Thursday, March 10, 2005

Rick Woodson: Get ready for the best year ever of professional golf

I don't play golf, but I love to watch the top guys play. It's one of those sports where you never have to learn the rules to watch - either the ball goes into the hole or it doesn't, after all. And there are always surprises, and near misses, to keep things interesting. It's fun. It's free (if you assume your cable bill has to be paid anyway). The players are civilized, and aren't afraid to be grown-ups. They don't subject you to foul language or pitiful dances and gestures; the ones who crave more attention than their playing warrants usually confine themselves to dressing in trademark plaids or wearing their hats funny, and usually they do that with a wink. The game by rights ought to be impossible, at least at the level you see at top tournaments. (It's like these guys get a get-out-of-physics-free card or something.)

And, as the above-linked article from the Rochester Business Journal explains:

...Woods’ victory moved him back to No. 1 in the world rankings, less than half a point ahead of Vijay Singh, who is a half-point ahead of Ernie Els, who is only 2.11 points ahead of Mickelson, who is a mere 1.7 points ahead of Retief Goosen.

Can you say, “up for grabs”? Throw in Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, David Toms, Padraig Harrington and any number of other players, and we’re talking high noon after high noon, especially in the major championships and a few other prestigious tournaments...
What more could you ask from a sport? (That, I hasten to add, is a question to which I'm not really soliciting answers.)

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