Looking back on golf’s big moments
PGA Championship win for Mickelson made Tour history
The PGA Tour is on hiatus for the next five weeks from its 2021-22 wraparound season.
The LPGA Tour and the Champions Tour have concluded their 2021 seasons. With just Silly Season events remaining with scramble formats for the professionals and parentschildren, now is as good a time as ever to spend the next few weeks reviewing the world of golf in 2021.
The golf calendar was back to its traditional schedule after a 2020 season that included tournament cancellations and spectator-free crowds. There were some tournaments that were relocated from Asia to North America. Because of limited 2020 seasons, the Champions Tour and the minor league Korn Ferry Tour combined the past two years when it came to earnings, points, standings and endof-the-year awards.
The four major championships on the PGA Tour in 2021 brought out some noteworthy storylines with a first-time Masters champ from Japan, an aging six-time grand slam winner at the PGA, just shy of his 51st birthday, another first-timer in the U.S. Open who is from Spain, and an American victor at the British Open who has collected two majors in just 11 months.
The Masters returned to its traditional early April date after holding the 2020 Masters in November. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan became the first male golfer from his country to win one of golf’s four majors. Japan is a golf-crazed country and the latest owner of the green jacket will be a national sports hero for the rest of his life. Xander Schauffele was in position to win but had a negative watery experience on the 16th hole and ended up in a tie for third place with past Masters champ Jordan Spieth. Tour rookie Will Zalatoris finished one shot behind Matsuyama. Hideki took advantage of superb play on Saturday afternoon following a weather delay to post a 7-under-par 65 and take a lead that he would never relinquish. Following the completion of play, Matsuyama’s caddie made a traditional bow to the Augusta National Golf Course. It was a most memorable Masters for Matsuyama and the Japanese nation as well as a coming-out party for Zalatoris, who would win rookie of the year honors in November.
The PGA Championship returned to Kiawah Island in South Carolina in May. A former Ryder Cup site as well as the 2012 PGA won by Rory McIlory, Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course is a typical Pete Dye design. It is a long, difficult and oftentimes windy test of golf. Past PGA champion Phil Mickelson took the lead after 36 holes and played inspired golf to stay atop the leader board for the rest of the tournament. Whenever Phil seemed to get into trouble at Kiawah, his brilliant short game saved the day with up-and-down pars and even hole-outs from the numerous bunkers. South African Louis Oosthuizen was in position to capture his second major, 11 years after his British Open triumph at St. Andrews, but he stumbled down