Does Golf Need a New Dominant Figure?

[Golfnut1957]

You think too highly of people . Fame and money seems to make people incredibly attractive, see footballers, musicians, old millionaires / billionaires etc.

I know for a fact that all of those red-hot blondes seen on Bernie Ecclestone's arm were only there for his wit, charm and Hollywood looks.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Bernie Ecclestone springs to mind, minus the money he is not normally the type that leggy blondes fight over

Strange that we should both think of Bernie Ecclestone at the same time

 

[Golfnut1957]

To answer the question, no. As others have said, dominance equals boring.

I fell asleep five minutes after the chasing pack fell away on Sunday. I have stopped watching F1 which I watched religiously. Chelsea thrashing Everton was fantastic for Chelsea fans (and Liverpool) but was over as a spectacle at half-time for everyone else.

Sport thrives on competition, without it, it just becomes the Harlem Globetrotters, supremely talented, mildly entertaining.

 

[Crow]

I think a dominant figure adds interest and spice to a sport.
Think Nicklaus, Woods.
Think Lopez, Sorenstam,
Think Ali, Tyson.
Think Taylor, van Gerwen.
Think Senna, Schumacher.
Think Sampras, Federer.
Think Graf, Williams
Etc.

These players brought a completely different atmosphere to a contest, they were amazing to watch, they forced others to improve, they are the people we talk about years later.

 

[wjemather]

What golf needs is the end of LIV.

Or better yet, the end of malignant PGA Tour influence and control.

 

[wjemather]

I think a dominant figure adds interest and spice to a sport.
Think Nicklaus, Woods.
Think Lopez, Sorenstam,
Think Ali, Tyson.
Think Taylor, van Gerwen.
Think Senna, Schumacher.
Think Sampras, Federer.
Think Graf, Williams
Etc.

These players brought a completely different atmosphere to a contest, they were amazing to watch, they forced others to improve, they are the people we talk about years later.

It's not really the dominance that adds interest but the rivalries along the way (or at least the promise of a rivalry building).

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Aberg seems to have that special bit of starburst about him.
I can see him dominating wherever he plays for the next 20 years.

 

[Imurg]

If Nelly wins 4 on the bounce this weekend there's an argument that the Ladies have one.......

 

[HeftyHacker]

Aberg seems to have that special bit of starburst about him.
I can see him dominating wherever he plays for the next 20 years.

I've not watched loads of him but he seems like he has that calm confidence in his own ability - which, given how mental golf is, can only put him in good stead when he clearly has the ability.

 

[Depreston]

Scottie could easily dominate. If he does, will it be a good thing? He doesn’t have the charisma that Woods had, and he’s that good, he never really puts himself into positions where he’s needing to pull off those wow shots that make their mark on the fanbase.

I’d rather see multiple different people competing up the top end on diverse courses.

Agreed on everything above I also think the standard of golfer that’s come through probably since Rory’s last major is on a different level. feels like every year there’s another potential multiple major winner coming off the production line of college golf so domination would be even more impressive

 

[Beezerk]

Aberg seems to have that special bit of starburst about him.
I can see him dominating wherever he plays for the next 20 years.

Didn’t people say the same about Hovland a couple of years ago? A few good tournaments doesn’t make him and instant world beater.

 

[Depreston]

Didn’t people say the same about Hovland a couple of years ago? A few good tournaments doesn’t make him and instant world beater.

He hasn’t been a pro for 12 months and has 2 wins … a Ryder Cup… and 2nd place in his first major if that doesn’t deserve world beater hype I’m not sure what does

 

[wjemather]

He hasn’t been a pro for 12 months and has 2 wins … a Ryder Cup… and 2nd place in his first major if that doesn’t deserve world beater hype I’m not sure what does

People were saying similar things about Matt Wolff a few years ago.

 

[Orikoru]

People were saying similar things about Matt Wolff a few years ago.

Come on now, he was never at that level. He's won one single event and didn't make a Ryder Cup team. Åberg has outstripped that already. I don't recall anyone saying that Wolff was going to be the best in the world.

 

[wjemather]

Come on now, he was never at that level. He's won one single event and didn't make a Ryder Cup team. Åberg has outstripped that already. I don't recall anyone saying that Wolff was going to be the best in the world.

