Winners and Loser In Golf’s 2013 Major Season

Aug 11, 2013; Rochester, NY, USA; Jason Dufner celebrates with the Wannamaker Trophy after winning the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the PGA Championship, and the 2013 Major season are all in the record books for eternity, did they quench your thirst for great championship golf? I don’t know about you, but other than the Masters, most were somewhat of a bust. After all, we didn’t get to see Tiger and Phil coming down the stretch at Augusta with a chance to win, and we didn’t have a Rory Tiger matchup all season, let alone, one in a major championship.

I thought the conclusion to the Masters was classic. I had not gotten on the Adam Scott band wagon, and I never really cared for Angel Cabrera. When Scott hit his approach shot to the 10th green at Augusta National, in the rain with the daylight quickly vanishing and Angel Cabrera smiled, and flashed him the thumbs up, I instantly became an Angel Cabrera fan.

That moment was what this sport, and any sport for that matter is all about. That was the crowning moment of the entire 2013 golf season for me. I continued to look for that kind of moment in not only the majors, but all of the tournaments, and none were able to come close.

I love to see new people win in all sports. It is a culmination of what they have worked for their entire lives, and their lives instantly become easier. They get status, and invitations to tournaments they only dreamed about until that moment. Such was the case for Justin Rose at Merion.

The real winner at Merion was Merion. Justin Rose became the last man standing, and it was time for the 33 year-old to join fellow winner, Adam Scott and end the frustration of a nation. No Australian had ever won a Green Jacket, and it had been 43 years since a Brit had won a US Open. Tony Jacklin’s 1970 win at Hazeltine happened ten years before Rose was born.

The crowning moment at Merion was when Rose looked to the heavens to salute his father at the moment he knew he was going to win his first major. It’s too bad his father didn’t get to see it. That moment was the humanistic top moment of the golf season.

Is there anybody that gets higher than Phil Mickelson? After picking up his sixth bridesmaid bouquet at Merion, Lefty went to the home of golf to conquer his links course demons and put an American stamp on Scotland. Not only did he make history by winning the Scottish Open, and The Open Championship on consecutive weeks, but he slew the demons that had kept a Claret Jug out of his trophy case for a….lifetime.

With Stacy Lewis winning the Women’s British Open at St Andrews, it became an American butt-kicking in Scotland. You gotta love it! They have set the stage for Tom Watson and his Team USA trip to Scotland next fall. They are going to need Paul Revere to signal when the yanks are coming to bring the Ryder Cup home.

One of the things I used to love about Jack Nicklaus, (I’m sure you Pups won’t remember this) was how many times he birdied the 72nd hole of a major championship, Even when he didn’t need one to win, just because he liked to do it. I heard him say in an interview once that it was for his pride.

At the conclusion of the PGA Championship on Sunday afternoon, we saw no such thing. In fact, the leaders limped home with bogeys on both the 17th and 18th holes. Congrats to Jason Dufner for winning his first major championship, but you could tell that the pressure monster was firmly entrenched in his head. It was a good thing he only had to three-putt the last hole, or I think there might have been a playoff, and that’s the last thing I wanted.

I know most of you are disappointed that Tiger Woods was unable to get his 15th major this year, but hey…he has eight, long months to get his swing under control, and make a run next year. We all know where the Masters will be, and the US Open will be at Pinehurst number two(the monster), The Open Championship is at Royal Liverpool, a place where Tiger won an Open Championship, and the PGA Championship will be at Valhalla.