Some will say that golfers have never been so talented. Others will say that there has never been so much parity. No matter which camp you’re in, both arguments are valid. The proof: the major tournament season was one of the strangest in history. Not only because Mother Nature played its part on all four occasions, but also because we had proof that anyone can win one of the Grand Slam titles. No one had the triumphs of Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open and Brian Harman at the British Open on their bingo card in 2023. And yet, it happened. The first thanks to exceptional regularity on his tee shots, the second because of his precision and efficiency on the greens.
For the first time since 1954, a Canadian golfer won the Canadian Open. With a 72-foot putt for eagle against Tommy Fleetwood on the fourth overtime hole, Nick Taylor sowed hysteria at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf Club. This long right-left roll for the title instantly became an anthology moment. When the ball fell to the bottom of the cup, Taylor threw his stick and jumped into his caddy’s arms. And the party began. Canadian golfers ran toward him on the green to celebrate. Talk to Adam Hadwin, poor guy. The golfer was violently tackled by a security guard who believed Hadwin was a fan wanting to get close to the winner.
We were waiting for her and she arrived with panache. In a few years, Rose Zhang could become for women’s golf what Tiger Woods was for men’s golf. Not only because they are both extremely talented, but because their trajectory is surprisingly similar. Both studied at Stanford University, both won the Masters Tournament at very young ages and both had stellar professional debuts. The year 2023 will have been that of Zhang, there is no doubt. The 20-year-old Californian won the Women’s Amateur Masters Tournament and the NCAA Championship for the second year in a row, becoming the first player in history to achieve such a feat. Then, at her first professional tournament, she walked away with top honors. A first since 1951. She had not even received her LPGA Tour membership card yet.
A wacky project debuting in 2021, the LIV Golf series is gaining more and more traction. In 2023, Brooks Koepka became the first player paid by the Saudis to triumph in a major tournament. It was at the PGA Championship. He was fantastic with his irons to win his fifth career major title. Then, Masters winner Jon Rahm made his move from the PGA Tour to Series LIV official in mid-December in exchange for a fee estimated at $500 million. The circuit is expanding and although the LIV series and the PGA announced a merger in June, no developments have been revealed since. In the meantime, the LIV series continues to steal some of the best players in the world from the PGA.
Already before the start of the Ryder Cup presented in Italy, the selection of the American team by captain Zach Johnson had caused controversy. Despite a disappointing season, the inseparable Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were called up to represent the United States. This bickering in the camp of the reigning champions was a bad omen. The European team led by Rory McIlroy, Victor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood completely destroyed the Americans, who were excessively arrogant throughout the weekend. At the end of the first day, Europe led 6 ½ to 1 ½. She ended up winning 16 ½ to 11 ½, despite a little slackening during the Sunday rounds. And remember the brawl between Rory McIlroy and cadet Joe Lacava. Or the one between Shane Lowry and some members of the American team. This edition was one of the most entertaining in recent years.
