British Open 2009 - Turnberry Rocked

I just cleaned up the vomit on my keyboard.

Ugggh.....Golf's major winners so far this year:

Angel Cabrera
Lucas Glover
Stewart Cink

Not quite the Three Stooges, but close.

Tiger please come back. Phil we miss you. Big John, please stay sober and make us cheer for you.

I'm afraid that golf without Tiger is like a day without bacon. Sure, you'll live, but you want what you want.

Steward Cink won the British Open in a 4 hole playoff over the legendary Tom Watson. Cink is a nice guy and all - actually, he's a super nice guy. His wife looks normal too. This is unusual. Most of the PGA Tour guys go to the Blonde and Big Boob Store to get their wives. It's the grown up Barbie - you know the type; size 4, big blond hair, designer clothes, mandatory boob job, high heels on and off the golf course, and to own one, you have to provide them a rather large diamond and a black Amex card. Ownership has it's privileges.


The story of the week was how 59 year old Tom Watson was in the lead of the British Open after 71 holes and all he needed a par on the last hole to win tournament. At 59 he would be, by far, the oldest winner of a golf major by at least a decade. A win would have given him 6 British Opens tying Harry Vardon for most all time. A win would have got him to 9 majors in all - only 5 behind Tiger.





Most puzzling of all said some was that a win, would have been bad for golf. Naysayers believed that a 59 year old winning a major would somehow bring golf down.

These folks don't get that golf is supposed to be a lifelong sport. That's what makes it great. I coudln't tell you the last time I played football or baseball. It's hard to round up teams, practice and then play. Tennis and golf are sports that can be played for as long as you live.

Watson muffed the last hole - made bogey and was forced into a playoff with Mr. Cink. Never mind that for the entire 4 hole playoff, Watson's brain was on the 18th green still trying to figure out how he could have missed that putt. Cink won the playoff easily and marched up the last fairway like he had just planted a flag at the North Pole. I hollered at the TV,

"Dude, the fans aren't clapping for you. They are clapping for the 59 year old."


Dope.

Since it was Cink's first victory at a major, his lack of decorum could be excused - that is until he did it again during the awards ceremony. His bad self held the trophy up like he just invented fire.

Next golf tournament that counts: PGA Championship Hazeltine National Golf Club. Chaska, Minnesota.

Finally, that 3 relative unknowns have won the majors contested so far this year merely affirms my point: Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer of all time.

Tiger's great. No doubt about that. He is without question the best of the current bunch and a strong #2 alltime but until he catches Jack's 18 major victories (he's at 14), Nicklaus is #1.

Need more reasons to vote for Jack? Who exactly is Wood's competition? Mickelson? Who else has won more than 2 majors? There are a lot of one major wonders out there on tour today folks. Where is the competition?



Nicklaus fought off Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf, Julius Boros, Lee "The Merry Mex" Trevino, the great Tony Lema, Seve, Fuzzy and in his later years, he held his own with Nick Price, Greg Norman and Ernie Els.

Tiger's real competition is Tiger.