Beyond his trademark knickers and old time ivy cap, Payne Stewart represented a common man’s golfer, a fan favorite before the big names of today. In fact, Stewart won his last tournament, the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2, by one stroke over a young Phil Mickelson. Had he not met his untimely death in a tragic plane crash on October 25, 1999, he would have been the defending champion going into the Open at Pebble Beach. Everyone remembers the result of that tournament where another young phenom took the golfing world by storm, winning his third major by ten strokes at 25 years old. This man was Tiger Woods and had Stewart been around to defend his title, who knows what might have changed the course of history.
As important as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been to the game, Payne Stewart represented a different type of golfer. This was the man who everyone could root for. A guy who respected tradition and had a promising future. It was a terrible shame to have this golfer taken before truly reaching his prime. This week, Stewart’s son played Pinehurst No. 2 for the first time in his life. Aaron Stewart was only 10 years old when his father passed away, but still remembers him fondly. He is currently an amateur looking to secure a tour card and hopefully compete professionally, like his father. Although not as flashy, Aaron will be playing this weekend with his father’s old caddy and the yardage book that Payne used to win the 1999 Open. What better tools could a golfer have?
Kenny Perry has been one of golf’s more consistent players in the recent few years. Despite the fact that he has never won a major (Phil also had this problem for a while) Perry has managed 14 wins on the tour since he started with his first victory at Memorial in 1991. This weekend Perry beat the field in Cromwell to capture number fourteen and his second victory of 2009 (he also won at the FBR classic in February). His recent win has put his career in perspective, as most golfers begin to fade away by the time they reach 50. At 48, Perry still feels he has a solid few years ahead, and who knows, maybe he can reach that elusive number 20.
In any event, Perry was able to hold of Paul Goydos and win the Traveler’s Championship with a record 258 score for the tournament, or twenty two strokes under par. Goydos held the lead going into the final round, but after a 63 on Sunday, in addition to a course record 61 on Thursday, it was nearly impossible for Goydos to contain Perry who played some of the best golf of his career. The biggest question for Perry was how he would respond from his most recent heartwrenching loss at the Masters (which he lost in a three way playoff to Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell). Kenny shoved aside all his naysayers who claimed he can’t finish and strove easily to capture this tournament. Next in line, the Open Championship (which will always be the British Open to me).
As the Traveler’s Championship was stopped by another rainstorm (what else is new in the northeast) the big news is not from the PGA tour but rather the LPGA. Kenny Perry was able to hold onto his lead despite not putting as well as he did on Thursday, but that feat would be nearly impossible to top as Perry had 9 putts through 9 holes. Play was suspended and once again, we wait for clearer skies.
Making the headlines today was Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger and apparent heir to the Woods golfing dynasty. In her first event, she is not wowing as much as many fans would hope, but just like her uncle, the first tournament is not necessarily a marker for the rest of a career. CWoods is currently a couple strokes over the projected cut at the Wegmans Championship in Rochester. Only time can tell whether or not the royal bloodlines hold the key to golf greatness. After all, there are many family ties within the rest of the sports world. From the Manning brothers to the Williams sisters, a strong sports family often has more than one star. For now we wait to see if Cheyenne can match her uncle’s success and see if she can match the game’s greatest player.
As I left Farmingdale last Saturday, I was stopped at the train station by a lady wearing a Traveler’s shirt and handing out pamphlets. Normally I do not accept these sort of things, but I was in such a good mood after seeing all my favorite golfers that I decided to grab one. Plus her line of, “Do you like golf?” drew me in. It was an advertisement for the Traveler’s Championship in nearby Connecticut (well nearby if you take the ferry) and it was making the push to become recognized in the shadow of the great US Open. Well, great marketing tactic. If you know your audience (people leaving a golf tournament) then put people around to get them to attend your event. Even though this may have just been a minor encounter, I definitely thought about going to the Traveler’s, if only I knew someone else who would want to drive up to Hartford.
In any event, the Traveler’s Championship kicks off today and even US Open Champ Lucas Glover will be playing. Work never stops for Glover, who did the New York TV circuit (Regis, Conan, Late Night, etc.) and was right back on the course Wednesday preparing for the weekend. Glover said, “I feel that’s the right thing to do. Just because I won a golf tournament, doesn’t change anything. I was committed, and I’m going to honor that commitment.” What a guy. A road tested 29 has left this man humble despite winning one of golf’s greatest honors and toughest challenges. Other big name golfers like Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Zach Johnson (winner of the 07 Masters), Hunter Mahan, and Anthony Kim make this year’s Traveler’s Championship more than just “that tournament after the US Open.”
In a rain soaked New York weekend, Lucas Glover was able to hold onto the lead in the thrilling final four holes and hold off big names and strong players like Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Ricky Barnes, and Hunter Mahan. All five had a legitimate shot at winning the Open, however Glover was the only one who was able to complete the final couple of holes without making an error. Fan favorite Phil Mickelson missed a couple of necessary putts of 17 and 18 and unfortunately could not come through in the end. Duval and Mahan also had some unlucky breaks on the greens, most notably the Mahan’s shot on 16 that hit the pin and shot some twenty yards away from the hole. Ricky Barnes, the leader for most of the tournament fell apart in the final round and played a bad round that Glover was able to stave off.
Overall, this tournament had a lot of potential to impress the soggy Long Island crowd, but ultimately fell short of last year’s Open, which was a classic dogfight between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods. This years will probably fade into oblivion with most many of the other opens that did not have that “big” story to make the history books. I had a great time going and experiencing my first major tournament and I look forward to watching the stars (and some new players like Glover and Barnes) in the coming weeks.
Regardless of the outcome, this video serves as an accurate portrayal of the majority of golf fans and who they will always want to go see (myself included).
