Remember about a half-dozen years ago when the world of golf was shrouded by the shadow of Tiger Woods, which had grown so large that the group of Woods’ potential (and hoped for) challengers ballooned to five? At first it was Phil, then Ernie, then Phil and Ernie plus Retief and Vijay and maybe Adam Scott.
Now, like Big Ten, the conference of players who could conceivably be considered the best in the world at any one moment has expanded. Fortunately for the sport, the rankings conversation contains Tiger Woods despite now ailing at 5th on the world ranking ladder.
Unfortunately – and like the poached Big XII – for Woods, he is not the name of the tip of the tongue when asked who is the best in the world.
On Saturday evening, Marin Kaymer cemented his place as the 14th player to be ranking in the top spot in the 25-year history of the Official World Golf Ranking with a win in his semifinal match at the WGC Accenture Match Play against Bubba Watson.
He promptly then lost in the final match of the event to Luke Donald, propelling a player who has only now won twice in the last five years to third in the ranking. In the process, Donald disposed Woods from his third spot in the prior ranking, and Graeme McDowell squeezed in ahead of Woods, too, at the four-spot.
The consistency of the top four in the world is outstanding over the past two years and, simply, that is why there are four Euros atop the ranking for the first time in 19 years.
Do not be confused, though. The top four – hell, the top twenty – players in the world are not there because any of them are more dominant than the others. Suddenly, the world of golf has been completely transformed from a theocracy worshiping Tiger Woods to an oligarchy of conspiring strong players to take turns as the world’s best player right now.
Among the newly minted top four in the Official World Golf Ranking, the new No. 1 Kaymer has amassed the most wins since 2009 with seven victories. To put that in perspective compared to the prior Woods Epoch, Tiger had six wins alone in 2009. (That’s also a sign of how far Woods has fallen.)
With Woods unable to avoid collisions with plant life, though, Kaymer is the king of the sport at the moment. The Germanator, though, has struggled to supplant former No. 1 Lee Westwood for the top ranking to this point. Having had opportunities since late last year to do so – and capitalize upon the hottest run of his short career – it took a tournament where Kaymer never saw Westwood for him to do it.
Kaymer’s record over the last two-and-a-half years certainly suggest a career trajectory filled with more accolades, titles and major victories, but the 26-year-old has repeatedly said that he was uncertain if he was ready to be No. 1. He may be the best closer in the game today, according to Retief Goosen, but he appears shy to do so with the spotlight on him.
Part of that is Kaymer’s nature. He is a quiet guy, more of an outsider compared to the clan of running buddies who dominate the European resurgence – both on the course and, apparently, on Twitter. In this two-year discussion of the Sharks and the Jets, Kaymer – for lack of a better comparison to West Side Story – is Maria. He is the vision of what could be in golf, the future dominance that may have already slipped through Tiger Woods’ hands.
The problem is that few golfers – a few per generation, really – are able to take hold of the sport for some lengthy period of time in their twenties and early 30s. Arnie Palmer did it in 1960. Jack Nicklaus stole it from him not too long after. Then came Tom Watson. Seve took it from him. Faldo was next. Then an older Norman. And then Tiger.
In the SAT analogy section, is Kaymer the correct answer as the next to own the throne?
Maybe, but at this stage of his career, not permanently. Though King Kaymer rolls very alliteratively off of the tongue, there are far too many legit challengers to for the top spot in the world rankings to declare a new era in golf upon us.
Donald, apparently, is prepared to make a claim. Lee Westwood won’t dip some 200 spots in the world ranking unlike last time he reached the apex of the sport. Graeme McDowell – the man of 2010 – is seemingly flying under the radar right now. Bubba Watson is working the ball and putting better than he ever has and is a real threat (no lie) to become the next American to top the world ranking. Then there’s always Tiger, if he gets his act together.
And that short discussion leaves out Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Matt Kuchar. It excludes Alvaro Quiros, Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson – a familiar name in 2010 who, quickly, is turning into a real-time cautionary tale for Kaymer to avoid.
What the sport wanted for the last decade is here. The challengers to Tiger were born, bred and are now in action. Like Pinky and The Brain never could, they’re taking over the world.
While the revolution may be happening while our Napoleon is on Elba, it is here – and there is no clear winner yet. And that is what has golf in a renaissance.
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