Trending toward first-time winners
TOWN OF ERIN – It’s hard to win a major. Getting a second, third or fourth hasn’t exactly been easy of late, either.
The last six major championships have been won by firsttimers, and there’s no reason to think that trend won’t continue at the U.S. Open. Justin Thomas, Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed — they’re all making a case to be the next newbie.
As the last groups made the turn Saturday, Louis Oosthuizen was the only player in the top 20 with a major on his résumé — and, at 4 under, seven strokes behind Thomas, he’s not exactly breathing down the leaders’ necks.
“There’s a lot of very good young players that are coming up,” said Dustin Johnson, who won’t be winning his second major after missing the cut at Erin Hills. “There’s a lot of talented golfers out here on the PGA Tour and throughout the world and so that’s why. It gets harder and harder to win majors because there’s just so many good players.”
It’s been almost two years — Zach Johnson at the 2015 British Open, for those keeping score — since someone with a major won another one. During that span, Jason Day (PGA), Danny Willett (Masters), Johnson (U.S. Open), Henrik Stenson (British Open), Jimmy Walker (PGA) and Sergio Garcia (Masters) have added their names to the list of major champions.
That’s not exactly a shabby list. Johnson is currently No. 1 in the world, and has had several spectacular near-misses in the majors. Day already had four wins on the PGA Tour and nine top-10 finishes in the majors. Stenson won the FedEx Cup series and the European Tour’s “Race to Dubai” in 2013, the first player to accomplish such a double. He also won the Tour Championship that year.
Garcia contended at his first major when he was 19, and was saddled with that dreaded “Best Player Never to Win” title for the better part of two decades. Walker has finished in the Top 10 of the money list the last three years — and counting.
Even Willett, not widely known in the United States, had established himself as one of the top players on the European tour.
“We’re not seeing unknown names break through and just walk away with a major championship,” Justin Rose said. “These are guys that have worked hard. They’re at the top end of their game. They’ve probably all been top 5 in the world when they’ve won their major.”
While that’s true, it also speaks to the talent that’s there. Yes, I’m talking about Tiger Woods.
Beginning with the U.S. Open in 2000, Woods won 12 of the next 35 majors. But since Woods’ last major title, at the U.S. Open in 2008, no one has dominated like Woods did.
Oh sure, Rory McIlroy’s got four in the last six years, including the British Open and PGA Championship in 2014. Jordan Spieth won the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2015.
But as each was on the verge of becoming golf’s next 600-pound gorilla, he tailed off. Blame injuries for McIlroy’s slowdown. (Just imagine what he could have done at St. Andrews.)
Blame the 12th hole at Augusta National for Spieth’s.
“It’s just happened to be the case,” said Spieth, whose 4-over Saturday likely means he’ll finish outside the top 10 for a fifth consecutive major. “There’s a lot of fantastic players who have been playing well this entire year that are up on the first page of the leader board, and guys that have been playing well recently.
“If you’re in good form that’s going to stay here.”
Only once in the history of golf has there been a longer stretch of egalitarianism. Beginning with Graeme McDowell’s win at the 2010 U.S. Open, first-time champions were crowned at nine consecutive majors until Ernie Els restored order with his second claret jug, and fourth major title, at the 2012 British Open.
Whether it’s Arnie, Jack or Tiger, watching someone dominate golf is fun. But the current free-for-all is pretty good entertainment, too.