Rosaforte: PGA Championship is best major
I could not pass up this opportunity to agree with Tim Rosaforte, who explains here why the PGA Championship is emerging as perhaps the best major of the lot. One reason:
It has the best trophy
The U.S. Open trophy doesn't have a name, the claret jug looks like something that wouldn't sell at a flea market and nobody knows what the Masters trophy looks like. (It's a sterling-silver replica of the antebellum clubhouse.) The Wanamaker trophy however, announces its presence. It is by far the biggest of the major-championship trophies, standing tall (28 inches), wide (10½-inch diameter) and heavy (27 pounds).
The Wanamaker also has history: There's no telling how much beer John Daly drank out of it. Rich Beem put his son, Michael, in it. And Walter Hagen lost it in a taxi sometime between winning the PGA in 1927 and 1930, when Tommy Armour beat Gene Sarazen for the crown.
7 Comments:
The PGA Championship has a great field and recent tournaments have been held on some great courses (notable exception being Valhalla...please stop going there). But to argue that it is the best major is ridiculous, especially when the selling point is the trophy. Hands down the best trophy is the Claret Jug. And the PGA is still the fourth major...by a wide margin.
To be fair to Rosaforte, the trophy is the last on his list. He has many more serious reasons. You should read the article!
If golf, sorry, GOLF, is taken seriously, the field it's what challenge you, so British Open wins. It's trophy too!
Hey! it's my thougt, no more, no less.
Also excuse my English!
The only point he makes that's valid is the Ryder Cup points race ending, but that was done to try and force the PGA to be more interesting!
The PGA however is hardly the best Major. It shouldn't even be a major! Think about it, it's the PGA's tournament,not even intially intended to be a big international tournament.
The reality is that too many of the majors are in the United States,and that it's obvious that the PGA is the tournament that needs to be down-graded and a true international venue needs to be created. I think a permanent venue at Valderama would be excellent to compliment the British like the Masters compliments the Open. Maybe even a floating tournament down under would do the trick as well.
Anyway, the PGA being a major is a JOKE! Who do we think we are that 3 of the 4 most important tournaments in the world deserve to be held on our soil? Get rid of it....who really cares anyway?
I care, and I don't necessarily disagree. I love open tournaments. I always hope that someone comes out of the blue and nails it in an amazing way...and, hey, it happens too!
The PGA is a celebration of itself, with its over-the-top trophy and all. However, it does heighten the competition to put emphasis on certain events, and they certainly don't have to be all alike, and they do have to make money at certain times of the year, so in that regard the PGA is a glam tourney.
SIDEBAR: I think anything Phil wins will be a major from now on. I have no idea why Phil is being compared in charisma to Arnold (what a laugh) and in skill to Tiger (mega dittos) and he's the "working man's" golfer (big yucks on that), and they point to his happy character because he always wears that puppet-face scary smile (which is a forced psychological gimmick designed to keep him "up" and to prevent him from swallowing his putter when lips out again). To me, Phil looks like a mass of tension and inhibitions.
I don't know. Bring on the British Open, the streakers, the wind, rain, and anguish and glory at the end.
caly - are u one of those BAF (blame america first) sort of dudes?
I don't know what that means, so I don't know how to answer that question!
If your asking if I'm one of those liberal pinkos that thinks the U.S. is wrong is everything they do....hardly! I'm a loyal American to a fault! When Mark Calcavechia won the British I actually went outside and screamed in jubilation.
But I am pragmatic as well. There was a time when the US needed to carry the banner of all the majors because nobody else could support it....but those days are over....so we need to give up the reins of our meaningless major, and start a new tradition that will actually mean something to someone.
Post a Comment
<< Home