So we were teased a few weeks back that he was going to come back, and then we waited. It feels like we have been waiting for an entire PGA season, two really when you consider he shut it down 15 months ago. Well now the wait is over and today, Tiger Woods will play in a competitive (use that term loosely, but more on that later) tournament for the first time since shutting it down and having another back surgery.
Tiger’s back! Dunton gives some thoughts on the return of Woods.
We were so close. So close I tell you. The leaves are beginning to change, football teams are settling into who they really are, baseball playoffs are in full swing, and then he announced he was coming back. Could fall get any better? We were so close. Tiger Woods was coming back to golf and this time there was a glimmer of hope that we might get a competitive Tiger. How could we not be really excited after reading this quote last week from Jesper Parnevik?
“By the way, he’s been hitting a lot of balls, and he’s hitting it great. He’s pounding it a mile and flushing everything. On the range, at least, his trajectory and ball flight are like the Tiger we knew 15 years ago. Comebacks are never a sure thing, but something tells me his might be spectacular.”
(A note from the editor: Dunton diligently got me this piece at the conclusion of the Ryder Cup. Due to a glitch in the matrix, the piece was filed into the wrong dashboard and I as the editor missed it. That being said, it may be two days late, but Dunton’s work deserves to be read and I wouldn’t let his work go to waste, so enjoy his finals thoughts on the Ryder Cup! USA USA USA!)
The US won the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008 and only the third win since 1999. This weekend was a great display of team golf and a great indictment for what the US has been doing since 2014. The US, and more importantly the Ryder Cup Task Force that was created after the last demoralizing loss in 2014, took it upon themselves to create a culture that took this, and hopefully all future, Ryder Cups seriously. And who was at the forefront of this task force? Lefty himself of course, Phil Mickelson.
For a 40-year-old to write about the influence of Arnold Palmer on the game of golf seems a bit odd, but if you are a golf fan it makes perfect sense. Tonight we lost the legend, the great one, the leader of Arnie’s Army, to put it plainly we lost the King. Arnold brought the game of golf to the public in a way that everyone who has followed in his footsteps can only thank him for. He was a man of the people and a public favorite. When he and Jack were going head-to-head, people marveled at Jack’s talent but LOVED Arnie. I don’t have many memories of Arnie winning majors but I can tell you one memory I have of him.
So the Open Championship snuck up on me this year. It’s a week earlier due to the Olympics which seems to be the dominant headline in golf lately. Unfortunately, it’s not for who is playing but for who is not playing in Brazil… but more on that another time.
It’s the middle of June the days are long, the weather has become HOT, the NBA Finals are taking way too long, the Stanley Cup Finals just wrapped up and all of this must mean one thing.
It’s US Open time.
Coming into this year’s Masters all the attention was paid to the 30 year anniversary of Jack Nicklaus’ epic come from behind victory over Greg Norman. We heard all the stories, had Golf Network specials, listened to Jack recount it hole by hole and were primed for something special to happen this week. Lost in all of this was 20 years ago.
Keep reading for Dunton’s final thoughts on the 2016 Masters
Last year we witnessed a meteoric rise of a young star in the world of golf. Jordan Spieth completely obliterated the field at the Masters and pretty much left nothing in doubt going into Sunday carrying a four shot lead. Forget about that back nine roar on Sunday, we witnessed a back nine coronation of the next big star in golf.
It helped that he went on to win the US Open and then almost win the Open Championship. At that moment in the summer, the professional golf world hitched its wagon to their future star to carry the torch.
Well we thought we did. Then something –or actually someone else — happened. Jason Day. We watched Day come oh so close at the US and British Opens and then as he won the PGA Championship we officially had our new 1-2 punch of contenders.
Let’s not forget Rory, Rickie, and Dustin Johnson who was two putts away from winning the US Open (how did he miss those?). Anyway, it’s Masters week.
I have written enough articles now as The Wayniac Nation’s golf guru, that I think it’s time that I join the party. I really liked the Morning Random Thoughts that The Wayniac started last week, so I thought it was my turn. Here are:
Dunton’s final thoughts on the 2015 golf season.
What does Dunton have to say about the 2015 PGA season? Read on to find out!
One major left. The gang is all back, as Rory returns from injury and Tiger golfed a somewhat significant round last weekend. Who will take down the Championship? Dunton is back for one last 2015 Major Preview.
The year’s final Major is here. The final shot at glory, the last chance at making history, the final hurrah of a fun filled four Major run.
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