Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Wednesday 1 February

Tiger’s travail: young crop of stars complicates his task

DOUG FERGUSON he once did. That’s why he all of two weeks and al-
AP Golf Writer describes the ‘86 Masters ready has more company
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Small — his 18th and final major in the growing list of young
details from Torrey Pines — as “an accident in many talent. Adding to Rahm’s
paint a much larger picture ways.” hype is the 60 weeks he
of the PGA Tour. “I didn’t really pay atten- spent atop the world ama-
There was the putt on the tion to it after that,” Nick- teur ranking, the college
18th hole, a 60-footer for laus said. “I still liked to play awards, and the fact he
eagle that peeled off to golf because I could be never spent a day in the
the right, broke back to part of the scene.” minor leagues. He secured
the left and slowly tumbled Nicklaus had eight seasons his PGA Tour card in just
into the cup as it was losing of at least five PGA Tour vic- four starts.
speed. Not since the 2008 tories. Golf in 1980 was on Both are playing the Phoe-
U.S. Open at Torrey Pines the cusp of an era where nix Open this week, along
has a putt on the 18th hole dominance was shared. with Spieth and Rickie
received so much atten- Tom Watson and Seve Ball- Fowler. Matsuyama is the Tiger Woods reacts to the crowd after finishing the 11th hole of
the North Course during the second round of the Farmers Insur-
tion. esteros were hitting stride. defending champion. ance Open golf tournament Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, at Torrey Pines
What followed was a fist- During a two-year stretch, Woods took his 41-year-old Golf Course in San Diego.
pumping celebration, both rookies included Mark body with three back sur- Associated Press
arms, not just a right up- O’Meara, Fred Couples, geries and four knee sur- ing. ates Golf Club are 21-year-
percut. And it was hard to John Cook, Scott Hoch, Hal geries to the Dubai Desert The stronger field is at the old Jeunghan Wang and
ignore that Jon Rahm was Sutton and Payne Stewart. Classic, where he won’t be Phoenix Open. Even so, 26-year-old Tommy Fleet-
wearing a red shirt. “A whole bunch of kids facing deep rough, bumpy Dubai has Henrik Stenson, wood. They won the last
The victory by the 22-year- were coming along, and greens or bone-chilling Alex Noren and Sergio Gar- two events on the Europe-
old from Spain was the lat- he’s got the same thing,” temperatures in the morn- cia. Also in the field at Emir- an Tour.q
est reminder how quickly Nicklaus said, referring
and powerfully golf is shift- to Woods. “He’s got an is-
ing to a younger genera- sue with some really good
tion. players every year. The
And how much harder it’s thing is, those really good
going to be for Tiger Woods. players didn’t have the
Rahm is the kind of player problem of having him. So
Jack Nicklaus had in mind they all learned how to win.
when he said he has never They learned how to win
seen so much depth on the and gain the confidence
PGA Tour. they needed to project
Nicklaus met him last June their careers forward. So
at the Memorial when the he not only has my record
Arizona State star received to contend with, he’s got
the Jack Nicklaus Award a lot of kids who are really
as the top college player. good. You’ve got a pretty
Rahm was exempt for his interesting next couple of
first U.S. Open as the No. 1 years.”
player in the world ama- Last year ended with the
teur ranking, and Nicklaus 23-year-old Thomas win-
offered a few tips on how ning in Malaysia for the
to prepare for Oakmont. second straight year and
Two weeks later, Rahm the 24-year-old Mat-
bounced back from a 76 suyama winning a World
in the opening round and Golf Championship by sev-
tied for 23rd. en shots in the HSBC Cham-
At the time, Nicklaus was pions. The new year began
far more familiar with Justin with Thomas sweeping the
Thomas and Hideki Mat- two Hawaii tournaments
suyama, Jordan Spieth (Matsuyama was runner-up
and Rory McIlroy. at Kapalua). Spieth, who
That’s what led him to say won the Australian Open
in an interview right before late last year, finished third
Christmas that the biggest in his opening two events
obstacle facing Woods in of 2016.
his pursuit of Nicklaus’ re- Eight of the 11 events in
cord in the majors might be the PGA Tour season have
the new generation of stars been won by players in
more than injuries or age. their 20s.
Nicklaus won the U.S. Open That doesn’t include the
and the PGA Champion- top three players in the
ship in 1980 when he was world — Jason Day (29),
40 and then started to slow Dustin Johnson (32) and
down by choice. His old- Rory McIlroy (27).
est son was in college. His Thomas, who shot a 59 in
business was taking off. He the first round of the Sony
didn’t work at golf the way Open, stepped away for