Make way for the kids, Tiger
Woods’ path to major wins record blocked by golf’s next generation
SAN DIEGO — Small details from Torrey Pines paint a much larger picture of the PGA Tour.
There was the putt on the 18th hole, a 60-footer for eagle that peeled off to the right, broke back to the left and slowly tumbled into the cup as it was losing speed. Not since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines has a putt on the 18th hole received so much attention.
What followed was a fist-pumping celebration with both arms, not just a right uppercut.
And it was hard to ignore that Jon Rahm was wearing a red shirt.
The victory by the 22-year-old from Spain was the latest reminder how quickly and powerfully golf is shifting to a younger generation.
And how much harder it’s going to be for Tiger Woods.
Rahm is the kind of player Jack Nicklaus had in mind when he said he has never seen so much depth on the PGA Tour.
Nicklaus met him last June at the Memorial when the Arizona State star received the Jack Nicklaus Award as the top college player. Rahm was exempt for his first U.S. Open as the No. 1 player in the world amateur ranking and Nicklaus offered a few tips on how to prepare for Oakmont. Two weeks later, Rahm bounced back from a 76 in the opening round and tied for 23rd. At the time, Nicklaus was far more familiar with Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.
That’s what led him to say in an interview right before Christmas that the biggest obstacle facing Woods in his pursuit of Nicklaus’ majors record might be the new generation of stars more than injuries or age.
Nicklaus won the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 1980 when he was 40 and then started to slow down by choice. His oldest son was in college. His business was taking off. He didn’t work at golf the way he once did. That’s why he describes the 1986 Masters — his 18th and final major — as “an accident in many ways.”
“I didn’t really pay attention to it after that,” Nicklaus said. “I still liked to play golf because I could be part of the scene.”
Nicklaus had eight seasons of at least five PGA Tour victories. Golf in 1980 was on the cusp of an era where dominance was shared. Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros were hitting stride. During a twoyear stretch, rookies included Mark O’Meara, Fred Couples, John Cook, Scott Hoch, Hal Sutton and Payne Stewart.
“A whole bunch of kids were coming along and he’s got the same thing,” Nicklaus said, referring to Woods. “He’s got an issue with some really good players every year. The thing is, those really good players didn’t have the problem of having him. So they all learned how to win. They learned how to win and gain the confidence they needed to project their careers forward. So he not only has my record to contend with, he’s got a lot of kids who are really good. You’ve got a pretty interesting next couple of years.”
Eight of the 11 events in this PGA Tour season have been won by players in their 20s.
Woods took his 41-year-old body with three back surgeries and four knee surgeries to the Dubai Desert Classic this week, where he won’t be facing deep rough, bumpy greens or bone-chilling temperatures in the morning. The stronger field is at the Phoenix Open.