Golf history isn't as great as it could have been
Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, "It might have been."
- John Greenleaf Whittier
The history of golf is littered with misfortune and missed opportunities. What might have been if Bobby Jones had still been in his prime when he created Augusta National Golf Club and his world-class invitational tournament?
What might have been if Bob Tway and Larry Mize hadn't chipped in on Greg Norman's major parades?
What might have been if Tony Lema hadn't died too soon in a plane crash?
There are countless stories of golfing achievement that got lost along the way. For every instance of blessed fate like Fred Couples' ball sticking on the bank of Rae's Creek, there are dozens of moments that drowned in ponds or puddles created by a player's own fear.
Greg Norman should have won a Masters Tournament, but didn't. Arnold Palmer should have won a PGA, but didn't. Colin Montgomerie should have won a major, but hasn't.
The list is endless. There are moments in golf we've all been cheated out of through the years. Here is one person's short list of the greatest things in golf that never happened.
SNEAD'S OPEN: Sam Snead winning a U.S. Open. Were it not for one omission on his career rsum, Snead might be regarded alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the greatest of all time. Because of the slight taint of finishing runner-up four times in the U.S. Open, the seven-time major winner typically gets slotted behind contemporary Ben Hogan in the hierarchy of the game's legends. For a golfer who possessed more grace of motion and range of shot-making than almost anyone before or after and set the standard for winning tournaments that only Woods has a chance to surpass, it's a shame. The Slammer should have been a career slammer as well.
ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN: Jack and Arnie down the stretch at Augusta. With 10 titles between them, Palmer and Nicklaus set the bar at the Masters. The two traded green jackets between 1962 and '65. But unlike Snead and Hogan in their playoff in 1954, the King and the Bear never provided that signature duel down the stretch at Augusta National that would have captivated the nation. Each registered a runner-up finish during their rival's biggest landslide wins. Even Woods and Phil Mickelson played together in the final pairing in 2001, though it never materialized into much of a challenge. Jack and Arnie never gave the crowds that thrill until they were senior players.
TIGER TAKES THEM ALL: Tiger Woods winning golf's ultimate slam. We're not talking about calendar year majors here. We're talking everything. Every minor from Reno-Tahoe to Greensboro. Woods has the talent to win on any style course under any conditions, but he opted on the path of least resistance long ago. By the time he's done, Woods will probably hold every record for success on the PGA Tour, but winning the same events over and over again won't seem to hold the same element of awe than if he would have tried to win every tour co-sponsored event at least once. Not to mention the goodwill he would have engendered just making the effort to spread himself around. Woods (56 wins) has won nearly double the number of tournaments as Vijay Singh (31), but Singh has won more different events (24 to 23) than Woods.
WIE IN AUGUSTA: Michelle Wie crashing the Masters. It could have registered as the most significant ground-breaking achievement in the annals of the game - a teenage girl securing a berth in the most storied men's major championship. Despite speculation to the contrary, Augusta National would have welcomed Wie as a qualified invitee with great enthusiasm. Wie reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Public Links Championship as a 15-year-old in 2005, falling 5 and 4 to eventual winner Clay Ogden. It was a noble effort. Despite her delusions of being able to be competitive on the PGA Tour, Wie's hopes of ever playing the Masters ended when she turned professional the next year. If scar tissue from failures against the men doesn't wear her down, she might still qualify for a men's U.S. Open.
DALY PLAYS FOR U.S.: John Daly in the Ryder Cup. It might have been the perfect environment for one of golf's most colorful figures. Daly's combination of power and finesse would have been irresistible to watch in one of golf's greatest events, and his penchant for blow-up holes would have been neutralized by the match-play format. U.S. captains, however, resisted the temptation to make him a captain's pick even in his major-winning seasons of 1991 and '95. Even the Presidents Cup hasn't touched him. Critics contend that Daly would have embarrassed himself and the team with his habit of quitting. It's more likely that playing for his country could have elevated his focus and enthusiasm. As for embarrassing, could Daly have really done worse than the safe picks have managed in losing five of the past six Ryder Cups? He might have been the answer, but we'll never know.
Something might happen this week that could add or subtract to the endless refrain of what might have been. That is both the beauty and the pity of golf.
