Memorable moments from around the links
With 2015 winding down, here are faces and moments that stood out:
Tiger Woods: As has been the case since he entered the public eye, Woods is always news. He played well at the Masters, though ultimately finished 18th, but then shot a career-worst 85 in the third round of the Memorial in June. His body failed him again and he announced in September that he’d had a second back surgery to correct a fragmented disk that was pinching a nerve. Woods turns 40 on Dec. 30 and his talent still teases beyond what his body has been trying to tell us, injury by injury.
Dustin Johnson: He stood on the green of the 18th hole at the U.S. Open, a 12-foot putt between Johnson and his first major championship. Johnson’s fiancée, Paulina Gretzky and their infant son, Tatum, were watching. Then, he missed. And missed again. The 6,000 watching gasped, the opportunity gassed. The trophy went to Jordan Spieth (because everything seemed to go to Spieth), and Johnson missed out on a major again in one of the most dramatic, tense and painful moments of the year.
Jordan Spieth: After becoming the first teenager to win on the PGA Tour in 2013, Spieth’s climb continued this year. He became the second-youngest golfer to win the Masters at 21, and the youngest to win the U.S. Open, while moving into the top spot in the world rankings. Spieth’s accomplishments seemed endless this year, as he’s racked up more than $22 million (U.S.) in earnings. All he needs is someone to try to stand in his way. Which brings us to …
Young rivals: Every great athlete needs a rival and it appears that Rory McIlroy and Spieth are poised to be golf’s Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. As CBSsports’ Kyle Porter wrote in August, their talent intersects but they veer apart from that point.
“Jordan is tall and slightly stiff; Rory is short and bends when he hits wayward drives,” Porter wrote. “Rory is ripped; Jordan has morsels of baby fat still dripping away . . . Jordan loves his 3-wood; Rory probably sleeps with his driver . . . Jordan’s short game is divine; Rory hits 3-irons that could put hair on Spieth’s chest.” Chris O’Leary