“There is no king in golf. There never has been, and there never will be. Golf is the most democratic game on earth. It punishes and exalts us with its splendid opportunities.” Arnold Palmer.
The sport of golf kicked off the 2024 Major Tournament Golf Season with its annual rite of spring, hosting the 88th edition of the Master’s Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, from April 11 through April 14.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler of the United States is presented the Green Jacket by Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain during the Green Jacket Ceremony after winning the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 14, 2024.
Meanwhile, the golf business continued its messy and incontrovertible catfight, with severe and ever-worsening concerns facing its worldwide professional golf market.
There has been lots of talk but little engagement.
Amidst professional golf’s flagging ratings, declining viewership, too few genuine stars performing at the same venue at the same time, fan fatigue, and a glut of controversy surrounding administrators, tournament operators, independent contractors plying their trade on the various tours, and the salaried employees of LIV Golf.
It seems there is no resolution in sight, nor an end to the altercation, and no substantial efforts to reunify professional golf, as the current state presents a dilemma for fans worldwide.
Issues of greed, avarice, and petty selfishness that have permeated the sport raise questions about the deservingness of golf fans’ devoutness, commitment, and, most importantly, their financial support through sponsorships, merchandise sales, and media reinforcement.
Negotiations between the competing coalitions crawl slowly forward while golfers everywhere rapidly lose interest as LIV has exposed flaws in the PGA Tours business model.
Meanwhile, two noteworthy events transpired on the rolling hills of the Augusta National Golf Club during the first week of April 2024.
First, Scottie Scheffler firmly established his position as the undisputed best player in the game, and second, Tiger Woods is now finished as a significant force in Major Championship Golf Tournaments.
While Scheffler soared in glorious triumph above the field, claiming his second Green Jacket in three years, Tiger, looking old and tired, faltered and stumbled in ignominious ineptitude.
With his eighty-two career victories and fifteen significant championships, Tiger Woods will remain the second-greatest player in history, firmly behind GOAT Jack Nicklaus.
Tiger has now plummeted to the 784th-ranked player in the world.
It is time to fade gracefully away and let go.
Schiffler has been the solid world No. 1 for the last 107 weeks and has nine PGA Tour wins, including two Masters, two Players Championships, two Arnold Palmer Invitationals, two Phoenix Opens, and a WGC Matchplay, against some of the strongest fields and most demanding courses in professional golf.
Scheffler won the 2024 Masters by four shots over newcomer Ludvig Aberg, who shot sixty-nine, finishing second while playing in his first major championship.
Max Homa, Tommy Fleetwood, and Colin Morikawa all tied for third, seven shots behind the champion.
Ohio State graduate student Neil Shipley was the low amateur, shooting rounds of 71, 76, 80, and 73 for 300 twelve over par for 53rd place.
Utah native Tony Finau finished at thirteen over, 301, and tied for 55th place.
The 27-year-old Schieffer is the fourth youngest player with two green jackets and earns 3.6 million.
Since the Official World Golf Rankings began in 1986, only four players have held the No. 1 spot and won the Masters: Ian Woosnam, Fred Couples, Tiger Woods, and Scheffler.
Woods and Scheffler have done it twice, and only three players younger than Scheffler (27) have won two Masters: Woods, Nicklaus, and Seve Ballesteros.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler of the United States celebrates on the No. 18 green after winning the 2024 Masters during the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 14, 2024.
Scottie Scheffler has now played fifteen major golf tournaments on the professional tour and finished in the top ten all but one, and has been top ten in ten of them.
I remember distinctly during his winning run at the 2022 Masters, as I sat in the press room at August National watching his performance, and while I pondered his amateur and professional record, I realized Scheffler was the real deal.
He has been successful at every stage of his golfing career, and his win in 2020 was no fluke, the first of many significant championships to come; for now, Scottie Scheffler is the best professional golfer in the world as his reign continues.
I had the chance Sunday evening to listen to Scottie’s championship interview live from Augusta National’s press room.
You may follow that interview here.
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