 This Week at WorldGolf.com: April 25, 2007
The month the PGA's unknowns shined
April 2007 is shaping up to have been a damn good month for unheralded golfers.
First, unknown
Zach Johnson, 31, wins the Masters to record only his second victory.
The following week, Boo Weekley finishes in high drama at Harbour Town, holing out on back-to-back finishing holes to win the Verizon Heritage over Ernie Els, his first PGA Tour win.
Just this past weekend, Nick Watney, 26, recorded his first tour win in Louisiana at the Zurich Classic. Over on the European PGA Tour, Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin, 34, won only his second career championship at the BMW Asian Open, outlasting a strong field that included Els, Colin Montgomerie and Retief Goosen.
Perhaps with the exception of Watney, who turned pro only four years ago, these wins came after years of effort: Johnson's two titles have come over 10 years and 100 PGA Tour starts; Weekley turned pro in 1997; Jacquelin has nearly 300 European PGA Tour starts under his belt, but had not won since his first championship in Madrid in 2005. Watney himself has 78 PGA Tour starts under him.
I'm not heralding the coming of a new guard here. But it's stories like these that, if nothing else, serve as a reminder that golf remains egalitarian in a way that other sports can only admire. The Cinderella stories are the rare occurrence in pro football and baseball. Not so in golf.
Sure, unknowns like Watney can win the small tournaments against weak fields. But they can also win the big ones too, when the right pieces fall into place: Think Mike Weir's 2005 Masters win, or Australian Geoff Olgilvy at last year's U.S. Open (you can argue Olgilvy had the title handed to him, but, hey, he positioned himself to receive it, right?).
I'll admit, golf's egalitarianism is a hard conceit to get behind in the era of Tiger Woods, but if you're a fan of this sport, it's an important thing to believe in, that week in and week out anybody can still win.
A month like this - when relative unknowns shined and the sport's stars dimmed, if only slightly - offers us at least a little proof of that.
As always, WorldGolf.com welcomes your comments.
Golf in Asia has benefited hugely from the continent's emergence in the global market. No country has made a bigger splash in global capitalism, or global golf, than China. Exhibit A is the massive Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, a half-hour drive from Hong Kong. With 10 golf courses open and two more nearing completion, Mission Hills is the largest golf complex in the world.
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The Old Course at Lahinch Golf Club, redesigned first by Alister Mackenzie in 1927, is a visual stunner to rival the British Isle's most spectacular and storied golf courses. There isn't a mundane shot on the entire golf course, and your jaw will often drop at the views. Undulating fairways, heavily guarded greens and blind shots are among Lahinch's challenges.
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During the month of May, all of GolfBC's nine golf courses in British Columbia will be participating in "GolfBC Free Lesson Month" on Saturdays. Participating courses are Nicklaus North, Furry Creek, Mayfair Lakes, The Bear and The Quail at The Okanagan Golf Club, Gallagher's Canyon and The Pinnacle, Arbutus Ridge, and Olympic View. "GolfBC Free Lesson Month" will be offered at all properties on Saturdays in May from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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