Unlike other highly competitive games like cricket, football and basketball, golf is often regarded to be a “happy game” with its crux of encouraging players to embrace the idyllic aura of the outdoors. Gold is often looked upon as a game that invigorates and fosters self-reflection, contentment and relaxation. Although poles apart from the high-intensity sports, major golf leagues like the European Tour, PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour have cultivated an enthusiastic fan base of millions around the world.
The First Woman in the PGA Tour Showdown
For decades gold was known to be the men’s game until the Swedish professional golf player Annika Sorenstam made her debut on the 2003 PGA Tour. After Babe Zaharias in 1945, she reserved her place as the second woman to qualify for the prestigious event. Sorenstam’s PGA participation was celebrated widely by the fans of golf, who strongly believed in women’s empowerment and equality. Sorenstam later retired in 2008. Her illustrious golfing career marked her successfully clinching the Ladies European Tour seventeen times and the LPGA tour title a phenomenal seventy-two times.
Adam Scott’s Joyful Australian Wave
The world’s number one ranked golfer, Adam Scott, has clinched a total of 31 professional golf tours and elevated Australia in the Golding arena to unprecedented heights. In 2013, Adam Scott clinched the prestigious Masters Tournament and etched his name as the very first Australian professional golf player to achieve the feat. Scott’s glorious achievement was celebrated by millions of Australian golf fans in the country and worldwide with a “Come on Aussies!” slogan. After achieving the long-awaited victory, Adam Scott came through as a beam of hope for an extremely promising Australian golf future.
Winning Streak for the Golden Bear Fans
The iconic 1986 Masters Tournament marked the remarkable 18th championship victory for American professional golf player, Jack Nicklaus, popularly referred to as the “golden bear”. Nicklaus clinched a total of 18 championship titles between 1962 and 1986, speaking volumes about his unwavering dedication to the game. At the age of 46, the American golden bear, Jack Nicklaus, established the record of being the oldest champion in the history of the Masters Tournament. Millions of his fans worldwide came out and celebrated Jack Nicklaus’ phenomenal victory.
The Youngest Masters Tournament Winner
The golfing world got its youngest Masters tournament winner in 1997 when the 21-year-old American professional golf player, Tiger Woods, clinched his Masters title with a record-breaking 12-stroke victory. With his dominating performance at the Masters, Tiger Woods was given the moniker “the dawn of dominance” and hailed as the ultimate champion. Although Woods marked an ironic beginning to his golfing career as he was highly anticipated to be the “next big thing” in the world of golf, his struggle with injuries has derailed his career to a large extent. Nonetheless, Tiger Woods still enjoys a massive fan following.
Koepka’s Second Consecutive Victory
American professional golf player, Brooks Koepka, often regarded as one of the greatest players of the PGA Tour, created history in the golfing arena after clinching his second consecutive U.S. Open title in the year 2018. After American professional golf player, Curtis Strange, he became the second player in the world to achieve the feat. Recently, Koepka clinched the prestigious Wanamaker Trophy for the third time in his career and his picture of him drinking beer from the humongous trophy went viral on the internet, leaving his fans in complete awe of the golf superstar.
The ultimate “Hail South Korea” Moment
Although a majority of South Koreans are relatively reluctant to, mainstream sports, Se Ri Pak, the South Korean professional golf player, created history after making her debut at the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) in 1998 at the young age of 20 years. Se Ri Pak clinched the U.S. Women’s Open and LPGA in her debut season, uplifting the status of South Korea in the arena of golf. Back in her days, Se Ri Pak was widely celebrated for her triumphs and considered to be the reviver of South Korean sportsmanship.
The “Return” of Golf at the Summer Olympics
After the Summer Olympics of 1904, it was after a long wait of 112 years in 2016 that Golf marked its power-packed comeback in the Summer Olympics race. While the glorious moment was being commemorated by millions of golf fans around the world, it was the English professional golf player Justin Rose who elevated the feeling of joy among the fans by registering his first hole-in-one triumph. Justin clinched the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
U.S. Women’s Open doubled to $10 Million
The recent move of the USGA (United States Golf Association) to double up the U.S. Women’s Open prize to a record-breaking $10 Million created a benchmark in women’s golf and was appreciated by fans worldwide. The decision of USGA to increase the purse not just acted as an undeniable inspiration for the upcoming women golf players, but also USGA’s unwavering commitment to advancing women’s stature in the game and treating them equal to their male counterparts in the league.
U.S. Comeback at the Ryder Cup Tournament
The U.S. captain, Ben Crenshaw, marked one of the most robust comebacks in the history of the Ryder Cup and assisted the U.S. to a historic 14 ½ – 13 ½ victory. Justin Leonard knocked an iconic 45-foot birdie, leading the U.S. to the ultimate victory. Although the tournament was filled with controversies about sportsmanship and overall crowd behavior, the American crowd struck the streets to celebrate the 1999 Ryder Cup victory at Brookline.
Locking horns with the “COVID-19” Battle
The COVID-19 outbreak largely impacted all sports on a global scale, with canceled leagues and postponed seasons. The pandemic completely disrupted the sports regime. While all the other sports were struggling to organize major events due to the pandemic restrictions, the 2020 Masters tournament stood firm unwaveringly. With Dustin Johnson emerging as the ultimate winner, securing his green jacket, the golf audience worldwide appreciated the consistency of the Master’s tournament and embraced the fact that it did not succumb to the unusual circumstances.
