Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Who is the Most Disappointing Major Winner


It is fairly easy to argue the whole "Best Golfer To Have Never Won a Major." You'd say someone like Sergio Garcia or Adam Scott, a couple of young guys with quarts of talent that will someday have more than a couple to their name (that is, if Tiger gets hurt or quits playing).

The better argument to me is which golfer in the past ten years has been the biggest letdown after notching a major championship. You know, those guys you always think of and say to yourself, "He only won one big tournament in his entire career? Man he must suck at putting."

So, the list is as follows, including many of whom I find humorous to coin "Artist formerly known as..." Hey, it makes me chuckle.

Fred Couples - The reason for this argument, Couples won the 1992 Masters and that was that. Freddy was Player of the Year twice, was named to five Ryder Cup teams and won 15 times on the PGA Tour, which even seems low for the dusty-haired man. Boom-Boom (God, what a stupid nickname) finished in the top-10 a remarkable ten times, and what is even more remarkable is the time span he did it in - his first was a a tie for third in 1982 at the PGA Championship and his last, a tie for third at the Masters in 2006.

Davis Love III - For some reason, when I was stupider younger, I always thought Davis Love was really good. I guess I didn't totally understand the meaning of "good." Love won the 1997 PGA Championship, and has never raelly done anything else. You get moments of greatness from Love (see 2003 Players Championship), but mostly a guy that will be remembered for his Polo sponsorship.

Justin Leonard - The fellow Texan has won 11 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1997 British Open. The thing is, he's been on the cusp of winning numerous times, including the playoff in the 1999 British after the Van de Velde fiasco.

David Duval - Alright, I know, not that fair. Everyone can make a David Duval joke about golf. "Hey David, how's that swing change coming?" "Hey David, is Nike still knocking down your door?" "Hey David, I'm going snowboarding next weekend and have never tried it, so maybe you can win in something." The guy was at the top of the golf world in 1999 and even shot a damn 59 in a tournament! Now, he's made four cuts in two years, with his best finish a tie for 39th.

Well, that was fun. My vote is for Davis Love. Take a page from Vijay Singh - you can putt like a dog and still win a lot.

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