in all the majors this year?

On a purely golfing standpoint then, yes he has had a great year but as far as catching the public imagination, raising the interest in and profile of golf, not at all. Show all but the most ardent of golf fans a picture of Koepka and I would think that hardly any would know who it was. Even I could not pick him out in a line up.

 

[Orikoru]

On a purely golfing standpoint then, yes he has had a great year but as far as catching the public imagination, raising the interest in and profile of golf, not at all. Show all but the most ardent of golf fans a picture of Koepka and I would think that hardly any would know who it was. Even I could not pick him out in a line up.

Oh, I didn't know you meant from a social/cultural point of view. I don't think there will ever be another golfer with the impact of Tiger. He's definitely one of a kind there.

 

[Hoganman1]

I agree. While Koepka has had a phenomenal year. He hasn't captured the interest one would think he might. I watched yesterday hoping his "showdown" with Rory would be exciting. It's a shame it didn't work out as many thought it would. His 65 was impressive, but the fact that no one really made a run at him except for Webb Simpson made it kind of boring. While I do watch the WGC events they're not like the majors. I guess I put them in the same category as the FedEx Cup playoffs. Sometimes they are interesting, but rarely do I find them exciting. I guess it's going to be awhile before someone comes along that will ignite the sport as much as Tiger. I think many thought Rory, Spieth, or DJ would fill the void. Unfortunately, that just has not happened. While I hope I'm wrong, my guess is Koepka's reign as #1 in the world won't last either.

 

[Jacko_G]

Brilliant to witness the goat win again. Incredible scenes.

Woodland winning was tremendous. Brooks is the best on tour now by a good way.

Few disappointments for me, Spieth, Thomas, DJ, not really hitting the heights. Fleetwood & Molinari I expected to really kick on.

As for the Open. Well I better start by saying Lowry was the deserved winner, no doubt about that. He played the best golf over the 4 days, huge credit to him.

However (tin hat on) the last round really was a huge anticlimax for me. Not one challenger stepped up to the plate. Not a single person made a run at him, when can you remember a major without a challenge happening on the last day? Tiger blew a few fields away in his prime and that's been it.

Loved seeing the Open played at Portrush and think it was a huge success. Scottish Open was very poor this year, venue didn't look great.

 

[Orikoru]

Brilliant to witness the goat win again. Incredible scenes.

Woodland winning was tremendous. Brooks is the best on tour now by a good way.

Few disappointments for me, Spieth, Thomas, DJ, not really hitting the heights. Fleetwood & Molinari I expected to really kick on.

As for the Open. Well I better start by saying Lowry was the deserved winner, no doubt about that. He played the best golf over the 4 days, huge credit to him.

However (tin hat on) the last round really was a huge anticlimax for me. Not one challenger stepped up to the plate. Not a single person made a run at him, when can you remember a major without a challenge happening on the last day? Tiger blew a few fields away in his prime and that's been it.

Loved seeing the Open played at Portrush and think it was a huge success. Scottish Open was very poor this year, venue didn't look great.

Totally agree with that. I was all set to watch the final round and it was honestly quite dull. I'm not sure it was anyone's fault as the weather was very difficult, but it was a still a shame and a big anti-climax to an otherwise decent tournament, as players just fell away one by one. Tournaments are generally remembered by how they finish, so this one won't go down in history as a great one I wouldn't have thought.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

For me this year has seemed flat

Woods winning the Masters was the real big story , the interest was massive and the high within golf was huge

But it all died down from there

I struggle to remember the USPGA or the US Open - don’t think either produced anything that will live in the memory

Then the Open was amazing - I’m not bothered one single bit about the final day because for me it was brilliant for Lowry and the Irish public loved it - he was outstanding and in tough conditions he produced the round to kill it off

But now the season is done - the Fed Ex is poor and money driven, RTD just has no excitement - Presidents Cup is rubbish

The reschedule has ruined the golf season

 

[Crow]

I wouldn't say that the season was ruined or ended, Golf Vlogs UK has new content almost every day and is likely to do so until the end of the year.

 

[PJ87]

Wouldn’t say the season is over

Would say the majors are over and the weather now is that nice time of year until October ish so can get as much golf in as possible then ramp it down and build back up in feb

 

[Wolf]

Not even the end of July yet the season is far from over with a lot of good events to come. Especially on the ET with the Rolex events. Though I'm not particularly bothered at the Fed Ex cup, it doesn't for me add much to the game except to try and make it like every other US sport where play offs are all that matter.

The season so far though with the Exception of Tiger's Masters win, Brooks performance in all 4 majors being exceptional has been a pretty bland and boring year for golf.

The Masters was the standout event, the Open for me was boring I struggled to watch most of it, and the final day summed it up for me. No discredit to Lowry achievement but the event just wasn't that good to watch overall.

Let's see how rest of the year goes before we make final conclusions of how it all went in 2019

 

[woofers]

For me this year has seemed flat

Woods winning the Masters was the real big story , the interest was massive and the high within golf was huge

But it all died down from there

I struggle to remember the USPGA or the US Open - don’t think either produced anything that will live in the memory

Then the Open was amazing - I’m not bothered one single bit about the final day because for me it was brilliant for Lowry and the Irish public loved it - he was outstanding and in tough conditions he produced the round to kill it off

But now the season is done - the Fed Ex is poor and money driven, RTD just has no excitement - Presidents Cup is rubbish

The reschedule has ruined the golf season

Agreed, pretty well summed up.

 

[Dando]

Agreed, pretty well summed up.

At least us mortals have still got the H4H trophy to play for!

 

[Hoganman1]

Well, I guess I have to admit that after saying that I didn't much care about the FedEx Cup, I watched the entire 4th round yesterday. It was very interesting and entertaining. Since it's eight months until the Masters and American college football hasn't started yet, I have to watch something. I feel sure I'll watch the events in Chicago and Atlanta too. Maybe their idea of the PGA Tour "owning" August worked after all. So, I stand corrected.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Well, I guess I have to admit that after saying that I didn't much care about the FedEx Cup, I watched the entire 4th round yesterday. It was very interesting and entertaining. Since it's eight months until the Masters and American college football hasn't started yet, I have to watch something. I feel sure I'll watch the events in Chicago and Atlanta too. Maybe their idea of the PGA Tour "owning" August worked after all. So, I stand corrected.

Maybe it was just a very good tournament in its own right? A very good course, top players, great back drop, exciting finish. I don't care who moves up or down the FedEx rankings so that has not changed but I did enjoy yesterday as well.