Professional golf just got a huge IV boost this weekend and it has nothing to do with Tiger. Kids have taken over the world professional golf stage. Refreshing kids. So young and pure. They haven't lived long enough to sully themselves.In Japan, a 19 year old Ryo Ishikawa, wins the Japan Open in his homeland and tops it off with a smooth 58, 12 under par. In North Carolina, a 20 year old Ulsterboy from Northern Ireland, Rory McIllroy, shoots a final round 62, 10 under par, to come from behind to win the prestigious Quail Hollow Championship. In the same tournament, 21 year old Rickie Fowler, again broke into the top ten with stellar final round of a 5 under par 67 to secure 6th place. Youth, intelligence and skillful power...what a lethal mixture. Youth portends hope and don't we all need a bit of that these days!
I first saw Ryo paired with Rickie at this year's ATT Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. The two of them were something to behold but not just for their freaklike golfing abilities. Ryo and Rickie were both dressed head to toe in brilliant singular colors and looked like two walking popsicles. Ryo's paparrazi entourage was off the charts. On one hole I counted 11 Japanese photographers with the 3 foot telephotos clicking on his every move except at impact. The collective sound those cameras made was almost comical. How he plays amidst all that suffocating and constant chaos is simply amazing. Remember this kid is only 20 but going on 40. He's won 7 times in Japan already as a professional. When did he turn professional...in high school? On his final round Sunday, he birdies 9 of his first 11 holes. Misses a 15 footer on the 72nd hole for a 57! Settles for a 58!!! I shot a 58 once...on 13 holes.
Rory's come from behind win by four strokes at Quail Hollow was spectacular. And he barely made the qualifying cut line on Friday. For the weekend, he shoots 66,62. 16 under. Excuse me but Quail Hollow is one tough golf course particularly on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday the wind was blowing. Didn't matter. He made it look like he was playing virtual golf at home with his XBox. Later a scribe asked, "Heh, Rory, how do you explain your last two days, 16 under, incredible?" "I really don't know, I guess I was just in that zone." He adds, "I remember shooting a similar score when I was 16 years old." Oh, where was that? Childlike, Rickie responded, "I shot a 61 at Royal Portrush." He said it without any bravado. Are you f'ing kidding me. Sounds like virtuosic talent to me. Have you ever seen or played Royal Portrush? Make your 13th and 14th clubs a weed wacker and a wind and rain foil.
Rickie's week was another chapter of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I'm a huge golf fan of this kid as evidenced in previous blogs but following him is eating my insides out. Following Rickie commands me to buy stock in Maalox. You look at his card online at the end of the round and there are alot of different colors differentiating pars from bogeys, birdies and eagles. The colors of the rainbow, nothing static on Rickie's card. However, all this variety aside, he usually has more of the birdies than bogeys which reflects in the score. I may be a mess watching him but he looks as cool as a cucumber out there on the links. And his game is, as the kids say, filthy (for us old folks that means the best) and fearless.
So, the young guns have made a collective statement this past weekend. They are gifted, they are charismatic, they are poised, they are ready to win. And there are more young guns in the pipeline from all corners of the world. Manassero in Italy. Davies in Wales. Day in Australia. Lee in New Zealand. Lowery in Ireland. Ikeda in Japan. Seung-Yul in Korea and on and on and on... There is so much mind-blowing talent in the pipeline...makes one speechless. I'm jazzed about it and I think the rest of the golfing audience digs it as well.
It's funny, watching those kids play renders Tiger and Phil a bit old school. And they are still kinda young in my world. The Players Tournament this week will reveal the best players in the world as is its custom. Who will win? Young dude or old geezer? It will be fun to watch and also hear Johnny Miller "call the shots".
No comments:
Post a Comment