Martin Vousden, golf writer and former editor of Today’s Golfer, indulges in some USPGA straight talking…
“The weakest Major?
The USPGA Championship is often looked down upon in comparison to the other three Majors – it seems to be viewed as the red-headed stepchild that no-one loves – but I always enjoy it. Okay, nothing can top the drama we had at Turnberry, when Methuselah Tom Watson very nearly created the biggest upset since young David put a rock in his sling and enquired of Goliath: ‘Do you like hospital food?’ but the last Major of the season came pretty close.
The course was hard but fair, unlike the US Open which is always hard but stupid, and the Masters has lost a great deal of its charm since it went down the now familiar road of longer is better, which leaves the USPGA and The Open as the only two Majors left that don’t try to humiliate the field. In consequence, at both events, we had an exciting week, topped by a final day of real drama.
From this side of the pond it’s nice to report that of the nine players who finished under par, five of them (McIlroy, Westwood, Kjeldsen, Stenson and Kaymer) were from Yoorop, as our American cousins would say. But that pales into insignificance when we consider the impact that Yong-Eun Yang’s victory will have in Asia. It’s long overdue for a Japanese or Korean golfer to lift one of the big ones but let’s hope it doesn’t lead to the same sort of domination as we see on the LPGA Tour. It wasn’t much fun when Americans seemed to routinely occupy 48 of the top-50 spots in the World rankings and that sort of monopoly would be equally unpalatable from any other nation.
For the moment though, we can simply admire the fact that a virtual unknown went head-to-head with God and played not one but two remarkable shots en route to dusting his ass. First was that exquisite chip in on the 14th for eagle but, given the context, the 210-yard hybrid he launched into the final green was infinitely better and thoroughly deserving of the opportunity to lift the ugliest trophy in sport. If it isn’t eventually declared to be the shot of the season, then I want to see what beats it. And it won’t do Tiger (or should we now call him ‘Tigger’?) any harm to be reminded that he is human, after all.
American TV coverage retains its ability to irritate, though. CBS does some things extremely well – those overhead shots that track the ball from the tee in particular – but its obsession with both statistics and Tiger Woods can pall very quickly. For example, we were shown Tiger getting out of his car, walking to the clubhouse, walking to the putting green, walking to the range and so on, while on the course, presumably, some great and naff golf was being played, but we didn’t get to see it and that absence is an insult to the rest of the field.
The most ludicrous stat from Hazeltine was being told the number of multiple Major winners who made the cut this week, and we were also fed a continuous diet of nonsense, such as the last time that Tiger didn’t birdie any of the par threes during a tournament. I suppose we should be grateful, then, for the fact, while we’re obliged to take CBS pictures, we at least don’t have to suffer their commentators, who still have no idea of the value of letting the pictures speak for themselves.
On a more positive note, Sandy Lyle acquitted himself well in the Sky commentary booth. His style is that of a sedated sloth but the content was spot on – in direct contrast to Butch Harmon, who has the perfect voice for commentary but often spouts a load of self-evident nonsense, such as: ‘He will be trying very hard to make this putt.’
So that’s it for the 2009 Majors – a disappointing Masters, in which three fat men contested a not very interesting playoff; a US Open and Open Championship that saw good, but hardly exciting American pros grind their way to victory (although the Open did have the memorable Watson factor) and an enthralling USPGA in which the world’s number one fell at the 15th hurdle, having won all 14 previous Majors in which he’s led or shared the lead going into the last day.
Sadly, we now have to wait an interminable eight months for the next Major, and all we have to look forward to in the immediate future is a Solheim Cup in which Europe is going to be beaten worse than Bill Sykes’ dog. Oh, and let’s hope the Americans leave the face paint at home this year – it looks fine on a nine-year-old at the local fete but come one, you’re supposed to be adult, professional athletes so why not try to act the part?”
There’s more of Martin’s stuff here, here, here, here and here
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