The Real Truth: Changed Guard At Whistling Straits

Nick Watney will win the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. This will be no changing of the guard. Let's make certain we give some credit here where it is due. Without Tiger Woods' enormous, media sucking self-indulgence, we would have had much more on Nick Watney. After all, he has more than $10 million in earnings and has been a pro for seven years, since he was 22. He is a very good golfer, perhaps great. And, together with the others teeing off, among the longest hitters on the tour.

If there was ever a better golfer to take over, just remember this picture. Watney leading his caddy down to his ball where he hit a very workmanlike shot without any preening, posturing, mouthing, swearing, or other actions seemingly required of US golfers since we lost our last great golfers from the PGA Tour.

We have had six out of seven past major winners winning a major for the first time. True, whenever we look at the leaderboard, we look for and have a harder and harder time finding someone we have even seen before. Watney who? Johnson who? McIllroy who?

The anti-Tiger courses are not going to be so tough for this group of under-30 year olds. No sir. Their length alone is gaining legendary fame. "McIlroy told the story of a 407-yard drive Johnson hit in front of Rory at the Walker Cup."

So what do we have here? A clear changed guard. Forget about the arthritis riddled forty-year old Michelson. Forget the psyche and knee damaged Woods. And forget the one-time major winner Jim Furyk, who looked so bowed and apparently exhausted by the pace and length, he seemed ready for bed by the 17th green.

The only one that seems ready to mix up this party for youth is just turned 32-year old W.C. Liang. And unless his third round 64 proves more than a mere fluke, we will have another rush to the finish by the youngsters.

So why is this the "changing of the guard" as some have written? Did they miss the last six first-time major winners? Did they believe that a forty year old and a destroyed guy who was given an animal's name would somehow resurrect their games. Why did they hold their grip on the past so long? For that matter, although Phil Michelson is at least a family man whose exploits include nothing worse than being late for tournaments, why root for even him? 

His and Tiger's days are over. Sure, you might get a bit of nostalgia for at least one of them ala Jack Nicklaus. But, as was said elsewhere:

Nicklaus played the final 10 holes seven under par with six birdies and an eagle. At age 46, Nicklaus became the oldest Masters winner in history, a record which still stands. On the feat, sports columnist Thomas Boswell remarked, "Some things cannot possibly happen, because they are both too improbable and too imperfect. The U.S. hockey team cannot beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Jack Nicklaus cannot shoot 65 to win The Masters at age 46. Nothing else comes immediately to mind."

So anything could happen. It just most likely will not. And that is The Real Truth.