There was a lot of hype about Wolff before he turned pro (Mickelson Award, Nicklaus Award, Haskins Award, NCAAs). He then won the 3M Open (with an eagle on the 72nd hole to beat Morikawa and DeChambeau) within a month after turning pro, and followed up the following season with two top 5s in majors (holding the lead into the final round of the US Open) and a couple of runner-up finishes on tour.
Wolff didn't turn pro in in a Ryder Cup year, so it's impossible to make comparisons on that basis. His first RC opportunity would have been over two years later, in 2021 (delayed by Covid), by which time he was struggling.

 

[Orikoru]

There was a lot of hype about Wolff before he turned pro (Mickelson Award, Nicklaus Award, Haskins Award, NCAAs). He then won the 3M Open (with an eagle on the 72nd hole to beat Morikawa and DeChambeau) within a month after turning pro, and followed up the following season with two top 5s in majors (holding the lead into the final round of the US Open) and a couple of runner-up finishes on tour.
Wolff didn't turn pro in in a Ryder Cup year, so it's impossible to make comparisons on that basis. His first RC opportunity would have been over two years later, in 2021 (delayed by Covid), by which time he was struggling.

He was hyped yeah, but we're losing focus here. I don't believe anyone said he was going to dominate golf. And if they did they were mental. Same goes for Åberg now really, far too early to say anything with him, despite how impressive the start of his career has been. It's funny to think though, Scheffler is only three years older than him. Those two could indeed have more battles to come (albeit Sunday wasn't that much of a battle in the end).

 

[wjemather]

He was hyped yeah, but we're losing focus here. I don't believe anyone said he was going to dominate golf. And if they did they were mental. Same goes for Åberg now really, far too early to say anything with him, despite how impressive the start of his career has been. It's funny to think though, Scheffler is only three years older than him. Those two could indeed have more battles to come (albeit Sunday wasn't that much of a battle in the end).

That was kind of my point. People are too easily carried away by a promising start to a career.

 

[Wabinez]

If Nelly wins 4 on the bounce this weekend there's an argument that the Ladies have one.......

This weekend will be 5 on the bounce.

The point still stands though. Absolute menace.

 

[Jigger]

Since Tiger has been past his prime, we've seen a lot of different people take turns to be the guy at the top, all for limited periods of time. They strike while hot, win a couple of majors, and then drop off again.

Do we think it'll be good for golf if we see a return to the Tiger dynamic with Scottie? Where he is the man to beat at every major for the foreseeable future? Some will say Tiger's era was boring when you could bet your house on him winning; others will say it was incredible to see someone dominating the sport like he did.

Obviously nothing is set in stone with golf, Scottie could easily go the way of Rory, Spieth, Koepka etc and settle back into the field in a couple of years. And I'm sure you could look back and find a topic of someone saying exactly the same things about Koepka five years ago. But I don't know, there's something about Scottie that says he could be the man to go one step further and really dominate for a longer period. Maybe it's his demeanour or just his all round game being as good as it is, or the fact he's already won 3 times in the last couple of months rather than just turning up for majors à la Koepka. I quite like the idea of him taking golf by the scruff of the neck and being the man on the pedestal saying 'beat me if you can' - the way Tiger was - rather than all sorts of people taking turns to have purple patches.

What do we think? Is Scottie going to be 'the guy' for years to come? Is the real deal or are we jumping the gun? If he is, is that good for golf or just plain boring?

So much to answer!
Will Scottie be the dominant figure? It depends on how his priorities change as a father.

Will he create a tiger dynamic? Hell no! He’s not a great personality and his golf is very sterile with little risk. I say this with full admiration of the sheer dedication he puts into his game and his ability to manage a course. Like tiger was, nobody is on this level right now.

Do we need a dominant figure? A dominant personality is needed more than someone smashing career records if you understand what I mean by that. Tigers era we had him pulling the crowd into the ropes with his reaction (his famous chip in the master as an example) but he also hide a sidekick. He had a bit of rivalry with mickelson who was amazing at pulling out wonder shots to be a great in his own right.

 

[Orikoru]

He's leading again.....