Golf is such a weird sport, especially PGA Tour golf. One week you have none of the big heads teeing it up at Colonial so everyone’s favorite player to hate, Rory Sabbatini, birdies in a playoff to beat Bernhard “Bore me With the long Putter” Langer and the only big name in the tournament, Jim Furyk (it is a good point to note that two of the three golfers in the playoff were Arizona Wildcats).
Now, not even four days later, all the big guys show and the Memorial feels like a major. PGA Tour golf has gotten to the point that any tournament with Tiger, Phil, Sergio, Retief and Ernie has as much at stake as a major. Sure, you don’t get to count the win as a major, but think about it this way – Tiger has played in five events if you don’t count the Masters and Players (two no-duh appearances). Of those five, Tiger had one sponsors obligation (Buick Invitational), Arnie’s tournament (which he will show up to until five minutes after Palmer dies when he will decline his next years invitation) and two WGC events (purse is too big to pass up). So, that leaves the Wachovia Championship to which Tiger picked to play and now the Memorial, Jack’s tournament. What does all that information mean? Well, Tiger is going to play in less and less “meaningless” tournaments as his whiskers grow older so when he and the gang do show, it will make it major-esque. This week, especially with Ol’ Jack peering in on the 18th green, will have a feel like a PGA Championship, only with a well-known track that a certain group of snobbers haven’t tricked up.
With that, I can’t pick Tiger because of the argument everyone is making FOR him. He has won this tournament three times, but his last was in 2001. Tiger continues to make “golf experts” millions of dollars because he makes their job of predicting victors as easy as one of the Google guys must find the USA today crossword. I think that Vijah is going to win. Why? Because nobody can even figure out these things – welcome to the world of Golf Journalism.
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