Put Sunday June 18th in your diary. If you loved watching the roller coaster final round of the Masters, this is the date for the last 18 holes of the next major golf championship, the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. Dustin Johnson might even be there!
All of us watching the Masters were captivated by the titanic struggle between two Europeans, Spain's Sergio Garcia and England's Justin Rose, and sports fans will on the whole be pleased to see Garcia finally become a major champion at the 74th attempt. The 37 year old has taken 18 years to break through after a debut pro season in 1999 which yielded an Irish Open victory and a second place finish at the U.S. PGA. It took a lot longer than it should have for Garcia, but with the green jacket on his shoulders and wedding bells ringing, perhaps it's worth the wait. Sport doesn't give free passes. Ask Jimmy White or Colin Montgomerie.
So what did I make of it?
Sergio Garcia deserved this win, because his ball striking is world class and eventually the strength of it would be too good for the rest of any major field on a given week. He could afford the wobble at the 18th hole in regulation because Justin Rose had conceded the initiative with a poor tee shot on 17 and would do so again with an errant drive on the decisive play off hole. Garcia hit 80% of fairways and 75% of greens all week and was 6th in driving distance. Putts dropped at periods in the round (14,15) that kept him in the hunt. His sense of personal contentment translated into a calm presence once setbacks fell his way. He showed a maturity which has been absent throughout his career and which led him to question whether he was good enough to win a major at all. That he could do so at Augusta, a course he once professed to dislike, is testament to a new attitude, helped by his relationship with bride to be Angela Akins, a former Golf Channel reporter. What now for Sergio? With the 800 lb gorilla off his back, he can now enter new majors with complete freedom that he is good enough. His record at the Open Championship is excellent and a claret jug should be attainable in the remainder of his career.
This will hurt for Justin Rose, who had the tournament in his grasp, but let it slip away. A lack of precision on holes 13, 17 and in the play off allowed Garcia a second bite, and one has to close the door. It's a shame because Rose played great golf and can count himself unfortunate that it was just Garcia's time. A previous U.S. Open win on his résumé will soften the blow, but will he get as good a chance again at the Masters?
Thomas Pieters is the real deal. Very real. The 25 year old Belgian starred at the Ryder Cup last year and in his first Masters, he finished tied fourth. Without a reservoir of Augusta experience to draw upon, he threw away 5 shots on the first day and collected 3 double bogeys over the week. That said, he was still right there. He has the game to reach the very top and once he gains a little more savvy, he's going to be winning majors. Plural.
Matt Kuchar and Charl Schwartzel played well on the final day, but both were not really 'in the arena'. On the other hand, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth most definitely were. Spieth probably expended too much energy to get back into the tournament, but Fowler will have to be very disappointed with a closing 76 that produced 7 dropped shots. He chipped and putted delightfully for 3 days, but an average long game last week caught up with him and his course management was mediocre. Fowler has a very solid all around game, but as his coach Butch Harmon said, he needs to lose this aura that he's a 'Golfing Kardashian', too preoccupied with image and social media at the expense of being a ruthless champion. I believe Fowler will hone his approach and remain a danger to his peers in the remaining 3 majors of 2017.
Another man who could be a big winner in 2017 is Rory McIlroy, who never caught fire over the 4 days. He brought a 'B' game all week which was good enough for a top 10 finish for the 4th straight year, but his Masters dream will have to wait. I was impressed with how he battled on Thursday and Friday when it was clear he wasn't able to conjure his best golf. Watch out for him at the U.S. PGA in August. It's going to be staged at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, the site of McIlroy's first Tour win in America, when he shot 62 in the final round. Good memories and all that.
I noticed American Kevin Chappell was tied 7th after a closing 68. He has never won on the U.S. PGA Tour despite a number of second placed finishes, including at the prestigious Players Championship and Tour Championship in 2016. I cannot believe he won't be in the winners enclosure soon. Keep an eye on him.
And finally, what about the great Padraig Harrington? He was a breath of fresh air on SKY's TV coverage. Searingly honest, insightful and humorous in his blunt approach, a compelling contributor. More please.
