Julian Suri’s win at the Made in Denmark on Sunday once again illustrated the tremendous depth in golf today.
In years gone by, particularly during Tiger Woods’ period of dominance, there were perhaps only 10 or 15 players that could realistically win any given tournament.
Things have since changed drastically. With just three events of the 2016/17 PGA Tour season remaining, 35 players have won at least once, 12 of whom captured their maden title. Major crowns have also been shared around in the last couple of years too. Of the last nine major championships dating back to the 2015 PGA Championship, eight players have won their first major title with Jordan Spieth’s Open triumph the only exception.
So why has the gap closed so much? What happened to bring about a change in the depth of fields which allowed a player ranked 213th in the world to romp to such an emphatic victory at an event boasting major champions and Ryder Cup stars alike? I will look at four factors which I feel have caused this shift over the last few years.
A major contributor, in my opinion, is the belief a player gains in their own ability to win after seeing a contemporary win for the first time.
For example, Justin Thomas watched on as childhood friend Spieth won three majors and rose to the top of the world rankings before he himself joined the major winners circle with his win at Quail Hollow earlier this month.
But there is more to it than just believing one has the game to succeed on Tour. I believe players are benefitting from highly competitive development tours which help them prepare for life in the bigger leagues of world golf.
Second-tier tours teach players valuable lessons about life on tour. They are able to figure out how to approach different golf courses, learn how to play a variety of shots and also how to handle foreign conditions. More than that though, these tours allow the fast-emerging generation of twenty-somethings to become self-sufficient away from home, from doing laundry to sorting out travel arrangements. It may sound like something simple, but many a young tour pro has pinpointed these things as crucial to finding their feet as a professional.
With his win on Sunday, Suri became just the third American to win on both the Challenge and European Tours, after Peter Uihlein and Brooks Koepka.
Technological advancement has also been a great leveller. In 1997, John Daly was the only player to average over 300 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour. Twenty years on, however, and 42 players achieved the feat during the 2016/17 season, owing to the larger ‘sweet-spots’ found on drivers in use today. This means that certain players are able to find equioment which allows them to make up for a lack of strength and clubhead-speed through the ball.
That said, gym and physical fitness have become an integral part of the average tour pro’s daily routine. Exercises which promote suppleness and core strength as well as weight training all contribute to a more powerful, reliable golf swing.
All of these factors mean that in any given week, a player can defy their ranking and be a factor on the biggest stage.
Photo: Associated Press
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