by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.
There are two people who could go down in history as being two of the top golfers who ever lived. Phil Mickelson is the golfer that everybody loves. They love him because of his personal relationship with the fans, his honest commitment dealing with the press, and most of all, his commitment to family values.
Fans admire Tiger Woods because of his tenacity, his thought process as it relates to golf, and his commitment to winning. It has been said, and I state it again, that America loves a winner. Since December 1975, Tiger has had 79 wins and 14 major championship. He has won more golf tournaments than anyone in the world except Sam Snead. He has won more majors than anyone in the world with the exception of Jack Nicklaus. This ye ar Tiger has played in fewer tournaments than anyone and has won in excess of $7 million; Phil Mickelson played in five more tournaments than Tiger and has won in excess of $4 million and most players’ average is five more tournaments than Tiger and have won in the neighborhood of $1 million.
This week the final major will be held Rochester, New York, and the winner of this tournament, either Tiger or Phil, I’m guessing, will be the Golfer of the Year. Even though Tiger would have won more tournaments, if Phil wins this week, he would have won two majors this year.
In the event that Tiger nor Phil wins this last major, my guess would be that Tiger Woods again would be Golfer of the Year. One thing for sure, the rivalry between Phil and Tiger is great for golf.
Everybody and his brother is jumping on Rory Mcllroy. Mcllroy was one of the top players last year; he started this year No. 1 but has dropped to No. 3 behind Tiger and Phil Mickelson. This year he has no victories and has not contended in any of the major championships. Two weeks ago, Nick Faldo from England stated at the British open that Mcllory could not win because of his sex life. Apparently, Nick Faldo’s sex life is similar to Mcllroy’s for he shot 15 over par; two shots less than Mcllroy.
Gary Player even suggested that Mclloy needed to ‘find the right wife.”
The two people should know that golf is a very difficult game and any little thing can throw your game off for a period of time. The only way Mcllroy can cut down on all these crazy suggestions is for him to win. If he wins this week, all this will go away. As an author said, winning is not everything, but winning is the only thing.
