Time to Celebrate Modern Golf's Last “Power Generation”

Surely you remember the 1996 Masters.  But do you remember what made it so special?  It wasn’t just because Greg Norman teed off on that fateful Sunday with a six stroke lead and one arm in his first green jacket.  It wasn’t just because Nick Faldo made up 11 strokes to claim his third. 

That Masters was so special only because of the actors on stage—Faldo and Norman—the best two golfers of their generation going at it mano-a-mano for one final time.  They together with Seve Ballesteros, Nick Price, and Bernard Langer formed modern golf’s second power generation that dominated the sport from the 1980s until the early 1990s. 

These rivals won 13 majors and gave the sport countless spine tingling moments (many thanks to Norman).

They were preceded by modern golf’s first power generation led by Jack Nicklaus Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Tom Watson.  These titans ruled the sport from1960 to the mid 1980s.  They won countless tournaments worldwide and nearly a half of all majors played during that time span.

These fiercest of rivals essentially turned the game into a TV sport that produced ratings on the backs of their many back nine Sunday charges.  Who can forget Watson and Nicklaus matching stroke for stroke at Turnberry in 1977.  

Most consider that duel to be the best Major ever played.  History has proven that golf’s most memorable moments are created by the game’s biggest guns going head to head on its biggest stages. 

As the 2009 Masters prepares to unfold, golf fans across the world are craving for a Woods-Mickelson slugfest down the stretch on Masters Sunday.  Imagine the tense drama that would transpire.  But could such a moment really be matched by an Anthony Kim trading shots with a Luke Donald?  Unlikely. 

In my view, that level of theatre could only be produced by two or more of the “Big Five”—Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Retief Goosen—the third and final power generation of modern golf.  Imagine the tension if Sunday afternoon rolled around and members of the Big Five were at the top of the leader board at Amen Corner.

Why?  Because for the past decade the “Big Five” have dominated the sport just like the other power generations before them.  They have created intense rivalries that have fuelled the game’s recent storylines and exciting moments.

Remember Tiger and Phil battling for the U.S. Open at Bethpage in 2002?  Extraordinary stuff. 

Collectively the Big Five have won 25 majors (14 by Tiger) and 278 tournaments worldwide including 159 on the PGA Tour.  Although they have been challenged over the years by the likes of David Duval, Colin Montgomerie, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia and, more recently, Padraig Harrington, the Big Five have been Golf’s constant for a generation.

So as the decade comes to a close, it is time to celebrate the Big Five while their rivalries are still fresh and they remain near the top of their games.  Mickelson has multiple wins this year, Goosen won a month ago, Singh is the reigning Fedex Cup champion and Els won on the PGA Tour just last year. 

But reason tells us that their collective window is closing. 

Clearly Woods will be around to battle the next wave behind him.  But over the next few years his comrades will be officially moved by golf fans and critics alike into the land of sentimental favourites (see Norman this year at Augusta or Jack in 1986). 

Fairly soon any sighting of their names on leaderboards will create nostalgia of glory years gone by. 

When the Big Five finally fade away it will mark the end of modern golf’s power generations.  Tiger is set to be challenged for the next ten years by the likes of Sergio Garcia, Anthony Kim, Camillo Villegas, Zack Johnson, Trevor Immelman, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Nick Watney, Sean O’Hair, Rory Mcilroy, and Danny Lee.  

Today’s game, however, suggests that it is unlikely that a core group will emerge from these players to consistently dominate the sport like the Big Five or the power generations before it.  Golf is increasingly a global enterprise with the PGA Tour not necessarily the sport’s golden grail (see the Race to Dubai). 

Chances to create and deepen rivalries are diminishing as the top players seem to meet only at the Majors or  WGC events.  Technology is deepening the playing field (see incomplete list above) to produce a broader swath of potential winners. 

Finally, top golfers today are often distracted by greater revenue streams (appearance fees and endorsements) that seem to be making them more fat and less hungry. 

All of this suggests that the sport is unlikely to create the sustained rivalries that have historically produced many of its magic moments.  Lets hope that the Big 5 can give us a few more before their sun finally sets. 

Let's hope that two or more of them are in the mix come Sunday afternoon at Augusta.  If not, the sport is unlikely to ever again produce that extra special generational magic that unfolded in 1977, 1996, and 2002.