IN MY OPINION: GEOFF OGILVY
FOR me, any competitive sport is at its best when there is more than one “best” player. As good as it was watching Roger Federer all those years, when Rafael Nadal worked out how to beat him, tennis became far more interesting. Golf is the same. Back in the early 1960s, a lot of the game’s appeal centred on Jack Nicklaus usurping Arnold Palmer at the top. And it has been the same since.
Tiger Woods was the “next Nicklaus”. The trouble was, when Tiger began to dominate the way he did, his play was all the media ever wanted to talk about. He was amazing to observe, of course, but the gap between him and the rest was too big to sustain interest. He didn’t have a true rival, albeit the likes of Ernie Els, David Duval and Vijay Singh stepped up to take him on now and then.
Things are different now, though. For the first time in a long time, golf has a group of guys at the top who have separated themselves from the rest. There are maybe ten guys who are amazingly good. There’s Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Happily too, that group has everything from 21-year-olds to almost-40-year-olds in there. The immediate future looks like it is going to be a great period for golf.
Having said that, one of those names does seem to be stepping up to be the prime challenger to Rory at the very top. In the past six months or so, Jordan has identified himself as at least the second-best player in the game, the first hint being the incredible round he played to win the Australian Open at the end of last year.
There are, I think, two ways to view a “best” player. I’ve always leaned towards the guy whose best golf is the best. Two or three years ago, I still felt like Tiger was No.1. OK, he wasn’t winning as much as he once did, but if he played his best he did win. So, right now, if that is our measure, Rory is clearly the best golfer in the world. His best is better than everyone else’s best.
But there’s another measure – the guy who plays most consistently and who is nearly always in contention. If that is our guide, Jordan is far and away the best. Rory can go missing a little at times, but Jordan’s ability to play well every week is off the charts. With the exception of maybe Tiger and Jack at their peaks, he is better than anyone has ever been. There is a legitimate argument that says you are only as good as you were last week.
So, over the past six months, it is clear Jordan has been better than Rory. A lot better, actually. But Rory’s best stuff is still better than Jordan’s. And he did finish fourth at the Masters with something less than his best game. Depending on your point of view, either man could be No.1.
It’s a funny thing, but as Tour players we find ourselves deciding who we are going to barrack for to win – or not – when we are not going to finish first ourselves. There are a lot of factors in that. It could be that a guy didn’t behave very well the first time I played with him. I might be a bit jealous of something he has going on. Or a bit of snobbishness can creep in – the guy might be someone who can’t hit the ball at all and survives only on a red-hot short game. Whatever. We all have our favourites and least favourites.
The verdict on Jordan is all but unanimous, though. Almost everyone on Tour is happy when he wins. Rory is similar. So is Rickie. I’m betting there was nothing but a healthy jealousy when Jordan won at Augusta this year. And that is a pretty good measure of his quality as a person as well as a golfer: he can play as well as he has and contend as much as he has, yet not annoy anyone. Like most of the guys at the top of the rankings, he is just very likeable. Which is refreshing, of course. Sometimes they are not that way.
As a golfer, Jordan has a close-to complete game. Pay no attention to anyone who says his success is based almost solely on him making every putt. It’s not. He hits the ball very nicely. OK, he comes up a bit short when compared to Rory in that department. But so does everyone else. Take it from me, Jordan is well above average on Tour, tee-to-green.
His ability to score is what makes him as great as he is. Putting is part of that, but there is more to it with him. He’s very smart. It isn’t often he misses in a place where he has no chance to get up-and-down. He doesn’t get flustered by a bad hole or two. And he putts brilliantly for long periods of time. Tiger did the same thing.
The putts Jordan holed en route to winning the Masters even made him look embarrassed at times. He reached a new plateau and, as much as I hate this phrase, he has raised the bar as far as putting is concerned. In fact, I think he is putting better than anyone has ever putted, because he does it every week.
Jordan putts left-hand low, which is traditionally where people go when they can’t putt any more. So much for that theory. He seems to be sort of ‘Zen’ about his putting. It never looks like hard work. He doesn’t line up putts from every angle. He’s not on the practice green all day, either. He looks at the hole from six feet and in, which is such a brave thing to do. He just seems completely free of doubt. He just walks up and hits them. And they go in.
Putting that well is such an advantage. It frees up the rest of your game to such an extent. Tiger built a career around making the ten-footer he had to make at just the right moment. Jordan does the same, or has done so far. Plus, he’s well spoken, articulate and seems to have his success in perspective. He handles everything well. He’s a wonderful role model. I’d love my kids to turn out like him. In almost every way, he’s great for golf.