UPDATE (June 15, 2023; 8:58 p.m. ET): Following a messy Sunday and rain delay, J.J. Spaun earned his first major championship with a two-shot win over Robert MacIntyre. Scottie Scheffler finished tied for seventh.
The 125th U.S. Open ends Sunday at the venerable Oakmont Country Club. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top golfer, hasn't exactly wowed the field. Nevertheless, he was in the mix heading into the final day on a course that can lend itself to wild leaderboard shifts.Could Scheffler turn this tournament around? Maybe. But I have a more existential question about the man who should be the face of his fractured sport.
From a statistics perspective, Scheffler is playing incredibly well. He has won three out of his last four starts, including a record-tying performance at the Byron Nelson in Texas, a major in the PGA Championship and Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Golf Tournament in Ohio. Looking back at his last seven tournaments, he hasn’t finished worse than a tie for 8th. He won his first tournament in 2022 after turning pro in 2020 and has won another 15 since, including an Olympic gold medal. So why are we even debating his greatness?
He won his first tournament in 2022 after turning pro in 2020 and has won another 15 since, including an Olympic gold medal. So why are we even debating his greatness?
The timeline above gives you a clue. LIV Golf launched its challenge to the PGA Tour in 2022. The upstart funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund offered guaranteed contracts, 54-hole tournaments (as opposed to the PGA’s 72-hole events), a more casual dress code and a much more lively atmosphere. That launch eventually diverted several stars (and potential rivals) away from Scheffler just as he began his run of greatness with a win at the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Indeed, Scheffler has established himself as the best golfer in the world over the past three years against a field that has not always included some of the other best golfers in the world. I’m talking about players like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson — all majors winners.
So until the PGA Tour and LIV iron out their differences, and get everyone playing nice again (and on the same green again), there will always be a sliver of doubt as to Scheffler’s true dominance.
On the other hand, stats are only one part of what makes a star a star. Golf as a sport is in a state of flux. The PGA Tour is looking at adopting some potential changes to speed up the pace of play, which may help keep fans engaged. And without getting too specific, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has hinted at adopting aspects of LIV Golf’s structure in the hopes of bringing the two tours even closer together.
But all that aside, golf still needs a driving force (pun intended) to attract new fans, sponsors and enthusiasm. The sports and entertainment landscape is crowded. Competition for eyeballs and advertising dollars is ridiculous. Getting people to sit in front of a screen and watch golf for nearly five hours is as challenging as ever. Is Scheffler really the guy that makes you want to do that? I have my doubts.
Sometimes winning simply isn’t enough. Sports, much like entertainment, requires great storytelling. But Scheffler doesn’t seem to want to tell me his story. He doesn’t say much and his reactions on the course are fairly muted. Not that I’m judging. He is who he is. But who he is isn’t terrible compelling, especially to the kind of casual viewer the PGA Tour is trying to grab on a Sunday morning.
Still, this is a problem with a solution. And that solution is to bring guys like LIV star DeChambeau back into the PGA Tour fold. Right now, we get all of the best golfers in the world (from both tours) on the same stage together just four times a year for the majors. (LIV players are eligible for the majors although qualification is not automatic.) After initially shunning fans and seemingly casting himself as the golfing world’s villain, DeChambeau has become a social media powerhouse with over 2 million followers on his YouTube channel. He’s also transformed into a man of the people, signing autographs, shaking hands and kissing babies.
Every great one needs a rival. Few have been able to captivate fans for an extended period without a nemesis. Jack Nicklaus had Arnold Palmer. Tiger Woods had Phil Mickelson. In boxing, Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier. Hagler had Hearns. In tennis, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had each other. Now, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will keep each other company for the next decade. Without the long-awaited PGA Tour-LIV Golf unification, who will be there to challenge Scheffler? Perhaps this weekend will help in providing some clarity to that question.